Wednesday of the Second Week in Lent, Saint Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows

WEDNESDAY OF THE 

SECOND WEEK IN LENT

[COMMEMORATION]

SAINT GABRIEL OF
OUR LADY OF SORROWS
Confessor

SIMPLE / PURPLE
INTROIT Ps. 37:22-23
Forsake me not, O Lord, my God; be not far from me! Make haste to help me, O Lord, my salvation!
Ps. 37:2. Rebuke me not in Your anger, O Lord, and chastise me not in Your wrath.
V. Glory be . . .

COLLECT
O Lord, look mercifully upon Your people. We abstain from food at Your command; may we also turn away from the spiritual poison of sin. Through our Lord . . .

Commemoration of SAINT GABRIEL POSSENTI

Gabriel Possenti (1838-62), the son of a distinguished Italian lawyer, entered the novitiate of the Passionist Fathers, receiving in religion the name of Brother Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows. The story of the remaining six years of this young saint's life is largely a record of an extraordinary effort to attain spiritual perfection in small things, but his devotion to Mary was exceptional. Pope Leo XIII said of him: "Because of his filial love for Mary at the foot of the cross, he deserves to take his place by St. John, the beloved disciple, to whom Jesus in His dying hour commended His Mother."

O God, You taught blessed Gabriel to meditate constantly on the sorrows of Your most sweet Mother, and You exalted him by glorious virtues and miracles. Through his prayers and example may we share the sorrows of Your Mother and come to eternal life under Her motherly care; who lives and rules with God the Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever.

LESSON Esther 13:8-11; 15-17
But Mardochai besought the Lord, remembering all his works, And said: "O Lord, Lord, almighty king, for all things are in thy power, and there is none that can resist thy will, if thou determine to save Israel. Thou hast made heaven and earth and all things that are under the cope of heaven. Thou art Lord of all, and there is none that can resist thy majesty. And now, O Lord, O king, O God of Abraham, have mercy on thy people, because our enemies resolve to destroy us, and extinguish thy inheritance. Despise not thy portion, which thou hast redeemed for thyself out of Egypt. Hear my supplication, and be merciful to thy lot and inheritance, and turn our mourning into joy, that we may live and praise thy name, O Lord, and shut not the mouths of them that sing to thee."

GRADUAL Ps. 27:9, 1
Save Your people, O Lord, and bless Your inheritance.
V. To You, O Lord my God, I cry; be not deaf to me, lest I become like those who go down into the pit.

TRACT Ps. 102:10; 78:8-9
O Lord, repay us not according to the sins we have committed, nor according to our iniquities.
V. O Lord, remember not our iniquities of the past; let Your mercy come quickly to us, for we are being brought very low. (All kneel.)
V. Help us, O God our Savior, and for the glory of Your name. O Lord, deliver us; and pardon us our sins for Your name's sake. 

GOSPEL Matt. 20:17-28
At that time. as Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, took the twelve disciples apart and said to them: "Behold we go up to Jerusalem, and the Son of man shall be betrayed to the chief priests and the scribes: and they shall condemn him to death. And shall deliver him to the Gentiles to be mocked and scourged and crucified: and the third day he shall rise again." 
Then came to him the mother of the sons of Zebedee with her sons, adoring and asking something of him. Who said to her: "What wilt thou?" She saith to him: "say that these my two sons may sit, the one on thy right hand, and the other on thy left, in thy kingdom." And Jesus answering, said: They say to him: "We can." He saith to them: "You know not what you ask. Can you drink the chalice that I shall drink?""My chalice indeed you shall drink; but to sit on my right or left hand is not mine to give to you, but to them for whom it is prepared by my Father." 
And the ten, hearing it, were moved with indignation against the two brethren. But Jesus called them to him and said: "You know that the princes of the Gentiles lord it over them; and that they that are the greater, exercise power upon them. It shall not be so among you: but whosoever is the greater among you, let him be your minister. And he that will be first among you shall be your servant. Even as the Son of man is not come to be ministered unto, but to minister and to give his life a redemption for many." 

OFFERTORY ANTIPHON Ps. 24:1-3
I have lifted up my soul to You, O Lord; in You, O my God, I place my trust. Let me not be put to shame, nor let my enemies exalt over me. No one who waits for You shall be left in confusion.

SECRET
O Lord, look with favor upon the sacrifices we offer You. May this holy exchange of gifts free us from the bondage of our sins. Through our Lord . . .

Commemoration of SAINT GABRIEL

We offer You, O Lord, this life-giving sacrifice in memory of blessed Gabriel. make us always remember the sacrifice of Your death, and let us share in the abundant effects of that sacrifice through the merits of the sorrowing Virgin; who lives and rules with God the Father . . .

COMMUNION ANTIPHON Ps. 10:8
The Lord is just, and He has loved justice; the upright shall see His face.

