Not making it up!

For those of you who haven't read this morning's Zenit bulletin:

Papal Text Messages Encourage and Catechize
SYDNEY, Australia, JULY 17, 2008 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI is weaving together a mini-catechesis with a medium nearly any young person can relate to -- cell phone text messages.The Friday morning local time message to Youth Day pilgrims was a call to Christian love. "The spirit impels us 4ward 2wards others; the fire of his love makes us missionaries of God's charity. See u tomorrow nite - BXVI," it read.On Saturday night, there will be a vigil with the Pontiff, followed by an all-night sleep out under the stars leading up to Sunday's closing Mass.
Before the Pope's boat-a-cade reached Sydney Harbor Thursday afternoon local time for his official arrival to World Youth Day, the Holy Father sent his third text message. That one said, "The Holy Spirit is the principal agent of salvation history: let him write your life-history 2 - BXVI."
On Wednesday, after his encounter with typical Australian animals, including a koala bear and a carpet python, the Pontiff sent a text message reading, "The Holy Spirit gave the Apostles & gives u the power boldly 2 proclaim that Christ is risen! - BXVI."
Pilgrims received their first text message from the Bishop of Rome on Monday. It said, "Young friend, God and his people expect much from u because u have within you the Fathers supreme gift: the Spirit of Jesus - BXVI."
Youth Day participants can receive the messages by texting the word Pope to a special number. Benedict XVI is expected to send a message each day of the event.

Honestly, I can't describe how bemused I am by all of this. My friends will tell you that I am one of those who send text messages with all the words written out-although occassionally I use 'text talk' for a joke or to see if they notice. Now I expect that some spoilsport will point out that the texts were written by one of the Pope's entourage, but I find the image of an eighty-one year old Pope texting wonderfully whacky and endearing.

Seen this?

Right now I'm fairly sure that the blogosphere has been buzzing with people looking at reports of yesterday's Pontifical High Mass at Westminster Cathedral, so I thought something a little different might be in order.

At the risk of displaying preferential treatment, Oliver has put up a little piece on allegiance to the Queen. If your latin is as bad as mine, then you may find it a tad difficult, but you shouldn't find the point too hard to understand.

In what I believe may be a first (possibly even a historic moments) Bishop Williamson has given an interview which is unusually free from outrageous and hilarious statements. Fr Z has given his customary reply with points. I can't help but feel that a radio or TV discussion between these two would be very interesting.

Finally, the Ceremoniere has a post many of us may identify with.

A challenge to the culture

On Wednesday evening I went along to St Patrick's in Soho Square for Father Tim Finigan's talk entititled 'Humanae Vitae-a challenge to the culture'. If you haven't been to St Patrick's before I recommend a visit-it is one of London's most historically important Catholic churches. A beautiful building which resembles a Baroque Austrian or Italian church, it is also the 'mother church' (if you like) of the School of Evangelisation, and is an oasis of peace and charity in a troubled part of London.
There were quite a number of young (and one or two not quite so young) Catholics gathered in a fairly small room upstairs, leaving standing room only, and quite a few had to listen from outside. Fr Finigan had put together his talk very well with a powerpoint presentation, and demonstrated great articulacy and pastoral sensitivity, as well as a good sense of humour.
I will not reproduce my entire notes from Fr Tim's talk (namely because I don't have his permission to do so), so I'll give you a brief overview and emphasise a few points.

(NB-this is only an unofficial overview, and not by any means a word-for-word account. If there is any mistake then it is on my part and not on Fr Tim's. If you have any disagreements then please don't go and leave them on his blog, but leave your comments here)

Fr Tim pointed out that when writing Humanae Vitae, Paul VI was primarily addressing the question of contraception by married couples, whereas nowadays it is used vastly outside of marriage. His (Fr Finigan's) portayal of how much society in Britain has been transformed into what he described as a 'culture of lust' was depressingly accurate, highlighting how sex is viewed by many as either solely an expression of love, or as a dose of harmless fun. As a result, the procreation of children has been removed from the equation. As a consequence of this outlook, there has been a massive corruption of love, and a significant increase in the number of abortions.
One of the most telling symptoms of this cultural shift has been the attitude of many (especially in the government) towards sex education. In the face of the fact that Britain has more teenage pregnancies than any other country in Europe, a policy of "we're not providing adequate sex education and adequate information about avoiding pregnancies therefore we must do more" has been adopted-with worse consequences. The fact that condoms are not 100% effective is more or less ignored by a worrying number of people.
Fr Tim then reminded us of Christ and the Church's vision of love and of the need for a genuine 'cultural revolution'. People must recognise that they are not animals, recognise the spiritual side of love, and thus see genuine love as a loving concern for the other. Catholic teaching offers a deeper and more profound vision of love and marriage than that which our culture does, especially in its recognising of the grace which marriage offers.

As I said, this is only a brief overview of the talk, so I apologise to Fr Tim if I have missed out large sections or in anyway presented an inaccurate report. At any rate, it went down very well with the people gathered there. After a few questions and answers, the front of the room was given a quick transformation and prepared for a few minutes of Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. Afterwards a few stayed on for a little more talking and socialising. Altogether, a highly edifying evening. If you are able to go to any of the other talks in the series, I am sure they will be worth attending.

Providentially (I think at least), the next day I dropped into a church library and came across a book entitled The Encyclical Humanae Vitae-A sign of contradiction by the late philosopher Dietrich von Hildebrand (RIP). I haven't read much yet, but it looks like an excellent essay, and prompted me to read the encyclical itself last night. Again, it's recommended!

New on the blogosphere

My term is now over, so I now have a little more time for blogging-not that I'm trying to allow myself much time for it as I have a lot of work to before before going back to university, and am trying to spend less time over Holy Week on the internet.

