December 22, 2024

catholic vlog

Reverence Revival

Mother & Refuge133 mins

Reverence Revival Where has Catholic reverence gone? Those born after 1970 may find this question puzzling. Do we not use holy water when we enter church? During Mass we sit, kneel, and stand when required. Everyone is very friendly to one another. It seems perfectly fine. For others from an earlier era, though, something is wanting: a standard lost over fifty years ago, leaving in its place a void. This standard inspired one to ponder to whom this house really belonged when in church. It compelled one to focus on the presence of Jesus Christ in the tabernacle. It allowed one’s heart, mind, and soul to prepare for the great mystery in which we were to participate: the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. What is this standard that used to be taken for granted, but is rarely observed today? It is Catholic reverence. Reverence Defined What is reverence? Merriam-Webster defines reverence as: “Honor or respect felt or shown: DEFERENCE especially profound adoring, awed respect.” Catholic reverence was well known because it was unique among faiths. Why did Catholics demonstrate such respect not just during Mass but in an empty church? The Catechism of the Catholic Church states: At the Last Supper, on the night he was betrayed, our Savior instituted the Eucharistic sacrifice of his Body and Blood.  This he did in order to perpetuate the sacrifice of the cross throughout the ages until he should come again, and so to entrust to his beloved Spouse, the Church, a memorial of his death and resurrection; a sacrament of love, a sign of unity, a bond of charity, a Paschal banquet “in which Christ is consumed, the mind is filled with grace, and a pledge of future glory is given to us.” (CCC 1323) Reverence is based on Catholic belief in the Eucharist. The Catechism continues: The Eucharist is “the source and summit of the Christian life.” The other sacraments, and indeed all ecclesiastical ministries and works of the apostolate, are bound up with the Eucharist and are oriented toward it.  For in the blessed Eucharist is contained the whole spiritual good of the Church, namely Christ himself, our Pasch.” (CCC 1324) We were reverent because we believed in the perennial truth that the Eucharist is the real presence of Jesus Christ-body, blood, soul, and divinity-present in the tabernacle. The sanctuary lamp signifies His presence, as explained in the Roman Missal: “In accordance with traditional custom, near the tabernacle a special lamp, fueled by oil or wax, should be kept alight to indicate and honor the presence of Christ.” (Roman Missal 316) The late Fr. Benedict Groeschel, CFR, related that years ago there were many conversions because of the consistent reverence demonstrated by Catholics while in church. Only a conviction that one is in the presence of The Lord of the Universe could explain such unwavering respect. Our behavior and posture are clearly acts of faith, and signal to all the depths of our beliefs. Fading Devotion, Vanishing Reverence When did reverence vanish? It was incremental. As modernist ideas crept into the celebration of Mass during the last fifty years, reverence was chiseled away, one chip at a time.  Changes beginning with the Mass of Paul VI (Novus Ordo Missae) were, at first, in accord with the documents of Vatican II. As time passed, various unauthorized liturgical abuses occurred, communicating to the faithful that reverence was passé. This is not a criticism of the Novus Ordo. When properly celebrated, it is beautiful and uplifting. One need only view EWTN’s daily Mass with its attention to the sacred, the devotion of the celebrants, the use of the vernacular and Latin as authorized by Vatican II, and the outstanding choir and sacred music to see reverence on display. Modernist Masses, however, were irreverent at best, illicit at worst: clown Masses, rock Masses, mime Masses, all against the rubrics that trivialized the Sacred Mass. Such deviations have all but disappeared by now. The current Roman Missal (Missale Romanum) promulgated by Pope Saint John Paul II in 2002, with the 2008 minor revisions of Pope Benedict XVI, incorporated numerous additional prayers, including those for recently canonized saints, plus the extended Vigil for Pentecost. (2023 LinkRM).1 Officially, the cleanup has been accomplished. In reality, reverence vanished, and the vacuum created by the course of experimentation was filled with irreverence and indifference; carelessness and comradery; disregard and disbelief. The sad reality is that baptized Catholics have lost faith: A Pew Research Center survey in 20192 reported that only one-third of U.S. Catholics believe in the Real Presence. Russell Shaw reported in The Catholic Thing3 that Sunday Mass attendance by American Catholics dropped from 54.9% in 1970 to 21.1% pre-pandemic, with the projection that it will bottom out soon to 12%. This and other shocking data contributed to the USCCB’s three-year Eucharistic Revival which began in 2022. While an inspired and necessary campaign, is it enough? Certainly, the Bishops gave great thought as to the reasons for the decline in belief and practice. Was the disappearance of reverence among them? Actions demonstrate our thoughts. Has there been an honest analysis of observable behavior during Mass today? Have current acceptable practices contributed to the decline of the Catholic Church in America today? In a civilized society, we treat those in authority respectfully: we are polite, dress appropriately, and are not rude by speaking out of turn. Why isn’t this observed in God’s house?  In fact, we should approach the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass with a profound awe. For more than fifty years, good manners, respect, and common sense in church have vanished. Some behaviors can be ignored as minor annoyances, but others directly strike at the heart of Catholic teaching about the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Restoring Reverence How do we restore the reverence that we so deeply desire? What follows is a critical evaluation of several areas where we have lost our sense of the reverent. There are specific areas to address directly, and evaluation…

