Ubi Petrus

I blame the corny post title on Mike Aquilina. Yeah, that’s it. But my foray into punditry is not why we’re here.

That instead would be to wish Gashwin Gomes all the best and to offer my congratulations on his acceptance to the pre-theology track as a seminarian for the Archdiocese of Atlanta. While we all in St. Blog’s will be saddened if he does in fact have to suspend his blog while in seminary, it is a tremendous joy to see someone take those first steps towards the black and white. Let us all offer up a prayer both of thanksgiving for this and for continued strength and guidance as Gashwin walks further down this path.

I was going to write a snazzy little post on the First Roman Martyrs whom we honor today, but then I read Mike Aquilina’s post on the subject. I can’t compete, the guy rocks. Instead let me just add this little snip from Our Sunday Visitor’s Encyclopedia of Saints- a gift to me from my grandmother:

Many martyrs who suffered death under Emperor Nero (r. 54-68) Owing to their executions during the reign of Emperor Nero, they are called Neronian Martyrs, and they are also termed the Protomartyrs of Rome, being honored by the site in Vatican City called the Piazza of the Protomartyrs. These early Christians were disciples of the Apostles, and they endured hideous tortures and ghastly deaths following the burning of Rome in the infamous fire of 62. Their dignity in suffering, and their fervor to the end, did not provide Nero or the Romans with the public diversion desired. Instead, the faith was firmly planted in the Eternal City.

I just love how that was worded. It is examples like this that give me a little hope. If they can withstand what was asked of them maybe, just maybe, I can withstand the little cross I have to bear if only I can find a way to cooperate with the grace offered me.

First, I want to second (c’mon, that was a well-timed pun!) everything he says about the news that Archbishop Raymond Burke has been appointed the head of the Apostolic Signatura. He has been a voice of reason and sanity in a world, and in a country, where those are in very short supply. He has also served to elevate the level of discourse on critical issues and refused to pander to those who would demand politically-correct wording to avoid otherwise necessary confrontation. While it is a loss to the Church in the United States, it is a gain to the Universal Church which must always be the greater good. I echo Dr. Peters’ hope that his position is filled both soon and well.

Second, he has written an article in Antiphon regarding a suggestion to alter the rules for the Communion fast. I can’t begin to agree enough with his recommendations. The current rule stipulates a one hour fast before receiving Communion. In explaining this rule to our RCIA class I was forced to point out that unless you’re eating in the car on the way to Mass it’s virtually impossible to violate this fast. I say virtually because I have, with my own eyes, seen someone drinking coffee during Mass who then went up to receive Communion. The rule is so simple to obey people think it doesn’t even exist anymore and have found ways to break even this rule. If you’re going to have a rule it must serve a purpose or it becomes legislation for its own sake which never does anyone any good. It will be interesting to see if this gains any traction.

NLM has a full translation of the Osservatore Romano interview with Msgr. Guido Marini, the Pope’s Master of Ceremonies. Do yourself a favor and read the whole thing – it’s densely packed with insights into from where the Pope is coming and to where he is going. As a minor history buff his accent on historical continuity as a proper hermeneutic and as a theological and liturgical key is both critical and intriguing. God has blessed us with this Pope, indeed.

As I sit here with all the computers unplugged (I’m using my wireless laptop, if that statement suddenly got you confused) thanks to a particularly nasty storm rolling overhead, I wanted to point out a very good post from Fr. Z that really has nothing to do with translations. The point I think we all need to be reminded of rather is that of “what is a norm?” (No, not that Norm.) He does a very good job pointing out that a norm is not just what we’re used to seeing, but rather the standard by which all others are measured. It’s a point that very often seems to be missed.

Prayer to the Blessed Virgin
(Never known to fail):

“O most Beautiful Flower of Mount Carmel, Fruitful Vine, Splendor of Heaven, Blessed Mother of the Son of God, Immaculate Virgin, assist me in my necessity. O Star of the Sea, help me and show me here you are my Mother. O Holy Mary, Mother of God, Queen of Heaven and Earth, I humbly beseech You from the bottom of my heart to secure me in my necessity (make request). There are none that can withstand Your power. O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to Thee (3 times). Holy Mary, I place this cause in your hands (3 times).

Say this prayer for 3 consecutive days and then you must publish and it will be granted to you.

H/T to LaSalette Journey.

Honest. Just really, really busy. Still.

