Recta Ratio

Well, now you can.

See the box next to the St. Blog's Parish thingee on the right? It leads to a streaming radio Gregorian Chant program. Just click on the box (or button, if you see it as a button on your browser), scroll down and click, Tune In. then you can minimize (but don't close) the window with the streaming Gregorian Chant, while reading my blog, or surfing the net via my links.

This might really be cool while taking a gander through some of the extensive photo albums over at Recta Ratio: the Yahoo Group. If they feature some Mary-oriented chant in this month of May, it would be the perfect accompaniment to browsing through the Blessed Virgin Mary's 110 images in her Photo Album (including 17 Annunciations--6 by Bl. Fra Angelico--and 6 Assumptions).

I'm moving closer and closer to the point where you can hear Gregorian Chant, or other tunes, depending on the season, just by clicking onto Recta Ratio, and to having all the text in a Gothic lettering font (but the problem there is that not all browsers recognize fonts like that).

Enjoy.

But it has been worth griping about. I think this is going to be the 6th consecutive rainy weekend. It is the end of May and many people are still wearing warm jackets. I saw somebody on Newbury Street yesterday wearing gloves. Gloves! This spring has been raw, cloudy, damp, rainy, windy, and just plain miserable. Barely a few nice days in the 60s and 70s.

And I have a feeling that in the next two weeks we are going to suddenly jump from being mired in the 50s to stay in the 80s-90s, with high humidity for the next 3 months. None of that nice Spring/Fall transitional weather most people find most pleasant.

This has been a test of the Recta Ratio New England Weather Bitching Broadcast System. If this had been an actual natural disaster striking New England, this commentator would be whining even louder. For more New England weather bitching sessions, stay tuned to this blog for official New England weather bitching details.

I mentioned last week that the daily barrage of attempts to infect my e-mail (the one of my 16 accounts that I use for this blog) with virus had stopped.

But for the last few days, I've been getting a new outpouring of crap (70-100 emails a day, much of it repetitive) from, for all I know, the whips-and-chains wing of the German Communist Party. Everything is in German, and goes to the bulk folder and is deleted without being opened, so I have no idea. All German sounds and looks like a female hippo that has been surprised in her bath, and is in high dudgeon, anyway. And I don't read a word of German.

Why are all these Krauts sending me e-mails with titles like "The Whore Lived Like a German" and "Turkei In the EU"? What do they think I care?

The investigation against Father Maciel was concluded in his favor.

The next Ember Days are in September.

O Mother of mercy, since thou art so compassionate, and hast so great a desire to render service to us poor creatures and to grant our requests, behold I, the most miserable of all men, have now recourse to thy compassion, in order that thou mayest grant me that which I ask. Others may ask what they please of thee,—bodily health, and earthly goods and advantages; but I come, O Lady, to ask thee for that which thou desired of me humility and love of contempt.

Thou wast so patient under the sufferings of this life; obtain for me patience in trials.

Thou wast all filled with the love of God; obtain for me the gift of his pure and holy love.

Thou wast all love towards thy neighbor; obtain for me charity towards all, and particularly towards those who are in any way my enemies.

Thou wast entirely united to the divine will; obtain for me entire conformity to the will of God in whatever way he may be pleased to dispose of me.

Thou, in fine, art the most holy of all creatures; O Mary, make me a saint.
Love for me is not wanting on thy part; thou canst do all, and thou hast the will to obtain me all.

The only thing, then, that can prevent me from receiving thy graces is, either neglect on my part in having recourse to thee, or little confidence in thy intercession; but these two things thou must obtain for me. These two greatest graces I ask from thee; from thee I must obtain them; from thee I hope for them with the greatest confidence, O Mary, my Mother Mary, my hope, my love, my life, my refuge, my help, and my consolation.
Amen.

Dale Price has opened a topic that is getting much response: why are the radTrads so dour, sour, nitpicky, and generally nasty, smarmy-but-clueless jerks? I have tried the link a couple of times but have not been able to bring up the parody. Apparently, all the attention has knocked the server off line for now.

But Dale and others in the comments boxes raise some good points. As I have said before, some of these people are just the Catholic equivalent of the John Birch Society, with their wild sedevacantist conspiracy theories. And they are annoying. Last summer, one of them latched onto the chap I sponsored for full admission to the Church this past Easter, and told him that the "only" genuinely Catholic Bible was the Douai-Rheims. What a nimrod!

