Recta Ratio

So I posted some things for VE-Day, Mothers' Day, and the daily prayers (Marian and Novena) early.

If you have trouble seeing the the image I am using for the prayer from The Glories of Mary, just right click it, and hit Show Picture. If that doesn't work, right click again, go to Properties, copy the original URL for the link into your address bar, and paste. That should show you the image. It has been a little iffy and unreliable in my blog.

On the dismissal of Father Reese:

The magazine never campaigned against church doctrine; it merely aired serious, scholarly articles that raised both sides of many issues. But, according to this petty, prissy tyrant now running the Church, Catholics are not allowed to think through both sides of any issue. This is a signal that not even moderate, calm, balanced and respectful examination of Church doctrine or Church government will be allowed in future. The measures Ratzinger used as prefect will actually be intensified as Pope, until all free thought is extinguished. We were fed p.r. that the new Pope was humble, would be conciliatory, would be a pastor not a dictator. I never believed it. We have had the first sign. It's as dangerous as it is predictable. Message to Catholics: remove your minds. Message to Catholic thinkers: obey on everything - or we will fire you. One silver lining: If I were a Jesuit, I would take the hostility of this clerical tyrant as a badge of honor. Firing this moderate, quiet, modest man is really a call to arms for those of us who need to save our church from this disastrous choice for the papacy.

Can't imagine why, but the words, "drama queen" come to mind.

Ooopppps! That was snarky, wasn't it?

Good. It was meant to be.

As Rush Limbaugh says about secular liberals, they are never so much fun as when they are out of power.

Thanks to Amy Welborn, who waded through Sullivan's pile of manure to pluck this gem-quality piece of merde.

A super idea from Papa Ratzi Post.

Plus:

Benedict XVI trading cards.

I kid you not.

If he continues to kick butt and take names as he did with America, they ought to put up statues of him.

Second Day: The Gift of Fear
Come, Thou Father of the poor!
Come, with treasures which endure!
Come, Thou Light of all that live!

Act of Consecration to the Holy Ghost
On my knees before the great multitude of heavenly
witnesses, I offer myself soul and body to Thee,
Eternal Spirit of God. I adore the brightness of Thy
purity, the unerring keenness of Thy justice, and the
might of Thy love. Thou art the Strength and Light of
my soul. In Thee I live and move and am. I desire
never to grieve Thee by unfaithfulness to grace, and I
pray with all my heart to be kept from the smallest
sin against Thee. Mercifully guard my every thought
and grant that I may always watch for Thy light and
listen to Thy voice and follow Thy gracious
inspirations. I cling to Thee and give myself to Thee
and ask Thee by Thy compassion to watch over me in my
weakness. Holding the pierced Feet of Jesus and
looking at His Five Wounds and trusting in His
Precious Blood and adoring His opened Side and
stricken Heart, I implore Thee Adorable Spirit, helper
of my infirmity, so to keep me in Thy grace that I may
never sin against Thee. Give me grace O Holy Ghost,
Spirit of the Father and the Son, to say to Thee
always and everywhere, "Speak Lord, for Thy servant
heareth."
Amen.

Prayer for the Seven Gifts of the Holy Ghost
O Lord Jesus Christ, Who, before ascending into
heaven, didst promise to send the Holy Ghost to finish
Thy work in the souls of Thy Apostles and Disciples,
deign to grant the same Holy Spirit to me, that He may
perfect in my soul the work of Thy grace and Thy love.
Grant me the Spirit of Wisdom that I may despise the
perishable things of this world and aspire only after
the things that are eternal, the Spirit of
Understanding to enlighten my mind with the light of
Thy divine truth, the Spirit of Counsel that I may
ever choose the surest way of pleasing God and gaining
Heaven, the Spirit of Fortitude that I may bear my
cross with Thee, and that I may overcome with courage
all the obstacles that oppose my salvation, the Spirit
of Knowledge that I may know God and know myself and
grow perfect in the science of the Saints, the Spirit
of Piety that I may find the service of God sweet and
amiable, the Spirit of Fear that I may be filled with
a loving reverence towards God, and may dread in any
way to displease Him. Mark me, dear Lord, with the
sign of Thy true disciples and animate me in all
things with Thy Spirit.
Amen.

Meditation:
The gift of Fear fills us with a sovereign respect for
God, and makes us dread nothing so much as to offend
Him by Sin. It is a fear that arises, not from the
thought of hell, but from sentiments of reverence and
filial submission to our heavenly Father. It is the
fear that is the beginning of wisdom, detaching us
from worldly pleasures that could in any way separate
us from God. "They that fear the Lord will prepare
their hearts, and in His sight will sanctify their
souls."

Prayer:
Come, O blessed Spirit of Holy Fear, penetrate my
inmost heart, that I may set Thee, my Lord and God,
before my face forever; help me to shun all things
that can offend Thee, and make me worthy to appear
before the pure eyes of Thy Divine Majesty in heaven,
where Thou livest and reignest in the unity of the
ever Blessed Trinity, God world without end.
Amen.

1 Our Father, 1 Hail Mary, 7 Glory Be To the Fathers

Prayer to the Holy Ghost
V. Come, O Holy Ghost, fill the hearts of Thy
faithful, and enkindle in them the fire of Thy love.
R. Send forth Thy Spirit and they shall be created.
V. And Thou shalt renew the face of the earth
V. Let us pray --- Oh God Who didst instruct the
hearts of the faithful by the light of the Holy Ghost,
grant us in the same Spirit to be truly wise and to
ever rejoice in His consolations, through Jesus Christ
Our Lord.
Amen.

Prayer

O my most sweet Mother, how shall I die, poor sinner that I am? Even now the thought of that important moment when I must expire, and appear before the judgment seat of God, and the remembrance that I have myself so often written my condemnation by consenting to sin, makes me tremble. I am confounded, and fear much for my eternal salvation.

