"But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint."
"Wait." Oh, don't we love that word! What?! You're telling me to wait? We have fast food, high-speed internet, world-wide satellite cable connections that bring anything and everything into our living rooms instantaneously, cell-phones, emails, Facebook, on and on... And did I say they are fast! Yet God is telling us to wait. Yes, Lord grant me patience NOW! You see when we wait on all of these temporal, worldly things we will be disappointed in short order. You know what I'm talking about; the fast food line isn't so fast (and the food, well...); the computer system crashes or a virus invades; a storm knocks out the satellite reception, and the cell phone won't function clearly, if at all, with the person your talking with.
But that is not what the verse says. Let us read on, "But they that wait upon the Lord. Now that is where our focus must be if we are not to be let down. "Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else" (Is. 45:22). "I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last" (Rev. 1:11). These are the very words of Jesus Christ Himself, the Lord who is changeless and faithful when all around us in this world is always changing, and often for the worse.
Those who focus on Him "shall renew their strength." Oh, how we are tired and worn out so much of the time. The rat race is all-consuming and as it has been said the rats are winning. But our God is omnipotent, all-powerful and ever ready to come to our aid. "He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength" (Is. 40:29).
"They shall mount up with wings as eagles." What a beautiful picture! Can you see that majestic bird even now my soul? The eagle not so much flapping it's wings but rather gliding, sailing throught the air, seemingly without effort. The eagle has learned how to actually use the harsh currents of the wind, the very air that seems bent on hurling it to the ground in destruction, as the means to rise above it's trials and tribulations. The Lord Jesus has given each one of us a set of spiritual wings with which we too can rise above our pains and sorrows through having recourse to prayer, that too often forgotten weapon. "If God be for us, who can be against us?" (Rom. 8:31).
"They shall run, and not be weary." Again, we are beset by so many demands each day from family and work that to run our course to the end of the week just seems impossible. How will I make it through this week, there is just not enough time? We become exhausted just thinking of what lies ahead.
"They shall walk, and not faint." Each day becomes a monumental task that would cause us to faint straightaway. One day at a time can be much easier to say than do. We wake up each day and instead of beaming "good morning, Lord!" we groan, "good Lord... it's morning." Yet remember, who is our focus to be upon? If it is upon ourselves or our fellow companions we will quickly be weak and weary, ready to faint. But thank the Lord we have a Savior who is mighty to save! Let Jesus Christ be your Guardian, Guide, and Stay and you will never be defeated by life's tempests.
"But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint." And all God's children said, Amen.
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Catholic Tradition since Vatican II
The Second Vatican Council (1962-65) ushered in not so much a series of changes in the Catholic Church as it brought about a major revolution. While it is beyond the pervue of this article to address every facet of the Council, we will try to touch upon what we see as some of the more salient results. I would commend to my reader the voluminous trilogy by Michael Davies: Cranmer's Godly Order, Pope John's Council, and Pope Paul's New Mass for a most thorough history of the changes that have taken place within the Church and that ultimately led to the tragic consequences of Vatican II, along with the struggle to preserve the changeless Mass of all time.
I would start out by making some observations regarding the Novus Ordo Mass that was the result of the Second Vatican Council. One thing that always bothered me when Holy Communion was given was the unanimous receiving of the Host in the hands of the communicants, and that virtually always being distributed by laymen, not the priest. I thought, how could I, or any other sinner, dare to abuse our Lord by handling His sacred Person myself? It is the priest, set apart through the sacrament of Holy Orders, who is the only acceptable person deemed worthy by our Lord to consecrate and distribute His sacred Body and Blood. Reception of the Host is to be on the tongue. This practice dates back explicitly to Pope Pius V (1566-1572). As Davies points out, Pius' Bull Quo Primum Tempore in 1570 "did not legislate on the manner in which Mass should be celebrated but gave legal sanction to the manner in which the Mass was being celebrated. The primary characteristic of liturgical development until Vatican II was that legislation codified development, not that development was initiated by legislation" (Pope Paul's New Mass). What this says is that from the night our Lord first instituted the Blessed Sacrament, the Mass had been conducted the same way, passed on by the apostles, to the time of Pius V. It was his pontificate that simply set out and codified that liturgical form of the Mass of all time. The Second Vatican Council had no authority to alter the decrees of two hundred and sixty previous papacies back to Saint Peter himself.
With the loss of the sense of the Sacred in the Mass that resulted after Vatican II, it is no surprise that the sense of one's sinfulness was largely lost as well. Enter the forgotten Sacrament of Penance. With most parishes numbering in the hundereds of families is it not a bit surprising to see only perhaps a dozen penitents in line for confession each week? Is Rome readying itself for an enormous canonization ceremony with all of these saints in our very midst? Well, you know who you are; point made I believe.
