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Post by Deleted on Sept 24, 2023 1:17:40 GMT
Catholicism, it can be said, is not merely a religion, but a way of life. It is a way of believing, thinking, living, and breathing. To believe in Christ is not the end, but only the beginning. Indeed, to believe in Christ is the fundamental foundation of the Christian faith, but faith that brings forth no good works produces nothing.
For the Christian life, as the Holy Fathers, the saints, and the liturgy reminds us, is about the gradual taming of the will of the flesh and the overwhelming of the soul and our will with divine grace, that we may attain the likeness of God Our Lord. In the words of St Irenaeus of Lyon, "The Word of God, our Lord Jesus Christ, who did, through His transcendent love, become what we are, that He might bring us to be even what He is Himself." In the Roman liturgy, we hear the priest say "By the mystery of this water and wine may we come to share in the divinity of Christ who humbled himself to share in our humanity."
We achieve this first of all through prayer, particularly the Holy Mass, that bloodless sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving, in which the priest re-presents to God the Father on behalf of the faithful the sacrifice of God the Son, the sacrifice that pours divine light and grace upon us. For when we receive the Holy Eucharist in a state of grace, the body and blood of Christ perforates our mind, soul, veins, bones, spirit, and flesh, bringing new life to us, and granting the graces we need to resist the wiles of the enemy and to continue the daily struggle against the flesh.
Therefore the daily struggle results in the theosis of man, as St John of the Cross wrote: "the soul ... is at once illumined and transformed in God" so that it becomes "all that God Himself has".
Pope Francis spoke about this at one of his first audiences: "Being Christian is not just obeying orders but means being in Christ, thinking like him, acting like him, loving like him; it means letting him take possession of our life and change it, transform it and free it from the darkness of evil and sin...Looking at the heavenly homeland, we shall receive new light and fresh strength, both in our commitment and in our daily efforts."
The first step is to believe that Jesus Christ is Lord, and that he founded a Church on the Rock of Peter, which alone teaches us the Christian, Catholic, Orthodox, and Apostolic Faith in its purity. The second step, and indeed, the step that for most is infinitely harder, is to live the Christian life daily, to take up our crosses, and let ourselves succumb to divine grace, and to the influence of the Holy Spirit which is poured upon us by God the Father and God the Son. Faith is necessary for salvation, and not faith alone, but faith that bears fruit in good work. For it is not really belief in dogma that liberates us, but our succumbing to divine grace which, though conditional on orthodox belief, is a fruit of both faith and good works.
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Post by homeschooldad on Sept 24, 2023 1:31:21 GMT
Very well put. I've often sensed that Catholicism requires a change in one's lifestyle that somewhat resembles Judaism. We abstain from meat on Fridays (or at least that is the Church's exhortation), not because it is unclean, but as a means of penance and, one day a week, not being able to eat just anything we feel like eating. Many Catholics wear the Brown Scapular, whereas many Jewish males wear the yarmulke. We are discouraged, however mildly in our time, from marrying non-Catholics. There is a "day of atonement", actually two, Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, and Easter with its triduum calls to mind the High Holy Days. And so on.
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Post by AveMaria on Sept 28, 2023 3:55:22 GMT
Here is a letter a priest wrote to New Oxford Review many years ago. (It was in response to the claim that priests used to mumble the Latin prayers of the TLM back in the day)
"
I began serving the “old Mass” as an altar boy in 1927. I am now 88 years old, 62 years as a priest. As a lad, knowing the perfect recitations of all the Latin Mass responses, I dealt with priests of every age and devotion and I do not recall any who deliberately mumbled their prayers. The churches were not air-conditioned in those days and in the hot summer days it was not uncommon to omit the sermon; Low Mass might last for only 20 minutes, and Communions were much fewer in those days. Now with the Novus Ordo, I have attended Mass in 10 minutes. A possible scandal.
The only scandal I can recall in the old days was people sleeping during the sermon. Nobody complained about the Eucharistic fast from midnight; nobody complained about Communion on the tongue or about the Latin. In fact, we were proud of the Latin we knew. Non-Catholics marveled at the piety and the reverence of the congregation and the head-coverings of the women. Those were the glory days of the Church when our Catholic faith was a family thing, a treasure we prized. Our faith was so much a part of our life that it colored our moods, shaped our social activities, influenced our style of dress, and flavored our conversation. How many families can make the same claim today?
