15th Sunday in Ordinary Time - COLLECT (2002MR)

From an old article for The Wanderer:

What Does the Prayer Really Say?  15th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Let’s get straight to it!  In the 1962MR this was in the main the Collect for the Third Sunday after Easter. In the Novus Ordo editions it is also the Collect for Monday of the third week of Easter season.   Today’s prayer goes back at least to the ancient Gelasian Sacramentary.  My trusty edition of the 1570 editio princeps of St. Pius V’s Missale Romanum and the subsequent 1962MR show the insertion of word – “in viam possint redire iustitiae” – not present in the more ancient Collect in the Gelasian (though it was present in some other ancient sacramentaries).  The 1970MR and subsequent editions have returned to the more ancient version, dropping iustitiae.  Stylistically, this is a snappy prayer, with nice alliteration and a powerful rhythm in the last line.  It is hard to know what the sources influencing this prayer might be.  Certainly we can find John 14, which we shall see below.  Can we find in the Collect a trace of the Roman statesman Cassiodorus (+c. 585 – consul in 514 and then Boethius’ successor as magister officiorum under the Ostrogothic King Theodoric)?  He wrote, “Sed potest aliquis et in via peccatorum esse et ad viam iterum redire iustitiae? But can someone be both in the way of sins and also return again to the way of justice?” (cf. Exp. Ps. 13).  Otherwise we might infer a touch of Milan’s mighty Bishop Ambrose (+397) or even more probably Augustine of Hippo (+430) who use similar patterns of words.   Note especially the presence of “iustitiae” in Cassiodorus’ phrase. 

COLLECT - (2002MR):
Deus, qui errantibus, ut in viam possint redire,
veritatis tuae lumen ostendis,
da cunctis qui christiana professione censentur,
et illa respuere, quae huic inimica sunt nomini,
et ea quae sunt apta sectari.

Your rapid consultation of the thorough Lewis & Short Dictionary informs you that the verb censeo, though quite complicated, is primarily “to estimate, weigh, value, appreciate”.  It is used for, “to be of an opinion” and “to think, consider” something.  There is a special construction with censeo, censeri aliqua re meaning “to be appreciated, distinguished, celebrated for some quality”, “to be known by something.”   This explains the passive form in our Collect with the ablative christiana professione.   Getting this into English requires some fancy footwork.   Censeo here retains a meaning of “be counted among” (think of English “census”).  We can get the right concept in “distinguished” since it can mean both “be counted as” as well as “be celebrated for some quality.”  Christianus, a, um is an adjective with the noun professio.  When moving from Latin to English sometimes we need to pull adjectives apart and rephrase them.  We could say “Christian profession”, but what this adjectival construction means here is “profession of Christ.”  We find the same problem in phrases such as oratio dominica, which is literally “the Lordly Prayer” in English comes out more smoothly as “the Lord’s Prayer”.    Respuo literally means “to spit out” and thus “reject, repel, refuse”.  The fundamental meaning gives a strong enough image for me to say “strongly reject”.  The deponent verb sector indicates “to follow continually or eagerly” in either a good or bad sense.  Sector is used, for example, to describe a group of followers who accompanied ancient philosophers, which is where we get the word “sect”.   The word via needs our attention.  It means, “a way, method, mode, manner, fashion, etc., of doing any thing, course”.   There is a moral content to via as well, “the right way, the true method, mode, or manner”.   Let’s get the ICEL version out of the way and then move to the right way to understand what the Collect really says.

ICEL (1973 translation of the 1970MR):
God our Father,
your light of truth
guides us to the way of Christ.
May all who follow him
reject what is contrary to the gospel.

LITERAL TRANSLATION:
O God, who does show the light of Your truth to the erring
so that they might be able to return unto the way,
grant to all who are distinguished by their profession of Christ
that they may both strongly reject those things which are inimical to this name of Christian
and follow eagerly the things which are suited to it.

