Monday, March 24, 2008

Happy Easter!

Light blogging, perhaps, for a few days...unfortunately I broke my foot on Easter Sunday, sheesh.

Enjoy this glorious season!

Saturday, March 22, 2008

Alleluia, Queen of Heaven!

Queen of Heaven

V. Queen of Heaven, rejoice, alleluia.
R. For He whom you did merit to bear, alleluia.
V. Has risen, as he said, alleluia.
R. Pray for us to God, alleluia.
V. Rejoice and be glad, O Virgin Mary, alleluia.
R. For the Lord has truly risen, alleluia.

Let us pray. O God, who gave joy to the world through the resurrection of Thy Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, grant we beseech Thee, that through the intercession of the Virgin Mary, His Mother, we may obtain the joys of everlasting life. Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.

"He descended into hell..."

A reading from an ancient homily for Holy Saturday.

Friday, March 21, 2008

The Fourteenth Station


Jesus is Laid in the Tomb

Lord Jesus,
Good Friday is the day of darkness,
the day of blind hatred,
the day when the Just One was put to death!
But Good Friday is not the final word:
the final word is Easter,
the triumph of Life,
the victory of Good over Evil.

Lord Jesus,
Holy Saturday is the day of emptiness,
the day of bewilderment and dread,
the day when everything seems over!

But Holy Saturday is not the final day,
the final day is Easter,
the Light that is kindled anew,
the Love that conquers all hatred.

Lord Jesus,
whenever we experience our own Good Friday,
and we feel the anguish of Holy Saturday,
give us Mary’s unwavering faith,
so that we can believe in the reality of Easter;
give us her clear-sighted gaze
so that we can see the brilliant dawn
that announces the final day of history:
“new heavens and a new earth”
already present in you,
Jesus, Crucified and Risen. Amen!

© Copyright 2006 - Libreria Editrice Vaticana

Thursday, March 20, 2008

Gorbachev: "closet" Christian comes out!

Mikhail Gorbachev, the last Soviet Communist leader, has acknowledged his Christian faith for the first time in a surprise visit to the tomb of St Francis of Assisi.

Story here. Or pretty much anywhere you want to google it. (Just be prepared to read, on the blogs, the usual sweating about the small stuff when the point is...well, the point is to rejoice.)

A blessed Triduum to you!

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Spy Wednesday and despair...and Mary

Traditionally today, the Wednesday before Easter, is called "Spy Wednesday," recalling that today Judas Iscariot sold out his Friend...the One he truly believed was his Savior.

At the Office of Tenebrae service at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross, I reflected on many things. From the opening—"God, come to my assistance!"—through the nocturns of vigils, the Lamentations, through the homily, intercessions, and the terrible, wonderful, horrifying Strepitus, I wondered at how many times I've sold out my Savior this year.

And I thought, too, about how much I had in common with the apostle Judas.

Despair is an ugly thing invented by Satan.

Last Sunday I lost my temper. I'd just confessed to exactly the same sin some two or three days earlier. While knowing that the Sacrament of Reconciliation would be offered that evening during a Holy Hour, my initial inclination was to bag it. "I'll only commit this sin again and again and again," I remember thinking.

God intervened my erroneous thinking...or maybe it was Mary.

In any case, while facing the monstrance with the tiny round wafer in which Jesus disguised Himself, I found myself moving, almost against my will at first, to the priest in the confessional. Once again, I was saved from myself.

At a Passion Play in Germany, many years ago...

Father Greg Staab, visiting priest at Saint Francis Chapel, related a story earlier today. It seems that, when the actor playing Judas was about to hang himself, a little girl cried out:

"Why doesn't he go to Mary???? He should go to Mary!!!"

Indeed.

Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ is a movie I've seen only once but most of the lines are etched in my memory. One now particularly stands out in my mind. Peter, a wreck after denying Jesus, runs to Mary and says "I've denied Him, Mother!" And that confession to the Mother of God led him to seek mercy and salvation from Him Who is Mercy.

There is still time to seek reconciliation before Easter. I beg you, if you are in need of it, to repent and confess. There is no sin—no matter what the father of lies tries to tell you—that Jesus will not forgive.

Don't take my word for it...ask His Mother, and ours.

May you be blessed abundantly this Holy Week and always.

Lord, have mercy on us.

Monday, March 17, 2008

Boston's "Saint Patrick's Day Breakfast:" maybe it's time to call for the tab and end it


On the Sunday before Saint Patrick's feast day, Boston pols get together and basically make idiots out of themselves at a publicized breakfast. I don't know why. But it's really getting old. What especially seems unnerving to me is that this year, the pols -- many of them Catholic -- didn't seem to care that their antics took place on Palm Sunday of the Lord's Passion. Give it up, folks. Yes, Patrick is the patron of Boston, but this stuff has little to do with sainthood.





Photo credit: Aram Boghosian for
The Boston Globe

Saturday, March 15, 2008

First Mass at Qatari church

DOHA (AFP) — Thousands of Christians took part on Saturday in the first mass at Muslim Qatar's only church, opened this week despite threats from Islamists.

