Adversarius Vester

St Peter tells us, "Brethren, be sober an alert, for your adversary, the Devil, is prowling about like I lion, seeking whom he may devour." This is proclaimed as part of the First Reading on the Feast of St Mark (Ordinary Form).
Now, some of our separated brethren (or those who should admit they are separated) have taken to preaching that there is no Devil. They say that the Devil and Hell are all part of some out-dated theology. Essentially, they have bought into the modernist argument that proposes that, as Marx put it, "religion is the opiate of the masses." They don't go so far (usually) as to say that there is no God, but they do propose half of the argument, that Hell and the Devil were teachings used to manipulate the masses. Now, they say, we are more sophisticated. What they don't realize is that they are, in fact, sophomoric, literally, smart idiots. They are imbued with more knowledge from technology and other things, but they are too arrogant to realize how much they still don't know.
As for those who should admit that they are separated, there is no worse arrogance than to remain in the Church, with a collar or habit on (or lapel pin, as is usually the case) and teach contrary to the constant teaching of the Church. Instead of admitting that they are not in line with the Church and going to another ecclesial community, they stay within the fold as wolves dressed in shepherd's clothing. They love to tell people that the Holy Spirit is powerful in their lives, especially rich widows. They love to tell people that those teachings which might make them uncomfortable are optional or passe, and the people of God love them because, as the Apostle tells us, their ears are itching to hear false doctrines.
You'll hear it said, "Father Russ is a really great confessor," meaning, "Father Russ tells me that I'm great; I don't have sins, only human imperfections." They don't like going to People Like Us because we tell them that to embrace the Divine Mercy means a change of their lives.
No one, however, has ever truly encountered Christ and been left the same. To encounter Him is to be transformed by Him. Then, and only then, can we fulfill what he promised in the Gospel of Mark -- "power of demons." Yes, Christ said "demons!"

When is your High Mass

I spoke to a good friend from college last night. She lives in Hawaii, but has traveled the world. She was telling about the adventures of finding a Mass she can stand to attend. She went to her local parish, only to find that the Mass was in either Filipino or Samoan, which she doesn't speak. No problem, she's used to Mass in foreign tongues from her travels. [It would seem good, don't you think, if the Church could come up with some language to use internationally so as to avoid this problem -- but that's another post.]
So she went to another parish only to find the liturgy there objectionably hip. She tried several parishes. Finally, she asked the usher at her home parish, "When is your High Mass?" He told her, "We don't have a High Mass." My friend, of course, is dumbstruck. It has been years since she has lived in Hawaii, and in her travels throughout the world she has never seen a parish that had no High Mass.
Ah, but she just doesn't know... you see the liturgists tell us that there is no such thing anymore. We just have Mass (or Liturgy or Eucharist as they prefer to call it). Those distinctions went out with Vatican II. Would that someone would tell that to Rome. Anyway, these liturgists, who, by the way, are the same ones that brought us punch-bowl patens and flagons, have all kinds of Gnosis that would be good for us to get ahold of, or so they think. Such things as the Southwest Liturgical Conference, which has great sway here in the Lone Star State, become meetings of minds of those who are still living in the felt-bannered 70s.
Just because the Missal (yes, the word Sacramentary was and is incorrect) does not speak of Solemn Mass, Sung Mass and Spoken Mass, doesn't mean that these realities don't exist or that these terms are meaningless.
The other issue here is that these people who come up with these horrible liturgies have no idea how they contribute to the emptying of our churches. My friend has to drive up a windy mountain pass to go to a church where she finds the Mass to be decently celebrated. True enough, our obligation doesn't get dispensed just because the hippie couple are singing Kumbaya. However, there is a certain point where the liturgy itself is so badly celebrated that it obscures the presence of Christ in the Sacred Action. The celebration of the Mass becomes so disturbing to the person that she leaves the church in a worse emotional state than she came.
I applaud her for making the sacrifice to drive to the parish with the well-celebrated Mass. I lament the days when she isn't able to make the drive. As the Church has said so many times, we, the faithful, have the right to a well-celebrated Liturgy. We, the clergy, have the obligation to celebrate the Mass according to the norms of the Church. It is amazing how in clergy circles, one would be labeled "closed-minded" if one did not allow Life-Teen into the parish, but one is not "closed-minded" if one schedules no High Mass. Wake up and smell the incense, Fathers! The people want more. When they are educated in what the symbolism of the Liturgy is, they love all the smells-and-bells. These aren't mere trappings. They are means to involve our every sense.