POSTCOMMUNION
O Lord, may the reception of Your Sacrament bring us ever nearer to our eternal redemption. Through our Lord . . .

Commemoration of SAINT GABRIEL

O Lord, on this feast of Your holy confessor Gabriel, we give thanks for all we have received from You. Graciously accept our gratitude through the hands of the glorious Ever-Virgin Mary, from whom You took flesh--the same flesh that we have received in this Banquet of Salvation; who lives and rules with God the Father . . .

PRAYER OVER THE PEOPLE
O God, You love innocence and have restored it to us. Turn the hearts of Your people towards Yourself. Set them on fire with Your Spirit, that they may be firm in faith and zealous in virtues. Through our Lord . . .

Second Sunday in Lent

SECOND SUNDAY IN LENT

DOUBLE, FIRST CLASS / PURPLE
Knowing what Christ taught and lived, we perceive the contrast between what we are and what we are meant to be. What we are, if patiently accepted, is a help toward that Christian humility which is the foundation of personal holiness. Original sin and personal sins have upset our inner harmony. Still, even though appetites are greedy, they are not our masters.
"God has called us unto holiness" -- that is, to be mature, balanced, happy Christians who share the responsibility of bringing persons of every race to holiness in Christ. Inner transformation ought to shine outwardly in apostolic zeal. resurrection to glory is life's reward.

INTROIT Ps. 24:6, 3, 22

Remember, O Lord, Your compassion and Your mercy are from of old, that my enemies may never rule over us. Deliver us from all our distress, O God of Israel. 
Ps. 24:1-2. I have lifted up my soul to You, O Lord; in You, O my God, I place my trust. Let me not be put to shame.
V. Glory be . . .

COLLECT
O God, You see that we are completely powerless of ourselves. Protect us from bodily and spiritual dangers, so that we may not be harmed by physical misfortunes and evil thoughts. Through our Lord . . .

EPISTLE I Thess. 4:1-7
Brethren: For the rest therefore, brethren, pray and beseech you in the Lord Jesus that, as you have received from us, how you ought to walk and to please God, so also you would walk, that you may abound the more.
For you know what precepts I have given to you by the Lord Jesus. For this is the will of God, your sanctification: That you should abstain from fornication: That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honor, Not in the passion of lust, like the Gentiles that know not God: And that no man overreach nor circumvent his brother in business: because the Lord is the avenger of all these things, as we have told you before and have testified. For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto sanctification, in Christ Jesus Our Lord.

GRADUAL Ps. 24:17-18
The cares of my heart are multiplied; deliver me from my distress, O Lord.
V. See my wretchedness and my suffering, and forgive all my sins.

TRACT Ps. 105:1-4
Give glory to the Lord, for He is good, for His mercy endures forever.
V. Who shall tell the mighty deeds of the Lord; who shall proclaim all His praises? 
V. Blessed are they who keep the precepts, who do what is just at all times.
V. Remember us, O Lord, in Your benevolence towards Your people; visit us with Your saving help.

GOSPEL Matt. 17: 1-9
At that time, Jesus taketh unto him Peter and James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into a high mountain apart: And he was transfigured before them. And his face did shine as the sun: and his garments became white as snow. And behold there appeared to them Moses and Elias talking with him. And Peter answering, said to Jesus: Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles, one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias.
And as he was yet speaking, behold a bright cloud overshadowed them. And lo a voice out of the cloud, saying: "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased: hear ye him." And the disciples hearing fell upon their face, and were very much afraid. And Jesus came and touched them: and said to them: "Arise, and fear not." And they lifting up their eyes, saw no one, but only Jesus.
And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, saying: "Tell the vision to no man, till the Son of man be risen from the dead." 

OFFERTORY ANTIPHON Ps. 118:47, 48
I will meditate on Your commandments, which I love dearly; and I will lift up my hands to Your commands, which I cherish.

SECRET
Look with favor upon these offerings, O Lord, that they may be an aid to our devotion and to our salvation. Through Our Lord . . .

COMMUNION ANTIPHON Ps. 5:2-4
Hear my call for help and hearken to the voice of my prayer, O my King and my God; for to You I pray, O Lord.

POSTCOMMUNION
Almighty God, we humbly ask that those who are nourished with Your Sacrament may live a life of worthy service pleasing to You. Through Our Lord . . .

Ember Saturday in Lent, Saint Peter Damian

EMBER SATURDAY IN LENT

[Commemoration]

SAINT PETER DAMIAN
Bishop and Doctor of the Church

SIMPLE / PURPLE

INTROIT Ps. 87:3

Let my prayer come before You; incline Your ear to my call for help, O Lord.
Ps. 87:2. O Lord, God of my salvation, I have cried out by day and by night in Your presence.
V. Glory be . . .

COLLECT
V. Let us pray. Let us kneel.

