This may be a long overdue post on one of my (and this blog’s) patrons but I also believe that nothing is too late especially in that of sharing unto all what this good Father has done to the Church, how he had contributed mainly to theology and moral doctrines, as well as on the general aspects of religious life. Many a saint have been esteemed by their holiness, venerated for their virtues or spiritual contributions and this reverend saint may never be considered as an exception of sorts; however the uniqueness of his journeys has not been short of holy wonder as great was the Grace that transformed lacklustre spirituality into one united unto righteousness’ sake. His wisdom was never confined as well unto earthly inclinations but one directed heavenward, always in the hope of perpetual union with the Almighty. All these St. Augustine was, and his spiritual legacy still extends unto the present.

We all understand that his life had been labourious but never as regarding status or possessions, rather, in terms of his decrepit interior life. Spiritual restlessness had left him almost dissolute until once upon a time God had decided to beckon him towards the Gospel, thereby awakening his zeal to serve the whole of Christ’s Mystical Body. Oh was his life filled with burning love to proclaim the truth of Christ twisted by false preachers of yore that dared challenge orthodox interpretations of Christian belief; such that the entirety of his existence did he dedicate to producing voluminous writings on philosophy and theology: all to illumine everyone’s understanding of this Christ whose Word he had “drunk even from his mother’s milk!” His writings were the primordial evidences of his monumental contributions to the Church of God, masterpieces that have never failed to mesmerise brilliant minds through the ages. Great was St. Augustine’s fame as a holy Bishop that upon his death, a great following of religious communities have adopted his Rule as a standard for their foundations. At present, the Order of St. Augustine–the living legacy of Augustine’s workings in faith–continues to live out the Father’s visions of evangelisation through catechetical and educational means, all for the glory of God in the spirit of this holy man eventually dubbed as “the wisest of the holy and holiest of the wise.”

Oh holy St. Augustine, pray for us!

*******

By the way: Father Zuhlsdorf of “What Does the Prayer Really Say?” has such a very inspiring post on St. Augustine’s bones. His article can be accessed via this link:

http://wdtprs.com/blog/2008/08/the-bones-of-st-augustine-of-hippo/

I am striving my best to accomplish one piece every week, but it seems that such an agenda of mine has not been as stable as I have willed. I was about to culminate the last two paragraphs of yesterday’s reflections when I began to observe that I was not  actually going anywhere with my trails of thought. So I agreed with my conscience’s beckonings that I might as well just resume my writing today and post it later or tomorrow.

In addition, my apologetics article “Don’t We Too Have the Right to Know” has been stalled for a week, and I do not even have the faintest idea when I may successfully complete everything.  Nevertheless, I pray to God that this may not be one of those “white elephants” of written pieces that I have had procrastinated about in the past.

Oh so many plans! I need to organise myself a bit more. Ut in Omnibus Glorificetur Deus.

2008 Apologetics Course

The Defensores Fidei Foundation is offering its Fourth Annual Apologetics Seminar from September 6 to December 13, 2008.

Unlike the past three seminars, the fourth seminar will be free!

Date : September 6th on (every Saturday except November 1)
Time : 9 AM to NOON (registration starts at 8:30 AM)
Fee : FREE

Where : September 6 – 27: Mary the Queen Parish (St Ignatius Room) Madison St. San Juan next to Xavier School.

October 4 to December 13: Lay Force at San Carlos Seminary Makati

Speakers:

1) Atty. Marwil Llasos — Catholic apologist and Marian lecturer

2) Carlos Antonio Palad — DFF commentator on historical and liturgical issues

3) Fr. Abraham Arganiosa — Catholic priest, apologist and TV host

4) Fr. Carlos Estrada — Catholic priest, Doctor of Philosophy and University Chaplain, UA&P

5) Ed de Vera — Columnist for Kerygma, author of “Catholic Soul” and “Mysteries of Salvation History”

Schedule:

1. Introduction to Apologetics (orientation for seminar participants) — September 6
2. The Church and the Magisterium — September 13
3. Holy Scripture and Tradition — September 20
4. The Papacy — September 27
5. Questions in Church History – October 4
6. Sacraments I – October 11
7. Sacraments II — October 18
8. Mariology – October 25
9. Christology – November 8
10. Sola Fide and Sola Scriptura — November 15
11. Local Sects (Iglesia ni Kristo, Ang Dating Daan, etc.) and their Common Objections – November 22
12. Foreign (Protestant) Sects – November 29
13. Contemporary Moral Issues — December 6
14.Graduation, Holy Mass and Christmas Party- December 13