I had to spend much time undoing the effect of that misguided bit of "advice," explaining that there are several validly Catholic translations, that, though Douai-Rheims is what I consider the best, it is not the "only" Catholic Bible, that he did not have to buy the much-more expensive and harder to find Douai-Rheims, and, though I didn't actually say it, "real Catholics" get by with the Psalter, Gospels, and the Catechism anyway :).

But I like the suggestion someone in Dale's comments box made: instead of complaining about the radTrads, attend the Indult Mass in your area, bask in the most magnificent of Masses, and overwhelm the cranks with a flood of sensible conservative Catholics who happen to prefer Palestrina to Haugen, but don't spend their spare time kvetching about Vatican II, or sounding like little Joseph Goebbels on the topic of Jewish people.

Steve Riddle asks, "Why only Four Last Things?"

Of course, shouldn't Purgatory be factored in as well?

But not until 2008, and not to the US primarily, but to Quebec for a Eucharistic Congress.
Thanks to Michael Dubruiel for pointing that one out.

Day of penance, prayer, and fasting.

O Queen of heaven, Mother of holy love! since thou art the most amiable of creatures, the most beloved of God, and his greatest lover, be pleased to allow the most miserable sinner living in this world, who, having by thy means been delivered from hell, and without any merit on his part been so benefited by thee and who is filled with love for thee, to love thee.

I would desire, were it in my power, to let all men who know thee not know how worthy thou art of love, that all might love and honor thee. I would desire to die for the love of thee, in defence of thy virginity, of thy dignity of Mother of God, of thy Immaculate Conception, should this be necessary, to uphold these thy great privileges. O my most beloved Mother, accept this my ardent desire, and never allow a servant of thine, who loves thee, to become the enemy of thy God, whom thou lovest so much.

Alas! poor me, I was so for a time, when I offended my Lord. But then, O Mary, I loved thee but little, and strove but little to be beloved by thee. But now there is nothing that I so much desire, after the grace of God, as to love and be loved by thee. I am not discouraged on account of my past sins, for I know that thou, O most benign and gracious Lady, dost not disdain to love even the most wretched sinners who love thee; nay more, that thou never allowest thyself to be surpassed by any in love.

Queen most worthy of love, I desire to love thee in heaven. There, at thy feet, I shall better know how worthy thou art of love, how much thou hast done to save me; and thus I shall love thee with greater love, and love thee eternally, without fear of ever ceasing to love thee.

O Mary, I hope most certainly to be saved by thy means. Pray to Jesus for me. Nothing else is needed; thou hast to save me; thou art my hope. I will therefore always sing O Mary, my hope, thou hast to save me.
Amen.

Of course the main reason is that it is the only thoroughly suitable place for the Latin Mass community to worship and grow (and they are growing with attendance up to over 250 recently).

But also the fact that the Cardinal Medieros Center downstairs is providing needed daily services to the elderly homeless is another good reason to keep it open. This is a safe environment for the most frail and vulnerable homeless in Boston. You can't just dump these people into the miasma of violent, drug-dealing ghetto dwellers who hang around on Boylston Street every day at the Saint Francis House day shelter (which looks to a passerby like a total zoo with the inmates running the asylum).

The Archdiocese can get by without making a killing off selling Holy Trinity's real estate. The parish isn't costing the Archdiocese anything (and it would cost even less if they turned the Latin Mass and Holy Trinity over to the FSSP, or the Institute of Christ the King, or the Canons Regular of the New Jerusalem).

The parish is not running hat-in-hand to the Archdiocese for money. It doesn't even have a priest in residence. There is hardly any overhead. It is the ultimate in do-it-yourself, self-reliant parishes. There is no good reason to close down this thriving parish and try to force it to merge with an Asian parish downtown, where its customs, practical, and liturgical requirements will not be met.

Keep Holy Trinity open!!!

The Pontificator will apply to be ordained as a Roman Catholic priest.

Last night I tendered my resignation to the Vestry of St. Mark’s Church, effective July 1st. It is my intention to renounce my orders as an Episcopal priest and to enter, for the sake of my salvation, into full communion with the Catholic Church. I freely affirm the Catholic Church to be the one true fold of Jesus Christ. It is also my intention to avail myself of the Pastoral Provision and to apply for ordination to the Catholic priesthood.