R. Arise!

Look with mercy upon Your people,O Lord, and in Your pity spare them from the punishment they deserve. Through our Lord . . .

FIRST LESSON Deut. 26:12-19

In those days, Moses spoke to the people, saying, "When thou hast made an end of tithing all thy fruits, in the third year of tithes thou shalt give it to the Levite, and to the stranger, and to the fatherless, and to the widow, that they may eat within thy gates, and be filled: And thou shalt speak thus in the sight of the Lord thy God: 'I have taken that which was sanctified out of my house, and I have given it to the Levite, and to the stranger, and to the fatherless, and to the widow, as thou hast commanded me: I have not transgressed thy commandments nor forgotten thy precepts. I have not eaten of them in my mourning, nor separated them for any uncleanness, nor spent any thing of them in funerals. I have obeyed the voice of the Lord my God, and have done all things as thou hast commanded me. Look from thy sanctuary, and thy high habitation of heaven, and bless thy people Israel, and the land which thou hast given us, as thou didst swear to our fathers, a land flowing with milk and honey.'
" This day the Lord thy God hath commanded thee to do these commandments and judgments: and to keep and fulfill them with all thy heart, and with all thy soul. Thou hast chosen the Lord this day to be thy God, and to walk in his ways and keep his ceremonies, and precepts, and judgments, and obey his command. And the Lord hath chosen thee this day, to be his peculiar people, as he hath spoken to thee, and to keep all his commandments: And to make thee higher than all nations which he hath created, to his own praise, and name, and glory: that thou mayst be a holy people of the Lord thy God, as he hath spoken."

GRADUAL Ps. 78:9, 10

Pardon us our sins, O Lord, lest the nations ever say, "Where is their God?"
V. Help us, O God our Savior; and for the glory of Your name, O Lord, deliver us.

COLLECT

O God, who protected the three young men from the flames of fire, grant that the flames of sin may not consume us, Your servants. Through our Lord . . .

Commemoration of SAINT PETER DAMIAN

The tenth century was a dark age for the Church, but an upsurge of faith and morals began soon after the year 1000. One of the foremost apostles of reform was Peter Damian (1007-72), a native of Ravenna, Italy. Seven Popes in succession sought his advice, and St. Peter induced two antipopes to withdraw their pretensions to the Holy See. He often said: "We can never restore primitive discipline when once it is decayed; and if we, by negligence, suffer any diminution in what remains established, future ages will never be able to repair the breach."

O Almighty God, grant that we may follow the teaching and example of Your blessed confessor bishop Peter, and turn away from the things of earth that we may attain the joys of heaven. Through Our Lord . . .  

EPISTLE I Thess. 5:14-23

Brethren: And we beseech you, rebuke the unquiet: comfort the feeble minded: support the weak: be patient towards all men. See that none render evil for evil to any man: but ever follow that which is good towards each other and towards all men. Always rejoice. Pray without ceasing. In all things give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you all. Extinguish not the spirit. Despise not prophecies. But prove all things: hold fast that which is good. From all appearance of evil refrain yourselves. And may the God of peace himself sanctify you in all things: that your whole spirit and soul and body may be preserved blameless in the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

TRACT Ps. 116:1-2

Praise the Lord, all you nations; praise Him in unison, all you peoples!
V. For His mercy is steadfast towards us, and the truth of the Lord endures forever.

GOSPEL Matt. 17:1-9

At that time, Jesus taketh unto him Peter and James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into a high mountain apart: And he was transfigured before them. And his face did shine as the sun: and his garments became white as snow. And behold there appeared to them Moses and Elias talking with him. And Peter answering, said to Jesus: "Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles, one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias."
And as he was yet speaking, behold a bright cloud overshadowed them. And lo a voice out of the cloud, saying: "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased: hear ye him." And the disciples hearing fell upon their face, and were very much afraid. And Jesus came and touched them: and said to them: "Arise, and fear not." And they lifting up their eyes, saw no one, but only Jesus.

And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, saying: "Tell the vision to no man, till the Son of man be risen from the dead."

OFFERTORY ANTIPHON Ps. 87:2-3

O Lord, God of my salvation, I have cried out by day and by night in Your presence. let my prayer come before You, O Lord.

SECRET

O Lord, sanctify our fasting by these offerings, so that our acts of penance may interiorly accomplish in us the effect that they outwardly signify. Through our Lord . . .

Commemoration of SAINT PETER DAMIAN

O Lord, let the blessed bishop and doctor Damian always help us, and through his intercession, accept our offering and pardon our sins. Through our Lord . . . 

COMMUNION ANTIPHON Ps. 7:2

O Lord, my God, in You have I placed my trust; save me from all my persecutors, and rescue me.

POSTCOMMUNION

Almighty God, may the grace of this Sacrament cure our sinfulness and be an everlasting remedy for our weakness. Through our Lord . . .


