Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: RSS
My Minecraft Persona
On this Memorial Day
As a veteran of the United States Air Force, I pray that God will grant eternal rest to all those who have died in the service of this nation. May He bless those who are serving in the Armed Forces today, especially those who are serving overseas.
Homily for the Sixth Sunday of Easter
Review of Sancta Missa Extraordinary Form Workshops
During the week of May 9-13, I had the great privilege to attend an Extraordinary Form workshop offered by the Canons Regular of St. John Cantius. I had had a great desire to be trained in the Extraordinary Form of the Mass for some time. By a wonderful chance of scheduling, I was able to spend two weeks at the University of St. Mary of the Lake (also known as Mundelein Seminary) for a seminary classmate reunion retreat followed by the Extraordinary Form workshop across campus at the Cardinal Stritch Retreat House.
The workshop began at about Noon on Monday and went for about 96 hours of intense training and practice on the Extraordinary Form. When we weren’t training and practicing (and eating – the retreat house food was excellent!), we were also discussing how to celebrate the Sacraments of Matrimony, Baptism, and Extreme Unction according to the books in effect in 1962, as stipulated by the Motu Proprio Summorum Pontificum and reinforced by the recently released Instruction Universae Ecclesiae. By a wonderful coincidence, Universae Ecclesiae happened to be promulgated on Friday morning of the workshop, and we spent about an hour discussing the Instruction.
Upon arrival, we were given a stack of materials which included the textbook for the week “Mastering the Rubrics of the 1962 Missal”, a stack of information on the Extraordinary Form of the Mass and Sacraments, and an envelope full of material from the Coalition in Support of Ecclesia Dei. If you’ve been to an Extraordinary Form Mass and seen the softcover red booklets with the Ordinary of the Mass in Latin and English, you’re familiar with this Coalition. The Canons Regular also provided a selection of material from their bookstore for purchase, much of which was written or republished under their Biretta Press imprint.
A very beneficial part of the workshop was daily opportunities to attend Extraordinary Form Masses in choir, both Missa Lecta (Low Mass) and Missa Cantata (High Mass). The priests who sat in choir were placed along the side of the altar so that we could watch closely how the celebrant celebrated the Mass. I learned almost as much watching an experienced priest celebrate Mass as I did practicing on my own.
The members of the Canons Regular who trained us were very patient with us, especially when we would make silly mistakes (always a part of learning something new). My group of 3 had a seminarian brother of the Canons Regular to teach us. We went through the Mass small sections at a time with the brother demonstrating first, and then we would practice one at a time. He’d provide corrections, we’d repeat until we got it right, and so on. By Wednesday evening, we’d gone through the entire Low Mass in the individual sections. All day Thursday and Friday morning were spent putting it all together.
By the end of the week, I was so confident in my ability to celebrate the Extraordinary Form that I celebrated my first Extraordinary Form Mass at 7:00 AM Friday morning. Admittedly, that’s probably a bit rare, and maybe even a bit overconfident on my part. That first celebration of the Extraordinary Form of the Mass wasn’t perfect, but it was valid and licit. I went from a familiarity with the Mass that most of the laity have to able to celebrate in the course of a week.
For any priests who might be interested in attending this workshop in the future, I would say, “Do it!” It was worth the time, travel and money, and I highly recommend working with the Canons Regular to learn the Extraordinary Form. I would advise those priests interested to begin developing familiarity with the Extraordinary Form both through attending the Mass (if possible in your area) and through the Sancta Missa website and DVDs or the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter DVDs. It also helps to work on your Latin pronunciation by praying the Breviary in Latin, if not offering the Ordinary Form in Latin on occasion. I’ve been able to do all that I’ve advised throughout my 3 years as a priest, and easily contributed to my ability to pick up the Extraordinary Form of the Mass as quickly as I did.
It truly was an excellent opportunity, and now I need to go “practice” by celebrating a private Extraordinary Form Mass.