A warm welcome. We need more orthodox priests.

Noted via Father Ethan at Diary Of A Suburban Priest.

During his general audience.

At least one looks like a very good appointment.

Noticed this via Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam.

An Austrian bishop who has permitted some clearly annoying liturgical practices to go on in his diocese, has submitted his resignation at age 72, and it was accepted.

O Queen of heaven and earth! O Mother of the Lord of the world! O Mary, of all creatures the greatest, the most exalted and the most amiable! It is true that there are many in this world who neither know thee nor love thee; but in heaven there are many millions of angels and blessed spirits, who love and praise thee continually.

Even in this world, how many happy souls are there not who burn with thy love, and live enamoured of thy goodness! O, that I also could love thee, O Lady worthy of all love! O that I could always remember to serve thee, to praise thee, to honor thee, and engage all to love thee! Thou hast attracted the love of God, whom, by thy beauty, thou hast, so to say, torn from the bosom of His Eternal Father, and engaged to become man, and be thy Son.

And shall I, a poor worm of the earth, not be enamoured of thee? No, my most sweet Mother, I also will love thee much, and will do all that I can to make others love thee also.

Accept, then, O Mary, the desire that I have to love thee, and help me to execute it. I know how favorably thy lovers are looked upon by God. He, after his own glory, desires nothing more than thine, and to see thee honored and loved by all.

From thee, O Lady, do I expect all; through thee the remission of my sins, through thee perseverance. Thou must assist me at death, and deliver me from purgatory; and finally, thou must lead me to heavn. All this thy lovers hope from thee, and are not deceived. I, who love thee with so much affection, and above all other things, after God, hope for the same favors.
Amen.

That is why I don't blog in the morning.

But today I have discovered the joys of red, purple, blue, and green gel pens. Wow! I had heard of these wonders before, but had never used one. They are great for captions and things like that.

Now I look back on the illustrations I did with a paint brush with a sense of regret for not having gone at once to colored pencil and gel pen. Except the gold fabric paint I have been using for some of the illuminations. You can't beat that stuff, True Gold from Lumiere, with a stick. It really makes borders of illustrations stand out. I wish I had used it for all of my illustrations from the start.

That is why I choose an Our Lady of the Seven Dolours for the image to accompany the prayer from The Glories of Mary.

By the way, help TAN out, as they are in financial straights. Buy a copy of The Glories of Mary, or An Introduction To the Devout Life, or the Baltimore Catechism, or the Douai-Rheims Bible, or The Imitation of Christ from them. There are many more titles to pick from. they have everything to stock an at-home Catholic bookshelf.

O Mary, my most dear Mother, in what an abyss of evils should I not now be, if thou hadst not so many times delivered me with thy compassionate hand! How many years ago should I not have been in hell, hadst thou not saved me by thy powerful prayers! My grievous sins already drove me there; divine justice had already condemned me; the devils already longed to execute the sentence; and thou didst fly to my aid, and save me without being even called or asked. And what return can I make to thee, O my beloved protectress, for so many favors and for such love?

Thou also didst overcome the hardness of my heart, and didst draw me to thy love and to confidence in thee. And into how many other evils should I not have fallen, if with thy compassionate hand thou hadst not so often helped me in the dangers into which I was on the point of falling! Continue, O my hope, to preserve me from bell, and from the sins into which I may still fall. Never allow me to have this misfortune—to curse thee in hell.

My beloved Lady, I love thee. Can thy goodness ever endure to see a servant of thine that loves thee lost? Then, obtain that I may never more be ungrateful to thee and to my God, who for the love of thee has granted me so many graces.

O Mary, tell me, shall I be lost? Yes, if I abandone thee. But is this possible? Can I ever forget the love thou has borne me? Thou, after God, art the love of my soul. I can no longer trust myself to live without loving thee.

O most beautiful, most holy, most amiable, sweetest creature in the world, I rejoice in thy happiness. I love thee, and I hope always to love thee both in time and in eternity.
Amen.

From The Irish Examiner.

Illogic, false premises, and just plainly the result of generations of bad catechesis, from beginning to end.

A good antidote:

Over at Irish Elk.

Go. See. Read. And sharpen your hat while you are at it.