Last Sunday I experienced what perhaps was the greatest joy of my priesthood. I could scarcely contain myself. Indeed, my cup runneth over. I celebrated the Tridentine Latin Mass with a congregation of two hundred people. It was like a repetition of my First Holy Mass 56 years ago. It was a Missa Cantata — those sacred Gregorian melodies so fitting for worship: the solemn Trinity Preface, the solemn Pater Noster, the Holy Gospel, and the Orations.
My daily vernacular Mass has been a joy in my life, but there was always something about this Tridentine Latin Mass that went beyond all telling. I’ve found something that I had lost some 35 years ago. All those years my heart ached for the Latin Mass that I had lost, always hoping that some day, please God, I would find it. Last Sunday I found it. And like the widow of the Gospel who found her lost coin and who called in her neighbors to rejoice with her, now I was the one who wanted to call in the whole world to share in my joy. It was like being away from home all these years and always hoping that some day the permission for me would arrive to return home and share again with my dear ones the joys of long ago. It was home sweet home again. My joy knows no bounds.
My humble and ineffable thanks to our good Holy Father, Pope John Paul II, the Good Shepherd who went out looking for all those abandoned sheep to lead us back home again — to Rome, sweet home.
Would I go back to the new Mass? No way!
Rev. Charles Schoenbaechler, C.R.
Clayton, Georgia "
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Post by homeschooldad on Sept 28, 2023 4:12:28 GMT
Here is a letter a priest wrote to New Oxford Review many years ago. (It was in response to the claim that priests used to mumble the Latin prayers of the TLM back in the day) " I began serving the “old Mass” as an altar boy in 1927. I am now 88 years old, 62 years as a priest. As a lad, knowing the perfect recitations of all the Latin Mass responses, I dealt with priests of every age and devotion and I do not recall any who deliberately mumbled their prayers. The churches were not air-conditioned in those days and in the hot summer days it was not uncommon to omit the sermon; Low Mass might last for only 20 minutes, and Communions were much fewer in those days. Now with the Novus Ordo, I have attended Mass in 10 minutes. A possible scandal. The only scandal I can recall in the old days was people sleeping during the sermon. Nobody complained about the Eucharistic fast from midnight; nobody complained about Communion on the tongue or about the Latin. In fact, we were proud of the Latin we knew. Non-Catholics marveled at the piety and the reverence of the congregation and the head-coverings of the women. Those were the glory days of the Church when our Catholic faith was a family thing, a treasure we prized. Our faith was so much a part of our life that it colored our moods, shaped our social activities, influenced our style of dress, and flavored our conversation. How many families can make the same claim today?Last Sunday I experienced what perhaps was the greatest joy of my priesthood. I could scarcely contain myself. Indeed, my cup runneth over. I celebrated the Tridentine Latin Mass with a congregation of two hundred people. It was like a repetition of my First Holy Mass 56 years ago. It was a Missa Cantata — those sacred Gregorian melodies so fitting for worship: the solemn Trinity Preface, the solemn Pater Noster, the Holy Gospel, and the Orations. My daily vernacular Mass has been a joy in my life, but there was always something about this Tridentine Latin Mass that went beyond all telling. I’ve found something that I had lost some 35 years ago. All those years my heart ached for the Latin Mass that I had lost, always hoping that some day, please God, I would find it. Last Sunday I found it. And like the widow of the Gospel who found her lost coin and who called in her neighbors to rejoice with her, now I was the one who wanted to call in the whole world to share in my joy. It was like being away from home all these years and always hoping that some day the permission for me would arrive to return home and share again with my dear ones the joys of long ago. It was home sweet home again. My joy knows no bounds. My humble and ineffable thanks to our good Holy Father, Pope John Paul II, the Good Shepherd who went out looking for all those abandoned sheep to lead us back home again — to Rome, sweet home. Would I go back to the new Mass? No way! Rev. Charles Schoenbaechler, C.R. Clayton, Georgia " Father Schoenbaechler died in 2013. Here is his Find A Grave page: www.findagrave.com/memorial/108750128/charles-schoenbaechlerSt Martin of Tours is a Catholic parish of the Archdiocese of Louisville where the TLM is offered as well as the Novus Ordo. |