(The Holy Mass on December 13 will be Latin Novus Ordo, hopefully ad orientem and with Gregorian chant)

Any questions, please call Totus Bookstore at 7234326 or email at totusbookstore@yahoo.com

• Immaculate Heart of Mary (TLM);
• Queenship of Mary (NO)

It is always to be noted that feasts in the Novus Ordo usually do not coincide with those in the Tridentine Latin Mass, and tomorrow’s celebrations of the Memorial of the Queenship of Mary (in the Novus Ordo) and the Immaculate Heart of Mary (TLM) are concrete examples of such a variation in the said two forms of the Roman Rite. Since I mainly am devoted to the spirituality of the TLM whilst also an attendee in NO masses, this post consists of the Propers and Readings for both Forms.

*************

The Feast of the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary

INTROIT ¤ Hebrews 4. 16

COLLECT.–Almighty and everlasting God, who in the heart of the blessed Virgin Mary didst prepare a dwelling worthy of the Holy Ghost; grant in Thy mercy, that we who with devout minds celebrate the festival of that immaculate heart, may be able to live accoding to Thine own Heart. Through our Lord Jesus Christ . . .

EPISTLE ¤ Wisdom 24. 23-31

GRADUAL ¤ Ps. 12. 6

GOSPEL ¤ John 19. 25-27

OFFERTORY ¤ Luke 1. 46

SECRET.–We who offer to Thy majesty the Lamb without spot, beseech Thee, O Lord, that our hearts may be kindled by the divine fire which in an ineffable manner inflamed the heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son . . .

PREFACE
Preface of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

COMMUNION ¤ John 19. 27

POSTCOMMUNION.–Refreshed by those divine Gifts, we humbly beseech Thee, O Lord, that by the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the solemn feast of whose immaculate heart we now celebrate, we may be delivered from present dangers, and obtain the joys of everlasting life. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost . . .

Memorial of the Queenship of Mary

Reading 1
Ez 37:1-14
The hand of the LORD came upon me,
and led me out in the Spirit of the LORD
and set me in the center of the plain,
which was now filled with bones.
He made me walk among the bones in every direction
so that I saw how many they were on the surface of the plain.
How dry they were!
He asked me:
Son of man, can these bones come to life?
I answered, “Lord GOD, you alone know that.”
Then he said to me:
Prophesy over these bones, and say to them:
Dry bones, hear the word of the LORD!
Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones:
See! I will bring spirit into you, that you may come to life.
I will put sinews upon you, make flesh grow over you,
cover you with skin, and put spirit in you
so that you may come to life and know that I am the LORD.
I prophesied as I had been told,
and even as I was prophesying I heard a noise;
it was a rattling as the bones came together, bone joining bone.
I saw the sinews and the flesh come upon them,
and the skin cover them, but there was no spirit in them.
Then the LORD said to me:
Prophesy to the spirit, prophesy, son of man,
and say to the spirit: Thus says the Lord GOD:
From the four winds come, O spirit,
and breathe into these slain that they may come to life.
I prophesied as he told me, and the spirit came into them;
they came alive and stood upright, a vast army.
Then he said to me:
Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel.
They have been saying,
“Our bones are dried up,
our hope is lost, and we are cut off.”
Therefore, prophesy and say to them: Thus says the Lord GOD:
O my people, I will open your graves
and have you rise from them,
and bring you back to the land of Israel.
Then you shall know that I am the LORD,
when I open your graves and have you rise from them,
O my people!
I will put my spirit in you that you may live,
and I will settle you upon your land;
thus you shall know that I am the LORD.
I have promised, and I will do it, says the LORD.

Responsorial Psalm
Ps 107:2-3, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9

R. (1) Give thanks to the Lord; his love is everlasting.
Let the redeemed of the LORD say,
those whom he has redeemed from the hand of the foe
And gathered from the lands,
from the east and the west, from the north and the south.
R. Give thanks to the Lord; his love is everlasting.
They went astray in the desert wilderness;
the way to an inhabited city they did not find.
Hungry and thirsty,
their life was wasting away within them.
R. Give thanks to the Lord; his love is everlasting.
They cried to the LORD in their distress;
from their straits he rescued them.
And he led them by a direct way
to reach an inhabited city.
R. Give thanks to the Lord; his love is everlasting.
Let them give thanks to the LORD for his mercy
and his wondrous deeds to the children of men,
Because he satisfied the longing soul
and filled the hungry soul with good things.
R. Give thanks to the Lord; his love is everlasting.

