Category: Uncategorized

  • Orate Pro Nobis

     O God, you have been pleased to enrich the Order of Preachers with a countless offspring of saints, and have gloriously crowned in them the heroic merits of every virtue; grant us so to tread in their steps, that as today we honor them with one solemnity on earth, we may at length be united…

  • When Empires Collapse

    Readings for the 29th Wednesday, Tempus per Annum (C1) Romans 6:12-18 Luke 12:39-48 Non ergo regnet peccatum in vestro mortali corpore ut obediatis concupiscentiis ejus. Sed neque exhibeatis membra vestra arma iniquitatis peccato. Sin must not reign over your mortal bodies so that you obey their desires. And do not present the parts of your…

  • Be Not Afraid

    The Office of Readings for the feast of Pope St John Paul. From the Homily of Saint John Paul II, Pope, for the Inauguration of his Pontificate (22 October 1978: AAS 70 [1978], 945-947) Do not be afraid. Open wide the doors for Christ. Peter came to Rome! What else but obedience to the inspiration received from…

  • Stuff and Things. Mostly things. Some Stuff.

    The Readings for the Feast of St Luke (C1) 2 Timothy 4:10-17B Luke 10:1-9 Penulam, quam reliqui Troade apud Carpum, veniens affer tecum, et libros, maxime autem membranas. When you come, bring the cloak I left with Carpus in Troas, the papyrus rolls, and especially the parchments. This one verse, St Paul’s list of Things…

  • The Calling of St Cletus

    The Readings for Monday in the 28th Week, Tempus Per Annum (C1) Romans 1:1-7 Luke 11:29-32 Omnibus qui sunt Romae, dilectis Dei, vocatis sanctis.To all that are at Rome, the beloved of God, called to be saints. Romans is Paul’s most amazing letter. It’s also his most problematic. He will rattle of lists of forbidden things…

  • St John the Melodist

    St John Henry Cardinal Newman was a very accomplished hymn writer. Many of his hymns are here in the Hymnary. There’s also a long biography there. Praise to the Holiest in the height,and in the depth be praise:in all his words most wonderful,most sure in all his ways. O loving wisdom of our God!When all…

  • In hope of less.

    This is not a rant about the novus ordo but the next few words may sound like it. One of the things that annoy me about the Pre V2-Post v2 argument is the claim that the new lectionary (for mass and the office) has “more scripture” in it. This is usually offered without ever explaining…

  • The banquet is prepared.

    Knowing that we are the prodigal, that Jesus is the father welcoming us home…

  • Mass for Five Voices

    At St Dominic’s on Sunday we heard parts of William Byrd’s Mass for Five Voices, sung without humorous comment by 30 voices in choir. Byrd’s Masses for three, four, and five voices were composed between 1592 and 1595 when the aging Elizabeth (pictured above from 1595) was hounding Catholics all over England, killing them or…

  • Kerygmama – Departing Tao

    We are schooled by our legal system to think of “sin” as a series of discrete actions that are each a negative point against us. Instead, sin is this departure itself.

  • Kerygmore – Why the SNAFU?

    JMJ✙ I now have to say another thing as huge as my first point. It may even be harder to accept. No one (or very few), in this age of enlightenment, believes in science. Unlike the God thing, I can actually prove this one. Once someone I knew spent $20 on $2 lottery tickets. On…

  • I Think You Have Questions

    Questions always arise about my participation in Church. I think they are valid questions, but I think they are often predicated on invalid assumptions: essentially, they are some form of How can you do this? Where this is incorrectly understood or defined. As a result of “this” being incorrectly defined often “you” and “do” are…

  • A Vision of Autumnal Beige

    A Vision of Autumnal Beige

    JMJ This is my favourite time of the year, the part of the school year, if you will, that leads up to Christmas: from just after my birthday through what was my late brother’s birthday (today) and on into the gathering gloom of the Autumn Twilight into Winter Dark, we find so may lamps to…

  • Trust the Brothers

    JMJ It’s like a big game of “trust”. You stand on the back of a sofa or, perhaps, a coffee table. My fraternity called it couch diving: we run across the living room, jump up on the back of a sofa spring up in the air, and do a backflip or a twist in the…

  • Prophet Priest and King

    JMJ My friend Michael shared with me an insight from Fr Michael Sweeney, OP. Be mindful this has gone through two human brains to get to your screen, so I’ve only got one little snippet: When you come to the altar to receive Christ you come as representing all the people to whom you will…