O Mary, in the blood of Jesus, and in thy intercession, is all my hope. Thou art the Queen of Heaven, the mistress of the universe; in short, thou art the Mother of God. Thou art great, but thy greatness does not prevent, nay even it inclines thee to greater compassion towards us in our miseries.

Worldly friends, when raised to dignity, disdain to notice their former friends who may have fallen into distress. Thy noble and loving heart does not act thus, for the greater the miseries it beholds, the greater are its efforts to relieve. Thou, when called upon, dost immediately assist; nay more, thou dost anticipate our prayers by thy favors; thou consolest us in our afflictions; thou dissipatest the storms by which we are tossed about; thou overcomest all enemies; thou, in fine, never losest an occasion to promote our welfare.

May that divine hand which has united in thee such majesty and such tenderness, such greatness and so much love, be forever blessed! I thank my Lord for it, and congratulate myself in having so great an advantage; for truly in thy felicity do I place my own, and I consider thy lot as mine.

O comfortress of the afflicted, console a poor creature who recommends himself to thee. The remorse of a conscience overburdened with sin fills me with affliction. I am in doubt as to whether I have sufficiently grieved for them. I see that all my actions are sullied and defective; hell awaits my death in order to accuse me; the outraged justice of God demands satisfaction.

My Mother, what will become of me? If thou dost not help me, I am lost. What sayest thou, wilt thou assist me?

O compassionate Virgin, console me; obtain for me true sorrow for my sins; obtain for me strength to amend, and to be faithful to God during the rest of my life. And finally, when I am in the last agonies of death, O Mary, my hope, abandon me not; then, more than ever, help and encourage me, that I may not despair at the sight of my sins, which the evil one will then place before me.

My Lady, forgive my temerity; come thyself to comfort me with thy presence in that last struggle. This favor thou hast granted to many, grant it also to me. If my boldness is great, thy goodness is greater; for it goes in search of the most miserable to console them. On this I rely.

For thine eternal glory, let it be said that thou hast snatched a wretched creature from hell, to which he was already condemned, and that thou hast led him to thy kingdom. O yes, sweet Mother, I hope to have the consolation of remaining always at thy feet, in heaven, thanking and blessing and loving thee eternally. O Mary, I shall expect thee at my last hour; deprive me not of this consolation. Fiat. Fiat. Amen. Amen.

And the Cardinal Newman Society has the goods on so-called "Catholic" colleges and universities who persist in the error of honoring pro-abortion and pro-gay marriage public figures.

Dale Price spells out the rules at Dyspeptic Mutterings. I would say these are great rules, and I could almost post the whole thing verbatim here. But instead, I'll just advert your attention to Dale, and say the same applies here.

You can buy one for your car here.

Better yet, buy a dozen and stick them everywhere as well as give them to friends.

Father Fessio on his relationship with our Holy Father. Maybe his Jesuit superiors will not be kicking him around so much now.

Start thinking about good orthodox priests who would make good bishops, and maybe write to the Papal Nuncio to encourage their appointments.

Here are two neglected but spectacular priests whose names come to mind right off the bat: Father Joseph Fessio, S.J., and Father George Rutler.

And think about promotions within the hierarchy as well. Cardinal Burke? Cardinal Bruskewitz? Cardinal Chaput?

As one of my friends likes to say, "Wow. This could be a very good hit."

New brooms sweep clean, and it looks like our Holy Father Pope Benedict, who is by all accounts a detail-oriented man, has taken the bull by the horns and forced Father Reese, the editor of the left-leaning dissenting Jesuit publication America out under threat of imposition of a board of censors.

The link is to the Boston Globe, which is in major-league whining mode about it. It is on the front page of te on-line edition, and the article prominently quotes a likely future target, Father Richard McBrien.

Frankly, maybe the board of censors might have been the better option, because there is no guaranteeing that the successor will be orthodox or that he will vigorously require orthodoxy in the articles published in that magazine.

Indeed the entire Jesuit order needs the same sort of knuckling that Pope Benedict (Long may he live, and long may he reign!!!) just gave America. The order has been turning good Catholics into agnostics and Unitarians for far too long. At least 60% of the order, and I'm probably being conservative here, dissents from the teachings and practices of the Church on issues of contraception, homosexuality, abortion, married priests, gay priests, women priests. homosexual marriage, and reception of the Eucharist by pro-abortion public figures.

The time is coming when people will have to make a choice. You cannot be Catholic and pro-abortion (never mind the weasel phrase "pro-choice" which is just another way of saying that you would allow abortions to happen). You cannot be Catholic and in favor of permitting gay marriage. The Catholic Church will never, not now, not 10 years from now, not 50 years from now, not 100 years from now, not 1000 years from now have women priests. Period. End of discussion. Not happening. Never will. Not possible. If there is any more definative way of saying no that you know of, imagine me, and the Church, saying it.

People can either have the fullness of potentially salvific membership in the one true Church of Jesus Christ on earth (and in Heaven), or they can allow what are political considerations based in feminism and the sexual revolution to carry them into heretical and schismatic sects.

But the Church under our wonderful Holy Father is making it plain that it stands for what it stands for, which is one unchanging, unchangeable Truth. It is not going to bend to keep them on board. Those who are not truly with the Church, those who place liberal gender politics above the Truth need to go elsewhere or change their thinking and beliefs. As Americans they can believe what they want. But as Catholics, what they believe about certain things is defined by the Church, or they are not Catholic.

The why the American Catholic church is overwhelmingly oriented towards women and effeminate men thing.

Amy Welborn started this round of the debate noting an evangelical's observations on the problem in his own church.