Read More

Use this prayer if you’re widowed and feeling lonely

Mother & Refuge03 mins

By Aleteia Did Jesus not say, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted” (Mt 5:4)? This promise gives those who have lost a loved one the right to hope. They can hope for a new encounter with God, hope that Christ will come to live and fill their hearts, hope to live in communion with their deceased loved ones, hope to find new meaning and purpose… Vatican II, in Gaudium et Spes, notes that widowhood is part of the vocation to marriage: Widowhood, accepted bravely as a continuation of the marriage vocation, should be esteemed by all.(8) There are many different paths that can lead to joy and consolation for those who remain in this life after the loss of a spouse or any loved one. Here’s one example of a prayer a widowed person can pray when they feel lonely and need to encounter the risen Jesus: Lord Jesus, You know the sorrow and pain I endured when my spouse went to our Father’s house.I beg you to give me the support and comfort I need so much today.Fill my loneliness with joy and hope and ease my fears for the future. Like the Virgin Mary who was widowed when Joseph died,keep my heart pure and give me a clear vision of God’s plan for me. If it is not good for me to be alone (see Gen 2:18),grant me the grace of finding again those who will be my helpers here below,while living in communion with my deceased spouse in the hope of being reunited in eternity. You, who were compassionate to the widow of Naim (Lk 7:11-16),have mercy on me and intercede with God the Fatherthat joy may spring up again in my wounded heart. Amen.

Read More

Why witches hate the St. Benedict Medal?

Mother & Refuge13 mins

By Aleteia The exact origin of the St. Benedict Medal is hard to pinpoint, but it is believed that the various symbols on it can be traced to a Benedictine monastery in the 17th century. According to Dom Prosper Guéranger in his short book The Medal or Cross of St. Benedict, a Benedictine monastery thwarted the plans of witches in the area. In the year 1647 at Nattremberg in Bavaria, certain witches who were accused of having exercised their spells to the injury of the people of the neighborhood were put into prison by the authorities … they confessed that their superstitious practices had never been able to produce any effect … over the monastery at Metten and this circumstance had made them feel sure that the house was protected by the cross. It was later discovered that there were “several representations of the holy cross painted on the walls and together with the cross were found the letters [now on the St. Benedict medal].” There was also a manuscript that had “drawings that represented St. Benedict in a monk’s cowl and holding in his right hand a staff, the end of which was formed into a cross.” Nearly everything that is now on the St. Benedict Medal was found at the Benedictine monastery at Metten. The medal itself was only first introduced in the 18th century and given full approval in the 19th century. Ever since, wearers of the medal have invoked the intercession of St. Benedict in the expulsion of evil influences. This is partially due to various exorcism prayers that were written on the medal. Starting from the top, in a clockwise direction, and around the edge appear the initials of the prayers: V. R. S. (Vade Retro Satan): “Get away, Satan”N. S. M. V. (Not Suade Mihi Vana): “Never tempt me with your vanities!”S. M. Q. L. (Sunt Mala Quae Libas): “What you offer me is evil.”I. V. B. (Ipse Venena Bibas): “Drink the poison yourself!” Read more…

Read More

Be careful of Satan when he’s sweet and polite, warns pope.

