Tag Archives: Anglican Patrimony

Using What We Have Already…

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Canon Missae Using What We Have Already...

Shawn Tribe over on The New Liturgical Movement voices what many of us have advocated for some time; namely, looking no further than one of the missals already in existence to be used as the Ordinariate rite of the Mass. Some Anglo-Catholics used the English Missal, others of us used the Anglican Missal or the American Missal (my personal preference is for there to be as much incorporation of the BCP material as possible), but the general idea is the same. The heavy lifting has been done, and there would need to be only minimal adjustments.

Of course, there are those who will protest, "But these were never approved!" Frankly, who cares? It is simply the case that most Anglo-Catholics used one of the versions of the missal. That is a fact of history in Anglicanism, and it should be recognized that it was that very brand of Anglicanism which has led us home to the Catholic Church. Many of us who have used The Book of Divine Worship for a generation have done our best to interpret the rubrics in such a way as to conform it as closely as possible to what we knew in the missals. Why go through all that? Why not just have the real thing?

I think the train may have left the station on this, but I do wish it would be given serious consideration before the final word is spoken.

Have a look at Shawn's article:

Some recent events put my mind once again to the matter of the English Missal.

The English Missal, as many of you know, is essentially a hieratic English translation of the pre-conciliar Missale Romanum. It was a missal which had been used by various Anglican Catholics, or Anglo-Catholics, in the 20th century.

Fr. John Hunwicke, who himself described the English Missal as "the finest vernacular liturgical book ever produced," summarizes its contents and its use accordingly:

For most of the 20th Century, Anglican Catholic worship meant a volume called "The English Missal". It contained the whole Missale Romanum translated into English; into an English based on the style of Thomas Cranmer's liturgical dialect in the Book of Common Prayer. The "EM" took everything biblical from the translation known as the King James Bible or Authorised Version.

I have often commented on my own hope — one which I know is shared by many others — that we would see the English Missal (or something closely akin to it) form one of the liturgical options made available within the context of the Ordinariate. Now it will no doubt be quickly pointed out that the use of the English Missal was by no means universal even amongst Anglo-Catholics and would be generally unfamiliar to many other Anglicans; from what I have gathered from others far more familiar with the situation within Anglicanism, this is certainly true. In light of that, it perhaps would not be the right choice to make it the sole liturgical book of the Ordinariate (which should presumably include a liturgical book which is much closer to something like the Book of Common Prayer) but it surely could be made available as an additional option, a kind of "Extraordinary Form" if you will — the analogy here is imperfect but I think it gets the basic idea across.

Read the whole article here.

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Australian Ordinary Speaks on Anglican Patrimony

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Fr. Harry Entwistle, the new Ordinary of the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of the Southern Cross in Australia gave a talk at a recent Melbourne information day that is now posted on the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham site.  (H/t Fr. Smuts)

Here's an excerpt of Fr. Entwistle's talk on Anglican patrimony that I thought was interesting.  There's a lot more that is significant in the talk, so go on over and read the whole thing.

The Holy Father wants us to bring the treasures of our Anglican heritage with us, and offer them as a gift to the Church. I think we need to rediscover what those gifts really are. We talk of singing proper hymns, of preaching, of good music and pastoral care, but I have come to believe that these are consequences of something deeper. What we must rediscover and bring, is our English Spiritual Tradition, which claims continuity with the desert fathers and mothers, with the Celtic Church, St Augustine of Canterbury, SS Benedict, Anselm, Bernard, Aelred, the English mystics of the 14th century such as the author of The Cloud of Unknowing, Margery Kempe, Henry Rolle, Walter Hilton, Julian of Norwich and later, the Reformers, the Caroline Divines of the 17th century and the Tractarians, in particular Blessed John Henry Newman.

The English School of Spirituality is a middle way, a via media. Not so much as a half way position between Catholicism and Protestantism, but as holding in balance theological and spiritual study, or head knowledge, and how we express that knowledge in our worship and live the Christian life in the world. It is a balance between piety and living the gospel in the world, not a little of each, but giving both equal weight. Being only a head knowledge Christian or a charismatic feeling Christian concerned only with justice matters is not the way of English Spirituality.

