Young Jesuits to the rescue!

On the third edition of the Roman Missal.

Clunky English is fine with me........I am so very grateful that I manage to avoid most translation problems anyway (liturgy in Latin, and reading Scripture in Greek....slowly and not without some difficulty, but..............get an interlinear New Testament and give it a try!).

O:)

The Holy Father's Christmas homily: "Liturgy is the first priority."

"The Rule of Saint Benedict contains this teaching: "Place nothing at all before the work of God (i.e. the divine office)". For monks, the Liturgy is the first priority. Everything else comes later. In its essence, though, this saying applies to everyone. God is important, by far the most important thing in our lives. The shepherds teach us this priority. From them we should learn not to be crushed by all the pressing matters in our daily lives. From them we should learn the inner freedom to put other tasks in second place however important they may be so as to make our way towards God, to allow him into our lives and into our time. Time given to God and, in his name, to our neighbour is never time lost. It is the time when we are most truly alive, when we live our humanity to the full."

Kalenda 2009

Innúmeris transáctis saéculis a creatióne mundi

quando in princípio Deus creávit caélum et terram

et hóminem formávit ad imáginem suam:

per múltis étiam saéculis ex quo post dilúvium

Altíssimus in núbibus arcum posúerat signum foéderis et pacis

~

a migratióne Ábrahae patris nostri in fide de Ur Chaldaeórum

saéculo vigésimo primo:

ab egréssu pópuli Ísrael de AEgýpto Móyse duce

saéculo décimo tértio:

ab unctióne David in regem

anno círciter millésimo:

hebdómada sexagesima quinta

iuxta Daniélis prophetíam:

Olympíade centésima nonagésima quarta:

ab Urbe cóndita

anno septingentésimo quinquagésimo secúndo:

anno impérii Caésaris Octaviáni Augústi

quadragésimo secúndo:

toto Orbe in pace compósito

~

Iesus Christus

~

aetérnus Deus aeterníque Patris Fílius

mundum volens advéntu suo piíssimo consecráre

de Spíritu Sancto concéptus

novémque post conceptiónem decúrsis ménsibus

in Béthlehem Iudae

náscitur ex María Vírgine

factus homo

~

Natívitas Dómini nostri Iesu Christi secúndum carnem

A "vertibable chasm between two groups of women religious..."

From Sr. Elizabeth McDonough, OP, JCD, STL (I once heard her give a talk in Youngstown -- a good speaker!), from the Stonehill conference:

"...those of us who are religious might have to admit we are not so much renewed as we would like to think. We might also have to admit that religious life in the USA has hardly experienced the renewal some may try to claim. A 20/20 perspective (whether in hindsight or in forty years of endurance) reveals a visible, veritable chasm between two groups of women religious in the USA. On one side of this chasm are those who have apparently, randomly or deliberately, trod a circuitous path of unchecked adaptation leading to the brink of imminent extinction. On the other side are those who have apparently carefully walked a straight road of studiously maintaining a very respectable status quo ante. The latter are not likely to disappear. Not merely because this form of life is genuinely attractive to the new generation of youth, but also because in every transition from one dominant form of religious life to another (monasticism, mendicants, apostolic congregations, etc.) the prior form did not simply disappear, because it still had something significant to offer to the great diversity of the truly universal (truly) Catholic Church. But, the thousands of non-progressive sisters caught in progressive communities with no opportunity to live the renewal asked of them must be acknowledged as both a personal and an ecclesial tragedy of immense proportion."

Pius XII: Mary Ward, "that incomparable woman"

Finally: Venerable Mary Ward!

Cathedral of San Fernando, and the Alamo

The Cathedral is the oldest in the United States -- the portion from the 1730s, in the back, makes up the sanctuary. The main body of the cathedral is from the 1860s. A short walk away is the Alamo. Found a funny tree growing sideways behind the fort. A tranquil spot. And, much like Rome, Our Lady is on many corners and random buildings.

A bit of shopping and wandering

The Riverwalk, La Villita (with the first house of St. Philip's College, and the Mall. O:)

~~~

Yes, that's a tuba concert in progress.......

Quaestio Disputata de Santa Claus

THE FIVE WAYS OF PROVING SANTA CLAUS*

Whether Santa Claus Exists

Objections

1. It seems that Santa Claus does not exist; because Christmas gifts are able to be given by good elves. Therefore, Santa Claus does not exist.
2. Further, if Santa Claus did exist, there would be no narrow chimneys. But there are narrow chimneys, and sometimes there are no chimneys at all. Therefore, Santa Claus does not exist.

On the contrary, Kay Starr says: "I saw Mommy kissing Santa Claus underneath the mistletoe last night."

I answer that, The existence of Santa Claus Can be proved in five ways.

The first and most manifest way is that taken from Christmas trees. It is certain and evident to our senses, that in the world some things are Christmas trees. Now no pine tree becomes a Christmas tree unless it is trimmed. Now to be trimmed means to receive ornaments from another. But this cannot go on to infinity in the trimming of Christmas trees. One must come to some first untrimmed trimmer; and this everyone understands to be Santa Claus.

The second way is from the nature of Christmas gifts. We see that in the world that Christmas gifts are given and received. Whoever, then, gives Christmas gifts either receives them from another or makes them in his workshop. If, however, no one makes Christmas gifts in his workshop, they are not given nor received. Therefore it is necessary to posit some first giver of Christmas gifts, who everyone calls Santa Claus.

The third way is taken from plastic images resembling Santa Claus. At all stores we see things of plastic that represent Santa Claus. These things are of such a quality that they are representations according to Santa himself or according to other images of him. But, it is not possible to proceed to infinity in images. Therefore, it is necessary to posit something which is resembling Santa Claus and hence Santa Claus exists.

The fourth way is taken from the grades which are found in Christmas spirit. Indeed, in this world, among men there are some of more and some of less Christmas spirit. But "more" and "less" is said of diverse things according as they resemble in their diverse ways something which is the "maximum." Therefore there must be something which has the most Christmas spirit, and this we call Santa Claus.

The fifth way is taken from the behavior of children. When Christmas day approaches, we see from their being good always or frequently that children, who lack understanding, are moved because of an end. But children would not be good because of the Nativity of Christ unless there were someone who strengthened them so that they were good. And this someone is known by all to be Santa Claus.

Replies to Objections:

1. Good elves, since they receive Christmas gifts from another, should be named the highest helpers of Santa.
2. It is not impossible that Santa Claus should use the door like everyone else.

NOTE

* Also known in various places under the name of Saint Nicholas, Father Christmas, etc.

Hey!!! We never had a Mariachi band in our class!!!

http://theultramontanist.blogspot.com/2009/12/final-latin-class.html

Wow.

Another delightful surprise: Omnium in mentem.

Non fecit taliter omni nationi

Right outside my door, San Juan Diego and Our Lady.

And of note:

From America Magazine

and an anniversary: remembering Avery Cardinal Dulles

Speaking of Jesuits: Happy 70th Anniversary!

70 years a Jesuit: congratulations Father Andy!

New Jesuit Review

New Jesuit Review!