Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Victimae Paschale Laudes

Today we still sing the praises of the Easter Sequence. Those who have separated themselves from the Church have lost the understanding of celebrating Easter for a solid week. Our Lord has told St Faustina to pray for those who are heretics and schismatics. Let us pray today for those who lack full union with Christ and His Church. It is amazing, as the text says, that the Lamb should be immolated for the sheep. Meditate today on the sequence. Also look at the text of the Exultet. Sorry to be so short. but time presses on!

Tuesday, March 25, 2008

The Order of Sith

Lone Star PLU has now been inducted into the Order of Sith (OSith) and has taken the name Darth Celebrandi, inspired by Ars Celebrandi which is something all PLUs strive to have. While Darth will not yet reveal his Christian name for fear that to his enemies might over-take him before his transformation is complete, be assured there is more to come. May the Force be with you all.

Thursday, March 20, 2008

I give to you a new commandment....

Happy and blessed Maundy Thursday to all. Today we celebrate so much. With the morning Chrism Mass (some of us already celebrated earlier in the week) and the Mass of the Lord's Supper in the Evening, today is a celebration of the Ministerial Priesthood of Jesus Christ. \
The Chrism Mass is not just for blessing of the Holy Oils for the year. It is a Mass about the Priesthood. All of the readings selected by the Church bespeak the anointing of the Priest to bring glad tidings to the poor. The Bishop is directed to speak to his brother Priests in the homily, exhorting them to model their lives after Christ, as he had done at their ordination.
The Mass of the Lord's Supper recalls that night when Our Lord instituted the Priesthood. It was the intention of Christ, when he offered that bread and wine as His Body and Blood, not only to offer the Sacrifice of Calvary the next day, but also to offer every sacrifice that would be offered by the members of His Mystical Body. In order to facilitate the Priestly offering of the members of His Mystical Body, Christ established the Ministerial Priesthood. With the daily offering of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world, the Ministerial Priests provide, as it were, a vehicle for the offering of our daily sacrifices (i.e., the morning offering).
The Priest is a living Sacrament of the presence of Christ in the world. Whereever he goes, he brings with him the Divine Mercy. The Priest always can provide the healing touch of the hand of God.
The Servent of God, John Paul II, reminded his brother Priests that Christ called them two thousand years ago. From the Upper Room, these men were called, before they were ever conceived, with the words of Christ, "Do this in memory of me." For two thousand years that call has been headed. Many of us have heard the call and await the day when we can obey it fully. Please pray for your Bishop, Priests, Deacons and Seminarians. Pray for more vocations to the Ministerial Priesthood. As Archbishop Sheen once said, the world could live longer without the sun than without the Mass.

Tuesday, March 11, 2008

The Call

This is that great time of year when many are anticipating the call to Holy Orders. This is also the time of year that the Devil is in a last-ditch effort to prevent, or at least delay the ordination of as many Priests as possible. A quick Google search finds the long form of the St Michael Prayer by Leo XIII. St Michael is most powerful -- so pray to him for the men whom God has called to Holy Orders. Pray that he will overcome the Devil, who is bent on destroying vocations by any means possible
The Devil will use rumor and innuendo. "Concerns" will be brought forward at the last minute. Those who should be the biggest supporters of candidates for the Priesthood -- their Vocations' Directors -- will often become vehicles of destruction. You will probably notice that these rumors and innuendos rarely strike non-PLUs. It will be the ones who want to teach with the authority of Christ those things that Christ teaches who will be victims of these rumors. The seminary faculty will often stand slack-jawed as Vocations' Directors come forward with these "concerns." They are powerless to help the man whom they know, and with whom they live day and night. The man who lives hundreds of miles away and sees him five times a year (I'm being generous) is convinces he knows him better! It's amazing!
St Michael is our only defense against such nonsense. Sancte Michael, Archangele, ora pro nobis!