Commemoration of SAINT PETER DAMIAN
O Lord, may this Sacrifice bring us closer to our salvation through the intercession of Your blessed bishop and illustrious doctor Damian. Through our Lord . . .

PRAYER OVER THE PEOPLE

O God, strengthen Your people with the blessing they ask, so that they may always be obedient to Your will and rejoice in Your gifts. Through our Lord . . .

THE HOURS OF OUR LADY #28 [Continued]

It's been a while but,

We continue with our posting of the Introduction to The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary:

(The translation of the Psalms and the brief introductory comments on the Psalms of this Little Office of the Blessed Virgin are taken largely from: The Psalms and Canticles by George O'Neill, S.J. [Bruce Publishing Co. 1937.] The late Father O'Neill's work has long been out of print.)

[Continued]

INTRODUCTION

Saint Augustine says: "Let it not be objected that the words of the Office are not our own, that the Psalms were not composed for us, that they suppose thoughts, circumstances, and dispositions that are not ours. For the Office has been compiled for us. The Psalms (we repeat it again) have Jesus, the Incarnate God, not David, as their first and principal object. What they express is not the mind of any one man in particular, but the mind of all Christians considered in Him Who is their Divine Head. The feelings contained in the Psalms are those which were wrought first in the soul of our Lord by the Holy Ghost, and then through Him in all those who are members of His Mystical Body. Therefore, they are ours as well as Davids, or any of the saints. So it was for us that the Psalms were written; the Holy Ghost has us in view when He inspired them. He speaks of our perils, of our warfare; He mourns over our sins; and in true and touching words He speaks of our repentance, our hope, our zeal, our gratitude, and our love. For, according to St. Paul: 'All things are yours; and you are Christ's; and Christ is God's.' " (1 Cor. 3,23--Taunton, Little Office of Our Lady).

[To be continued]

Saint Peter's Chair at Antioch, Ember Friday in Lent

SAINT PETER'S CHAIR AT ANTIOCH

EMBER FRIDAY IN LENT

GREATER DOUBLE / WHITE
This feast commemorates the seven years during which Pope Peter ruled the Church from Antioch before he went to Rome. Since the majority of the Jews had rejected Christianity, Peter left Jerusalem and founded the see of Antioch among the Gentiles. In that large Eastern city, Christianity took deep root, and it was there that the faithful were first called by the name of Christians. After seven years the Vicar of Christ transferred his see to Rome, the very center of the ancient world, so that from it the messengers of salvation might radiate to the uttermost ends of the earth.

INTROIT Eccli. 45:30

The Lord established a covenant of peace with him, and made him a prince, that the dignity of priesthood should be his forever.
Ps. 131:1. O Lord, remember David and all his meekness.
V. Glory be . . .

COLLECT

O God, You have entrusted the keys of the kingdom of heaven to Your blessed apostle Peter and have given him the power of bishop to bind or to loose. May his intercession free us from the slavery of sin; who lives and rules with God the Father . . .

Commemoration of Saint Paul

St. Paul's journeys in search of souls for Christ took him to the capital of the Roman Empire. In tradition and liturgy, he is linked with St. Peter in the founding of Christianity in Rome.

O God, you have instructed many nations through the preaching of the blessed apostle Paul. Let the power of his intercession with You help us who venerate his memory this day.

Commemoration of EMBER FRIDAY IN LENT

O Lord, be merciful towards Your people. Comfort them with Your loving help, as You have kept them loyal to You. Through our Lord . . .

Epistle I Peter 1:1-7

Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the strangers dispersed through Pontus, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia, elect, according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, unto the sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ. Grace unto you and peace be multiplied.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to his great mercy hath regenerated us unto a lively hope, by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead: Unto an inheritance, incorruptible, and undefiled and that cannot fade, reserved in heaven for you, Who, by the power of God, are kept by faith unto salvation, ready to be revealed in the last time. Wherein you shalt greatly rejoice, if now you must be for a little time made sorrowful in divers temptations: That the trial of your faith (much more precious than gold which is tried by the fire) may be found unto praise and glory and honour at the appearing of Jesus Christ.

GRADUAL Ps. 106:32; 31

Let them extol him in the assembly of the people and praise him in the council of the elders. V. Let them praise the Lord for His mercies and for His wondrous deeds to the children of men.

TRACT Matt. 16:18-19
Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church.
V. And the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven.
V. What ever thou shalt bind on earth, shall be bound in heaven.
V. And whatever thou shalt loose on earth, shall be loosed in heaven.

GOSPEL Matt. 16:13-19

At that time, Jesus came into the quarters of Caesarea Philippi: and he asked his disciples, saying: "Whom do men say that the Son of man is?" But they said: "Some John the Baptist, and other some Elias, and others Jeremias, or one of the prophets." Jesus saith to them:"But whom do you say that I am?" Simon Peter answered and said: "Thou art Christ, the Son of the living God."