Visiting Lacrimarum Valle this morning, I came across this rather good blog by one of our brethren in the West. As you can see, he has something of a soft spot for liturgy, Catholic history, and the Venerable Pius XII-my cup of tea entirely!

Then of course, there are no shortage of lovely pictures at Hallowed Ground (as usual).

Enjoy!

Dress code for Mass

This morning I came across an American group named the Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS), who happen to have a blog. Scrolling down the page, I came across a very good post on appropriate dress for Mass. Now, given the nature of their website etc, this is a good demonstration of how showing respect for the Domus Dei is not just a pre-occupation of the 'Rad-Trads'. Of course, we should not stop there. It is quite possible for even the most immaculately dressed person to behave improperly in church. Nevertheless, it is good to see how this is a concern for more than just a few Catholics. And as we are in the season when many irregular church-goers come along to liturgical celebrations, this is definitely a topical issue. And whilst I'm on the subject, I would like to ask the ladies who read this blog if they wear a mantilla (headscarf) or not in church. Rest assured that I am not setting off on an inquisition, but am interested in how many Catholic ladies do these days.

A change of tide

There is a very encouraging article about a parish where it has been decided that girls will no longer be recruited as altar servers. Now, before the egalitarian readers of this blog (if there are any) start to shriek, please allow me to explain the benefits of such a decision. It was once considered a great privilege to serve Holy Mass. It was a means by which many vocations to the sacred priesthood were discovered and nurtured. On this basis alone, it should be clear that a parish priest who only permits boys to serve Mass is not a misogynist, but is trying to encourage young men to consider a vocation as a priest or religious (and goodness knows we need them). Unfortunately, the current trend nowadays is that it must be something which everyone can enjoy. Again, this is a well-meant idea, but poorly considered. Serving the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass should not be something 'to enjoy', it is a responsibility and a privilege, and this should be remembered as such. In case anyone would like to hear a lady's view on the subject, I can do no better than to recommend this article by Joanna Bogle. And please don't hesitate to share your views!

They will also persecute you

If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you

John 15:20

Fr Blake has posted a heart-rending story about an Albanian Catholic, which has moved me immensely.

Newman on friendship

This is my commandment, that you love one another, as I have loved you.

John 15:12

Thanks to Don Marco for posting a sermon by the Venerable John Henry Newman on friendship. Earlier on this week for a laugh, I had a look at 'advice for single people on surviving Valentine's day' (or something to that effect), which suggested telling our friends and family that we love them-decidedly one of the better suggestions. It reminded me that we need to thank God each day for the gift of good friends. Decidedly, I am somewhat biased in this matter, as I am always especially delighted to make friends with other Catholics, since our faith unites us in a way which non-Catholics rarely understand. This doesn't mean I value my non-Catholic friends less than my Catholic friends, it simply means that I am favourably inclined towards making friends with my brethren, this is one of the meanings of the phrase: 'charity begins at home'. We need to love one another above all because Our Blessed Lord has told us to. A priest once remarked to me 'Love isn't really talked about these days. And the world's take on the word love is divorced from its true meaning'. And on that note, I think it's time I re-read Deus Caritas Est.

Regular confession

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just, to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all iniquity. The first epistle of St John 1:9

Recently, Terry of Abbey Roads 2 wrote a rather thoughtful post about the sacrament of confession and its fruits.
It seems to me that more young Catholics are going to confession these days, and I find this very encouraging (especially with the catechetical crisis which still plagues the Church). Of course, we must remember that there are still too few Catholics going to confession, which is ultimately to their own spiritual loss. Well, what can we do about it? By first of all adopting a healthy and mature approach towards receiving this sacrament on a regular basis, before we recommend the practice to our brethren. Here are some suggestions for those whom find it especially difficult, or are nor used to regular confession:
1. Invest in a copy of A Catechism of Christian Doctrine (also known as the Penny Catechism), which is available from CTS and Tan Books. Remind yourself what the ten commandments are, what sin is, what is a mortal sin etc.
2. Before going to bed, examine your conscience, and if you have committed a sin-be it venial or mortal-then express your sorrow before God in the form of an Act of Contrition.
3. Adopt the practice of receiving this sacrament on a regular basis ie once a month, which will make it easier.
4. Don't rush straight to the confessional after entering the church, but first of all prayerfully and carefully examine your conscience, pray to Our Lady, or your patron saint to make a good confession.
5. Afterwards, remember to thank God for the gift of His grace and mercy, and perform the penance your confessor has given you (and don't hesitate to say more prayers as further penance).

Warning: Don't marry a Catholic!

I have just found a rather interesting and readable article entitled Don't marry a Catholic. This gem (written in 1952) points out the potential flaws of marriages between Catholics and non-Catholics, and is extremely relevant for people today.

Ecce sacerdos magnus

Fr Tim Finigan has a rather helpful post on how to greet a Bishop. This may be helpful when on Thursday the 22nd of February, Bishop Alan Hopes maybe addressing young people at the Brompton Oratory. Anyone aged between 18 and 35 is welcome (you do not have to be a Catholic to attend). Stay tuned for details.

Call to youth!

Just to let the young Catholics of Britain know that there will be a talk for young people on Thursday 25th November at 8PM in St Wildrid's Hall at the Brompton Oratory (follow the link at the top for details on getting there). Father Julian Large will speak on "Who or what is the Devil?". If you are able to attend, then I strongly recommend you do so, as Fr Large is a very gifted and witty speaker, and this is a wonderful opportunity to meet people. Please also try and bring some friends along. It does not matter whether they are Catholic or not, as long as they are aged between 18 and 35. Spread the word!