Ruminations of an Amateur Monastic
Requiem æternam dona eis, Domine: et lux perpetua luceat eis. In memoria æterna erit iustus, ab auditione mala non timebit. Eternal rest grant unto her, O Lord: and let perpetual light shine upon her. She shall be justified in everlasting memory, and shall not fear evil reports. Absolve, Domine, animas omnium fidelium defunctorum ab omni vinculo delictorum et gratia tua […]
» Read moreJohn Mark was one of the original seventy disciples (Luke 10:1 ff). Tradition holds that he was one of those who left Christ when he preached on the Bread of Life (John 6:44-6:66). Saint Peter brought him back to the faith. He traveled with Paul and Barnabas, who thought him unreliable (Acts 15:37-41). Again he left, again he came back […]
» Read more“Fairy Tales are more than true; not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten.” (G.K. Chesterton) Today’s feast is of the martyr Saint George. Pious legends of dragon slaying notwithstanding, George was a soldier of the Roman army who was killed during the persecutions of Diocletian in the early fourth […]
» Read moreAfter much back and forth, we decided to cut out as many of the extras as we can and just focus on the Camino. The current version of the plan (such as it is) looks like this: Fly out of Seattle on Easter Sunday and into Madrid. From there, we go to Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port by one of two ways, either flying […]
» Read moreTheirs was the religion of Saint John and of Saint Paul, the religion of the Gloria in Excelsis Deo, of the Athanasian Creed, and of the Te Deum Laudamus: Trinitarian, Christological, liturgical, and ecclesial. Theirs was a religion spacious, broad, lofty, deep, and, at the same time, humbly rooted in the mystery of the Incarnation and in the homely economy […]
» Read moreInsignificant man, escape from your everyday business for a short while, hide for a moment from your restless thoughts. Break off from your cares and troubles and be less concerned about your tasks and labors. Make a little time for God and rest a while in him. On today’s Memorial of Saint Anselm of Canterbury, Bishop, Doctor of the Church, […]
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I expect to die in bed, my successor will die in prison and his successor will die a martyr in the public square. His successor will pick up the shards of a ruined society and slowly help rebuild civilization, as the church has done so often in human history. Francis Cardinal George, OMIArchbishop of Chicago Cardinal George, Archbishop Emeritus of […]
» Read moreToday is the 88th birthday of Father Benedict, once Pope Benedict XVI. Happy birthday! I recently ran across an interesting article by Elizabeth Scalia (the Anchoress) about Benedict being an “anchor” for the Papacies of the men who proceeded and followed him. John Paul would not have been free to be John Paul — and all he became to the world […]
» Read moreToday, the Second Sunday in the Octave of Easter, is also known as Divine Mercy Sunday. Pope John Paul II proclaimed the Sunday after Easter as the Sunday of the Divine Mercy (Dominica II Paschæ seu de divina misericordia) in accord with the visions of the Divine Mercy received by
» Read moreNo. Really. Today Pope Francis issued a Papal Bull proclaiming the Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy. Misericordiae Vultus BULL OF INDICTION OF THE EXTRAORDINARY JUBILEE OF MERCY FRANCIS, BISHOP OF ROME, SERVANT OF THE SERVANTS OF GOD TO ALL WHO READ THIS LETTER GRACE, MERCY, AND PEACE 1. Jesus Christ is the face of the Father’s mercy. These words might […]
» Read moreCongratulations to my new Goddaughter Monique’ on her Baptism and Confirmation at the Easter Vigil! She took the name Anastasia, for Saint Anastasia of Rome, who is honoured in the Roman Canon. It’s always amazing to me to see the smiles on the faces of the newly Baptized. I remember it my own Baptism, and I’m pretty sure my jaw […]
» Read moreIf you live in western Washington, I invite you to join us for the Easter Vigil at Our Lady of the Holy Rosary in Tacoma. The Vigil will begin at 9:00 PM, but you’ll want to get there early. Featuring: A bonfire. A dark church and a thousand candles. Chant (in Latin AND English). Seven readings from the Old Testament […]
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Today is Good Friday: the commemoration of the crucifixion and death of Jesus Christ at Calvary. Ecce lignum Crucis, in quo salus mundi pepéndit. Veníte adorémus. Behold the wood of the Cross, on which hung the salvation of the world. Come let us adore. (Missale Romanum: Friday of the Passion of the Lord) He was condemned by his own people, […]
» Read moreAs I was praying Prime this morning, I was suddenly reminded of this, one of my favourite stories from the Desert Fathers. I’ve been ruminating on it most of the day. Abba Lot went to see Abba Joseph and said to him, ‘Abba, as far as I can I say my little office, I fast a little, I pray and […]
» Read moreLast night’s Tenebræ service was sublime. It lasted about an hour and a half, and just being in that gathering in deepening darkness as the sound of chanted prayer filled the church was an experience I’ll not soon forget. We had about eighty or so people there – far more than we had anticipated. We only printed about thirty service […]
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