How to Offer Yourself at Holy Mass
As many of you know, the three parts of sacrifice as found in both the Old Testament and New Testament is 1) The offering and 2) The slaying and 3) the consummation of the victim. Regarding the second of those three, most of the Catholic world is unaware that the dual-consecration of the body and the blood entails the slaying. St. Gregory Nazianzus wrote, "The priest sunders with unbloody cut the body and blood of the Lord, using his voice as a sword." Keep in mind that St. Gregory was the Archbishop of Constantinople in the 4th century. That means he is very early and very Eastern in Church history, [...]
“I Will See You Again.”
A little while, and you will see me no longer, and again a little while and you will see me.—St. John 16:16 John 16 is one of the most intimate chapters of the New Testament. Jesus has just washed the feet of the Apostles (chapter 13) and then we have several chapters of Him explaining at the Last Supper the Father's love for the Son and the Son's love for His own Apostles. This is just before the arrest of Jesus Christ. As most of you know, St. John spends nearly half of his Gospel on the Triduum prayer and the Passion and Resurrection, and a large part of this [...]
One of the Original “Canceled Priests”
The top left is the late Fr. Enrique Tomas Rueda and the top right is the late Bishop Bonaventure Broderick. Both are, in some sense, among the original "canceled priests." I re-publish this tragic but inspiring account of Fr. Rueda written with the permission of Remnant Newspaper. Tu Es Sacerdos in Aeternum—by Thomas Ryan I hadn’t heard from Fr. Rueda in at least two months when an email message, forwarded multiple times, showed up in my inbox last month indicating he’d died. In time, I would learn there was some rather bizarre news associated with that of Father’s passing. Fr. Enrique Tomas Rueda was a native of Havana, Cuba. In fact, he’d [...]
Complacency and Gratitude
The above is a picture I look of the art behind the main altar of the new Immaculata Church in St. Mary's, Kansas. While walking around the town of St. Mary's last week, and while praying in the new Immaculata Church, I started to wonder about all the Things We Lost in the Fire which was the title of last blog post regarding the history of the past 100 years in St. Mary's, Kansas and even the last 100 years of the Catholic Church at-large. The former seems to have been a microcosm of the former, especially in her demise under the Jesuits. But the renewal of the former (under [...]
Things We Lost in the Fire
As seen in the picture I took above, I visited the new Immaculata Church in Kansas. The new $42M Church was consecrated (dedicated to God) on the third of May, 2023. The Immaculata was built by the SSPX. They are canonically-irregular but not schismatic. Remember that in 2009 Pope Benedict XVI lifted the putative-excommunications previously placed on their bishops. Even the current Vatican recognizes all their Masses as valid, and even all their confessions as both valid and licit. Although I have no desire (nor intention) to leave my Archdiocese and apply to the SSPX, I very much admire their adherence to keeping the ancient Catholic faith during this time of near-global [...]
The Apostolic Pardon
What are "Last Rites"? "Last Rites" is simply a compound-noun indicating the sacraments you hope to receive on your deathbed. First, the priest hears your confession. Then, you receive your final Holy Communion (aka Viaticum, literally "food for the journey.") Then, the priest gives you "extreme unction" (a Latin/English compound-noun simply meaning "anointing at the extreme—or end—part of your life.") After all of this, but before the Final Commendation of the Soul (of which I wrote about here for my mother) the dying person receives the Apostolic Pardon. (I also gave this to my mother, but didn't write about it in the above-linked blog post because most of you already [...]
The Catechesis of Tradition
The above is a picture from the international Eucharistic Congress in 1926 at Soldier Field in Chicago. The faith and devotion in the picture seems obvious. I was at this night of entertainment in Rio De Janeiro in 2013 before the final "World Youth Day Mass" the following morning. However, great faith also appears present at the above picture at the Evening Vigil before the final Mass at World Youth Day in Rio De Janeiro in 2013. In fact, many more people were in Rio than at the Eucharistic Congress in 1926. Also, the Eucharist was exposed in a huge monstrance for probably a longer time Rio than [...]
When Can You Judge Another?
When can you judge another? The short answer is that you can never judge another's intention, but you are required to judge the object of another's deeds when he interacts with you or tries to teach you. You are especially required to judge the object of another's deeds when his attempts at influencing you will affect your salvation or the salvation of those who are entrusted to you. Consider some quotes from Our Lord and the saints: Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you.—Mt 7:1-6 When some monks [...]
Why “Apostolic Catholicism”?
Why do I always reference "Apostolic Catholicism" in my blogs and podcasts? Because I am convinced that what "normy-Catholics" label as "traditional Catholicism" is really nothing more than "Apostolic Catholicism." That is, our true faith and true liturgy goes back to what Christ gave to the Apostles. Granted, it's very easy for normy Catholics to mock traditionalists as being stuck in a time-warp to the 1950s. But our beef with modernism touches not on the level of wax in mustaches or which whiskey goes with a certain cigar. Rather, it has to do with the salvation of souls all across the world. You see, if the Catholic clergy of the [...]
“Let Nothing Disturb You” (Full Prayer)
Below is my own English translation of Let Nothing Disturb You, originally in the Spanish as Nada Te Turbe (far below) by the 16th century nun, St. Teresa of Avila. Let Nothing Disturb You Let nothing disturb you, nothing shake you. Everything passes, God does not change. Patience obtains everything. Whoever has God lacks nothing. Only God suffices. Elevate your thoughts to the heavens above. Let nothing distress you, nothing disturb you. Follow Jesus Christ with a big-heart, and come what may let nothing disturb you. Do you see the glory of the world? It's vain-glory. Nothing is stable, everything passes. Aspire unto the heavens which last forever. Faithful and [...]