We see the Incarnation reflected in so many things in our world. We need the Word to become Flesh, the Eternal Word who is Jesus Christ, because that's how we apprehend words and ideas. We need the same from lesser words as well. That's how God created us. It should come as no surprise that our … Continue reading Latin, the Liturgy, and the Human Touch
The Church’s First Decision: St. Matthias
Not everyone, it would seem, is pleased with the current Roman Pontiff. If that hadn't been clear to me already, it would certainly be apparent in many of the comments some of my recent posts (this one and this one, for instance) have received in various online venues. Who would have thought it? Happily, I'm not writing … Continue reading The Church’s First Decision: St. Matthias
Catholics, This Is Your Language
Latin is still the official language of the Mass. If you're lucky you may hear some of the traditional language, your language, in church.
Has Tradition Become a Dirty Word?
Picture Sunday Mass in a typical parish. A mother comes up for communion holding a small child in her arms. As she approaches the priest, she awkwardly holds on to her infant with one arm in order to free up the other to take the Eucharistic host and quickly pop it into her mouth before … Continue reading Has Tradition Become a Dirty Word?
A Hand Slap to the Traditional Latin Mass
A Hand Slap The "hand slap" of the title is a playful allusion to an incident that occurred in January 2020. A woman in the crowd grabbed Pope Francis' hand and the startled pontiff reflexively slapped it away. His reaction was understandable, and the Pope apologized soon afterward. Nonetheless, many observers saw something iconic in … Continue reading A Hand Slap to the Traditional Latin Mass
Liturgy Wars: What’s Latin Got To Do With It?
Who would have expected the Glorified Body of Christ, the eternal perfected Body, to include the horrible wounds inflicted on the flesh-and-blood human body here on Earth?
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.
“The Way” To Where, Exactly?
Beware of anyone whose key concept is power. It's not a problem just for "other people". Each one of us has our own little "Synodal Way" inside of us. We all have a desire to make our judgments the final word in questions of theology, church governance, and most especially, morals. We want to eat of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil: we think we can be like God.
A Smaller, Purer Church?
In reality, all Fr. Ratzinger was doing was looking at social trends, the "signs of the times" (see Matthew 16:3). He saw a society in which Christian belief was becoming less important with, as a consequence, progressively less social advantage to membership. As the advantage diminished and eventually disappeared, the less committed members would move out, and on to something else . . .