Moving along, our Latin Collect today brings some initial associations to mind.  Ancient philosophers (the word comes from Greek for “lover of wisdom”) would walk about in public in their sandals and draped toga-like robes.  Thinker theologians such as Aristotle were called “Peripatetics” from their practice of walking about (Greek peripatein) under covered walkways of the Lyceum in Athens (Greek peripatos) while teaching.  Their disciples would swarm around them, hanging on their words, debating with them, learning how to think and reason.  They would discuss the deeper questions the human mind and heart inevitably faces and in this they were theologians.   We must be careful not to impose the modern divorce of philosophy and theology on the ancients.  In ancient Christian mosaics Christ is sometimes depicted wearing philosopher’s robes.  He is Wisdom incarnate and the perfect Teacher.   He is the one from whom we should learn about God and about ourselves.  After Christ Himself, we also have His Church, who is Mater et Magistra – Mother and Teacher.

Health, long life and many graces for Pope Benedict XVI

WDTPRS sends out prayerful best greeting for His Holiness, Pope Benedict on his feast day of St. Benedict!

Health to him, O Lord, long life and many graces!

Some pointers for reading the new encyclical

There is a kind cyber-roundtable on Caritas in veritate at the site of Catholic World Report.

I am not one of them, alas.  There are some good comments and writers, such as J. Brian Benestad, Francis J. Beckwith, Father Joseph Fessio, S.J., Richard Garnett, Thomas S. Hibbs, Paul Kengor, George Neumayr, Joseph Pearce, Tracey Rowland, Father James V. Schall, and Rev. Robert A. Sirico.

It is good to get some different but dependable views and pointers for your own reading of the encyclical.

New Under Secretary for the CDW

Biretta tip to Rinascimento Sacro for the news in ZENIT about the new Sottosegretario at the Cong. for Divine Worship.  The new top three staffers there are now set.

TOLEDO, mercoledì, 8 luglio 2009 (ZENIT.org).- Il sacerdote Juan Miguel Ferrer Grenesche, finora vicario generale dell’Arcidiocesi di Toledo (Spagna), ha ricevuto "con una grande gioia e profonda pace" la nomina a secondo sottosegretario della Congregazione per il Culto Divino e la Disciplina dei Sacramenti.

In un messaggio pubblicato sulla pagina web dell’Arcivescovado di Toledo, il sacerdote segnala: "Con l’aiuto di Dio, spero di essere fedele e di svolgere bene il mio nuovo compito come servizio alla Chiesa universale".

Il presbitero ringrazia il Papa per il suo "gesto di paterna sollecitudine e fiducia" nell’avergli affidato questo incarico e si congeda dall’Arcidiocesi di Toledo "ringraziando tutti" e chiedendo "perdono se ho offeso qualcuno qui, o se qualche cosa non l’ho saputa fare o non l’ho fatta bene".

Il sacerdote, la cui nomina è stata resa pubblica sabato 4 luglio, tornerà ad essere al servizio del Cardinale Antonio Cañizares, attuale prefetto del dicastero.

Quando era Arcivescovo di Toledo, il Cardinale ha nominato Ferrer Grenesche vicario generale, nel 2002, ed economo diocesano, nel 2007.

Juan Miguel Ferrer Grenesche è nato a Madrid il 29 maggio 1961. Ha studiato Teologia all’Istituto Teologico di Sant’Ildefonso di Toledo e ha ricevuto l’ordinazione sacerdotale nel 1986.

Ha conseguito il dottorato in Liturgia Sacra presso il Pontificio Istituto Liturgico Sant’Anselmo di Roma, e in seguito è stato nominato direttore del Segretariato Diocesano di Liturgia di Toledo. A Roma ha conseguito anche il diploma in Arte Sacra.

Oltre a dirigere il Segretariato Diocesano di Liturgia, è stato anche direttore della Casa Sacerdotale di Toledo dal 1991 al 1994. Da quell’anno è stato docente di Liturgia presso l’Istituto Teologico Sant’Ildefonso.

Nel 2006 è stato nominato Cappellano Magistrale del Sovrano Ordine Militare di Malta. E’ stato consultore della Commissione Episcopale di Liturgia della Conferenza Episcopale Spagnola, e il 22 aprile scorso è stato nominato da Papa Benedetto XVI consultore della Congregazione per il Culto Divino e la Disciplina dei Sacramenti.