After Blogger was down for a couple of hours today, I added ten new images at the bottom of the page. These are from old Missals, and 6 of the 10 appear in the Saint Joseph's Daily Missal (1959 edition) which is the Missal I use at Holy Trinity.
Images are courtesy of Prayerbook.com.

"Corpse Art" exhibits touring the country.

And some people think it is just fine to bring school-age children to these horrific exhibitions of spliced dead bodies.

Check out what he has daid about the Latin Mass from this 1999 compilation by George Neumyer that appeared in San Francisco Faith:

"I am of the opinion, to be sure, that the old rite should be granted much more generously to all those who desire it," writes Ratzinger in the 1997 book Salt of the Earth. "It's impossible to see what could be dangerous or unacceptable about that. A community is calling its very being into question when it suddenly declares that what until now was its holiest and highest possession is strictly forbidden and when it makes the longing for it seem downright indecent."

Even more recently, Ratzinger said to an Italian publication that the Church needs a new generation of bishops open to the Latin Mass and that prelates should see the yearning for it as a "desire" for "divinity."

To the traditionalists gathered in Rome to celebrate the anniversary of the Pope's indult, Ratzinger said: "The orthodox forms of a rite are living realities born of the dialogue of love between the Church and its Lord--they are the expressions of the life of the Church in which are concentrated the faith, the prayer and the very life of generations, and in which at the same time are incarnated in a concrete form the action of God and man's response.... The authority of the Church can define and limit the use of rites in various historical situations but she never purely and simply forbids their use! Thus the Council ordered a reform of the liturgical books, but it did not forbid the use of the previous books."

Ratzinger rejected the notion that the Latin Mass is divisive, noting that the Church has always supported a multiplicity of rites: "Until the Council, there existed side by side with the Roman rite the Ambrosia rite, the Mozarabic rite of Toledo, the rite of Braga, the Carthusian rite, the Carmelite rite and the best known--the Dominican rite--and perhaps other rites as well that I do not know. No one was ever scandalized that the Dominicans, who were often present in our parishes, had their own rite and did not celebrate in the same way as the parish priests.We did not have the least doubt that their rite was as Catholic as the Roman rite; and we were proud of the richness of having a number of different traditions. Furthermore, it is necessary to state that the scope that the new Ordo Missae gives for creativity is often excessively widened; the difference between the liturgy according to the new books, and the liturgy in practice in different places, is often greater than that between the old and the new liturgy when both are celebrated in accordance with the norms prescribed by the liturgical books."

The idea of a diversity of rites, with the Tridentine Rite side-by-side with the Novus Ordo Rite is what most traditionalists are seeking. Those who want the new Mass abolished and replaced with the old one are smoking something mind-altering. That won't be happening anytime soon.

The most we can hope for is what then-Cardinal Ratzinger talked about: the Tridentine Rite more available at the local level, the two rites respected and celebrated side-by-side, and the celebration of the new rite cleaned up to get rid of the abuses like liturgical dance, spontaneously-made up Eucharistic Prayers, etc. That would be good. I have a feeling that the Tridentine Rite will be a long-term winner in an even marketplace of rites.

First noticed by Crux News:

Forty-five percent of "Catholic" hospitals are dispensing morning-after abortion pills.

I'm in the middle of three books right now, and I like all of them.

Scott Hahn's Hail, Holy Queen is an excellent discussion of the role of the Blessed Virgin Mary (and a great refutation of various misunderstandings of her role in Catholic prayer life).

The image on the cover, from Amazon.com, appears in full below, It is Sandro Botticelli's "The Madonna of the Magnifcat"

Father Charles Connor's Defenders of the Faith In Word and Deed caught my eye because the final person profiled in this 2003 work was Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger. I read that last chapter first when I first noticed the book yesterday, and then worked through the first chapters on the early Roman martyrs, and on Saints Athanasius and Augustine, and on to a chapter on SS. Bonaventure, Albert the Great, and Saint Thomas Aquinas. There are other chapters on SS. Thomas More and John Fisher, as well as the other English and Welsh Martyrs. I'm hooked now.

The third book is The Household of Faith: Roman Catholic Devotions in Mid-Nineteenth-Century America by Ann Taves. This is a scholarly study of 19th century American Catholic devotional writings. Interesting in that it charts the ebb and flow of certain devotional practices over the decades of the 19th century.

I think, after I am through these three, it will be time to read a novel, and something outside the Catholic world. I'm jonesing for a new offering from Peter Mayle, so if he does not come out with anything new (his last,A Good Year, came out last June) I may read A Dog's Life.

I read 3 of Dudley Pope's Ramage novels, and might go back for more, though I temporarily overdosed on the Age of Nelson, since I followed up my stream of Dudley Pope with a re-read of Master and Commander by Patrick O'Brian. Bernard Cornwell isn't due for a new Sharpe novel, and I'm up-to-date on my Sharpes.

Good stuff.

Found the link via Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam

The novena to the Holy Ghost is the oldest of all novenas since it was first made at the direction of Our Lord when He sent His apostles back to Jerusalem to await the coming of the Holy Ghost on the First Pentecost.

It is still the only novena officially prescribed by the Church.

Addressed to the Third Person of the Blessed Trinity, it is a powerful plea for the light, strength and love so sorely needed by every Christian.

To encourage devotion to the Holy Ghost, the Church has enriched this novena with the
following indulgences:

The faithful who devoutly assist at the public novena in honor of the Holy Ghost immediately preceding the feast of Pentecost may gain:

An indulgence of 10 years on any day of the novena. A Plenary indulgence, if they take part in at least five of the exercises; and moreover go to confession, and receive Holy Communion and pray for the Holy Father's intentions. Those who make a private novena in honor of the Holy Ghost, either before Pentecost or at any other time in the year may gain:

An indulgence of 7 years on any day of this novena. A Plenary indulgence under the usual conditions; but if a public novena is held, this indulgence is
available only to those who are lawfully hindered from being part in the same.