And Jesus answering said to him: "Blessed art thou, Simon BarJona: because flesh and blood hath not revealed it to thee, but my Father who is in heaven. And I say to thee: That thou art Peter; and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give to thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven. And whatsoever thou shalt bind upon earth, it shall be bound also in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth, it shall be loosed also in heaven."

OFFERTORY ANTIPHON Matt. 16:18-19

Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build My Church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it; and I will give thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven.

SECRET

O Lord, we offer You the prayers and sacrifice of Your Church through the intercession of Your apostle Peter. May this Mass, which we celebrate in his honor, win pardon for us. Through our Lord . . .

Commemoration of Saint Paul

O Lord, sanctify the offerings of Your people through the intercession of the blessed apostle Paul. The sacrifice we offer is already acceptable to You because You instituted it; may it become even more pleasing to You through the prayers of Your saint.

Commemoration of EMBER FRIDAY IN LENT

O Lord, accept our offering as a mark of our worship, and in Your mercy sanctify the gifts we bring You. Through our Lord . . .

COMMUNION ANTIPHON Matt. 16:18

Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build My Church.

POSTCOMMUNION

May our offering bring us happiness, O Lord. We praise You for the wondrous things You accomplished through Your apostle Peter and ask forgiveness through his intercession. Through Our Lord . . .

Commemoration of Saint Paul

We have been made holy by this life-giving Sacrifice, O Lord. May we always be aided by the prayers of Your saint, whom You gave us as a protector and a guide.
Commemoration of EMBER FRIDAY IN LENT

O Lord, accept our offering as a mark of our worship, and in Your mercy sanctify the gifts we bring You. Through our Lord . . .

Update on: SSPX facing deadline before papal resignation :

Regarding the issue of the Society of St. Pius X, this morning Fr. Federico Lombardi, director of the Holy See Press Office reaffirmed that the date of 22 February to decide the issue is pure hypothesis and that Benedict XVI has decided to entrust the matter to the next Pope, therefore, a definition of relations with that society should not be expected by the end of this pontificate.

In conclusion, he confirmed that the Commission of Cardinals (Julian Herranz, Jozef Tomko, and Salvatore De Giorgi) set up by the Holy Father to prepare a report on the Holy See has made its results known exclusively to the Pope. The cardinals will not grant interviews or otherwise comment on the results.

 

SSPX facing deadline before papal resignation :

SSPX facing deadline before papal resignation : 

Lefebvrians: The last train

 

THE PREFECT OF THE CONGREGATION FOR THE DOCTRINE OF THE FAIRTH, MÜLLER

Archbishop Müller has sent a letter to the SSPX asking the Fraternity to give a positive response by 22 February, the Feast of the Chair of St. Peter

ANDREA TORNIELLIVATICAN CITY

Lefebvrians are given a final chance. The Holy See has asked the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX) to accept the agreement proposed by Rome by 22 February, the day the Church celebrates the Feast of the Chair of St. Peter, so before Benedict XVI resignation comes into effect.
  

Following the “personal” and highly spiritual letter sent by U.S. archbishop Augustin Di Noia, to the Lefebvrians last December, a new letter dated 8 January has reached the SSPX's Superior, Bishop Bernard Fellay. It would not be correct to call it an ultimatum as such but the document signed by the Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and President of the Pontifical Commission “Ecclesia Dei”, Archbishop Gerhard Ludwig Müller, imposes a deadline on the Lefebvrians for the first time. A particularly dramatic move in light of Benedict XVI's shock resignation.

The existence of the letter was confirmed by the abbot Claude Barthe, a careful observer of relations between Rome and the traditionalists, in an interview with Présent on 16 February: “Everyone knows by now that the “Ecclesia Dei” Commission sent a letter to Bishop Fellay on 8 January and that he is expected to reply by 22 February, the day of the Feast of the Chair of Peter. This could also be the day the Prelature of Saint Pius X is founded. If it does indeed happen, it would mark the real end of Benedict XVI's papacy: Mgr. Lefebvre's rehabilitation. You can imagine what a clap of thunder that would be and what an effect it will have on March's scheduled events,” in other words, the Conclave.

According to Abbot Barthe, the game is not over yet. It does however seem unlikely that Lefebvrians will agree to sign the doctrinal preamble the Holy See sent to them last June. According to French Catholic daily La Croix, if the SSPX fails to send a reply by 22 February, Rome has the right to appeal to each of the Fraternity's priests directly, without first going through their Superior, Fellay, extending individual invitations to them to re-enter into communion with Rome. The first reactions of the Lefebvrian clergy, however, indicate unanimous support for their Superior.
 

