Happy Summorum Pontificum Day!

Yes, in case you'd forgotten, it's two years since the Holy Father issued the motu proprio Summorum Pontificum liberating the Extraordinary Form/Tridentine Mass/Old Rite/Traditional Latin Mass/Gregorian Rite of Mass (how have we come up with so many titles for it over 40 years?), and the same Pope has decided to release his third encyclical letter on the same day. On another note, you may have found a rather interesting article about the arrival of Mass in Chinese, which whatever one's views on is still fascinating.

Meditations for the Pauline year

In case any of you didn't know, the Godzdogz are kindly writing reflections on St Paul. An ideal way to benefit from the year of St Paul.

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.

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!

A new church in the Middle East

Good news for our brethren in the Middle East (hat tip to New Advent). May I suggest that nearer the time, we begin a novena for their intentions?

Christmas around the world

It was rather encouraging to see pictures on Andrew Cusack's blog of Christmas celebrations in Iran, which to be honest wasn't something I expected to encounter (please note that this is nothing to do with politics, merely the fact that Iran's Christians are a minority who I am afraid I had not considered much before).

You may disagree with me on this, and I may well be wrong, but I would consider it accurate to say that at this time of year more people consider the situation in the Holy Land than usual, but at any rate, I am sure many of you will find these descriptions of Christmas in the Holy Land interesting.

Possibly the most encouraging story which I have encountered so far this Christmas however, has been this one of churches in Baghdad.

I for one look forward to adding all of these to my currently non-existent "Commonplace Book" and coming back to to them each Christmas. Amongst everything which has been happening recently, this news is greatly encouraging. Deo Gratias!

Holy Mary, Mother of the Church, pray for our brethren in the Middle-East.

Viva il Papa!

I know that it is now a week after the Holy Father released Summorum Pontificum, but we should still be grateful for this wonderful grace. Thank you Holy Father!
Across the blogosphere are a number of posts deriding the bishops and expressing delight that they have been upset by the Motu Proprio. Please pardon this small rant, but that kind of thing really annoys me. The actions, views, and comments of some bishops can be unfortunate, but Catholics (especially those who consider themselves more Traditional) should remember that the bishops are the successors of the Apostles. We may well not get on with the office-holder, but we should still respect the office which they hold.
So as not to end on a sour note, there has been a rather encouraging reaction from the Archbishop of Mumbai, which further demonstrates how the need for genuine liturgical renewal is hardly a 'Eurocentric' issue. Let's thank God for such a wise reaction, and for a Pope who has granted a great boon to the entire Church.

Deo Gratias!

Be nice to Auntie Beeb!

For those of you who do not know it, "Auntie Beeb" was an epithet used not so long ago to describe the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). Now most of use are aware that in recent years Auntie Beeb has not exactly been kind, polite, or considerate towards the Catholic Church. In fact, Auntie has been downright rude, virulent, and bad-mannered towards the Church (to put it as mildly as possible) on several recent occassions. It was with some surprise then, that I came across this article entitled Concern over Pope's Latin Mass move (thanks to Rorate Coeli). My first concern was: why on earth would the BBC care about the possibility of removing restrictions on what Father Faber called "The most beautiful thing this side of Heaven"? And then I realised: They intend to put across the worst spin possible in order to confuse those who don't know what the fuss is about. I am rather too tired to go and point out the laughable errors, so please enjoy-especially the very good comment by a Protestant about Catholics following the Bible!

By George?

There was a rather extensive article in today's Telegraph about St George's Day. I am sure that the non-British readers of this blog will be aware that for many years now, there has been considerable demand for St George's Day (April 23) to be made a national holiday in Britain. Now, I am in favour of this to be done, but am rather disgruntled with the attitudes of some people behind it. I seem to remember the London celebrations last year of St Patrick's day to have fallen on the Sunday. Now just how many of the people celebrating then were actually of Irish extraction? And just how many of them were practising Catholics?
I wouldn't be surprised if more than a few of the crowd were of the 'not keen on organised religion' persuasion, and there were probably a few people there who didn't exactly feel warm towards the Church, forgetting that it is thanks to the Church that St Patrick's Day even exists. Like it or not, St George's Day (or any other saint's day) is a religious feast, not just an excuse for getting drunk and having a day off from work. It has been established by Holy Mother Church so we can thank God for having provided us with such a courageous saint and martyr. It's time for us to win back this day from the secular missionaries!