Under the new norms on indulgences, the devout saying of this novena, in public or in private,silently or aloud, gains a plenary indulgence under the usual conditions (state of grace, sacramental confession and Communion on the last day of the
Novena, and 1 Our Father, and 1 Hail Mary for theintentions of the Holy Father).

First Day: The Holy Ghost
Holy Spirit! Lord of light !
From Thy clear celestial height,
Thy pure beaming radiance give!

Act of Consecration to the Holy Ghost
On my knees before the great multitude of heavenly
witnesses, I offer myself soul and body to Thee,
Eternal Spirit of God. I adore the brightness of Thy
purity, the unerring keenness of Thy justice, and the
might of Thy love. Thou art the Strength and Light of
my soul. In Thee I live and move and am. I desire
never to grieve Thee by unfaithfulness to grace, and I
pray with all my heart to be kept from the smallest
sin against Thee. Mercifully guard my every thought
and grant that I may always watch for Thy light and
listen to Thy voice and follow Thy gracious
inspirations. I cling to Thee and give myself to Thee
and ask Thee by Thy compassion to watch over me in my
weakness. Holding the pierced Feet of Jesus and
looking at His Five Wounds and trusting in His
Precious Blood and adoring His opened Side and
stricken Heart, I implore Thee Adorable Spirit, helper
of my infirmity, so to keep me in Thy grace that I may
never sin against Thee. Give me grace O Holy Ghost,
Spirit of the Father and the Son, to say to Thee
always and everywhere, "Speak Lord, for Thy servant
heareth."
Amen.

Prayer For the Seven Gifts Of the Holy Ghost
O Lord Jesus Christ, Who, before ascending into
heaven, didst promise to send the Holy Ghost to finish
Thy work in the souls of Thy Apostles and Disciples,
deign to grant the same Holy Spirit to me, that He may
perfect in my soul the work of Thy grace and Thy love.
Grant me the Spirit of Wisdom that I may despise the
perishable things of this world and aspire only after
the things that are eternal, the Spirit of
Understanding to enlighten my mind with the light of
Thy divine truth, the Spirit of Counsel that I may
ever choose the surest way of pleasing God and gaining
Heaven, the Spirit of Fortitude that I may bear my
cross with Thee, and that I may overcome with courage
all the obstacles that oppose my salvation, the Spirit
of Knowledge that I may know God and know myself and
grow perfect in the science of the Saints, the Spirit
of Piety that I may find the service of God sweet and
amiable, the Spirit of Fear that I may be filled with
a loving reverence towards God, and may dread in any
way to displease Him. Mark me, dear Lord, with the
sign of Thy true disciples and animate me in all
things with Thy Spirit.
Amen.

Meditation:
Only one thing is important -- eternal salvation. Only
one thing, therefore, is to be feared -- sin. Sin is
the result of ignorance, weakness, and indifference.
The Holy Ghost is the Spirit of Light, of Strength,
and of Love. With His sevenfold gifts, He enlightens
the mind, strengthens the will, and inflames the heart
with love of God. To ensure our salvation, we ought to
invoke the Divine Spirit daily, for "The Spirit
helpeth our infirmity. We know not what we should pray
for as we ought. But the Spirit Himself asketh for
us."

Prayer:
Almighty and eternal God, Who hast vouchsafed to
regenerate us by water and the Holy Ghost, and hast
given us forgiveness of all our sins, vouchsafe to
send forth from heaven upon us Thy sevenfold Spirit,
the Spirit of Wisdom and Understanding, the Spirit of
Counsel and Fortitude, the Spirit of Knowledge and
Piety, and fill us with the Spirit of Holy Fear. Amen.

1 Our Father, 1 Hail, Mary, and 7 Glory Be

Prayer to the Holy Ghost
V. Come, O Holy Ghost, fill the hearts of Thy
faithful, and enkindle in them the fire of Thy love.
R. Send forth Thy Spirit and they shall be created.
V. And Thou shalt renew the face of the earth
V. Let us pray --- Oh God Who didst instruct the
hearts of the faithful by the light of the Holy Ghost,
grant us in the same Spirit to be truly wise and to
ever rejoice in His consolations, through Jesus Christ
Our Lord.
Amen.

Prayer

O compassionate Mother, most sacred Virgin, behold at thy feet the traitor, who, by paying with ingratitude the graces received from God through thy means, has betrayed both thee and him. But I must tell thee, O most blessed Lady, that my misery, far from taking away my confidence, increases it; for I see that thy compassion is great in proportion to the greatness of my misery. Show thyself, O Mary, full of liberality towards me: for thus thou art towards all who invoke thy aid.

All that I ask is that thou shouldst cast thine eyes of compassion on me, and pity me. If thy heart is thus far moved, it cannot do otherwise than protect me: and if thou protectest me, what can I fear? No, I fear nothing; I do not fear my sins, for thou canst provide a remedy; I do not fear devils, for thou art more powerful than the whole of hell; I do not even fear thy Son, though justly irritated against me, for at a word of thine he will be appeased.

I only fear lest, in my temptations, and by my own fault, I may cease to recommend myself to thee, and thus be lost. But I now promise thee that I will always have recourse to thee; O, help me to fulfill my promise. Lose not the opportunity which now presents itself of gratifying thy ardent desire to succor such poor wretches as myself. In thee, O Mother of God, I have unbounded confidence.

From thee I hope for grace to bewail my sins as I ought, and from thee I hope for strength never again to fall into them. If I am sick, thou, O heavenly physician, canst heal me. If my sins have weakened me, thy help will strengthen me. O Mary, I hope all from thee; for thou art all-powerful with God.
Amen.