In our tradition, there is equality in the Church. Clergy may like to be on a pedestal, and some laity put them there, but the Church militant here on earth is made up of equal partners who each have their own ministry. This is why the
daily prayers of the Church are that of the whole. Laity is expected to recite or hear matins and evensong. The daily office is not only for the clergy. This is something we should revive but remember Mgr Burnham’s new book may be a
place to start but is not an authorised text.

The Ordinariate is not an Anglican Preservation Society, living in some imagined golden age. It is a non-geographical diocese within the Western Catholic Church, committed to proclaim the gospel and be evangelistic. We will have our liturgy that reflects our English tradition, but it is not an end in itself. It reflects what we believe and pray, and its language will be of our tradition.

I particularly like what he says about equality.  There is a way of respecting the roles of clergy and lay people without having them bleed into each other — having lay people take over specifically clerical functions.  Doing the daily offices is a boon to my spiritual life and growth and it would be great to see this continue to be encouraged.

I also like what he says about liturgy not being an end in itself and that the Ordinariates are not meant to reflect some "Golden Age" or become historical preservation societies.  Yet, I hold that view in tension with a certain sympathy for those who would like to see the King James Version of the Bible and the Prayer Book have more influence on the ongoing liturgical discussions.  I would like to see the Authorized Verson authorized!

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A Sad But Inevitable End

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It's hard to believe that we sprang from this. Or perhaps it would be more accurate to say we were sprung out of this mess by the Holy Spirit. The following article appeared in the Wall Street Journal, and as I read it from a thirty-year distance, it's like coming across an old acquaintance, once an important and dear friend, who's now laying drunk in a gutter.

How could such a thing happen to what seemed to be such a solid and venerable institution? It's probably more reasonable to ask, "How could it not happen?" When a tree is uprooted, it cannot live for long. A body cannot live without a head. When there is no legitimate authority to guide, chaos will take over. Even what seems to be beautiful, when separated from discipline, eventually grows ugly.

As you read the article, you might be tempted to shake your head in disbelief. Rather, we should give thanks to God that nearly thirty years ago, with the establishment of the Anglican Use parishes of the Pastoral Provision, He allowed us to begin to preserve what was true and beautiful and holy in Anglicanism by bringing it back to its birthplace; namely, Christ's Holy, Catholic, Apostolic and Roman Church. May God bless and multiply the Ordinariates in continuing the work begun.

OB TT016 howaka G 20120712174831 A Sad But Inevitable End

What Ails the Episcopalians

By Jay Akasie

Indianapolis

Episcopalians from around the country gathered here this week for their church's 77th triennial General Convention, which ended Thursday. Although other Protestant denominations have national governing councils, the Episcopal Church's triennial gathering stands apart. For starters, it's one of the world's largest such legislative entities, with more than 1,000 members.

General Convention is also notable for its sheer ostentation and carnival atmosphere. For seven straight nights, lavish cocktail parties spilled into pricey steakhouses, where bishops could use their diocesan funds to order bottles of the finest wines.

During the day, legislators in the lower chamber, the House of Deputies, and the upper chamber, the House of Bishops, discussed such weighty topics as whether to develop funeral rites for dogs and cats, and whether to ratify resolutions condemning genetically modified foods. Both were approved by a vote, along with a resolution to "dismantle the effects of the doctrine of discovery," in effect an apology to Native Americans for exposing them to Christianity.

But the party may be over for the Episcopal Church, and so, probably, its experiment with democratic governance. Among the pieces of legislation that came before their convention was a resolution calling for a task force to study transforming the event into a unicameral—that is, a one-house—body. On Wednesday, a resolution to "re-imagine" the church's governing body passed unanimously.

Formally changing the structure of General Convention will most likely formalize the reality that many Episcopalians already know: a church in the grip of executive committees under the direct supervision of the church's secretive and authoritarian presiding bishop, Katharine Jefferts Schori. They now set the agenda and decide well in advance what kind of legislation comes before the two houses.

