Św. Bernardynie Senneński, gorliwy czcicielu N. P. Marji, dopomóż nam do tego twą świętą przyczyną, abyśmy cnoty twe naśladowali. Niech u nas cześć i miłość ku N. Matce Bożej z dniem każdym się utrwala i pomnaża, a Jej opieka niech nas zawsze otacza. Amen.
Św. Emiljano, która kochałaś bliźnich według przykazania Bożego, uproś mi tę łaskę, abym naśladując Cię, kochał bliźnich miłością czystą, bezinteresowną, wspomagał ich datkiem i modlitwą; bronił ich sławy i nie mówił o nich takiego coby im szkodziło w oczach drugich. Amen.
O Boże, któryś św. Atanazego, wyznawcę i biskupa za wytrwałą obronę nauki katolickiej wieczną obdarzył szczęśliwością, za jego przyczyną użycz nam tej łaski, abyśmy wierze naszej świętej wiernymi pozostali, i dopuszczeni byli do wspólnej z nim radości. Amen.
9Rules is running a submission round for new blogs (which doesn’t happen all too often). There’s about 3 1/2 hours left to submit. Not everyone gets in and you have to at least cover the basics of Consistency, Design, and Audience Participation.
9Rules has a great fledgling religion community. I know that those who read my blog and are also bloggers would be worthy (at least in my opinion).
Błg. Stanisławie Kazimierczyku, który tak ukochałeś ubóstwo i pokorę, żeś porzucił świat i jego rozkosze, uproś nam tę łaskę u Boga, abyśmy w tem życiu szukali jedynie chwały Bożej, a naśladując twoją pobożność i umartwienie wiecznego dostąpili zbawienia. Amen.
The following is an excerpt from Still Slaying Dragons After All These Years, the National Catholic Register’s interview with Randall Terry, the founder of Operation Rescue. Mr. Terry entered the Roman Catholic Church on Holy Thursday.
Terry now has his eyes set on new issues.
—The abortion movement, the homosexual ‘marriage’ movement or the militant Muslims who are murdering Christians, don’t care if we have seven sacraments or two. They don’t care whether we have priests or preachers or if we are in communion with Rome or Constantinople,— says Terry. —They despise us equally.—
Terry has tried to share the suffering inherent in the abortion issue by being jailed.
But he’s also taken on the sacrifice of raising two adopted and one foster child.
Check out Pat Buchanan’s article on the DVC: Whose God may we mock?
If you would know who wields cultural power, ask yourself: Whom is it impermissible to offend? Thus the hoopla attending the release of “The Da Vinci Code,” based on the Dan Brown novel that has sold 7 million copies in the United States, tells us something about whose God it is permissible to mock and whose faith one is allowed to assault.
…
If “The Da Vinci Code” is based upon facts, no other conclusion follows
than that to be a Catholic is either to be in on this fraud or to be the dupe of those perpetuating it. But if it is fiction, why would Hollywood put out so viciously anti-Catholic a film that can only have the effect of undermining the faith of millions of Christians?Putting “The Da Vinci Code” on film, with what it alleges about the Catholic Church, is the moral equivalent of making a movie based on the “The Protocols of the Elders of Zion” and implying this is the truth about the Jewish plot to control the world. One imagines Ron Howard and Tom Hanks would take a pass on that script.
Like the “Hitler’s Pope” smear of Pius XII, a man who did more than any other to save the Jews in World War II, “The Da Vinci Code” is a Big Lie that, though readily refuted by the facts, will be believed.
But that it will be a box-office smash, that it is the subject of lavish praise in the press, that it is the best-selling novel of the 21st century, tells us we live not just in a post-Christian era, but in an anti-Catholic culture not worth defending or saving, for it is truly satanic.
I don’t agree with the last point. Our efforts are to save humanity regardless of worthiness. We are all unworthy and it’s a mistake to assert some are more unworthy than others (ala Animal Farm). We can’t afford to ‘write-off’ anyone.
Biretta tip to Fr. Joseph at Orthodixie.
Boże, któryś przez niezłomne dochowanie tajemnicy świętej spowiedzi Kościół Twój nową koroną męczeńska przyozdobił; daj nam, abyśmy za przykładem i przyczyną świętego Jana strzegąc usta nasze, od mów nie potrzebnych, kłamstw, oszczerstw i plotek w chrześcijańskiej żyli wstrzemięźliwości i umartwieniu. Amen.
This morning’s bus stop banter included me discussing the fact that we had four children in our parish who made their First Confession this past Saturday (including my son), and that they would be making their First Holy Communion next Sunday.
At least one parent noted that she was happy to hear that a parish put First Confession before First Holy Communion. Now I’ve heard this from several people in the Albany, NY area. At first I thought these were one-off occurrences, but I’m hearing it more and more.
I’ve asked some R.C. friends if that’s what their parish does. Some say yes, others say they never heard of it. Needless to say I was intrigued. Who would invent a system like this?
It appears that the early 1970’s, a time of all kinds of crazy experiments in the R.C. Church, there was such an experiment. It was abrogated in 1973 and again in 1977. Yet it continues in little pockets here and there (consider what you’re experimenting with before you experiment, you may have to live with the results almost 30 years later).
From my personal perspective I agree with much of what Joseph A. Wemhoff says in First confession before First Communion.
As parents, my wife and I are obligated to forming our children both physically and spiritually. Part of that development is having an understanding of personal actions and their consequences. Doing something wrong requires recompense —“ a time out, loosing a privilege, etc. This, along with discussion, is intended to help the child in differentiating right from wrong and in forming a conscience that is aware and self examining. If you are going to receive the most important and precious gift in your life, the body and blood of Jesus, you need to receive with awareness and free from sin (yes, I know a 7 – 8 year old child will, most likely, not have serious sin, but that’s not the point).
Thankfully we do not have this issue in the PNCC and as a matter of fact R.C. parishes shouldn’t have it either. I’ve put together a few links to information on the subject in case you are asked about it or if you are just curious:
A Letter from The Vatican: First Penance, First Communion
Children must receive the sacrament of penance before they receive their first communion, according to a letter sent to the world’s bishops by the Vatican Congregations for the Sacraments and Divine Worship and for the Clergy. In the letter, dated March 31 but released May 19 [1977], the congregations say that in spite of a 1973 declaration on this matter, it is apparent that “dissension and doubts” still exist in some parts of the church regarding the order in which children are to receive these sacraments.
And from Catholic Culture:
After having attentively considered the matter, and keeping in view the wishes of the bishops, the Sacred Congregations for the Discipline of the Sacraments and for the Clergy, by this document do declare, with the approval of the Supreme Pontiff, Paul VI, that experiments of this kind, already carried out for two years, must have an end put to them simultaneously with the closing of the 1972-1973 school year and, for the future, the decree, Quam singulari, must be obeyed everywhere and by all.
Given at Rome, the 24th day of May, 1973.
I am a regular reader of Fr. Martin Fox’s blog Bonfire of the Vanities.
During the past week Fr. Fox has posted on confession (see: Don’t sweat confession) and on tradition and the Holy Mass Rites in the R.C. Church (see: What about the Traditional form of Mass? and Old Rite, New Rite…). All of these are worthy and sound reading and I highly recommend them.
While at Holy Mass on Sunday I had a moment to reflect on the response to the psalm “I will praise you, Lord, in the assembly of your people.”
As Catholic/Christian bloggers perhaps we should take that up as our motto. Fr. Fox exhibits this in spades. His words are elegant and kind, even while making a point. His are words of praise for the Lord.