Prayers under the snares

Please forgive the rather tongue-in-cheek title of this post. Yesterday, I decided to see if this blog is blocked in China using the marvellous Great Firewall of China. I had tested this a few months ago, and the blog was accessible from China. What's new? I can now officially declare that Emitte Lucem Tuam is blocked! Now I can't say that I am terribly upset about this (because I am not), but I am surprised that it took them so long to do so. I rather suspect that my recent post about Tibetan Catholics pushed them to do so. You will be pleased to hear that I do not intend to indulge in vain-glory by boasting about the Commies having recognised an enemy, instead I propose that since I am no longer able to provide reading or otherwise for the good people of China-as many bloggers are, that we 'help them from the outside'. In other words, I propose that we should pray more fervently for our brethren in China. Those who have upheld the Faith in such adversity are an example of steadfastness and integrity, as shown by a recent post by Fr Zuhlsdorf. Please say at the very least an Ave Maria for them now.

Ave Maria, gratia plena, Dominus tecum,
Benedicta tu in mulieribus,
Et Benedictus Fructus ventris tuis, Jesus.
Sancta Maria, Mater Dei,
Ora pro nobis peccatoribus,
Nunc, et in horae mortis nostris.
Amen.

Our brethren in the East

Watching the televised Urbi et Orbi (or any other televised event at the Vatican for that matter), I am always struck by the many nationalities of those present. One always expects there to be pilgrims from Germany, Poland, the Philippines and so forth. Hence, one is often surprised when learning of the Catholic communities in countries where we do not expect them. I came across this very moving account of the small Catholic community in Tibet, which I earnestly recommend reading. And when you've finished reading it, remember them as well as all Catholics (especially in Asia) in your prayers, and pass the news onto other people.

Ecclesiae tuae, quaesumus Domine, preces placatus admitte : ut, destructis adversitatibus et erroribus universis, secura tibi serviat libertate. Per Dominum nostrum Jesum Christum, Filium tuum, qui tecum vivit et regnat in unitate Spiritus sancti Deus, per omnia saecula saeculorum. Amen.

Mercifully receive, O Lord, we beseech Thee, the prayers of thy Church: that overcoming all adversity and error, she may serve Thee in security and freedom. Through our Lord Jesus Christ Thy Son, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God for ever and ever.

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.

Holy Week in the Holy Land

There are some rather interesting photos of the Latin Rite Community's Holy Week celebrations in Jerusalem. I will probably not be posting regularly for a while, so I wish you all a prayerful and blessed Holy Week!

Update

Dear readers, thank you very much for the much-needed and much-appreciated prayers, they are still needed. Since my last post, everything is still difficult and I will be unable to blog regularly over the next two weeks. Again, please accept my apologies. In the meantime, I have several appeals:

1. I am sure that most of my readers are committed Catholics who already pray daily for the intentions of the Holy Father (as we all have a duty to do), but I am sure you will agree that His Holiness is especially in need of further prayer at the moment.

2. On March 19th we will celebrate the feast of St Joseph. Please do not neglect to commemorate this feast in some way, either by attending Mass, saying the Rosary, or by some form of private devotion to St Joseph. He is of course, the patron saint of a happy death (which we should pray for daily), but we should also use the opportunity to pray for the intentions of Holy Mother Church, since St Joseph is also patron of the Universal Church.

3. Finally, I would like to ask for your prayers again, although I know perfectly well that both the Holy Father and the Church take priority over my intentions (and the former are also merited), but I am still in need of your prayers.

Thank you all for your charity and support, which although undeserved, are still greatly appreciated.

A Bitchy Bulgarian Bishop

Ad Jesu per Mariam has just brought a debacle in Bulgaria to my attention. One of the youngest Orthodox bishops has called the Supreme Pontiff a heretic. Bad move Nickolay. Whether or not the Pope appeals to you, you don't insult God's representative on earth. Furthermore, Cardinal St Robert Bellarmine demonstrated that the Pope cannot be a heretic. No-one is impressed by this impertinent outburst, so let's change the subject.

A dear price to pay

Following yesterday's post about the courage of a young Albanian, Fr Ray has helped to bring the dreadful situation under the communists to mind. No doubt about it, people need to know about this, as the press in Britain seems to turn an obstinately blind eye to the treatment of Catholics abroad. It's time for a reality check, we may not be in a favourable position as Catholics in Europe, but we are much more so than some of our brethren around the world. And yet in this situation, our faith has survived, and will continue to survive. As Saint Paul says in the second epistle to the Corinthians: We suffer persecution, but are not forsaken; we are cast down, but we perish not. I refuse to intimidated by the militant atheism which pretends that religion is dead. Take the situation in Poland, where the practise of Catholicism was hampered, but not stopped by Nazi slaughter or by Communist pressure. The gates of hell shall never triumph against Holy Mother Church-and never forget it.