From Vatican Information Service:

- Fr. Clarence Silva of the clergy of the diocese of Oakland, U.S.A., vicar general, as bishop of Honolulu (area 16,660, population 1,244,898, Catholics 234,588, priests 157, permanent deacons 51, religious 361), U.S.A. The bishop-elect was born in Honolulu in 1949 and ordained a priest in 1975.

- Msgr. Kevin W. Vann of the clergy of the diocese of Springfield in Illinois, U.S.A., episcopal vicar for the clergy and pastor of the parish of the Blessed Sacrament, as coadjutor bishop of Fort Worth (area 62,007, population 2,770,961, Catholics 400,501, priests 115, permanent deacons 74, religious 160), U.S.A. The bishop-elect was born in Springfield in 1951, and ordained a priest in 1981.

The Holy Father has been busy catching up on US episcopal appointments. But nothing major, yet. The new Archbishop of San Francisco will say much about what the Holy Father intends to accomplish within the US Church.

O greatest and most sublime of all creatures, most sacred Virgin, I salute thee from this earth—I, a miserable and unfortunate rebel against my God, who deserve chastisements, not favors, justice, and not mercy.

O Lady, I say not this because I doubt thy compassion. I know that the greater thou art the more thou dost glory in being benign. I know that thou rejoicest that thou art so rich, because thou art thus enabled to succor us poor miserable creatures. I know that the greater is the poverty of those who have recourse to thee, the more dost thou exert thyself to protect and save them.

O my Mother, it was thou who didst one day weep over thy Son who died for me. Offer, I beseech thee, thy tears to God, and by these obtain for me true sorrow for my sins. Sinners then afflicted thee so much, and I, by my crimes, have done the same.

Obtain for me, O Mary, that at least from this day forward I may not continue to afflict thee and thy Son by my ingratitude. What would thy sorrow avail me if I continued to be ungrateful to thee? To what purpose would thy mercy have been shown me, if again I was unfaithful and lost? No, my Queen, permit it not; thou hast supplied for all my shortcomings.

Thou obtainest from God what thou wilt. Thou grantest the prayers of all. I ask of thee two graces; I expect them from thee, and will not be satisfied with less. Obtain for me that I may be faithful to God, and no more offend him, and love him during the remainder of my life as much as I have offended him.
Amen.

Catholic Church Conservation features two photos that strike deep at Catholic sensibilities.

The first is of a set of wonderful chasubles now turned into a museum exhibit at a Belgian church. The second is also from Belgium, and features statues of the Lord, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and the saints being prepared to be turned into recycled stone.

And there are many more such images here.

Although I think it is odd that it wasn't last week in the period of waiting before Whitsunday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday of this week are Ember Days, days set aside in the traditional Roman Catholic calendar for prayer and penance.

O my most sweet Lady, since thy office is, as William of Paris says, that of a mediatress between God and sinners ("Officium tuum est, mediam te interponere inter Deum et hominess"—De Rhet. Div. c. 18), I will address thee in the words of St. Thomas of Villanova: "Fulfil thy office in my behalf, O tender advocate; do thy work ("Eja ergo advocate nostra . . . officium tuum imple, tuum opus exerce"—In Nat. B. V. con. 3).

Say not that my cause is too difficult to gain; for I know, and all tell me so, that every cause, no matter how desperate, if undertaken by thee, is never, and never will be, lost. And will mine be lost? No, this I cannot fear. The only thing that I might fear is, that, on seeing the multitude of my sins, thou mightest not undertake my defence. But, on seeing thy immense mercy, and the very great desire of thy most sweet heart to help the most abandoned sinners, even this I cannot fear. And who was ever lost that had recourse to thee? Therefore I invoke thy aid, O my great advocate, my refuge, my hope, my mother Mary.

To thy hands do I entrust the cause of my eternal salvation. To thee do I commit my soul; it was lost, but thou hast to save it. I will always thank our Lord for having given me this great confidence in thee; and which, notwithstanding my unworthiness, I feel is an assurance of salvation. I have but one fear to afflict me, O beloved Queen, and that is, that I may one day, by my own negligence, lost this confidence in thee.

And therefore I implore thee, O Mary, by the love thou bearest to Jesus, thyself to preserve and increase in me more and more this sweet confidence in thy intercession, by which I hope most certainly to recover the divine friendship, that I have hitherto so madly despised and lost; and having recovered it, I hope, through thee, to preserve it; and preserving it by the same means, I hope at length to thank thee for it in heaven, and there to sing God's mercies and thine for all eternity.
Amen. This is my hope; thus may it be, thus will it be.