Bishop Schori is known for brazenly carrying a metropolitan cross during church processions. With its double horizontal bars, the metropolitan cross is a liturgical accouterment that's typically reserved for Old World bishops. And her reign as presiding bishop has been characterized by actions more akin to a potentate than a clergywoman watching over a flock.

In recent years she's sued breakaway, traditionalist dioceses which find the mother church increasingly radical. Church legislators have asked publicly how much the legal crusades have cost, to no avail. In the week before this summer's convention, Bishop Schori sent shock waves through the church by putting forth her own national budget without consulting the convention's budget committee—consisting partly of laymen—which until now has traditionally drafted the document.

Whatever its cost, the litigation against breakaway dioceses—generally, demanding that they return church buildings and other assets—has added to the national church's financial problems. Many dioceses are no longer willing or able to cough up money to support the national organization, and its bank accounts are running dry. On Monday, for example, the church announced that its headquarters at 815 2nd Avenue in midtown Manhattan—which includes a presiding bishop's full-floor penthouse with wraparound terrace—is up for sale.

In the past, General Convention, for all its excesses, at least gave ordinary laymen a sense that they had a democratic voice in governing the church. But many Episcopal leaders have chosen to focus more on secular politics than on religion over the years. Donald Hook, author of "The Plight of the Church Traditionalist: A Last Apology," estimates that church membership has declined to fewer than one million today from three million in 1970. This is another reason, along with financial woes, to save money with a slimmed-down legislature.

And yet there are important issues at stake if laymen are further squeezed out of what was once a transparent legislative process. A long-standing quest by laymen to celebrate the Eucharist—even taking on functions of ordained ministers to consecrate bread and wine for Holy Communion, which is a favorite cause of the church's left wing—would likely be snuffed out in a unicameral convention in which senior clergy held sway.

Also in jeopardy would be the ability of ordinary laymen to stop the rewriting, in blunt modern language and with politically correct intent, of the church's historic Book of Common Prayer. The revisionist bishops who would hold sway over a unicameral convention in the future haven't hid their desire to do away with all connections to Thomas Cranmer, who was appointed archbishop of Canterbury by Henry VIII. He was a classic figure in the English Reformation. But today the man and his prayer book are deemed too traditional by some church bishops.

For some, the writing on the wall is already clear. On Wednesday, the entire delegation from the diocese of South Carolina—among the very last of the traditionalist holdouts—stormed out of the convention.

Mr. Akasie, a journalist and Episcopalian, lives in New York City.

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News from Toronto's First Public Anglican Use Mass

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Peregrinus Toronto reports:

Anglicans, Catholics of various rites along with others not yet in communion with Rome are invited to explore the meaning of our Lord's call to unity in the Body of Christ – ut unum sint – "that they all may be one". This is the central focus of the Anglican Use Sodality of Toronto and it will be its measure of success as those seeking the guidance of the Holy Spirit find a place to experience the unity and peace of full communion with the universal Church.

News from Torontos First Public Anglican Use Mass

Amongst the roughly sixty people who attended the inaugural A.U. Mass at Sacré Coeur (Sacred Heart) Parish in downtown Toronto were those from Mennonite, Presbyterian and other Protestant backgrounds as well as former Anglicans now in communion with Rome and other Anglicans seeking a way to integrate their personal experience of the patrimonial and cultural life in Anglican communities with the doctrinal order of wider Church.

dedans.jpg.w180h239 News from Torontos First Public Anglican Use Mass

The Sung Mass offered some fine examples of Anglican patrimonial music and liturgy in a traditional setting. A children's catechesis was offered during the Liturgy of the Word and the children joined the congregation at the offertory. Many in attendance were under 30 years of age, some with families.

People came with many questions and stayed to discuss these along with conversation about Fr. Rodrigues' enlightening homily linking Anglicanorum Coetibus to the wider mission of the Church in its recovery and renewal of liturgical tradition at the service of renewed Catholic worship which is in tandem with the new evangelization.

Excellent patrimonial music is at the heart of the A.U. Mass and the Sodality is committed to developing this important aspect of their mission in Toronto.

More at his blog Peregrinations.