Lastly, but certainly not least, is the loss of a spirit of prayer. When the loss of the sacred is combined with a loss of our sense of sin, surely then prayerlessness will follow. As but one example, how many parishes still hold regular Rosaries before Mass or during the week? For those who believe the Rosary is just a superstitious practice for old ladies may we remind our readers that the fifteen traditional mysteries are the prayers of the gospel! From the Annunciation to the Nativity, from the Agony in the Garden to the Crucifixion, from the Resurrection to our Lord's Ascension and Descent of the Holy Ghost, these are facts recorded in the Bible. Our Lady's Assumption and Coronation are events that can be deduced from other parts of scripture such as the Apocalypse chapter 12. Such prayer will surely be heard by our Lord on behalf of His Mother and ours'.
We could go on to discuss the grave crisis in vocations, the closing of seminaries, and the emptying of the pews and churches by those who have grown up in the wake of the Second Vatican Council. When the divine liturgy that was established by the Good God Himself, He who does not change, was jettisoned as the direct result of Vatican II for a "protestantized" communion service, we have the desolation of the Traditional Roman Catholic Church. The Altar was torn down for a table facing the congregation, thereby destroying the very sacrificial nature of the Mass: a sacrifice, which is what our Lord became for us, requires an Altar not a table for a meal which suited our Protestant friends just fine thank you. May I go further and claim there is no difference today between a Novus Ordo Mass and an episcopal communion service, or any other protestant communion service for that matter.
To close may I strongly encourage my Catholic friends, if there is any possible way, to seek out and attend a Traditional Tidentine Mass. You owe it to yourself to discover the rich historical legacy of the Church. If you are looking for something more deep, profound, and intimate with the Good God I can guarantee you will not be disappointed and you will never go back to what you were before.
I would start out by making some observations regarding the Novus Ordo Mass that was the result of the Second Vatican Council. One thing that always bothered me when Holy Communion was given was the unanimous receiving of the Host in the hands of the communicants, and that virtually always being distributed by laymen, not the priest. I thought, how could I, or any other sinner, dare to abuse our Lord by handling His sacred Person myself? It is the priest, set apart through the sacrament of Holy Orders, who is the only acceptable person deemed worthy by our Lord to consecrate and distribute His sacred Body and Blood. Reception of the Host is to be on the tongue. This practice dates back explicitly to Pope Pius V (1566-1572). As Davies points out, Pius' Bull Quo Primum Tempore in 1570 "did not legislate on the manner in which Mass should be celebrated but gave legal sanction to the manner in which the Mass was being celebrated. The primary characteristic of liturgical development until Vatican II was that legislation codified development, not that development was initiated by legislation" (Pope Paul's New Mass). What this says is that from the night our Lord first instituted the Blessed Sacrament, the Mass had been conducted the same way, passed on by the apostles, to the time of Pius V. It was his pontificate that simply set out and codified that liturgical form of the Mass of all time. The Second Vatican Council had no authority to alter the decrees of two hundred and sixty previous papacies back to Saint Peter himself.
With the loss of the sense of the Sacred in the Mass that resulted after Vatican II, it is no surprise that the sense of one's sinfulness was largely lost as well. Enter the forgotten Sacrament of Penance. With most parishes numbering in the hundereds of families is it not a bit surprising to see only perhaps a dozen penitents in line for confession each week? Is Rome readying itself for an enormous canonization ceremony with all of these saints in our very midst? Well, you know who you are; point made I believe.
Lastly, but certainly not least, is the loss of a spirit of prayer. When the loss of the sacred is combined with a loss of our sense of sin, surely then prayerlessness will follow. As but one example, how many parishes still hold regular Rosaries before Mass or during the week? For those who believe the Rosary is just a superstitious practice for old ladies may we remind our readers that the fifteen traditional mysteries are the prayers of the gospel! From the Annunciation to the Nativity, from the Agony in the Garden to the Crucifixion, from the Resurrection to our Lord's Ascension and Descent of the Holy Ghost, these are facts recorded in the Bible. Our Lady's Assumption and Coronation are events that can be deduced from other parts of scripture such as the Apocalypse chapter 12. Such prayer will surely be heard by our Lord on behalf of His Mother and ours'.
We could go on to discuss the grave crisis in vocations, the closing of seminaries, and the emptying of the pews and churches by those who have grown up in the wake of the Second Vatican Council. When the divine liturgy that was established by the Good God Himself, He who does not change, was jettisoned as the direct result of Vatican II for a "protestantized" communion service, we have the desolation of the Traditional Roman Catholic Church. The Altar was torn down for a table facing the congregation, thereby destroying the very sacrificial nature of the Mass: a sacrifice, which is what our Lord became for us, requires an Altar not a table for a meal which suited our Protestant friends just fine thank you. May I go further and claim there is no difference today between a Novus Ordo Mass and an episcopal communion service, or any other protestant communion service for that matter.
To close may I strongly encourage my Catholic friends, if there is any possible way, to seek out and attend a Traditional Tidentine Mass. You owe it to yourself to discover the rich historical legacy of the Church. If you are looking for something more deep, profound, and intimate with the Good God I can guarantee you will not be disappointed and you will never go back to what you were before.
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