Readers will recall that last June, the then Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Cardinal William Levada, delivered the final version of the doctrinal preamble to Fellay, along with a proposal for a Canonical settlement which involved transforming the SSPX into a personal Prelature.

The document required Lefebvrians to recognise that the magisterium is the authentic interpreter of Tradition, that the Second Vatican Council agrees with Tradition and that the post-conciliar liturgical reform promulgated by Paul VI was not only valid but legitimate as well. These conditions were discussed during the Fraternity's General Chapter in July 2012, but no response came from Rome. Lefebvrian leaders gave various statements and interviews in which they implied that it was difficult for them to accept the conditions laid out by the Holy See.

Will the Pope's resignation speed things along? It's hard to tell. Conditions as favourable as the current ones and a Pope as willing to reach an agreement as Benedict XVI will certainly be hard to come by. If the SSPX rejects the Holy See's proposals, the new Pope will have to decide on what to do next.

Thursday after Ash Wednesday, Saint Valentine

THURSDAY AFTER ASH WEDNESDAY

[Commemoration]

SAINT VALENTINE

Priest and Martyr

SIMPLE / PURPLE
Everyone owes God the homage of looking to Him as the source of all things. Everyone must express this homage, both in private prayer and in corporate worship. Both private and public prayer should embrace all mankind, so that men of every race will come to offer God the homage of prayer and receive from Him the graces of spiritual rebirth, of final perseverance, and of every needed blessing. Today's Mass indicates that all prayer is to be offered with simplicity, with complete confidence, and with deep humility.

INTROIT Ps. 54:17, 19, 20, 23
When I called upon the Lord, He heard my voice and delivered me from those who war against me. He who is from eternity and remains forever, has humbled them. Cast your care upon the Lord, and He will support you.
Ps. 54:2-3. Hearken, O God, to my prayer and turn not away from my pleading; give heed to me, and answer me.
V. Glory be . . .

COLLECT

O God, sin offends You but penance can turn away Your anger. Hear the prayers of Your suppliant people and do not punish us in anger, even though our sins justly deserve it. Through Our Lord . . .

Commemoration of SAINT VALENTINE

During the persecution under Emperor Claudius II, Valentine, a zealous priest in Rome, ministered boldly to the martyr. He was arrested and taken before the prefect, who made tempting offers to induce him to apostatize. Finding that he was wasting his breath, the prefect condemned Valentine to death. The beheading took place on February 14, about the year 270. The true follower of Christ ignores worldly caution when he is called upon to bear witness to Jesus. "The inclination of the flesh is death, but the inclination of the spirit, life and peace" (Rom. 8:6)

O Almighty God, today we are celebrating the birthday of Your blessed martyr Valentine. Hear his prayers and rescue us from all the dangers that threaten us. Through Our Lord . . .

LESSON Isa. 38:1-6
In those days was Hezekiah sick unto death. And Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz came to him, and said unto him, Thus saith the LORD, "Set thine house in order; for thou shalt die, and not live." Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall, and prayed unto the LORD, and said, "Remember now, O LORD, I beseech thee, how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart, and have done that which is good in thy sight." And Hezekiah wept sore.
Then came the word of the LORD to Isaiah, saying, "Go, and say to Hezekiah, 'Thus saith the LORD, the God of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will add unto thy days fifteen years. And I will deliver thee and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria: and I will defend this city.' "

GRADUAL Ps. 54:23, 17-19
Cast your care upon the Lord, and He will support you.
V. When I called upon the Lord, He heard my voice and delivered me from those who war against me.

GOSPEL Matt. 8:5-13
And when he was entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion, beseeching him, and saying, "Lord, my servant lieth in the house sick of the palsy, grievously tormented." And he saith unto him, "I will come and heal him." And the centurion answered and said, "Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but only say the word, and my servant shall be healed. For I also am a man under authority, having under myself soldiers: and I say to this one, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it."
And when Jesus heard it, he marveled, and said to them that followed, "Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel. And I say unto you, that many shall come from the east and the west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven: but the sons of the kingdom shall be cast forth into the outer darkness: there shall be the weeping and gnashing of teeth."
And Jesus said unto the centurion, "Go thy way; as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee. And the servant was healed in that hour."

OFFERTORY ANTIPHON Ps. 24:1-3
I have lifted up my soul to You, O Lord; in You, O my God, I place my trust. Let me not be put to shame, nor let my enemies exalt over me. No one who waits for You shall be left in confusion.

SECRET

Look with favor on these offerings, O Lord, that they may be an aid to our devotion and to our salvation. Through our Lord . . .

Commemoration of SAINT VALENTINE
O Lord, graciously accept the gifts we offer You, and let them help us in our salvation through the merits of Your blessed martyr Valentine. Through Our Lord . . .

COMMUNION ANTIPHON Ps. 50:21
You shall be pleased with lawful sacrifices, with oblations and holocausts offered upon Your altar, O Lord.