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The Real Anglican Patrimony

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OLW 196x300 The Real Anglican PatrimonyThere has been much discussion of just what the "Anglican Patrimony" consists.  Is it the beautiful tradition of hymnody, the choral tradition, and the Book of Common Prayer?  Is it all the delightful English cultural traditions — Oxford and Cambridge and the country church, the crumbling, romantic monastic ruins, the magnificent cathedrals and "is there honey still for tea?"  Just what is the Anglican Patrimony?

I would not like to dismiss all the things I've mentioned above — and as a hopeless Anglophile, I could add a list of many more.  However, these things are not the only elements of the patrimony of Anglicanism.  Part of the patrimony lies in the spirit and sincerity of the Reformers.  It is true that they were the pawns of a wicked king.  It is true that they fell into heresy and schism.  It is true that the were sometimes unscrupulous and manipulative.

But there are some qualities there we can admire, and which remain part of the patrimony.  They loved Christ and his Church.  They loved the people of God and worked for the salvation of souls.  They had an evangelical spirit.  They were willing to risk all for Christ and his gospel.  When people are divided by polemical words and ideas it is easy to forget the goodness and graces of 'the other side.'  But Anglo-Catholics, if they are to embrace their Anglican Patrimony, must see that the good things they love within that patrimony have, as their starting point, these more indefinable qualities of Christian zeal, love of the Sacred Scriptures, love of the church, and love of truth. The martyrs on both sides of the conflict exhibited these traits.

If these qualities are at the heart of the Ordinariate, then it will succeed beyond everyone's wildest imaginings.  It will become a dynamic and lively force of reconciliation and unity in Christ's Church.  It will burgeon and spread throughout the whole of the Anglican world — bringing into unity Anglican brothers and sisters not only from the Anglo-Catholic wing of the church, but also from the Evangelical.  It will bring in not only those Anglicans in the Western church, but Anglicans in the developing world.

As I attend the inaugural Mass of the Ordinary here in Houston this morning, this is my prayer — that Anglicans coming into full communion will not only bring to the Catholic Church their beautiful language, liturgy and music, that they will not only bring their prayer books and poetry books and high culture — but that with all these things they will bring their love of Christ and his gospel — and a burning zeal to spread that gospel and renew Christ's Church with the fullness of their gifts of grace.

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The People

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I heard an absolutely wonderful statement today (thank you Margaret) and it struck me with its beautiful simplicity. To quote:

"What if the Anglican Patrimony is people?"

This is not to deny all the practices and perspectives that make up the "culture" of the Anglican Patrimony; certainly not. Yet it is trying to point out something that is often forgotten in all the hustle and bustle of theological blatheration that does more to cloud the issues than to clear them up. The practices only exist if there are people who are doing them, and the perspectives only exist if there are people who are holding them. These things, like love, only exist in the performance of them, and we often forget that it is the people who are the "flesh and blood" of what we are discussing (pun intended).

It is not as though we can discuss a structure of a vestry or parish council and imagine that structure without it being filled by people. Hence, it is those very people's souls which are what we are supposed to be preserving when we seek to obey the Holy Father's wishes in Anglicanorum Coetibus. The academic side of things only exists because there are academicians who are "academizing". To get all caught up in a heated torrent of debate over any detail of the faith will usually mean that we have come to believe that we are discussing Plato's forms rather than the behaviors of men and women who are loved by Christ.

When I see the behaviors of many Christians today, it seems as though they want us to believe that they love their brother enough to kill him. Oddly, I recall the command being more along the lines of loving our brother enough to die for him. Sometimes this dying for our brother means dying to self. There are many ways that you can live out that "dying to self", but if nothing in you changes, then you have not died to self. One can die to self by just shutting his mouth (or putting Chinese handcuffs on your typing fingers); one can die to self by apologizing to a brother (publicly if the offense was public); or one can die to self by saying "yessir" when the Ordinary tells you to do something you do not want to do.

To preserve the human part of the patrimony means that we are to be "our brother's keeper". This is so because these beautiful practices and ideas will become ugly and unholy if we use them as swords against the tender heart of a confused Christian brother. There are some who pride themselves in defending a cause or system as though they were the last defender of the faith, and yet all they are accomplishing is the alienation of one that they should be seeking to help to grow in faith. Better to let the cause go and save the man, than to let the man go and save the cause.

