Until the End of Time

 

For the love of God, His Church and His servants

 Several years ago Rocky and I were on vacation in Norfolk, Virginia and we went to the awesome Chrysler Museum to see the Tissot Life of Christ exhibit. We were deeply moved so were many of the other visitors. I saw quite a few people who were praying. This one water color painting stayed with me and was my inspiration for how I treat good priests. Every meal I make for my pastor, every act of hospitality is in imitation of the holy women who followed Our Lord and did their best to serve Him. 

This is the moment

 I've heard people criticize the generations of their parents and grandparents for sitting like lumps of cold mashed potatoes and dumbly accepting the loss of the Mass in the 60s. That's not fair and not completely true. Brave and devout people used the phone and  spent  hours mailing out hand stapled newsletters, flyers and letters to let people know where a TLM was being held. 

They offered their homes, raised money for hotel rooms, and hit the pavement to find venues. They supported the courageous priests, some of whom were elderly and suddenly expelled from their orders, by giving them places to stay. They got in the car and went across state lines to find a traditional Mass. And don't forget the dear people went to the one indult Mass that of course was held in a church in a dangerous neighborhood at 6 in the morning or 3 in the afternoon. Those people carried on for years like that. 

We have the Internet. It will be much easier for us to do what those people in the 60s, 70s and and 80s did. This is our moment. DISCREETLY, let your priest and only your priest know that you will have his back if he is willing to offer the Mass. Yes, I mean offer him a room in your home, convert the shed, donate the RV, whatever it takes to keep him fed, healthy and with a roof over his head.  Start looking for venues now and those of you who have been financially blessed, get ready to offer your homes or a big tent on your property for Mass.  

Be calm.  Don't grovel to your bishop. Today I  even heard one good priest ask that his people NOT contact the bishop.  Don't rage at the pastor of your parish. Stop giving to the Bishop's Lenten Appeal and if you are still throwing a dollar in the basket when the Peter's Pence all I can do is ask you why.

 Don't let Francis drive you out of the Church. Today so many people are talking themselves into shuffling off to the Orthodox. In the 60s many people stopped going to Mass. Others decided  that since the Novus Ordo and the high church Protestant service was so similar they might as well go  to the Episcopalians. Others drifted to the Evangelicals or were harvested by the New Age occult groups. Many people stayed but only for Mass and checked out of any church activities. A huge number remained nominally Catholic but stopped going except for Easter, Ash Wednesday and Christmas. 

This is our moment. Many of us have had it easy. We were able to go to a  nearby diocesan Mass and not just at 6 AM in the crypt chapel and did so for years. Depending on your age and where you live,  you may have never known anything but that or FSSP. That kindly time is over for now. If we cannot have the TLM in the church building then let's follow the example of our betters. It's time to get going. 

Hey Tom Fool! Don't Martyr Your Priest!

If, in the next few days you feel the urge to report what your priest has said about Traditionis Custodes you should probably resist it  for your priest's sake. Two years ago a well meaning person wrote an article about a local parish that was glowing and enthusiastic. It was also inadvertently insulting to the previous pastor who had been loved and respected by the long-time parishioners, including Rocky and myself. As soon as I read it I thought it was a bull in a china shop moment.  People murmured and the then pastor was given a headache while soothing the offended people. 

More people know Tom Fool than Tom Fool knows. Please don't name your priest or your parish and don't make it easy for people to guess who you're talking about. Every bishop in charge of a diocese has a list of priests whom he considers to be problems. Don't get your priest on that list. Martyrdom must be chosen. You may not push someone else into the lion's den. So be discreet. 

And so it begins

 

I went to Mass at the Cathedral because Rocky's work schedule has changed and our parish Mass times wouldn't give him enough time to get home and change clothes and have us be there on time.  I just read on the Twitter feed of a fellow parishioner that the new pastor at my parish announced that the TLM will no longer be inside the church or on church grounds. What that will entail I do not know. Apparently there is no plan as yet for where the Mass will be allowed to be held. Fr. was given the order by Bishop  Burbidge. 