I had the privilege of hearing Mass today at Holy Trinity. It was a Solemn High Mass (3rd Sunday of the month) with a large congregation. Magnificent chant and a great sermon from Father Higgins, as always (he says such a beautiful Mass!).

More importantly, I was able to witness 3 young ladies making their First Communion (many families who attend Holy Trinity, because of its unique status, prefer to keep their children in CCD class at their local or geographic parish). It was very moving. May this first reception of the Body and of our Lord be only the first of a great many worthy Communions throughout their lifetimes (and many more at Holy Trinity, as well!).

And it was the date for the annual May Procession and Crowning, with four of my favorite hymns: Immaculate Mary, Salve Regina, O Sanctissima, and ending with Holy God, We Praise Thy Name.

Plus I was in time for Rosary and the Regina Caeli before Mass.

A very good day to attend Holy Trinity. May this venerable ediface witness many, many more Solemn High Masses within its walls!

This photo is from the 2001 May Crowning, a sunnier day than today has been

Veni Creator Spiritus,
Mentes tuorum visita,
Imple superna gratia,
Quae tu creasti, pectora.

Qui diceris Paraclitus,
Altissimi donum Dei,
Fons vivus, ignis, caritas,
Et spiritalis unctio.

Tu septiformis munere,
Digitus Paternae dexterae,
Tu rite promissum Patris,
Sermone ditans guttura.

Accende lumen sensibus,
Infunde amorem cordibus,
Infirma nostri corpis
Virtute firmans perpeti.

Hostem repellas longius,
Pacemque dones protinus;
Ductore sic te praevio,
Vitemus omne noxium.

Per te sciamus da Patrem
Noscamus atque Filium;
Teque utri usque Spiritum
Credamus omni tempore.

Deo Patri sit gloria,
Et Filio, qui a mortuis
Surrexit, ac Paraclito
In sacculorum saecula.
Amen.


Come, Creator, Spirit,
Visit the minds that are Yours.
Fill with heavenly grace
The hearts You created.

You who are called the Paraclete,
Gift of God Most High,
Living Spring, Fire, Love,
And Spiritual Anointing.

You sevenfold gifts give,
Finger of God's right hand;
You, clear promise of the Father,
The tongue empower.

Kindle a light in our minds.
Pour love in our hearts.
Our weak bodies
Make firm with Your unfailing strength.

Drive our foe far away.
And give us peace always
Lead in such a way that
We may avoid all things despicable.

Through You, may we know the Father
And know also the Son,
And You, the Spirit of them both
May we believe at all times.

To God the Father be glory
And to the Son, who from death
Rose, and to the Paraclete
For Ages of Ages.
Amen.

O great Mother of my Lord, I see full well that my ingratitude towards God and thee, and this too for so many years, has merited for me that thou shouldst justly abandon me, and no longer have a care of me, for an ungrateful soul is no longer worthy of favors. But I, O Lady, have a high idea of thy great goodness; I believe it to be far greater than my ingratitude. Continue, then, O refuge of sinners, and cease not to help a miserable sinner who confides in thee.

O Mother of mercy, deign to extend a helping hand to a poor fallen wretch who asks thee for pity. O Mary, either defend me thyself, or tell me to whom I can have recourse, and who is better able to defend me than thou, and where I can find with God a more clement and powerful advocate than thou, who art his Mother. Then, in becoming the Mother of our Savior, wast thereby made the fitting instrument to save sinners, and wast given me for my salvation.

O Mary, save him who has recourse to thee. I deserve not thy love, but it is thine own desire to save sinners, that makes me hope that thou lovest me. And if thou lovest me, how can I be lost? O my own beloved Mother, if by thee I save my soul, as I hope to do, I shall no longer be ungrateful, I shall make up for my past ingratitude, and for the love which thou hast shown me, by my everlasting praises, and all the affections of my soul.

Happy in heaven, where thou reignest, and wilt reign forever. I shall always sing thy mercies, and kiss for eternity those loving hands which have delivered me from hell, as often as I have deserved it by my sins. O Mary, my liberator, my hope, my Queen, my advocate, my own sweet Mother, I love thee; I desire thy glory, and I love thee forever.
Amen. Amen. Thus do I hope.