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Post by AveMaria on Sept 28, 2023 5:01:11 GMT
Here is a letter a priest wrote to New Oxford Review many years ago. (It was in response to the claim that priests used to mumble the Latin prayers of the TLM back in the day) " I began serving the “old Mass” as an altar boy in 1927. I am now 88 years old, 62 years as a priest. As a lad, knowing the perfect recitations of all the Latin Mass responses, I dealt with priests of every age and devotion and I do not recall any who deliberately mumbled their prayers. The churches were not air-conditioned in those days and in the hot summer days it was not uncommon to omit the sermon; Low Mass might last for only 20 minutes, and Communions were much fewer in those days. Now with the Novus Ordo, I have attended Mass in 10 minutes. A possible scandal. The only scandal I can recall in the old days was people sleeping during the sermon. Nobody complained about the Eucharistic fast from midnight; nobody complained about Communion on the tongue or about the Latin. In fact, we were proud of the Latin we knew. Non-Catholics marveled at the piety and the reverence of the congregation and the head-coverings of the women. Those were the glory days of the Church when our Catholic faith was a family thing, a treasure we prized. Our faith was so much a part of our life that it colored our moods, shaped our social activities, influenced our style of dress, and flavored our conversation. How many families can make the same claim today?Last Sunday I experienced what perhaps was the greatest joy of my priesthood. I could scarcely contain myself. Indeed, my cup runneth over. I celebrated the Tridentine Latin Mass with a congregation of two hundred people. It was like a repetition of my First Holy Mass 56 years ago. It was a Missa Cantata — those sacred Gregorian melodies so fitting for worship: the solemn Trinity Preface, the solemn Pater Noster, the Holy Gospel, and the Orations. My daily vernacular Mass has been a joy in my life, but there was always something about this Tridentine Latin Mass that went beyond all telling. I’ve found something that I had lost some 35 years ago. All those years my heart ached for the Latin Mass that I had lost, always hoping that some day, please God, I would find it. Last Sunday I found it. And like the widow of the Gospel who found her lost coin and who called in her neighbors to rejoice with her, now I was the one who wanted to call in the whole world to share in my joy. It was like being away from home all these years and always hoping that some day the permission for me would arrive to return home and share again with my dear ones the joys of long ago. It was home sweet home again. My joy knows no bounds. My humble and ineffable thanks to our good Holy Father, Pope John Paul II, the Good Shepherd who went out looking for all those abandoned sheep to lead us back home again — to Rome, sweet home. Would I go back to the new Mass? No way! Rev. Charles Schoenbaechler, C.R. Clayton, Georgia " Father Schoenbaechler died in 2013. Here is his Find A Grave page: www.findagrave.com/memorial/108750128/charles-schoenbaechlerSt Martin of Tours is a Catholic parish of the Archdiocese of Louisville where the TLM is offered as well as the Novus Ordo. St Martin is my parish. My first TLM ( as an adult ) was there and Fr Charles prayed the Mass at the time. I was blessed to have been at the reinterment Mass of St Magnus and St Bonosa. It was a TLM and felt like going back 400-500 years. Fr Charles was at the Mass but his health had deteriorated by that time. youtu.be/zwx0_ppmuFc?si=uFrGbsvwGEeCvH0g Our new Archbishop recently designated St Martins as a diocese shrine. On the 16th of this month we had Solemn Vespers and he performed the ceremony of installing the Cannons. Our pastor, now rector. Our associate pastor as well as the two previous pastors are now Cannons as well. They received their mozzetas and pectoral crucifixes. Right before covid hit, the parishioners petitioned our pastor to begin using the communion rail for the ordinary form as well. He granted the request. Also, no sign of peace between the laity. That just came as a precaution I think after the covid "Mass lockdown" was lifted and it stuck. Have you been to St Martins ? |
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