POSTCOMMUNION

O Almighty God, we humbly implore the heavenly blessings of Your Sacrament which we have received. May it be for us a means of grace and salvation. Through our Lord . . .


Commemoration of SAINT VALENTINE
May this heavenly Sacrament bring us health of soul and body, O Lord, and may the intercession of the blessed martyr Valentine make us feel the power of the Sacred Rite which we have celebrated. Through Our Lord . . .

PRAYER OVER THE PEOPLE
Spare, O spare Your people, Lord! Let Your mercy shield them who have been punished by Your just judgments. Through our Lord . . .

The Impossible "Road Map" of Peace with the Lefebvrists

The Impossible "Road Map" of Peace with the Lefebvrists

A leading representative of the traditionalist camp lays down the conditions for healing the schism. There are four of them, but three appear impracticable. Fr. Divo Barsotti's criticisms of Vatican Council II

by Sandro Magister

ROME, February 9, 2013 – In a new book sent to the printing press in recent days, Professor Enrico Maria Radaelli - philosopher, theologian, and beloved disciple of one of the greatest traditionalist Catholic thinkers of the twentieth century, the Swiss Romano Amerio (1905-1997) - cites three passages taken from the unpublished diaries of Fr. Divo Barsotti (1914-2006).

In them, this brilliant and esteemed mystic and spiritual master - who in 1971 was called to preach the Lenten exercises to the pope and to the Roman curia - expressed strong criticisms of Vatican Council II.

Fr. Barsotti wrote:

"I am perplexed with regard to the Council: the plethora of documents, their length, often their language, these frightened me. They are documents that bear witness to a purely human assurance more than two a simple firmness of faith. But above all I am outraged by the behavior of the theologians.”

"The Council is the supreme exercise of the magisterium, and is justified only by a supreme necessity. Could not the fearful gravity of the present situation of the Church stem precisely from the foolishness of having wanted to provoke and tempt the Lord? Was there the desire, perhaps, to constrain God to speak when there was not this supreme necessity? Is that the way it is? In order to justify a Council that presumed to renew all things, it had to be affirmed that everything was going poorly, something that is done constantly, if not by the episcopate then by the theologians.”

"Nothing seems to me more grave, contrary to the holiness of God, than the presumption of clerics who believe, with a pride that is purely diabolical, that they can manipulate the truth, who presume to renew the Church and to save the world without renewing themselves. In all the history of the Church nothing is comparable to the latest Council, at which the Catholic episcopate believed that it could renew all things by obeying nothing other than its own pride, without the effort of holiness, in such open opposition to the law of the gospel that it requires us to believe how the humanity of Christ was the instrument of the omnipotence of the love that saves, in his death.”

Read more here: http://chiesa.espresso.repubblica.it/articolo/1350426?eng=y

Hastening the Reform of the Reform; or, the End of Clown Masses | Catholic World Report - Global Church news and views

Hastening the Reform of the Reform; or, the End of Clown Masses | Catholic World Report - Global Church news and views

A new book on Latin and the liturgy stresses the importance of continuity, not contentious campaigning.

Joanna Bogle

The Incarnation did not happen silently. The Angel Gabriel spoke to Mary, and she heard and responded. There were actual words, a dialogue using voices.

In the very beginning of all things, God used words. He spoke, and things came into being: “Let there be light.” And Christ is the eternal Word, the Word made flesh who came to dwell among us. At every Mass, the priest uses words, Christ’s own words, and Christ comes to dwell among us: the Word made flesh.

The gift of speech is one of God’s greatest gifts to us: the gift of languages is one of the things that makes us different from the rest of God’s creation, that distinguishes us as human beings and reminds us that we are made in the image of God.

In recent decades, especially in the English-speaking world, the words used in the Church’s sacred liturgy have been miserably inadequate for the glory of their task. Of course, the words have fulfilled their required purpose—as a bleak, ill-decorated church is adequate for Mass and provides protection from the weather for the Holy Sacrifice. But the very nature of the Mass, and the nature of human beings created to worship God, requires something better than that.

Read more here: http://www.catholicworldreport.com/Item/1949/Hastening_the_Reform_of_the_Reform_or_the_End_of_Clown_Masses.aspx#.URU_K6dRK8o

THE HOURS OF OUR LADY #27 [Continued]

It's been a while but,

We continue with our posting of the Introduction to The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary:

(The translation of the Psalms and the brief introductory comments on the Psalms of this Little Office of the Blessed Virgin are taken largely from: The Psalms and Canticles by George O'Neill, S.J. [Bruce Publishing Co. 1937.] The late Father O'Neill's work has long been out of print.)