Pardon the one unclean word at the end. You can’t have gone through a computer degree in college and not have seen this movie at least once. Several of my friends could relate the whole movie from beginning to end from memory. Scary, yes…

A bleg to anyone out there who might know. My dear little daughter has expressed some interest in wearing a mantilla (and the Lord knows I’m not about to stop her). The problem is, first being a man (a.k.a. fashion dis-inclined) and second being mostly surrounded by people who are resistant to (or at least disinterested in) such things I’m not really sure where is a good place to get one. And, while I’m at it, what are the appropriate manners for its use? Any help for the clueless?

Yeah, I’ve been away from the blog for far too long. Again. Thankfully (and yet, no so all at the same time) my son’s baseball season is almost over even as it seems it’s barely begun.

So, in an effort to make up for all my time away I’m going to do something I don’t normally do and write a little about the non-ordinary. I suddenly feel like a scribe putting a quill pen to paper. Well, maybe not.

Several years ago my prayer life was far deeper and far more open than what I now find myself working through. Daily Mass, the Rosary and the Divine Office – all of it – were my constant companions. One day I was praying Morning Prayer in the second Sunday of the Psalter wherein we find the following reading from Ezekiel 36:25-27:

I will sprinkle clean water upon you to cleanse you from all your impurities, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. I will give you a new heart and place a new spirit within you, taking from your bodies your stony hearts and giving you natural hearts. I will put my spirit within you and make you live by my statutes, careful to observe my decrees.

It really struck me deeply and instead of continuing on, for just a second I prayed, “Lord, remove this heart of stone and give me a natural heart in its place.” It was not the first time, nor the last, I’ve taken something like that and repeated it to myself, so that was not at all out of the ordinary. Suddenly though and with crystal clarity, as if etched into my mind, a response formed, “I do not destroy things, but rather transform them.” And that was it – as quickly gone as came.

At first I tried to argue from the text in front of me – you see, I knew just how much dirt and grime was covering my heart and I desperately wanted it gone and replaced with one without taint or mark. My ability to be thick-headed has never ceased to amaze me. Slowly, ever so slowly, I realized what my answer was telling me and that one sentence covered every part of salvation history from Adam and Eve to that very day and on until the end of time.

Our response when we get a glimpse of just what we have allowed ourselves to become is almost invariably to look for a quick fix – wipe it out, start over again. We’re always looking for a “fresh start” – we hear that term from our earliest days. And yet, even in the Sacrament of Penance, all record of our sin is not wiped out; God forgets, but we do not. This, however, is us cheating ourselves of what is a singularly great gift from God – our temporality. If we had not been created “in time” we could not learn from past experience because all experience would be in the same “now”. No, God created us in time to learn, to grow, to improve – no part of His plan was without need or design.

Just as God took hundreds of years to form and lead Israel to the Promised Land and then even more time to prepare them for the Messiah and even in their darkest days did not utterly destroy them but allowed some part to survive, learn and grow, so He will not destroy our hearts, no matter how dirty and grimy they may have become even if it may seem to us the fastest path.

Just as a diamond is found in surrounding material which only obscures its beauty and without that material and the force passed through it that diamond would remain only an obscure lump of coal, so we without our experiences both luminous and fetid would remain without understanding, without growth. I am not saying sin is necessary, that would be heresy; what I am saying, however, is that God works with every part of us to wipe away the effects of that sin and draw us ever closer to Him. That one spot that has, well, crud on it? That is the spot that is most in need of his polishing hand – to remove it would mean to remove a part of that very creation God himself called not only good but very good.

I find it interesting that after all these times of reading that quote this all finally starts to sink in. We all have areas of our lives we’d like to see gone, past parts we’d wish had never happened. I certainly have parts of me that I’ve spent a long time running away from, hiding from or ignoring. Those are the very parts though that God is reaching out His hand to clean and polish. God does not destroy, He transforms. We have only to remember this axiom and bring before God every part of us, including those parts we’d rather not remember.

This past weekend our Diocese had the delight of her Bishop ordaining three men to the diaconate as they continue to work towards the priesthood. Chris Martel, Matthew Mason and Jonathan White were all ordained to the service of Christ and His Church this past Saturday, May 31, the Feast of the Visitation, by Bishop John McCormack. All three will be continuing their seminary formation next year after their summer assignments, Deacon Martel at Mundelein Seminary, Mundelein IL; Deacon Mason at St. John’s Seminary, Brighton MA; Deacon Jonathan White at Bl. John XXIII Seminary, Weston MA. (Deacon Mason, incidentally, assisted at my parish during the Christmas break. I suppose it would be too much to hope that he be assigned here for his first assignment? One can always hope.)

We all look forward in hope to their ordination to the priesthood next year. This would mark the largest priestly ordination class in some time, and at a time the Church sorely needs Her priests. Please pray for them, and indeed all seminarians – theirs is a calling made to many but these days heard only by a few. Ad multos annos!