But, if the exit polling results are correct, Labour's majority will drop substantially (37% of the vote), and the Tories (33%) will gain 44 seats. The only substantial anti-war party, the Liberal Democrats, will gain only 2 seats.

So the results are not, I think, an anti-war clarion call, but rather a message to the Tories: come up with some plausible leadership and some rock-solid Maggie-like positions, and you may be back in sooner than you had any right to expect after the way your feckless leaders conducted themselves over the last 15 years, when every other day it seemed that we were regaled with stories of senior Tory ministers who could not keep their pants zipped, or were giving in to the welfare state's demands more and more.

Today our Lord Jesus Christ ascended into heaven; let our hearts ascend with him. Listen to the words of the Apostle: If you have risen with Christ, set your hearts on the things that are above where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God; seek the things that are above, not the things that are on earth. For just as he remained with us even after his ascension, so we too are already in heaven with him, even though what is promised us has not yet been fulfilled in our bodies.

Christ is now exalted above the heavens, but he still suffers on earth all the pain that we, the members of his body, have to bear. He showed this when he cried out from above: Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? and when he said: I was hungry and you gave me food. Why do we on earth not strive to find rest with him in heaven even now, through the faith, hope and love that unites us to him?

While in heaven he is also with us; and we while on earth are with him. He is here with us by his divinity, his power and his love. We cannot be in heaven, as he is on earth, by divinity, but in him, we can be there by love.

He did not leave heaven when he came down to us; nor did he withdraw from us when he went up again into heaven. The fact that he was in heaven even while he was on earth is borne out by his own statement: No one has ever ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man, who is in heaven. These words are explained by our oneness with Christ, for he is our head and we are his body. No one ascended into heaven except Christ because we also are Christ: he is the Son of Man by his union with us, and we by our union with him are sons of God.

So the Apostle says: Just as the human body, which has many members, is a unity, because all the different members make one body, so is it also with Christ. He too has many members, but one body. Out of compassion for us he descended from heaven, and although he ascended alone, we also ascend, because we are in him by grace. Thus, no one but Christ descended and no one but Christ ascended; not because there is no distinction between the head and the body, but because the body as a unity cannot be separated from the head.

From a sermon by Saint Augustine, bishop (Sermo de Ascensione Domini, Mai 98, 1-7: PLS 2, 429-495)

Apparently Chechen rebels planned a chemical attack during VE-Day celebrations there.

Since the Chechen rebels are heavily linked to al Qaeda, I think we can regard any Russian victory against them as a victory by an ally in the same war we are fighting on Moslem terrorism.

Good stuff.

This is a return to prior practice.

Of course, the parishioners supected they were skinheads and called the cops. In fact, they were US Marines on leave after a tour of duty in Iraq, and they were trying to look up a buddy.

I despise the huggy, "Hi, I'm Louise, welcome to St. Ambrose's." that you get in so many "welcoming" parishes. I prefer to just take my missalette and bulletin, and take my pew to say my prayers before Mass without being forced to interact with anyone. The only thing I want to do on crossing the threshold is make the Sign of the Cross after dipping my hand in the holy water font. I might nod to people I recognize, like the usher who is handing out the written material (without a Pepsodent smile). But after that, I'm there to pray, and I scarcely notice who is coming and going.

Dom Bettinelli unearthed this lovely bit of assuming the worst and being far too much concerned about who is around you and far too little concerned about worshipping God.

In case you are interested in the image of the Ascension that I am using at the top of the blog today, it was done in glazed terra cotta by Lucca della Robbia in Florence in an archway over the door to the sacristy at Saint Maria del Fiore before 1445.

Prayer

Behold, O Mother of my God, my only hope, Mary, behold at thy feet a miserable sinner, who asks thee for mercy. Thou art proclaimed and called by the whole Church, and by all the faithful, the refuge of sinners. Thou art consequently my refuge; thou hast to save me. I will say with William of Paris, Thou knowest, most sweet Mother of God, how much thy Blessed Son desires our salvation ("Tu . . . enim, dulcissima Dei Mater, nosti quantum placeat benedicto Filio tuo salus nostra"—Rhèt. Div. c. 18). Thou knowest all that Jesus Christ endured for this end.

I present thee, O my Mother, the sufferings of Jesus: the cold that he endured in the stable, his journey into Egypt, his toils, his sweat, the blood that he shed, the anguish which caused his death on the cross, and of which thou wast thyself a witness. O, show that thou lovest thy beloved Son, and by this love I implore thee to assist me.

Extend thy hand to a poor creature who has fallen, and asks thy help. Were I a saint, I would not need seek thy mercy: but because I am a sinner, I fly to thee, who art the Mother of Mercies. I know that thy compassionate heart finds its consolation in assisting the miserable, when thou canst do so, and dost not find them obstinate.

Console, then, thy compassionate heart, and console me this day; for now thou hast the opportunity of saving a poor creature condemned to hell; and thou canst do so, for I will not be obstinate. I abandon myself into thy hands, only tell me what thou wouldst have me do, and obtain for me strength to execute it, for I am resolved to do all that depends on me to recover the divine grace.

I take refuge under thy mantle. Jesus wills that I should have recourse to thee, in order not only that his blood may save me, but also that thy prayers may assist me in this great work; for thy glory, and for his own, since thou art his Mother. He sends me to thee, that thou mayst help me. O Mary, see, I have recourse to thee; in thee do I confide. Thou prayest for so many others, pray also for me; say only a word. Tell our Lord that thou willest my salvation, and God will certainly save me. Say that I am thine, and then I have obtained all that I ask, all that I desire.
Amen.