Mother & Refuge03 mins

By Aleteia The devil is out to seduce us, and he comes into our lives “so sweetly and politely” to take possession of our attitudes, Pope Francis warned. The pope said this today in his morning homily, drawing from today’s Gospel reading about the unclean spirit who goes out of a person but then decides to return, and brings with him seven other spirits “more wicked than itself.” Vatican Radio reported Pope Francis’ emphasis that the passage reflects how demons enter quietly, progressively becoming more and more part of a person’s life. The devil slowly changes our attitudes, camouflaging himself to lead us to what’s called worldliness, Francis explained. This attitude brings us to look at things in ways contrary to the spirit of the Gospel. When the devil enters “so sweetly, politely and takes possession of our attitudes,” the pope said, our values pass from the service of God to worldliness. Thus we become “lukewarm Christians, worldly Christians.” Francis described this as being like a fruit salad — a bit of the spirit of the world and a bit of God’s spirit. PreventionNevertheless, the Holy Father also said there is a method for preventing this progressive progression of the devil’s seduction: “stopping for a while to examine my life, whether I am a Christian, whether I educate my children, whether my life is Christian or worldly.” The daily examination of conscience is one of the spiritual practices most promoted by the Society of Jesus, the religious order to which the pope belongs. It involves taking a few minutes at the end of the day to look over one’s day — to see the graces that God offered, and to thank him for them, and to see the moments when we refused his grace and chose to act in a way contrary to the Gospel. The examen concludes with a specific resolution to work on the next day. Read more…

Read More

“Attention, humans! Check out ‘Star Trek: The Motion Picture’”

Mother & Refuge06 mins

By Aleteia The large-screen Star Trek: The Motion Picture was released in theaters 44 years ago to much anticipation. Unfortunately, the critical reception and box office numbers were lukewarm. It would take Star Trek II a few years later to bring the franchise back to life. The first film has largely been forgotten, watched only by hardcore Trekkies like me. But it is well worth watching. At the film’s heart is a timeless question: What’s the purpose of all this learning we’ve been doing as a species? What do we really need in order to lead meaningful lives? A film saved by friendshipCritics are not wrong about ST:TMP’s faults. It relies too much on special effects that now seem dated. Long sequences of ship movement weigh the film down. The uniforms and the color palette make this sci-fi movie look hopelessly stuck in the 70s. All that said, the creative team — including director Robert Wise and producer Gene Roddenberry, who created Trek — understood that the key to the TV series’ success was the interplay among Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner), science officer Spock (Leonard Nimoy), and Dr. Leonard McCoy (DeForest Kelley). Their reunion sets up the story’s main theme of friendship and relationship. “Bones, I need you,” Kirk says when McCoy objects to being drafted back into service. Hearing the desperation in his friend’s voice is enough to make the doctor relent and assume his post. Kirk, now an admiral, has no idea how to be himself without a ship to command. When an unknown alien entity is spotted moving towards Earth, destroying everything in its path, a newly refitted Enterprise is the only ship close enough to intercept it. Kirk seizes the chance to get back in the captain’s chair, creating major tension between himself and the ship’s new captain, Will Decker (Stephen Collins), who is forced to cede command. Captain Kirk is antagonistic toward Decker throughout the film, seeing in him the threat of being replaced. Decker becomes the voice of Kirk’s conscience, challenging him to recognize his self-centered motivations. This forces Kirk to rely more deeply on his friendship with Spock and McCoy as he tries to figure out how to be a captain again. Star Trek: The Search for ConnectionThe alien entity, V’Ger, is also interested in connection and relationship, though it does not know why or how to achieve it. After Spock briefly unites his mind with V’Ger, he discovers that it is a living computer, having spent most of its existence cataloging the wonders of the universe and now searching for its “creator” so that it can become one with him and finally find a purpose for all the information it has learned. In many ways, V’Ger is superior to humans. It has greater power and far greater knowledge. But it is cold and hollow. It has no one to share itself with and therefore no sense of purpose. “It knows only that it needs,” says Spock, “but, like so many of us, it does not know what.” Love is more than something we long for as humans. It is our humanity. If asked who we are, we usually start by describing our relationships — I am a father or mother, husband or wife, sibling, friend, professional, etc. I understand myself by looking at you, just as you understand yourself by looking at me. When we are babies, we look intently at the face of whoever is holding us. We try to recognize ourselves by seeing in someone else’s face how he or she sees us. We are who we are because of our relationships with other people, and ultimately because of our relationship with God. Read more…

Read More