Recognizing Him in the Breaking of the Bread

Today's Gospel, in the Ordinary Form, is the account of Emmaus. We ask ourselves, do we recognize Him in the Breaking of the Bread (the Mass)? It is for us to appreciate the great gift Christ has left us in the Eucharist. Obviously, our "separated brethren" have completely deprived themselves of this gift. In fact, without the Eucharist, there is no Church.
Those who are apart from the Church languish in some middle ground. They are, according to the Church, only partially initiated. They have received valid baptism (assuming valid words were actually used). They are like parts of the body of Christ that have been severed from the whole, yet hang on by a thread. I pray for them, because I cannot imagine life without the Eucharist.
It is the Eucharist that builds the Body of Christ. It is Holy Communion that causes our communion with Christ and with His Body, the Church. We need to recognize this gift for what it is. Worship of the Blessed Sacrament is one of the greatest gifts we have. Yes, I say gift -- God gave us the gift of being able to worship Him in and by means of the Blessed Sacrament.
The Jews worshiped God in the Temple, but the presence of the Shekinah was a shadow or rather foreshadowing of the Real Presence. St Thomas tells us that the Eucharist acts like a window that opens to us (makes us present to) Heaven. Not only is Christ truly present in the Eucharist, but His whole Mystical Body, especially the Church Triumphant, is present as well. When we are in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament, we are made present to all of God's angels and saints, because they are with Christ, who is at the right hand of the Father.
Never forget the great gift you have received. Share this gift with others...tell them that you have seen Christ in the Breaking of the Bread.

Victimae Paschale Laudes

Today we still sing the praises of the Easter Sequence. Those who have separated themselves from the Church have lost the understanding of celebrating Easter for a solid week. Our Lord has told St Faustina to pray for those who are heretics and schismatics. Let us pray today for those who lack full union with Christ and His Church. It is amazing, as the text says, that the Lamb should be immolated for the sheep. Meditate today on the sequence. Also look at the text of the Exultet. Sorry to be so short. but time presses on!

The Order of Sith

Lone Star PLU has now been inducted into the Order of Sith (OSith) and has taken the name Darth Celebrandi, inspired by Ars Celebrandi which is something all PLUs strive to have. While Darth will not yet reveal his Christian name for fear that to his enemies might over-take him before his transformation is complete, be assured there is more to come. May the Force be with you all.

I give to you a new commandment....

Happy and blessed Maundy Thursday to all. Today we celebrate so much. With the morning Chrism Mass (some of us already celebrated earlier in the week) and the Mass of the Lord's Supper in the Evening, today is a celebration of the Ministerial Priesthood of Jesus Christ. \
The Chrism Mass is not just for blessing of the Holy Oils for the year. It is a Mass about the Priesthood. All of the readings selected by the Church bespeak the anointing of the Priest to bring glad tidings to the poor. The Bishop is directed to speak to his brother Priests in the homily, exhorting them to model their lives after Christ, as he had done at their ordination.
The Mass of the Lord's Supper recalls that night when Our Lord instituted the Priesthood. It was the intention of Christ, when he offered that bread and wine as His Body and Blood, not only to offer the Sacrifice of Calvary the next day, but also to offer every sacrifice that would be offered by the members of His Mystical Body. In order to facilitate the Priestly offering of the members of His Mystical Body, Christ established the Ministerial Priesthood. With the daily offering of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world, the Ministerial Priests provide, as it were, a vehicle for the offering of our daily sacrifices (i.e., the morning offering).
The Priest is a living Sacrament of the presence of Christ in the world. Whereever he goes, he brings with him the Divine Mercy. The Priest always can provide the healing touch of the hand of God.
The Servent of God, John Paul II, reminded his brother Priests that Christ called them two thousand years ago. From the Upper Room, these men were called, before they were ever conceived, with the words of Christ, "Do this in memory of me." For two thousand years that call has been headed. Many of us have heard the call and await the day when we can obey it fully. Please pray for your Bishop, Priests, Deacons and Seminarians. Pray for more vocations to the Ministerial Priesthood. As Archbishop Sheen once said, the world could live longer without the sun than without the Mass.

The Call

This is that great time of year when many are anticipating the call to Holy Orders. This is also the time of year that the Devil is in a last-ditch effort to prevent, or at least delay the ordination of as many Priests as possible. A quick Google search finds the long form of the St Michael Prayer by Leo XIII. St Michael is most powerful -- so pray to him for the men whom God has called to Holy Orders. Pray that he will overcome the Devil, who is bent on destroying vocations by any means possible
The Devil will use rumor and innuendo. "Concerns" will be brought forward at the last minute. Those who should be the biggest supporters of candidates for the Priesthood -- their Vocations' Directors -- will often become vehicles of destruction. You will probably notice that these rumors and innuendos rarely strike non-PLUs. It will be the ones who want to teach with the authority of Christ those things that Christ teaches who will be victims of these rumors. The seminary faculty will often stand slack-jawed as Vocations' Directors come forward with these "concerns." They are powerless to help the man whom they know, and with whom they live day and night. The man who lives hundreds of miles away and sees him five times a year (I'm being generous) is convinces he knows him better! It's amazing!
St Michael is our only defense against such nonsense. Sancte Michael, Archangele, ora pro nobis!