His rule has opened the abyss
Whose risen monsters force their kiss
Upon the spotless Bride who strains
Against the steel of Peter’s chains…
+ + +
Letter to a Former Pontiff
1
To holy Father Celestine,
A hermit monk who once had been
The keeper of the Lord’s estate,
And held the keys to heaven’s gate
As shepherd to His saints below: Read the rest of this entry »
Litany for the Bishop of Rome; and Prayer for the Conversion of Pope Francis
(Personal and unofficial)
Lord, have mercy, Christ have mercy
Lord, have mercy
Christ, hear us, Christ, graciously hear us
God, the Father of heaven, have mercy on us
God the Son, Redeemer of the world, have mercy on us
God the Holy Spirit, have mercy on us
Holy Trinity, one God, have mercy on us
Holy Mary, Mother of the Church, pray for our Pope
Saint Joseph, Patron of the Church, pray for him
Saint Michael, Defender of the Church, pray for him Read the rest of this entry »
On this fateful day on which the abdication of Pope Benedict the Magnificent, Defender of the Faith, takes effect, let us all pray for the one true Church, following the Prayers after Low Mass decreed by Pope Leo XIII. The complete prayers may be found on Sancta Missa, and include this humble petition to the Lord our God:
O God, our refuge and our strength, look down with mercy upon the people who cry to Thee; and by the intercession of the glorious and immaculate Virgin Mary, Mother of God, of Saint Joseph her spouse, of the blessed Apostles Peter and Paul, and of all the saints, in Thy mercy and goodness hear our prayers for the conversion of sinners, and for the liberty and exaltation of the Holy Mother the Church. Through the same Christ Our Lord.
Amen.
And, Lord, thank You for giving us Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, Professor, Scholar, and Priest, to be Your earthly vicar Pope Benedict XVI. Viva il Papa!
When we pray, we must do so with our bodies as well as our souls, making our bodies “a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God”… Read the rest of this entry »
We thought you’d be with us for many more years, and that thought gave us some peace, even when the world made war on our souls. And now those years are cut to 16 days…
(This lament, which departs from departed state of this blog, was written after the first shock of learning that Pope Benedict XVI will resign the papal office.)
Your Holiness:
You are Peter, Kepha, Rock[1], the Lord Jesus had named the first of His earthly vicars, the first bishop of Rome[2]. His city was the new Babylon, the center of the greatest pagan empire on earth[3]; but by his ministry as its bishop and his witness unto death St. Peter assured its conversion into the capital City of God, the beating heart of the Body of Christ[4].
And in this century you were given to us, Blessed in name and Blessed in truth, amidst a world that wanted to tear down the New Jerusalem to build a New Sodom that even the ancient pagans would have cursed. And while innovators surrendered to the world’s assault, you turned humbly to the Lord and became the great instrument of His grace and truth[5].
And upon this Rock I will build my Church[6], Christ our Lord had said of Blessed Peter, and through Him of you, Benedictus Petrus. You allowed the ancient liturgy of the Latins its ancient freedom[7], and gave the new worship of the West a new depth. You upheld God’s truth and pointed out His hope, leading us through the straight and difficult path of His commandments, so that we might remain in His love[8].
And the gates of Hades will not prevail against the Church[9], promised the Lord, and He fulfilled it in you. For the world did not just reject the grace by which God raises our nature to Himself[10]; but it denounced even the nature He made in His image[11], making human life an optional value before selfishness and sin. But its culture of death could not topple the pillar and foundation of truth[12] which the Rock of Salvation had set upon His earthly, human vicar.
But how Satan tried you, as he tried the first vicar of Christ[13]. You, who fought to purge sin from priests’ souls, were blamed for the disease that had festered because of another shepherd’s medicine of mercy. Because you dared convict it of sin, the world that forgave the beam in other men’s eyes gnashed teeth at the speck in yours[14]. Worse, those who called themselves God-knowers worked for your fall, because their hearts were far from the God Whom their lips theologized[15].
Like them we found it pleasant and “free” to turn from His one fold[16] to follow our own way, till we drew too near to the roaring beast that devoureth. Too late we remembered the words of the first Peter, who warned against the adversary that prowls about[17]. But you held your ground before us, and by an old man’s strength kept the wicked lions from our souls[18]. How glad we were then to hear you call, as sheep hear the living voice of their shepherd[19].