"The investigator hired to probe the 1972 unsolved murder of 13-year-old altar boy Daniel Croteau says he now suspects that a ring of about 10 pedophiles, many of them priests, operated a sexual abuse ring that preyed upon children at the time Croteau was killed."

Read more of the disgusting details here.

Martyr and patron of firefighters.

Today is also Rogation Wednesday and the Vigil of the Ascension.

Pope John Paul II handing the cross to the future Pope Benedict XVI

Saw this over at Diary of a Suburban Priest.

Prayer

O my sovereign Queen and worthy Mother of my God, most holy Mary; I seeing myself, as I do, so despicable and loaded with so many sins, ought not to presume to call thee Mother, or even to approach thee; yet I will not allow my miseries to deprive me of the consolation and confidence that I feel in calling thee mother; I know well that I deserve that thou shouldst reject me; but I beseech thee to remember all that thy Son Jesus has endured for me, and then reject me if thou canst.

I am a wretched sinner, who, more than all others, have despised the infinite majesty of God: but the evil is done. To thee have I recourse; thou canst help me; my Mother, help me. Say not that thou canst not do so; for I know that thou art all-powerful, and that thou obtainest whatever thou desirest of God; and if thou sayest that thou wilt not help me, tell me at least to whom I can apply in this my so great misfortune. "Either pity me," will I say with the devout St. Anselm, "O my Jesus, and forgive me, and do thou pity me, my Mother Mary, by interceding for me, or at least tell me to whom I can have recourse, who is more compassionate, or in whom I can have greater confidence than in thee" ("Aut miseremini miseri, tu parcendo, tu interveniendo; aut ostendite, ad quos tutius fugiam misericordiores; et monstrate, in quibus certius confidam potentiores"—Orat. 50).
Amen.

The FSSP will be assigning a Franciscan affiliated with it to Lexington to say the Traditional Latin Mass with the consent of the Diocese of Lexington.

Now this is what I call a cheeseburger.

Photo from The Drudge Report

A lot of Pope Benedict emphasis, of course.

But what caught my eye was this article by Carolyn Foster on the Real Presence.

And this one on kneeling at Mass by Bishop Olmstead. He is looking like a good pick, so far.

Father Ethan found a monastery in France where the Traditional Latin Mass, the full horarium, and even real tonsures are the rule. The downside, of course, is that when the monks at the Abbaye Sainte-Madeleine du Barroux do speak among themselves, they speak French, which is the language the website is in.


Tip of the hat to Father Ethan.

They roasted some classic weinies.

According to this letter they sent Bill Cork.

Excellent. Now, about relics...

Dom Bettinelli found this one.

With his accomplishments, I think it goes without saying that he earned the title.

Thanks to Michael Dubruiel at Annunciations for the tip.

If your parish (or any parish near you) is not marking the Rogation Days (and I daresay few are) you can privately pray the Litany of the Saints.

Prayer

O Lady, O ravished of hearts! ("O Domina, quae rapis corda.") I will exclaim with St. Bonaventure: "Lady, who with the love and favor thou showest thy servants dost ravish their hearts, ravish also my miserable heart, which desires ardently to love thee. Thou, my Mother, hast enamoured a God with thy beauty, and drawn him from heaven into thy chaste womb; and shall I live without loving thee? "No, I will say to thee with one of thy most loving sons, John Berchmans of the Society of Jesus, I will never rest until I am certain of having obtained thy love; but a constant and tender love towards thee, my Mother, who hast loved me with so much tenderness" ("Nunquam quiescam, donec habuero tenerum amorem erga Matrem meam, Mariam"), even when I was ungrateful towards thee. And what should I now be, O Mary, if thou hadst not obtained so many mercies for me?

Since, then, thou didst love me so much when I loved thee not, how much more may I not now hope from thee, now that I love thee? I love thee, O my Mother, and I would that I had a heart to love thee in place of all those unfortunate creatures who love thee not. I would that I could speak with a thousand tongues, that all might know thy greatness, thy holiness, thy mercy, and the love with which thou lovest all who love thee. Had I riches, I would employ them all for thy honor. Had I subjects, I would make them all thy lovers. In fine, if the occasion presented itself I would lay down my life for thy glory. I love thee, then, O my Mother; but at the same time I fear that I do not love thee as I ought; for I hear that love makes lovers like the person loved. If, then, I see myself so unlike thee, it is a mark that I do not love thee. Thou art so pure, and I defiled with many sins; thou so humble, and I so proud; thou so holy, and I so wicked. This, then, is what thou hast to do, O Mary; since thou lovest me, make me like thee. Thou hast all power to change hearts; take, then, mine and change it. Show the world what thou canst, do for those who love thee. Make me a saint; make me thy worthy child. This is my hope.
Amen.

The Recovering Choir Director is hoping to lead a choir to Cologne for World Youth Day, and needs some help with the funding. Click here if you can help.

Let us hope this is not just another traditionalist exercise in wishful thinking that so often masquarades as journalism or analysis.

But in case you are slower than I am, Father Sousa's blog has a new name and new URL. It is now called Persevere in Faith, and is located here. The link on the right has been adjusted accordingly.

And while you are visiting Father Sousa, take a look at some suggestions he links to for celebrating the Blessed Virgin Mary's month of May. They come from The Mary Page.

Read about what our Holy Father wrote in his just-published book about the soullessness of modern European secular culture.

Courtesy of the Papa Ratzi Post.

For a discussion of Rogation Days, check out Holy Trinity's Latin Mass Community site.

The Catholic Encyclopedia has more.

And the Catholic Rural Life Conference has some thoughts about reviving and adapting this custom to fit current spiritual needs.

