…the propers for the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite would be celebrated on Sunday (the 25th)?

Third Sunday of Epiphany?

or

As per what Fr. Zuhlsdorf had mentioned in this post?

Hmmm.

*twiddles*

Bridging the gap between the “two lungs of the Church” shan’t be that far off as leaders from both the Roman Church (spearheaded by the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity) and the Eastern Orthodox shall be engaging in theological dialogues pertaining to the primacy of the seat of Peter. This is in light with the current celebrations for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.

From Zenit:

Catholics, Orthodox Have Work Cut Out for ‘09
To Concentrate on Study of Papal Primacy

VATICAN CITY, JAN. 20, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Despite difficulties, dialogue between the Catholic and Orthodox Churches is advancing both at the level of theological accords and in fraternal relations, says a Vatican aide.

This was affirmed by Monsignor Eleuterio Fortino, subsecretary of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, to L’Osservatore Romano in a report on the work of the Mixed Commission representing the two Churches.

The Church is currently celebrating the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, under way through Sunday.

The monsignor said it is significant that there has been development in “constructive relationships” between Rome and Constantinople, and also with the Moscow Patriarchate and other Churches.

Regarding theological dialogue, Monsignor Fortino explained that the commission is currently studying the first millennium’s understanding of the primacy of the Bishop of Rome.

To make the work easier, the commission has been divided into two subgroups, one of English-speakers, the other of French-speakers, who will study ecclesial documents dealing with the question, as well as apostolic letters from the first centuries and the fathers of the Church.

They will also study the role of the popes in the refutation of heresies, particularly the condemnation of the iconoclast heresy, which was fundamental for the Eastern Churches.

The issue, Monsignor Fortino explained, is not so much the question of the primacy of Rome itself, which both Churches accept, as the Ravenna document shows, but rather the interpretation of the content of the primacy, about which there are still great differences.

The key, he said, is in “finding a common reading of the historical facts, a common hermeneutic in the interpretation of the data of Scripture and the theological options.”

“Dialogue has embarked on a complicated journey, but [it is] the only one that could clear up the horizon toward full communion,” the Vatican aide affirmed.

A document on this question of primacy will be studied by the commission in their next plenary session, set for October in Cyprus.

In sum, the monsignor stated, dialogue “continues open in a new phase and in a positive perspective,” despite “permanent and new difficulties.”

****

Let us all ask for Our Lady’s intercession–the Mother of the Church–for the success of this endeavour.

I monitored most of the new President’s inauguration over CNN (wherein I had to stay up late till 3AM) and I did witness him take the podium and tell the world about how it is high time to “lead America into the new age” and “proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn-out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics.” Pretty nice words for a speech and from a President, who since his campaign has promised to effect change to a people struggling from the global economic crisis and dissatisfaction with an ever-lingering policy of sending troops to Iraq. However, I perhaps have been one with those whose sceptical minds were burning with anticipation as to whether the good President shall definitely stay true to his vows. We shall never know; however, what needs to be addressed primordially are not merely of the tangible but what goes beyond the affairs of the world–that being the root of everything that haunts us, the touchstones of moral decrepitude.

Abortion kills more than hundreds (or even millions) of innocent children annually, and such being the product of an even larger scale of humanity’s disregard for life. This is even worse than numerous soldiers getting their throats ripped apart by terrorists in the Middle East or children having their limbs cut off by landmines in Cambodia. What we are experiencing now is not merely a global war against terrorism, but as to why there has been a rising death toll amongst the innocent who shall never come to taste life in its fullest. We shed our tears for every victim of war; but do we even manage to take just once merciful glance upon those mothers who shall forever suffer the consequences of guilt precipitated by such a horrendous crime, and children who cannot even budge against telling their own mothers to stop annihilating their existence in the womb?

Change we need. True. But we need more than change. We need metanoia.

Please don’t be surprised if the sidebar’s kinda problematic when you browse this blog via Internet Explorer. Apparently IE has gone “stricter” in it’s syntax validations thus even more difficult to please. I am currently resolving the issue via extensive research and referring to various supports for Wordpress templates but I reckon it shall take some time before all things go back to normal.

The sidebar does show up on Mozilla Firefox, though. And browsing the site’s faster, too. So as for now, EFiF is solely compatible with Firefox.

Here are some pictures taken by Bro. Dennis Maturan, the head coordinator of Ecclesia Dei Society of St. Joseph (a Tridentine Latin Mass apostolate to which I belong). These were during the recent Novus Ordo mass celebrated “ad orientem” (literally translated as “facing the east”) held at the PNB Financial Centre in Pasay City, on the first day of the Sto. Nino Exhibit. The mass celebrant was no other than Bishop Camilo Gregorio of the diocese of Batanes.

Viva Sto. Nino! Pit Senor!

Hello to everyone; and I believe that I have not updated this blog in quite a while. A lot has happened especially during the holidays, and I have not even documented some of the significant feast days of months past. Nevertheless I guess I’ll just jumpstart the year with a personal promise to update this weblog more often, inasmuch as I consider this an online apostolate of sorts.

I have been thinking of relevant articles to write for this year, and additional feature stories especially pertaining to our Tridentine Latin mass celebrations in both Alabang and Sikatuna. Also, I might be offering a downloadable version of our upcoming newsletter “Ad Altare Dei” as soon as it is printed. Tentatively, it will be out in the last week of January or first week of February.

It is of less doubt that this year will offer more possibilities. That in all things, God may be glorified!

I have to rush this post since I need to update Wordpress ASAP. Ja mata, ne!