Vatican envoy Cardinal Ivan Dias presided over the eucharist attended by around 15,000 worshippers at Our Lady of the Rosary Roman Catholic church in Doha, thanking "God and Qatar for this great gift".

Friday, March 14, 2008

Okay, another Catholic trivia question (although I'd like to use a word other than "trivia" for this stuff)

The name: Thomas a Kempis.

His most famous book is?

Is he a canonized saint?

Obama's pastor off the campaign...gee, I wonder why?

Thursday, March 13, 2008

Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Tuesday, March 11, 2008

Frankly, another trivia question

Who is the first recorded "Francis" in history?

What was his original name?

Why was his name changed to "Francis?"

Okay this is probably an easy one, but go for it.

(Got a trivia question to share? Use the "email Kelly" button on the left and I'll blog it. If references are needed, please supply them, and let me know if you want your identity revealed.)

Monday, March 10, 2008

Abortion is a deadly sin! (More at eleven.)

Drug pushers, the obscenely rich, environmental polluters and “manipulative” genetic scientists beware – you may be in danger of losing your mortal soul unless you repent.

("Mortal" soul?)

Another rather idiotic article from our good friends at the MSM—this time from the UK—is festooned with silliness like this.

Accompanied by the usual comments which are best viewed after much prayer and fasting.

Sunday, March 09, 2008

Catholic Trivia Time!

Okay, here we go.

The italicized paragraph describing what happened at, let's say, a Roman Catholic church in Omaha, reveals and/or contains a number of errors. Identify them.

Following the distribution of Holy Communion at Mass last Sunday, the lay Eucharistic Minsters proceded to the sacrarium in the sacristy, into which they reverently disposed of the unused wine. Then they purified the sacred vessels. This done, they returned to their seats in the sanctuary.

Remember:
  • Spelling counts!
  • References aren't necessary, but they may boost your score.
  • I count 5 errors. Am I right? Tell me.
  • Use the comment boxes, rather than emailing me your answers.
Go for it!

Saturday, March 08, 2008

Set your clock ahead ONE HOUR! DO IT NOW or you'll FORGET!!! NOW! DON'T WAIT!!!

This is a public service announcement from the ever-so-gentle Lady in the Pew.

Thursday, March 06, 2008

Saint Joseph Novena reminder

Kristen reminds us that the Feast of Saint Joseph has been moved to March 15, because of Holy Week. See her beautiful post here. (By the way, her blog is pretty cool!)

Eucharistic Prayer: what's with omitting the intercession for clergy (and the add-ons, by the way)?

The most common, in my experience, Eucharistic Prayer used is Number 2. (My preference is the Roman Canon but my preference isn't, nor should it be, pertinent to this post, anyway.)

In most cases, it's "by the book," so to speak, but I've noticed—and have been distracted by—the ad libbing of certain celebrants, particularly in the intercessory part of the prayer.

For example:

In Eucharistic Prayer Number 2, the missal reads:

Lord, remember your Church throughout the world; make us grow in love, together with [Benedict] our Pope, [Sean] our bishop, and all the clergy.

However, about once a week I hear:

Lord, remember your Church throughout the world; make us grow in love, together with Benedict our Pope, Sean our bishop, and all your holy people.

Or some such variation.

I've got a two-fold problem with this:

1.) It's vital that we pray for the clergy! And, of course...

2.) What about us folk who aren't exactly "holy people?"

What gives with this, I wonder? And why muck around with the Eucharistic Prayer in the first place?

Tuesday, March 04, 2008

Welcome, Sophia Bettinelli!

Update: Here's Melanie's version, complete with photo!

Monday, March 03, 2008

Those Bloggin' Bettinellis...

...both waiting for the birth of Sophia.

Pray for them. Thanks!

Mama Bettinelli's blog:

Papa Bettinelli' blog:

Isabella and the unborn Sophia have no blogs...yet!

Planned Parenthood caught in its own racism by UCLA pro-life student group

From L.A. Catholic:

Congratulations to the UCLA pro-life student group Live Action for their latest caper. Maybe you've heard about it.

They arranged for an actor to call Planned Parenthood "development centers" in seven states and pretend to be a donor asking that his donation go specifically to aborting black babies to reduce the black population.

Sure enough, the Planned Parenthood staffers didn't bat an eye at the caller's sickening, overt racism; they were happy to process his donation. One PP staffer in Idaho even called a racist statement "understandable."

This all makes perfect sense to anyone who knows that Planned Parenthood plants most of its abortion chambers in minority neighborhoods. PP thinks the way to get rid of poverty is to get rid of poor babies. They aborted more than 264,000 babies in their most recent reported year.

L.A. Catholic links to Live Action, which in turn links to its latest video.

Sunday, March 02, 2008

Pray for Monsignor Paulos Faraj Rahho...

...and for those who were killed as he was kidnapped.

Pray too, for those who murdered and kidnapped.

Story here.