The Arlington diocese was very blessed. If you wanted to go the traditional Mass you could at more than one parish and if your work schedule couldn't be adjusted to make it on Sunday then there were multiple low Masses during the week.  I once wrote years ago that as happy as I was for the growth of the TLM in the diocese I was not going let myself get comfortable or casual about it. I thought that we would lose it as soon as Pope Benedict died.  I thought I was prepared for this day but I still cried. 


UPDATE: Apparently the blowback was so huge that the TLM has been saved for now. 

Sacred Heart

 

Well, Francis did what many people both good and bad expected him to....

 Perhaps the colon surgery and the   not text book recovery pushed Francis into acting sooner than he'd intended but the deed is done. What does  it mean for the folks in the pews? Well, don't be surprised if your bishop kicks out the FSSP or ICKSP, if you have them in your diocese and don't be surprised if your bishop tells the diocesan priests who say the traditional Mass that they have to stop.  

In the next few hours there will be posts on Catholic Twitter and blogland to the effect that Francis doesn't really mean it and there's nothing to worry about or we will be told by Catholic Inc. figures that there's no reason to worry because our bishops won't do anything against their traditional flock. I also suspect that there will be at least one "thought leader" who will say that it's our fault for not being stealthy enough and raising the ire of Rome.  I hope nobody falls for it. 

Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us. 

St. Clement has something to tell you.

 

Precious Blood of Jesus Christ, Save Us!

Precious Blood of Jesus wash over me.
Precious Blood of Jesus wash over me and keep me from evil. Amen

 

A palate cleanser

 

I absolutely can't stand those images of Our Lord that show Him with pink cheeks, doe eyes and pink lips. Whenever I see one I have to look for a palate cleanser. 

Random thoughts on a rainy Friday morning

•  At work they still won't come out and honestly say "Get the vax or you will be fired," but they keep sending messages reminding the 5% who have not had the shot to hurry up and do it. They're also using guilt. Apparently if anyone gets sick it will be on my head. Where was this idea during any cold season of my entire life? Remember when Betty in Accounting sneezed and then everyone around her got a cold and people laughed, shrugged and kept on working? Remember that world?
  
  A few years ago a noisy and rambunctious family sat down behind me at church and one of the kids sneezed repeatedly on me. I actually felt her spittle on my neck. I got sick two days later and yes, I got bronchitis and had bruised ribs from all the coughing. Did I go to church and yell at the mother for being inconsiderate? Did I accuse her of trying to kill me? No, of course not. I made sure to avoid sitting near them again because I don't like out of control children but blaming them for a normal occurrence never entered my mind. But now, I and the hand full of other people who have held out at work are responsible for the health of the entire firm. That's not fair or remotely realistic.
  
  
  
  
  
• Catholic Twitter does not represent liberal Catholics, conservative Catholics or traditional Catholics. Catholic Twitter is a tiny, tiny minority and remember, the average Catholic does not even  know who Tim Gordon or Patrick Coffin or Steve Skojec are.
  
  
  
  
  
• I found a sample vaccination exemption letter.  

• I've noticed a really weird phenomenon. Young and single Catholic women  who post immodest photos of themselves and flirt with men and priests online. The priests are frequently young, which is worrying but what is more noticeable is that a lot of them seem to prefer women to men and have mostly female commenters on their own blogs, Facebook or Twitter pages.  If anyone criticizes the women the priests rush in to defend their best girl buddy. Even weirder is the engaged or newly married women who carry on this Taming of the Shrew banter with men. What on earth is this about? 

• Last night Rocky and I went to Mass. It gave me chills. Father Visitor is not a native English speaker and I certainly don't speak Vietnamese but we had Latin and I can truly say that his celebration of the Mass was one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen.

• The lovely ladies of the Les Femmes blog are being attacked by vulgarian Church Militant fans. Please pray for Mary Anne and Susan.