For the Word made flesh[20] had said, Confirm your brethren[21]. So you held fast to the faith once delivered to the saints[22] by epistle and word of mouth[23], and by precept and example[24] your strength became ours. And when the world and its treasonous pastors stormed at the ark of our salvation, you piloted us without fear, and unfurled its sails that the Spirit would bear us to our true homeland.
Beloved Father, why do you now leave your children so suddenly? Who will now hold the bleeding and weeping body of Christ?
Beloved Shepherd, who will now feed the lambs and sheep[25]? Who will fight off the baying wolves when you are gone?
Beloved Teacher, who shall guide us when you turn silent? Who will speak the truth we need and hate to hear, the law we know and fear to follow?
Your Holiness, while our minds accept that you must go, our hearts do not—not yet—, and they are very broken. There is so much undone that may never now be accomplished, so many wounds to mend that may never now be healed. We thought you’d be with us for many more years, and that thought gave us some peace, even when the world made war on our souls. And now those years are cut to 16 days.
And we fear what shall pass when you leave. We know by faith that the Church will never fail[26], and we hope in Christ that we shall sail in Peter’s barque to paradise; but what if the next Peter is one who denies the Lord[27], and not one like you who was crucified in His name[28]? By grace the new Pontiff is the infallible rock on whom God set His kingdom[29]; but if he be a sinner in deeds or a compromiser in policy, then might we not stumble on his block?
And yet, always, Holy Father, we have faith in Christ Who promised to be with us always[30], and in His Spirit Who leads us into all truth, even those we could not yet bear[31]. We trust in your judgment that a man of strength in mind and body is needed for the office of Peter, and that this man is no longer you. And we choose to hope that this faith and trust will outlive the pain that sears us now and so much at your resignation.
Oh, Benedict, our Benedict, we love you and we will pray for you, as you have ever prayed for us. May God bless you always, as He has blessed us through you.
–indignus
[2] Pope St. Clement, Epistle to the Corinthians, v; and St. Irenaeus, Against Heresies, III, iii, 2-3.
[3] See 1 Peter 5:13.
[4] See 1 Corinthians 12:12; St. Irenaeus, Against Heresies, III, iii, 2.
[7] Pope Benedict XVI, Summorum Pontificum, art. 2, 5.
[8] See John 15:10.
[11] See Genesis 1:27.
[12] See 1 Timothy 3:15.
[14] See Matthew 7:3-5.
[16] See John 10:16.
[19] See John 10:14.
[24] See Philippians 4:9.
[28] See John 21:18-19.
In remembrance of Secretary Jesse Robredo of the Philippine Department of the Interior and Local Government, and the pilots Captain Jessup Bahinting and Kshitiz Chand, who passed away on 18 August 2012; and in remembrance of Senator Benigno S. Aquino, Jr. who was assassinated on 21 August 1983, we post this prayer, centered on Psalm 129 (130), from the Raccolta:
O God, the Creator and Redeemer of all the faithful; grant to the souls of Thy servants departed the remission of all their sins, that by our devout supplications they may obtain that pardon which they have always desired. Who livest and reignest world without end. Amen.
Lord, bless Thy holy Bride,
Born from Thy wounded side,
Thy one true Church…
From Satan’s vile intent
And men of evil bent,
God save the Church!…
We deny ourselves food that we may be filled with the Bread of Life; so that, being hungry, we may be filled with good things…
“Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I do my share on behalf of His body, which is the church, in filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions” (Colossians 1:24) Read the rest of this entry »
“Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I do my share on behalf of His body, which is the church, in filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions” (Colossians 1:24) Read the rest of this entry »
With groans too deep for words, all creation declares that the world is being made new… Read the rest of this entry »
Our devotion begins not in some distant mission country but where we are right now, in our families and communities, amidst persons who bear the image and likeness of God Himself (read more…) Read the rest of this entry »
Take a look at this Onion-style spoof news article, “Starcraft Tournament Players found to be North Korean agents“, on Writer’s Block. Left me somewhat LOL, though I admit it takes a homo superior–that is, a nerd–to truly appreciate it:) Read the rest of this entry »
A Catholic DISSENT from the Pope’s prohibition of beer baptism: on exegetical, historical-critical, theological, pastoral, missiological, ecclesiological, epidemiological, semio-linguistic, scientific, phenomenological, anthropological, gender-egalitarian, epistemological, and faith-based grounds. Read the rest of this entry »
We share the following prayer against disasters in view of the recent events in Japan, China, and New Zealand, which brought death and misery to thousands of our fellow human beings… Read the rest of this entry »
SCRIPTORIUM 