Reading II
Rom 11:13-15, 29-32

Gospel
Mt 22:34-40

When the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees,
they gathered together, and one of them,
a scholar of the law, tested him by asking,
“Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?”
He said to him,
“You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart,
with all your soul, and with all your mind.
This is the greatest and the first commandment.
The second is like it:
You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.”

(N.B. I shall post the propers for the NO memorial later)

Fr. Augustine Thompson, OP–a regular contributor to The New Liturgical Movement, and the author of the blog Dominican Liturgy–posted such spectacular snapshots of the recently-celebrated Dominican-rite mass (ad orientem) held at Holy Rosary Church in Portland Oregon. I myself am intrigued at how a Mass in the Dominican Rite is actually celebrated; and based on the pictures featured both at the NLM and at Fr. Thompson’s NLM articles mirror site, some of the features of the EFLR are very much evident, although with slight variations, such as the incensing of the priests during the Preface, the extensive bowing of all serving priests during the Second Confiteor, and the same ministers moving to the altar’s side as the Postcommunion Antiphon is intoned. Most notable as well is that picture depicting the exeunt from the altar and the congregation: all the priests have put on their capuces, thereby as though veiled!

courtesy of the New Liturgical Movement

For the entire article on the said Mass, you may all go to this New Liturgical Movement entry by Mr. Shawn Tribe or Fr. Thompson’s site.

This post shall only be an introduction to the erroneous Scriptural assertions by a local sect in the Philippines about those who exclusively possess the right to know about the essence of the Holy doctrines of the Church of God, purchased by Christ with His own blood. According to diverse claims by this psuedo-Christian group (I used the term pseudo-Christian as they deny the fundamentals of authentic Christian truths in their doctrinal corpus), only the “baptised” and “church members” are those entitled to understand the whole of Christian teachings, as Scripture forbids that those outside the Church behold the wondrous and sacred tenets of Christian allegiance. They hence cite Matthew’s gospel (7:6) as support and proof for their belief.

But is this sort of explanation VERILY in line with Christ’s mission in drawing all men to Himself?

Forthcoming as a continuation to this post are Scriptural proofs debunking such aforementioned claims, and what the Church (and the early Christians as well as Apostles) really teaches on salvation and preaching the Word of God. Hopefully I can finish this first apologetics article of mine before the coming weekend.

Deo gratias.

Tomorrow’s readings for the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite, and the corresponding reflection:

Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost

INTROIT ¤ Ps. 83. 10, 11

COLLECT.–Keep, we beseech Thee, O Lord, Thy Church with Thy perpetual mercy: and because, without Thee the frailty of man is wont to fall, save it ever by Thine aid from all things hurtful, and lead it to all things profitable to salvation. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity . . .

EPISTLE ¤ Galatians 5. 16-24
Lesson from the Epistle of Blessed Paul the Apostle to the Galatians.

[Let us walk in the spirit and we shall not fulfill the lusts of the flesh. The flesh makes us commit all kind of sins.]

Brethren, Walk in the spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lusts of the flesh: for the flesh lusteth against the spirit, and the spirit against the flesh; for these are contrary one to another: so that you do not the things that you would. But if you are led by the spirit, you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are manifest; which are fornication, uncleanness, immodesty, luxury, idolatry, witchcrafts, enmities, contentions, emulations, wraths, quarrels, dissensions, sects, envies, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like; of which I foretell you, as I have foretold to you, that they who do such things, shall not obtain the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the spirit is charity, joy, peace, patience, benignity, goodness, longanimity, mildness, faith, modesty, continency, chastity. Against such there is no law. And they that are Christ’s, have crucified their flesh with the vices and concupiscences.

GRADUAL ¤ Ps. 117. 8, 9

GOSPEL ¤ Matthew 6. 24-33
† Continuation of the holy Gospel according to St. Matthew.

["You cannot serve God and mammon." "Therefore be not solicitous for your life . . . nor for your body . . . For your father knoweth that you have need of all these things. Seek ye therefore first the Kingdom of God and His justice."]