[Continued]

INTRODUCTION

Saint Basil says: "The book of Psalms contains all that is useful in the other books of Scripture. It foretells the future, it commemorates the past, it lays down rules of life, it suggests counsels of practical utility. In a word, it is a treasury of good maxims, furnishing each one with all that is useful . . . The Psalter serves as a commencement for Beginners; it is a means of progress for those who are advancing, the support of those who attain to perfection. It is the voice of the Church." (Hom. I. in Ps. I).

[To be continued]

PURIFICATION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY — CANDLEMAS DAY February 2 Commentary

"They took him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord—as it is written in the Law of the Lord." St. Luke, 2:22.

In the life of St. Dunstan who was born in 910, we read an interesting incident. In fact, this happened even before Dunstan was born. On the feast of the Purification the people went with their usual devotion to the Church of Our Lady. The father and mother of Dunstan were there. All the congregation held lighted candles as they assisted at Solemn Mass. Suddenly, as the Gospel was being read, all the lights in the church went out, including those in the hands of the people.

In the excitement they noticed a candle in the hand of Dunstan's expectant mother. 

It was lit. From this one light the congregation again re-lit their candles.

Something like this is expressed in the feast of the Purification, the feast we keep on February 2. St. Luke, 2:22, tells us the story. After Mary had fulfilled all the days of her purification  according to the law, Joseph and Mary carried Jesus to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord, for it was the law that every first male child should be called holy to the Lord. It was also the law to offer a sacrifice, and they offered a pair of turtle doves. In Jerusalem at that time there was a holy man named Simeon. He was just and devout, waiting for the coming Messias. The Holy Spirit was really in him; that Spirit had told him he would not die until he had seen the Christ, the Lord. He was in the temple at the time and when the parents of Jesus brought in the little Child to do what the law required, this old man took Jesus into his arms, blessed God and said: "Now thou dost dismiss thy servant, O Lord, according to thy word, in peace; Because my eyes have seen thy salvation, which thou hast prepared before the face of all peoples; a light of revelation to the Gentiles, and a glory for thy people Israel." St. Luke, 2:29-32.

Jesus is the Light of the world, as He said Himself: "I am the Light of the world. He that followeth me walketh not in darkness but shall have the light of life." St. John, 8:12.

The Purification is the feast of the Light of the world. We then bless candles, which are symbols of that Light. We place them upon our altars, we carry them in procession, we take them into our homes, to represent Christ, the Light of the world. We do this on February 2 to remind ourselves again .that Mary actually carried the Light of the world in the flesh— into the temple. In presenting Jesus, the Light of the world, to the temple and to the hearts of men, Mary showed certain virtues.

I.   She was a model of obedience:

A. This obedience was difficult. Mary had to appear before the priest

in the temple as an act of legal purification.

B. This was blind obedience.  She submitted to the letter of the law,

although she was not strictly bound to that ordinance.

C. This was big-hearted obedience.   By doing more than her duty

demanded, Mary showed her burning love for God.

II. In the Purification Mary showed the deepest humility:

A. By her virginity.   She preferred not to appear superior to other

women, but chose to appear in the eyes of the world, as long as God

willed it, less pure than she really was.

B. By her holiness. Although she was the purest and holiest of crea-­

tures, Mary, on her knees, begged the priest in the temple to pray

for her.

C. By her divine motherhood. There was nothing external to distin­-

guish Mary from all sinful mothers,  even though she was the

mother of God. But that was because of the greater delight on the

part of God, and because the Almighty had regarded the humility

of His handmaid. Therefore, all generations will call her blessed.

III.  Mary, in the Purification, is also a model of the most burning love:

A. She offered up her divine Son. She offered Jesus, the only delight

of her heart, not as a mere ceremony but as a sacrifice in the strict­-

est sense. She offered Him that He might suffer and die and fulfill

all that the prophet had foretold about Him.

B. Out of love Mary brought Jesus back by the sacrifice of the turtle

doves.

C. Joyfully and tenderly she carried Him home.

Here we see the three ways in which we can and must offer Jesus, the Light of the world, to the people of the world:

A. By obedience to the laws of Christ's Church we offer Him to the world.

B.  By humility, we admit that we are nothing and Christ is all. No matter what our virtues, or our privileges of grace, or our success, even in spiritual matters, we are still nothing and capable of nothing in the sight of the all holy God.

C. By love and by love alone we can win the world. That love is proven by sacrifice. Every act of religion in a sense savors of sacrifice—a giving that is done joyfully, just as Mary made her sacrifice joyfully.

In the story of the Purification we find inspiration for these simple, humble virtues which Mary had and which we also want to have, even in our limited way.

They were the virtues of St. Dunstan and his mother. They are the virtues of all true followers of Jesus and Mary. They are the virtues of all who really show Christ to the world. How the world needs that Light today!

Christ will light up the world if we bring Him to the world, yes, if only to that little world where most of us live. Amen.

[Adapted from Unknown Source]