This coming Sunday is the Feast of Our Lord Jesus Christ the King in the Traditional Roman calendar. A feast of recent origin, Pope Pius XI gave it to the Church in 1925 specifically as a perpetual monument to the … Continue reading
Category: Theology
What’s in That Prayer? The Collect for the Twenty-Second Sunday after Pentecost
Here is the oration that the Church prays in the Mass and Office for the Twenty-Second Sunday after Pentecost: Deus, refúgium nostrum et virtus: adésto piis Ecclésiæ tuæ précibus, auctor ipse pietátis, et præsta; ut, quod fidéliter pétimus, efficáciter consequámur. … Continue reading
What’s in That Prayer? The Collect for the Twenty-First Sunday after Pentecost
Here is the oration that the Church prays in the Mass and Office for the Twenty-First Sunday after Pentecost: Famíliam tuam, quǽsumus, Dómine, contínua pietáte custódi: ut a cunctis adversitátibus te protegénte, sit líbera; et in bonis áctibus tuo nómini … Continue reading
What’s in That Prayer? The Collect for Saint Edward the Confessor
Here is the oration that the Church prays in the Mass and Office for Saint Edward the Confessor (October 13): Deus, qui beátum regem Eduárdum Confessórem tuum æternitátis glória coronásti: fac nos, quǽsumus; ita eum venerári in terris, ut cum … Continue reading
What’s in That Prayer? The Collect for the Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost
Here is the oration that the Church prays in the Mass and Office for the Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost: Omnípotens et miséricors Deus, univérsa nobis adversántia propitiátus exclúde: ut mente et córpore páriter expedíti, quæ tua sunt, líberis méntibus exsequámur. … Continue reading
When Love of God IS Love of Neighbor
The Gospel for the Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost — this week’s Gospel — is chock-full of dogmatic and mystical theology. It is amazing that some very deep lessons come out of what is essentially a hostile encounter between Our Lord … Continue reading
On Wrath and Wine: How Virtue Can Surprise Us
One of the lessons we frequently meet in the lives of the saints is that true virtue can be very surprising. For instance, the “hilaritas mentis” (cheerfulness of heart) of many saints who were very ascetic — e.g., Saint Philip … Continue reading
Inglorious Ending to the Israel-Vatican ‘Galatians Affair’
The current event that I wrote about in my latest Ad Rem, Pope Francis and the Senseless Galatians, has, it appears, reached its rather anti-climactic climax followed by an inglorious denouement. Unless either side chooses to provoke something, which appears … Continue reading
What’s in That Prayer? The Exultation of the Holy Cross
Here is the oration that the Church prays in the Mass and Office of the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross (September 14): Deus, qui nos hodiérna die Exaltatiónis sanctæ Crucis ánnua solemnitáte lætíficas: præsta, quǽsumus; ut, cujus … Continue reading
What’s in That Prayer? The Collect for the Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost
Here is the oration that the Church prays in the Mass and Office for the sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost: Tua nos, quǽsumus, Dómine, grátia semper et prævéniat et sequátur: ac bonis opéribus iúgiter præstet esse inténtos. Here is my translation: … Continue reading
Reply to ‘FM’: On Abandoning Ship During a Storm
I received an email from a reader whose initials are “F.M.” last night. My attempted reply was bounced back twice. In the hopes that he will see this on our site — and because I believe that the subject is … Continue reading
Pope Francis and the Senseless Galatians
In two back-to-back Wednesday audiences last month, Pope Francis managed to bring upon himself a great deal of criticism from two quite different audiences: faithful Catholics and the Grand Rabbinate of Israel. While Catholic outlets were quick to pick up … Continue reading
What’s in That Prayer? The Collect for Saint Raymond Nonnatus
Here is the artful oration that the Church prays for the Mass and Office of Saint Raymond Nonnatus: Deus, qui in liberándis fidélibus tuis ab impiórum captivitáte beátum Raymúndum Confessórem tuum mirábilem effecísti: eius nobis intercessióne concéde; ut, a peccatórum … Continue reading
What’s in That Prayer? The Collect for the Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost
The Church’s orations are often packed with doctrinal content, as well as moral edification and linguistic beauty. All that, and — in the case of the collects, anyway — the Church is asking for something quite specific. How the Church … Continue reading
On ‘Traditionis Custodes,’ Keeping Calm, and Carrying on
“Blessed are they that suffer persecution for justice’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 5:10). So goes the eighth Beatitude, which is the only one of the eight followed up by an inspired “footnote” at the end: … Continue reading