At that time Jesus said to His disciples: No man can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will sustain the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and mammon. Therefore I say to you, be not solicitous for your life, what you shall eat, nor for your body, what you shall put on. Is not the life more than the meat, and the body more than the raiment? Behold the birds of the air; for they neither sow nor do they reap, nor gather into barns, and your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are you not of much more value than they? And which of you, by taking thought, can add to his stature one cubit? And for raiment why are you solicitous? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they labor not, neither do they spin; but I say to you, that not even Solomon in all his glory was arrayed as one of these. Now if God so clothe the grass of the field, which is today, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, how much more you, O ye of little faith! Be not solicitous therefore saying: What shall we eat, or what shall we drink, or wherewith shall we be clothed? for after all there things do the heathen seek. For your Father knoweth that you have need of all these things. Seek ye therefore first the kingdom of God, and His justice; and all these things shall be added unto you.

OFFERTORY ¤ Ps. 33. 8, 9

PREFACE
Preface of the Most Holy Trinity

COMMUNION ¤ Matthew 6. 23

POSTCOMMUNION.–May Thy Sacraments, O God, ever cleanse and defend us: and lead us to the attainment of eternal salvation. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity . . .

***********

One-Minute Reflection

We can behold that the readings for this Sunday mainly pertains on how we live our lives in accordance to a genuine Catholic-Christian perspective. The First Lesson (Paul’s Letter to the Galatians) started with the exhortation “Walk in the Spirit” as a meaningful manner by which we can ward off the tempations of the flesh; for who can be called a true Christian if not for the resolve to truly dispense of any dichotomies between his spiritual identity (i.e. that of being a Christian) with that of on his behaviour in the midst of a sinful world!

Thus in the Gospel, it is very much evident that such moral pointers must be understood by everyone who wishes to follow His teachings–that, if to serve two masters does not actually comply with tangible reality, then more so with offering ourselves in the service of both God and mammon (or the longings of the flesh). No one serves God while uniting himself with the devil, as this will automatically fall under hypocrisy and unfaithfulness: two main setbacks the ancient Israelites had fallen into while still sovereign over their own lands. The Prophet Isaiah had this to say of God’s people as they erred so wickedly:

Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips glorify me, but their heart is far from me, and they have feared me with the commandment and doctrines of men: Therefore behold I will proceed to cause an admiration in this people, by a great and wonderful miracle: for wisdom shall perish from their wise men, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid.

(Isaiah 29:13-14)

There had been no other reasons as to why Isaiah had to utter such strong condemnations of Israel and her children except for their laxities in sinning incessantly while feigning faithfulness to the Lord. This the Lord abhors; and so, inspite of perennial endowments of mercy and forgiveness upon the Chosen People, the Lord had then resolved to teach them a lesson, purifying them in exile such that they may be prepared for the coming of the Messiah.

As Christians, we are now privileged to be included in the Vineyard of God, the Kingdom of God. Just as Israel had been prepared that they may recognise God’s salvation through His Son, let us also make the necessary arrangements to honour God not only by our lips but also for what we are–a living sacrifice, holy & acceptable to Him. May we continuously ask for God’s grace in order for us to always walk in the Spirit, as we wholeheartedly minister unto Him with a holy love while rebuking any distractions towards holiness.

Today we commemorate one of the grandest and highest solemnities in the Church, the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin into heaven. And as usual, the readings in the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite for the said Feast are as follows:

August 15

The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

INTROIT

COLLECT.–Almighty and Eternal God, who hast assumed the body and soul of the Immaculate Virgin Mary, Mother of Thy Son, to celestial glory: grant, we beseech Thee, that always minded toward heavenly things, we may be sharers in the same glory. Through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord . . .

EPISTLE ¤ Judith 14. 22-25; 15.10

GRADUAL ¤ Ps. 44. 11, 12, 14

GOSPEL ¤ Luke 1. 41-50

OFFERTORY

SECRET.–May the offering of our devotion ascend to Thee, O Lord, and through the intercession of the most Blessed Virgin Mary, assumed into heaven, may our hearts inflamed with the fire of love aspire to Thee for ever. Through Jesus Christ our Lord . . .

PREFACE
Preface of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

COMMUNION ¤ Luke 1. 48-49

POSTCOMMUNION.–Having received, O Lord, Thy most saving sacraments, grant, we beseech Thee, that through the intercession and merits of the Blessed Virgin Mary, assumed into heaven, we may persevere to the glory of the resurrection. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, who liveth and reigneth with Thee . . .