In the end, many traditionalist Anglicans will find that they have more in common with Rome than with their own church. Many have already come to that conclusion. More will do so unless the Anglican Communion gets serious about Christian faith, and stops its drift towards doctrinal Unitarian/Universalism.

On the thought of Pope Benedict and his place in the Church from Ithilien.

Thanks to Secret Agent Man for pointing this one out.

In truth, any negotiation with or concession to terrorists is counterproductive. All you can do is write off the poor souls they take hostage as already dead, and then work very vigorously to make sure the terrorists who took them join them, as quickly and messily as possible.

Finally.

What took so long?

Let's hope this one is more adversarial, aggressive, intelligently conducted, and less of a white-wash than the last one.

I'm on a computer that does what I feared: the browser pushes Pius XII into a second row underneath John Paul II, instead of showing the three pontiffs across the top of the page.

It also pushes all the links and archives below the bottom of the blog entry text, because of yesterday's Our Lady of Loreto image. The computer I was using yesterday did not do that.

For persecuted Christians.

They say every action has to start with an idea someone ventures to publish.

Here is one that I have been ruminating on for a while. Pope Leo started what are known as the Leonine Prayers after Low Mass for the intention of protecting the Holy See in the face of the secular Italian government. The purpose of these prayers was later changed to the conversion of Russia. After Vatican II, when the distinction between High Mass and Low Mass was more or less dropped, the Leonine Prayers went away.

Why not revive the Leonine Prayers, and have them said before the celebrant processes out at every Mass? This time, they would be for persecuted Christians everywhere, and for the missionary work of the Church in general.

Here are the Leonine Prayers (they are said in the vernacular, even at today's Latin Indult Masses):

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.
(Said 3 times)

Hail, Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy, our life, our sweetness, and our hope. To thee to we cry, poor banished children of Eve. To thee do we send up our sighs, mouring and weeping in this valley of tears. Turn then, most gracious advocate, thine eyes of mercy toward us, and after this exile, show unto us the blessed Fruit of thy womb, Jesus. O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary.

V. Pray for us, O holy Mother of God.
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us pray.
O God, our refuge and our strength, look down with mercy upon the people who cry to Thee; and by the intercession of the glorious and immaculate Virgin Mary, Mother of God, of Saint Joseph her spouse, of the blessed Apostles Peter and Paul, and of all the saints, in Thy mercy and goodness hear our prayers for the conversion of sinners, and for the liberty and exaltation of the Holy Mother the Church. Through the same Christ Our Lord. Amen.

Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle; be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray: and do thou, O Prince of the heavenly host, by the power of God, thrust into hell satan and all the evil spirits who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.

Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, Have mercy on us.
Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, Have mercy on us.
Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, Have mercy on us.

Though not officially part of the Leonine Prayers, it was customary to end them with the Divine Praises:

Blessed be God.
Blessed be His Holy Name.
Blessed be Jesus Christ, true God and true man.
Blessed be the name of Jesus.
Blessed be His Most Sacred Heart.
Blessed be Jesus in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar.
Blessed be the Holy Spirit, the paraclete.
Blessed be the great Mother of God, Mary most holy.
Blessed be her holy and Immaculate Conception.
Blessed be her glorious Assumption.
Blessed be the name of Mary, Virgin and Mother.
Blessed be Saint Joseph, her most chaste spouse.
Blessed be God in His angels and in His Saints.

May the heart of Jesus, in the Most Blessed Sacrament, be praised, adored, and loved with grateful affection, at every moment, in all the tabernacles of the world, even to the end of time.
Amen.

Prayer

O most holy Mother Mary, how is it possible that I, having so holy a mother, should be so wicked? a mother all burning with the love of God, and I loving earthly things; a mother so rich in virtue, and I so poor? O, amiable Mother, it is true that I do not deserve any longer to be thy son, for by my wicked life I have rendered myself unworthy of so great an honor. I am satisfied that thou shouldst accept me for thy servant; and in order to be admitted amongst the vilest of them, I am ready to renounce all the kingdoms of the world. Yes, I am satisfied. But still thou must not forbid me to call thee mother. This name consoles and fills me with tenderness, and reminds me of my obligation to love thee. This name excites me to great confidence in thee.

When my sins and the divine justice fill me most with consternation, I am all consoled at the thought that thou art my mother. Allow me then, to call thee mother, my most amiable mother. Thus do I call thee, and thus will I always call thee. Thou, after God, must be my hope, my refuge, my love in this valley of tears. Thus do I hope to die, breathing forth my soul into thy holy hands, and saying, My Mother my Mother Mary, help me, have pity on me!

Amen.

Our late Holy Father John Paul the Great, who I am convinced will be added to teh altars of the Church very shortly, along with Blessed Mother Theresa of Calcutta, died a month ago today.

Requiem aeternam dona ei, Domine,
et lux perpetua luceat ei.
Requiescat in pace.
Amen.

O God, by whose inscrutable appointment
Thy servant John Paul II was numbered among the Chief Bishops:
grant, we beseech Thee, that he,
who was Vicar of thine Only-begotten Son on earth,
may receive a place among Thy holy Pontiffs
who have entered into everlasting blessedness.
Through the same Jesus Christ, Thy Son,
Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost,
God, world without end.
Amen.

Here is Catholic Forum's St. Joseph page.

This year, the Fifth Sunday after Easter (or the Sixth Sunday of Easter, to put it another way) takes precedence over St. Joseph the Worker liturgically. Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday are the Rogation Days, and Thursday is Ascension Thursday, a holy day of obligation.

Now is the month of maying, when merry lads are playing,
Fa la la la la la la la la, fa la la la la la la.
Each with his bonnie lass, a-dancing on the grass,
Fa la la la la la la la la, fa la la la la la la.