Many of us find great joy in the Anglican Patrimony. Yet, every one of those aspects that you enjoy are mere words on paper (or the screen) if you do not treat the people as more important. To turn a phrase: God made the patrimony for man, and not man for the patrimony. Sometimes we forget this, and it shows when we least expect it.

There are many, many souls out there who have been dragged out to sea by the undertow of either the liberalism in the Episcopal Churches or the cantankerousness of the "continuing" Anglican denominations. Others have merely wandered into the waves because they got confused by much that has happened recently in the Catholic Church. A new ship is setting sail now in the American Ordinariate and the sailors who board her need to do more than keep the deck clean. They need to be going out seeking those who are floating in the sea of modern relativism and immorality; those who have fallen away and yet not found (or forgotten) their true home in the barque of Peter. They have been treading dangerous waters for quite some time and have not found safe harbor; let us seek and find them with all the passion of the Chief Shepherd looking for His lost sheep. This is what it means to preserve the patrimony more than anything else: to seek and save that which was lost.

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Reciprocity

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Fr. Dwight Longenecker has written to share his latest Ordinariate-themed post: two lists of opportunities and patrimonial tidbits both the Anglican Ordinariates and Holy Mother Church will receive or share as full communion between them comes to fruition.  There are some interesting items on each list.  What would you add to Fr. Longenecker's collections?

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The Only Faithful Response

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Someone I know was "gotten to". A friend who was in full support of the Ordinariate just a few months ago is now vehemently against it. It is not because of any shocking piece of new information that he discovered while reading through secret Vatican documents (nothing so dramatic as that). Rather, it is because–as he told me–he spoke to a "continuing Anglican" priest who told him that Rome's real motivation is to bring us under their thumb and then play the "old switcheroo" and force us to give up the Anglican liturgy. Once he "realized" that this was "going to" happen, he stepped back and changed his position.

Aside from the fact that this is a grave misunderstanding of the circumstances (Rome has bigger fish to fry than getting former Anglicans to use the Roman Missal), we have to ask ourselves if this is even a properly balanced concern. True, Rome can change the liturgy and make some people upset, but it is not as though the Anglican Churches have never had to worry about this. Episcopalians know very well what happened with the Book of Common Prayer in 1979, but does further division solve this problem? Division breeds division and the rejection of the papacy is now reaping what was sown. If you bake a cake and it comes out tasting like dog food, it will not solve the problem to throw away the cake and use the exact same recipe a second time (or a third, fourth, or fifth time). As one Anglican clergyman said to me just the other day, "communion with Rome is the only faithful response at this time in the history of Anglicanism".

Anglicanism is at a crossroads, and the status quo is not a viable alternative at this time; something must change. To continue on in the same pattern of, "divide, degenerate, debate, divide, degenerate, debate (ad nauseam)", will not solve anything. As Anglicans, many of us realized some time ago (some more than others) that we really need the Catholic Church. Without her we are only going to perpetuate the dysfunctional habits that have become a part of the ecclesiastical descendants of Cranmer. C.S. Lewis once had Aslan the Lion lament, “O, son of Adam, how cleverly you defend yourself against all that will do you good.” Reunion with Holy Mother Church will do us good. It may bring persecution as well, but then faithfulness to God always does. Moving into the unknown is certainly a concern for many, but the Lord never promises that we will be able to stay in our comfort zones.

I know of people who have chosen not to join the Ordinariate because they do not want to have to go through a marriage annulment. Another person I know said outright that he does not want the Ordinariate because he does not want to have to submit to the Pope. One man said that it may be right for me, but it is not right for him (!). Mistaken and confused ideas about who and what the Catholic Church is are not in a shortage right now. Those who decide not to join will have different reasons for doing so, and I am not about to stand in judgment on their inner motivations. Yet, coming into communion with the Catholic Church should not be done because we believe that we are going to get what we want. If one's own selfish desires are first in his thought process, then he is not thinking in a godly manner. I (and others) have said this before, but it appears like it needs to be repeated.