A certain post in our apologetics listserve (cited from the New Liturgical Movement) talks about new instructions from the Vatican’s Congregation of Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, i.e. prohibiting henceforth even the mentioning of the popular Tetragrammaton transcription “Yahweh”. I cannot give a very extensive detailing of this matter in my own words, as I know that reading the document itself suffices.

The NLM post can be found here.

I also thought it best to “pirate” Mr. Shawn Tribe’s pdf document and attach it to this blog. Anyway, just in case it proves tedious for everybody to shift towards viewing another webpage other than this one. I have provided the said document here:

Name of God – Liturgy, Music

When at last I had motioned myself to read the entire yahoo group e-mail, I cannot help but think that this would definitely shock certain sectors of the Church–putting everybody into a standstill, if you may–especially the many small prayer groups that abound, activities of which can be characterised as wholly para-Liturgical in orientation. And due to such, they also tend to adopt Protestant hymns with the name “Yahweh” strewn all over the music texts they use. This Vatican directive, therefore, would mean a total overhaul.

I just pray that many of our brethren realise that this move by the CDW assumes nothing more but that of taking care of all the faithful’s spiritual (and liturgical) welfare.

*****

By the way, my reply to a fellow e-mail list group member’s remark as to why should this be so (some contents modified):

[quote]
Sounds Jewish to me. Well, I just can’t get it. If the Church bans pronouncing the name Yahweh, it should also ban the name Jesus and Holy Spirit for similar reason. [/quote]

>>As what I’ve understood regarding this matter (of course, based on the latest directives from the Vatican as reported by the NLM), the “ban” does not apply to the names of Jesus Christ or the Holy Spirit per se for the proper noun for the 2nd person of the Holy Trinity is a known appellation, being revealed by the Angel Gabriel to Mary as the Name to be given to her Son; whilst with the Holy Spirit (the Paraclete), Jesus Himself had EXPLICITLY professed this identity of the Third Person as “the one who would come” ( cf Jn 14:26, 15:26). The proper names of the abovementioned Persons of the Trinity were obviously indicated as such.

I have expressed below some viewpoints supporting the CDW’s moves, all of which may pose something worthy to be considered by everyone:

1.  YHWH (otherwise known as the Tetragammaton) has lost its correct pronunciation, due to the fact that the majority of the Israelites have not preserved it, given their “rubrics” in even articulating the name of God (see post previous to this).

2.  The Masoretes (as far as I could remember the things I’ve read on this subject while at University) were the ones who gave a new orientation on the Tetragammaton, rendering Y as J, and W as V, while retaining the original for the H (hence the Jehovah’s Witnesses’ blatant brandishing of this revered Name of God in such manner, staunchly defending the said transcription). Nevertheless, even those who advocated a newer feel to the Tetragrammaton have admitted that “this only surfaced in English translation during the late 14th century”, thereby giving us a hint that YHWH has since baffled those who dare try to invoke its original pronunciation.

3.  All we have are four letters with no vowels, as typical of Hebrew manner of writing. How on earth can we determine that “YAHWEH” is really the Name of the Almighty God? The Tetragrammaton still embodies the genuine way on how God had revealed Himself to Israel by name, and it would be a rather radical (and irreverent) assumption on our part if we should dare incorporate something that may entail losing the Name’s sacredness.

I’m making this pretty quick, as it’s our office lunch break as I write this post. I must culminate this “extra” activity of mine before the rest of the office population (and my boss, at that) arrives.

It is of every Pro-Lifer’s knowledge that a handful of congressman are now utterly persistent to let the controversial Reproductive Health Bill leave their tables, eventually hieing off towards approval by the Lower House. This indeed is a sad blow to the ever-lingering Catholic Christian influence that we Filipinos have long treasured in our culture, especially during these trying times of moral decrepitude. Not for once has the Church repudiated anything that has got to do with contraception, much less its implementation especially so that studies are circulating nowadays that the so-called “population explosion” has been proven to be but a nice myth for us to laugh at. And now, these so-called “feminists” are now doing their best to scrape away such a reverent culture of Christianity once heavily ingrained in all of our countrymen’s bosoms!

in the name of true freedom, I heretofore unite myself with those whose Christian principles remain steadfast in the midst of moral persecution. I also heretofore unite myself with the Church in calling for solidarity amongst the brethren in denouncing this act of Beelzebul.

Sedes Sapientiae, ora pronobis!!