Homily for the Third Sunday of Easter
No recording this week, and the recording for the Fourth Sunday of Easter was not usable due to a microphone hardware problem.
As Catholics, we frequently get accused of not being “in the Bible”, and that’s sadly a valid concern for many Catholics. We might have a Bible or two at home, and may even read it once in a while, but do we really understand what the Scriptures are telling us? The challenge for us is to become familiar with the Scriptures while allowing the Church to interpret them for us.
Sometimes we might feel like the disciples on the road to Emmaus. We might know a handful of Scripture passages, and might be able to pick out a few favorite ones we feel really speak to us. The rest of the book, however, feels unfamiliar and confusing. We feel like we need someone to open it up, and there may even be a hunger to do so. The number of Bible studies in Malta really speaks to that desire.
As Catholics, this desire to open the Scriptures and truly understand this sacred and powerful book is a great thing. The Bible truly is the Word of God, revealed to us by God working through the great figures in salvation history, such as Moses, the prophets, and even Our Lord Jesus Christ Himself. If we want to know God’s plan for our eternal life, the Bible will help us find the answers we need.
Of course, there is a challenge when studying the Scriptures. Though the Bible is the revealed Word of God, it was recorded by people of a different time and culture for people of different times and cultures. It wasn’t even totally clear to people of Jesus’ time, as we see by the reaction of the disciples to Our Lord’s explanation of the Scriptures. If it wasn’t clear to them, who lived in a culture very similar to that which many books of the Old Testament, how can we expect it to be clear to us who live 2000 after the last words were written?
The answer is that we can’t expect it to be clear on our own. Like the disciples, we need to have the Scriptures interpreted for us. We need someone to guide us and help us understand what we’re reading. For this reason, we have the teachings of the Church to guide us and make Our Lord’s words clear so that we may live out His commands and follow His example. Just as St. Peter explained how King David’s Psalm pointed to the resurrection of Jesus, St. Peter’s successor, the Pope, and the bishops in union with him are our guides to understanding how the Scriptures relate to our lives today.
It is very important when studying the Bible to use the teachings of the bishops and Pope to aide in interpreting the Scriptures. Unfortunately, there is one word of warning that needs to be mentioned. There are a number of Bible studies throughout Malta that are open to anyone for participation, regardless of Christian denomination. While this is a good thing to be encouraged, just be aware that there can be elements within these studies that are contrary to what Christ has revealed through the Church. These Bible studies are occasionally even used to promote other denominations, and can be used to challenge the teachings of the Catholic Church.
The easiest way to overcome this problem is to also have a copy of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, and to become familiar with it. Then, when questions come up, you have a resource that can provide a clear idea what the Church teaches and believes.
As Catholics, we need to be in the Scriptures daily and allow the Church to help us understand them. May we allow the Word of God to enter our hearts and burn within us as it did for the disciples.
Homily for the Fifth Sunday in Easter
Homily for Divine Mercy Sunday
Homily for Easter Sunday
Homily for the Easter Vigil
Website warning
I just became aware of Seal of Confession (lack of link intentional), which purports to be an online confessional in which the sins you confess are forwarded to priests for absolution. First, the Sacrament of Confession must be done in person, whether face-to-face or behind the screen, so Internet confessions are completely invalid: “There are no sacraments over the Internet” (#9).
The more serious danger comes from where the site comes from in the first place. Examining the source of the webpage, found the following two commented-out links (click on the images to see them full-sized):
Doing a little Google snooping, I was able to find DavidPaul Doyle at The Voice for Love, a new-age program which includes A Course in Miracles. For more information on A Course in Miracles and other new-age dangers, check out Sharon Lee Gigante’s website New Age Deception.
Because of the invalidity of Internet-based confessions and the dangers in the new-age movement, stay away from both Seal of Confession and The Voice for Love. Instead, confess the old-fashioned way: by entering the Confessional at your local parish.