I also know of Anglican clergy whose primary motivation for joining the Ordinariate is so that they can find a place where no one is going to try to ordain women to holy orders. Aside from the importance of this concern, this is not a proper rationale for entering into this process. The wrong expectations will always lead to disappointment. How we approach new ventures in life will greatly determine how we respond to the challenges that those new ventures bring upon us. I fully expect that our entrance into communion with the Holy See is going to be a blessed and joyful event. That does not mean, however, that I think that it will be all "wine and roses". Faithfulness to Christ always entails trials, and persecutions will undoubtedly come upon those who wish to serve God with deep commitment. There were many who joined the Church in the first century, but not all of them remained within her fold when the trials arose.

A Catholic lady said to me a while ago, "I don't care what liturgy you use, or whether you are traditional or not, I'm just happy that you are going to be at the altar with us". Her heart reveals the same humility that should be evident in us: joyful for the blessings of God and not murmuring about anything that disappoints (cf. Philippians 2:14-15). My friend that I mentioned at the beginning was led astray and I pray for him that he will come back to the truth. What becomes more difficult is when someone is led astray and yet is still seeking to join the Ordinariate. We all come with the "baggage" of our sins–I have mine and you have yours–but we should be coming with humble hearts that trust God to give us what we need more than what we want (for they are not always the same thing).

To all my brothers and sisters who are getting ready for the establishment of the Ordinariate here in America, I encourage you during this Advent season to use it as preparatory, not just for the proper celebration of the Christmas season, but also for the proper celebration of our entrance into the Ordinariate. Prepare your hearts for obedience; not just obedience to those things that you like, but also obedience to the things that make you uncomfortable. If we only obey the things that we are comfortable with, then can we say we are truly submitting to our leaders? Jesus likes to force us out of our comfort zones, and if you are coming to the Ordinariate in order to find your comfort zone, then you misunderstand how the Church works. Challenges and sacrifices will be in the future, and we are called to rejoice in the midst of them. Yet, we will not be able to rejoice properly if our hearts are not right, and for that we need preparation. The preparation of Advent (as well as the coming Lenten season) is an ideal time to offer "our selves, our souls and bodies, to be a reasonable, holy, and living sacrifice unto" God our Father.

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Serving with a Quiet Mind

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The collect for this coming Sunday (Trinity 21 in the Prayer Book Calendar) was originally taken from the Gelasian Sacramentary.

GRANT, we beseech thee, merciful Lord, to thy faithful people pardon and peace, that they may be cleansed from all their sins, and serve thee with a quiet mind; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

The word "quiet" was changed from the original Latin which would have been translated "secure". Although we all want "secure" minds (cf. James 1:8), there is something about a "quiet" mind that is worthy of our attention. Those with a "secure" mind will usually also have a "quiet" mind, but not always. The two are related, but not equivalent. A quiet mind is that which is in submission to the admonition "be still and know that I am God" (Psalm 46:10).

What is the opposite of a "quiet" mind? A "noisy" mind is the obvious opposite; but what does it mean to have a noisy mind? When you are nervous about the future and begin to speculate (even silently) about the possible bad scenarios that you may encounter, you have a noisy mind. When you are talking with someone and you find your mind going back to a situation that occurred a few days ago so that you can replay it over and over, you have a noisy mind. When you neglect to fulfill your responsibilities (school, work, home, etc.) because you keep dwelling on the strained relationship you have with someone, you have a noisy mind. When you try to forget a sin you committed last month but cannot (even though you went to confession and did your penance), you have a noisy mind.

Although a noisy mind is never good in itself, sometimes it can be a useful tool to make us realize our spiritual state (like when you stub your toe on a big rock and it prevents you from falling flat on your face). Hence, we should not just try to silence the noise, but rather ask ourselves why our minds are noisy. It might not be because of anything in the immediate context of life, and thus we have to look deeper to discover how we got here. There are times when the noise of our minds has become such a habit that we have forgotten the reason why it is there, and it thus clouds our thinking even more. This should cause us to do more soul searching.