L’altro sottosegretario del dicastero è padre Joseph Augustine Di Noia, O.P., la cui nomina è stata resa pubblica il 15 giugno scorso.  [No.  He is the Secretary, not another "under secretary".]

...

At the feeder

It has been a while since I have given you a feeder update.

First, an observation. 

The Goldfinches are eating EVERYTHING.  They are not in any way sticking to the thistle seed socks.  I checked around a little with birders and learned that they are in serious nesting mode.  Goldfinches apparently nest very late.

That said, the other types of birds all seem to be eating everyone else’s food as well.  Odd.

Any way… here are a few shots of what is going on these days.












Last year I had quite a few Indigo Buntings.  This year, I see them rarely.

I just caught this guy, out of focus, before he took off.



Girls day out.  The Grosbeaks have lunch.



This immature Red-bellied woodpecker is on the finch sock.  Not great.



A couple bachelors, I think.



Mmmmmm….




"tuppence a bag…"

QUAERITUR: Stations of the Cross - photos of poor people, not the Lord

From a reader:

While on a college visit in Virginia, my son and I visited the Campus Catholic Ministry and noticed the room that was used for Mass had “Stations of the Cross” around the periphery.  I use quotes because rather than having the traditional relief/pictured depictions of our Lord’s passion, there were instead photographs of impoverished people (mainly African or Asian) with a caption under each. For instance, the tenth station (Jesus is stripped of his garments) shows an African wearing ragged clothes.  The entire collection has no image of Christ, but of various 3rd world scenes.

I suppose the purpose is to direct our attention to the needs of our less fortunate, but doesn’t this take away from our true devotion?  Sacramentals are such an important part of our faith, it seems a shame that some can change them to suit their wants, instead of the desires of the Church.  This practice is reminiscent of the “touchdown Jesus” one sees in many modern Catholic churches. 

Is there anything codified for the proper display of statues, images, etc?  I’d like to discuss this with the pastor, but would like to know if there’s any rules being broken.

I believe there can be only numbers as well.

But if you have images that are not of the Lord’s way?

You might write a letter to the local bishop if you see such a thing or, if that produces no answer, to the both the Sacra Penitenzieria Apostolica and the Congregation for Divine Worship.

That just doesn’t sound right to me.

QUAERITUR: TLMs in modern churches in far-flung places

From a reader:

I am soon moving to a rather desolate and remote location in the world: Alaska. I know there are a lot of "issues" with the churches where I am going but one of my biggest concerns is not being able to go to an EF Mass whenever I feel like it. The area I am going has only had 1 EF Mass since the MP in 2007. So my question is this:

What are the requirements, in regards to the church itself, to hold a valid, licit, EF Mass? I know that the altar is important and the steps, but what if you don’t have a church within hundreds of miles that has that? Can you have an EF mass at a "new style" church?

Also… can a priest come to do that, from outside the diocese? I know that if the congregation wants the mass, the bishop is no longer the gatekeeper, but what about an "outside" priest coming in? What are the rules on that, does the bishop have a say in that regard? The churches where I am going are diocesan but they do not have pastors. The local are (3 churches) are served by oblate missions. So could a priest fly in and do an EF Mass if the congregation wanted it?

Yes, a priest can come from outside to say the Mass, but he should have the permission of the pastor and should be be a priest in good standing in his diocese or religious institute.  You say there are no pastors where you are: he should have the permission of who ever is in charge.

Another “come back”

Lance Armstrong… Tour de France…

well…

Fr. Z TV - Streaming LIVE - Z-Chat is OPEN

Z-Cam & Radio Sabina, or "Fr Z TV" is on the air most of the time!

Watch the feeder and very often windows of the chapel and also my office.

There is Z-Chat in a chatroom from time to time.  I send out Tweets about when it is open via Twitter.  (Latin pipata, or "tweets" from pipio "to twitter, chirp")


Open as a pop up.

"tuppence a bag…"

Pres. Obama… letter carrier

Apparently Pres. Obama gave Pope Benedict a letter from Sen. Edward Kennedy, (D-MA).