Who wants to talk about Hell? Just about nobody, and we can hardly blame them - why dwell on something as, well, hellish, as eternal torment? Many people, both inside and outside the Church, only mention the Abode of the Damned at all in order to discount it. At the same time, we don't have the luxury of … Continue reading A Brief Visit to Hell
A Tribute Vice Pays to Itself, or, The Joy of Getting Gelded
The celebrated 17th century wit François de La Rochefoucauld once opined, “hypocrisy is a tribute vice pays to virtue”. In other words, we lie about what we are doing because we’re wise enough, at least, to be ashamed of it. What can we say, however, about an age that knows no shame?
Panis Angelicus: Friar Alessandro Sings St. Thomas Aquinas’ Eucharistic Hymn
"The Temptation of St. Thomas" by Diego Velazquez, 1632 St. Thomas Aquinas was a Dominican, one of the greatest of all philosophers, and arguably the greatest of Catholic theologians; we tend to think of him as a pretty cerebral fellow. And so he was. At the same time, he did have his poetic side, which … Continue reading Panis Angelicus: Friar Alessandro Sings St. Thomas Aquinas’ Eucharistic Hymn
Discerning the Body: The Bishops, The Politicians, and The Eucharist
The issue here is not that the politicians in question are politicians per se, it is that that as prominent people they are publicly using their influence to promote things that are gravely sinful. When those responsible for teaching, governing, and sanctifying fail to distinguish the true dimensions of the problem, and fail to govern by allowing those who persist in openly promoting sin to receive communion they are teaching, by their actions, that the Body and Blood of Our Lord is simply not that important.
Who’s really “politicizing” the Body of Christ?
An unusual and unfamiliar expression, "Eucharistic Coherence", has been showing up on a lot of Catholic websites lately. I've written about the abuse of language on more than one occasion in the recent past (here and here, for instance), but this term is not itself abusive, rather it's intended to expose and correct abuse. It refers … Continue reading Who’s really “politicizing” the Body of Christ?
“Gloria” from Salieri’s Mass in B Flat
The truth is that, while Salieri was no Mozart, he was a good and well-respected composer in his time, and a much sought-after teacher (among his pupils were Mozart's own son Franz Xaver, as well as Franz Liszt, Franz Schubert, and Ludwig Von Beethoven). The lovely piece below is the "Gloria" from Salieri's Mass in B Flat, one of his four Masses.
A Martyr for Marriage (Bl. Margaret Pole)
At least for those who aren't heavily invested in the so-called "sexual revolution", it is clear that the societal endorsement of sexual license directly undermines the institution of marriage, and the breakdown of marriage in turn has a profound negative impact on children most immediately, but from there on everything and everyone else.
Sins Of The Fathers . . . And Of Kings
530 years is a long, long time to wait. On Thursday, March 26th 2015, England’s King Richard III, the last English monarch to die in battle, and the one of the last English kings to die a Catholic, finally received a Christian burial. Not a Catholic funeral, unfortunately, but his interment in the Anglican Cathedral of Leicester was a great improvement over the hasty, unmarked burying of his desecrated corpse after the Battle of Bosworth Field 530 years ago.
Sacred Music: The Pentecost Sequence (Gregorian Chant)
Today, in the traditional liturgical calendar, would be Monday in the Octave of Pentecost. Although the Octave of Pentecost has not been observed in the Ordinary Form of the Mass since 1969 (for more on this liturgical change, with feeling, see HERE and HERE on Fr. Z's blog), it would be a shame to let so … Continue reading Sacred Music: The Pentecost Sequence (Gregorian Chant)
Persecution, Pentecost, and St. Julia of Corsica
Christ sent the Holy Spirit down on his Church at Pentecost, the Church against which, he had promised Peter, the "Gates of Hell" would not prevail (Matthew 16:17) . . . but he had also promised persecution (Matthew 5:11). The Persecution was not long in coming. The same Peter who boldly addresses the wondering crowds on Pentecost will soon be writing to the early Christians: In this you rejoice, though now for a little while you may have to suffer various trials, so that the genuineness of your faith, more precious than gold which though perishable is tested by fire, may redound to praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. (1 Peter 1:6-7)