Notice that the collect connects "pardon" (originally "indulgence" in the Gelasian Sacramentary!) with "peace" as being those things that we petition the Lord to grant to His faithful people. Jesus is the Prince of Peace and He wants to enable us to be at peace with the Father as well as with each other; but He also wants us to be at peace within our individual selves. All sorts of challenges come at us from different fronts, but when our minds are clouded with noise and distractions, then those challenges can make peace seem like a friend who has been away on vacation for too long. Peace is available, always, through the meritorious work of our Lord Jesus, but that does not mean that we always find it as soon as we need it. He alone is able to give "peace", and yet at times we act as though we have forgotten this and seek it from other sources.

Here in Des Moines at St. Aidan's Church we have a "said-Mass" on Wednesday nights. With no music or chanting, there are a number of points where things are completely silent other than me moving around at the altar (and an occasional sniffle or cough from the pews). For some reason that I am not completely aware of, the ablutions seem to me to be much longer than they actually are. No one is left at the rail, my acolyte is doing some things over by the credence, and I am focused on my liturgical duties. The people, having returned to their seats are silently saying their prayers and waiting for me to finish.

Occasionally, there is the nagging feeling in my gut that I should hurry it up so that we can get on with the liturgy, but I know better. That nagging feeling is wrong. The time after communion is important for prayer and reflection. It should be allowed to go slowly and never be rushed (just like communion itself). It is this "holy silence" that we (especially us modern westerners) need to seek to take full advantage of. Those said-Masses provide a time of silence after communion that is vital to our spiritual growth (and on Sundays when we have a communion hymn–though beautiful–it is actually a bit of a hindrance to this). The people who skip a said-Mass because "it's too quiet without the music" are actually missing something quite important. Learning how to benefit from times of silence is not something that we do merely to fill in that time after communion; it is something that helps to enable us to serve God better.

We are told in Zechariah 2:13 to "Be silent, O all flesh, before the LORD". Where, in this life, are we more "before the Lord" than right after communion? Do you allow yourself to be distracted during that time (and, no, I am not referring to things you cannot control) or do you make an effort to be quiet and silent before the Lord so that your heart and mind can practice being at peace? Although some of us will want to fill that time of silence with prayers, that is not necessarily the best spiritual discipline to seek. Yes, those who get out their shopping list to add something, or those who think about what they are going to do when they get home are wrong. Pray, yes, but then just be silent. Do not try to fill that time with anything other than silent submission to the Lord. I recall someone once saying something that took a long time for me to learn. I was told, "you know how to talk real well, but you need to learn how to shut up also." That was some of the best advice I ever received. When I learned how to "shut up" and listen, I also learned how to be quiet and silent before the Lord. That made me able to do this at other important times in life when a silent mind was desperately needed.

Therefore, ask yourself what is on your horizon? Are there things coming up ahead that will require a quiet mind? Are you preparing yourself, even now, to be ready to deal with those things? There are priests who are nervous about their status with the Ordinariates; "will I get my nulla osta?", "will I get a rescript?" "will I have to go through further education?" There are laymen who are anxious about whether their new group will become a full parish in the Ordinariate. There are people who are fretting about whether the Ordinariates will succeed at all. How are you going to handle these (or many other) concerns? Will it be with a noisy mind or a quiet mind?

Pardon and peace allow us to deal with life with a clear mind. Then we are able to confess our sins to God properly and find absolution and make restitution. Only after this can we achieve that state of mind wherein we can serve God to the fullest extent; not clouded by our own thoughts, or confused by the jumble of worries. There are many things that will help us in this endeavor, but practiced silence is one of the most significant. Learn to be "silent before the Lord" when you are in His presence. It will become easier, and it will help you to serve Him with gladness and joy. This is what it means to "be still"; this is what it means to serve Him "with a quiet mind".

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A Little Bit of Patrimony

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I don't mean to bore people with constant references to the pilgrimage I'm leading for several of our students, but I thought this brief video would be interesting and inspiring. It starts with some of our young men chanting the Agnus Dei, which is lovely in and of itself. But the "patrimony" part comes right after, with the Prayer of Humble Access. Think of it — this is being prayed as an approved Catholic prayer within a celebration of the Mass according to the Book of Divine Worship, in the Basilica of St. Francis in Assisi!

Patrimony indeed.

0 A Little Bit of Patrimony
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