The Spring, clad all in gladness, doth laugh at Winter's sadness,
Fa la la la la la la la la, fa la la la la la la.
And to the bagpipe's sound, The nymphs tread out the ground,
Fa la la la la la la la la, fa la la la la la la.

Fie, then, why sit we musing, youth's sweet delight refusing?
Fa la la la la la la la la, fa la la la la la la.
Say, dainty nymph, and speak, shall we play barley break?,
Fa la la la la la la la la, fa la la la la la la.

Here are two other versions of a traditional Maying song.

The custom was for young people to go into the woods and gather garlands of flowers to later deck the maypole with. There would be feasting and entertainment (including morris dancing, and Robin Hood plays). Today has been rainy and raw, hardly good maying weather, though last year on May 1st, as I look back at the archives, it was a capital day for Maying

It is part of the genius of Christianity that it was able to take something that had been a part of pagan life for centuries, and graft onto it the May Procession in honor of the Blessed Mother.

To go along with the image of Our Lady of Loreto below here is the Litany of Loreto, one of the approved (and indulgenced) litanies of the Church.

Lord, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.
Christ, hear us.
Christ, graciously hear us.
God, the Father of heaven,
have mercy on us.
God the Son, Redeemer of the world,
have mercy on us.
God the Holy Spirit,
have mercy on us.
Holy Trinity, one God.
have mercy on us.

Holy Mary, pray for us.*
Holy Mother of God,
Holy Virgin of virgins,
Mother of Christ,
Mother of the Church,
Mother of divine grace,
Mother most pure,
Mother most chaste,
Mother inviolate,
Mother undefiled,
Mother most amiable,
Mother most admirable,
Mother of good counsel,
Mother of our Creator,
Mother of our Savior,
Virgin most prudent,
Virgin most venerable,
Virgin most renowned,
Virgin most powerful,
Virgin most merciful,
Virgin most faithful,
Mirror of justice,
Seat of wisdom,
Cause of our joy,
Spiritual vessel,
Vessel of honor,
Singular vessel of devotion,
Mystical rose,
Tower of David,
Tower of ivory,
House of gold,
Ark of the covenant,
Gate of heaven,
Morning star,
Health of the sick,
Refuge of sinners,
Comforter of the afflicted,
Help of Christians,
Queen of angels,
Queen of partiarchs,
Queen of prophets,
Queen of apostles,
Queen of martyrs,
Queen of confessors,
Queen of virgins,
Queen of all saints,
Queen conceived without original sin,
Queen assumed into heaven,
Queen of the most holy Rosary,
Queen of families
Queen of peace.

Lamb of God, You take away

sins of the world; spare

us, O Lord.

Lamb of God, You take away

the sins of the world; graciously

hear us, O Lord.

Lamb of God, Your take away

the sins of the world; have mercy

on us.

V. Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God.
R. That we may be made worthy
of the promises of Christ

Let us pray.
O god, who by the Resurrection of your Son,
our Lord Jesus Christ,
granted joy to the whole world,
grant, we beg you,
that through the intercession of
the Virgin Mary, his Mother,
we may attain the joys of eternal life.
Through the same Christ our Lord.
R. Amen.

May is devoted in a special way to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Over the last two years, I have offered Marian meditations from one particular site each day during May. You are welcome to browse through the archives to find those. Also, at Recta Ratio: The Yahoo Group, there is an extensive photo album of links to Marian images, and an extensive file of Marian prayers, to which I will be adding St. Alphonsus' prayers each day in a sub-folder titled From the Glories of Mary. There is also now a link, under Great Catholic Writing, to an e-text of The Glories of Mary.

This year, I want to do something different. I will try to offer every day this month a prayer from Saint Alphonsus Liguori's The Glories of Mary, as well as a Marian image.

Update: I see Mark Sullivan at Irish Elk also had the idea of noting May's Marian emphasis with excellent suggestions for a Mary Garden.

The first prayer is offered at pages 20-21:

Prayer

O, Mother of my God, and my Lady Mary; as a beggar, all wounded and sore, presents himself before a great queen, so do I present myself before thee, who art the Queen of heaven and earth. From the lofty throne on which thou sittest, disdain not, I implore thee, to cast thine eyes on me, a poor sinner. God has made thee so rich that thou mightest assist the poor, and has constituted thee Queen of Mercy in order that thou mightest relieve the miserable. Behold me then, and pity me: behold me and abandon me not, until thou seest me changed from a sinner into a saint. I know well that I merit nothing; nay more, that I deserve, on account of my ingratitude, to be deprived of the graces that, through thy means, I have already received from God. But thou, who art the Queen of Mercy, seekest not merits, but miseries, in order to help the needy. But who is more needy than I?

O, exalted Virgin, well do I know that thou, who art Queen of the universe, art already my queen; yet am I determined to dedicate myself more especially to thy service, in order that thou mayest dispose of me as thou pleasest. Therefore do I address thee in the words of St. Bonaventur: "Do thou govern me, O my Queen, and leave me not to myself" ("Domina, me tuae dominationi committo, ut me plenarie regas et gubernes; no mihi me relinquas."—Stim. Div. Am. p. 3, c. 19). Command me; employ me as thou wilt, and chastise me when I do not obey; for the chastisements that come from thy hands will be to me pledges of salvation. I would rather be thy servant than the ruler of the earth. I am thine; save me ("Tuus sum ego, salvum me fac."—Ps. cxviii. 94). Accept me, O Mary, for thine own, and as thine, take charge of my salvation. I will no longer be mine; to thee do I give myself. If, during the time past I have served thee ill, and lost so many occasions of honoring thee, for the future I will be one of thy most loving and faithful servants. I am determined that from this day forward no one shall surpass me in honoring and loving thee, my most amiable Queen. This I promise; and this, with thy help, I hope to execute.
Amen.