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The 1962 Missal, which is in Latin with English translation on every page, is used. A missal is a liturgical book containing all instructions and texts necessary for the celebration of Mass throughout the year. The Mass is long, but the picture is clear and the sermon excellent. Many artists and artisans made what is seen. I also posted the video so that one might reflect on the magic bullet, natural antibodies that seem to fly to their specific objective in a charmed fashion (P. Ehrlich 1907). He who is within the florid monstrance unveiled at the end will neutralize all microbial attackers and bigger.
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At High Mass on Sunday, there are between 10 and 16 altar boys. Last Sunday, at 6PM Low Mass, we had one priest, the tallest, and one altar boy, the smallest – Gregory.
Let me tell you about eight-year-old Gregory. He lights the candles before Mass. They are as tall as he is. He must take them off the upper part of altar, place them on the floor, get out the electric lighter, and then place them back. It is quite a balancing act. The lectionary with stand attached is very big, and he is able to carry it from one side of the altar to the other multiple times and not drop it. He was holding the bells for consecration, and they were tinkling when they should not be. I had to squelch my laughter. When he lifts the chasuble, his left arm extends as far as it can, and he holds on with his left hand and onto the bells in the right hand. Dextera means right hand, and at that moment little Gregory becomes ambidextrous. He stands to the right of the priest and deftly holds the communion paten under the chin of every man, woman, and child (must be at least seven) and never tires. A Low Mass is a little more than an hour. There are at least 100 who receive, and he must almost run to keep up with the towering priest. The priest held the chalice below the altar itself for Gregory to pour in the water so that the priest could wash it clean. Gregory is allowed to serve by himself because he memorized all the Latin and learned every move he must make. When I asked him, he gave me my first tour of the sacristy and explained everything. I let him think I didn’t know anything, but he is smart and knew he was not talking to a neophyte. He has a younger brother who has autism, so we shall see if he can to do what his older brother does, maybe not alone, but it would be edifying to see him helping his older brother. The layman who trains the altar boys is strict. Here is one of the prayers Gregory memorized in Latin. He repeats it after the priest and then again a second time right before receiving communion, which is before we receive. Of course, we are praying the Confiteor silently. Gregory and the priest say it quietly: I confess to Almighty God, to blessed Mary ever Virgin, to blessed Michael the Archangel to blessed John the Baptist, to the holy Apostles Peter and Paul, to all the Saints, and to you, brethren, that I have sinned exceedingly in thought, word and deed: through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault. Therefore I beseech blessed Mary ever Virgin, blessed Michael the Archangel, blessed John the Baptist, the holy Apostles Peter and Paul, all the Saints, and you, brethren, to pray for me to the Lord our God. When he gets home, he must fall into bed without saying his prayers, because he has said enough to last for days. Now I understand what Jesus meant when He said, “I assure you, unless you change and become like little children, you will not enter the kingdom of God.” Gregory’s innocence and the innocence of all the children I have tutored forces me take a hard look at myself and what I lack. When I see his mother next, I will ask how often he serves. Years ago, when I was driving on a long road trip and my 10-year-old niece was in the back seat, I told a scary story I had once heard. When done, my niece said, “Don’t stop!” I made up a bunch of stuff and didn’t stop until I ran out of ideas. That was the moment when I knew I could tell a story. On May 29th [2017], the Prime Minister of Poland, Beata Szydlo, and her husband, Edward, had the unique privilege of attending the first Mass of her [sic] newly ordained son, Fr. Tymoteusz Szydlo, at their home parish of Our Lady of Częstochowa in Przecieszyn in southern Poland. Father Szydlo is a member of the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter....”  information and photograph courtesy of vocationblog.com
If you cannot live with paradox, whose antonym is axiom, your education is lacking or you suffer from invincible ignorance. If you can live with paradox, you might be Catholic. God, the King of Paradox, let Himself be crucified.
What does doxxed mean? I didn’t know. It happens when a person’s information, such as phone and address, is made public with malicious intent. I found out what it means in connection with J.K. Rowling. Rowling was doxxed and death threats were sent to her because she said something a certain community did not like. Criminal? Yes.
If I were famous and read by millions, I would be doxxed. Facebook put me, a nobody, in jail for three weeks in 2020. I had been so careful to avoid politics, but my diligence failed when algorithms did not like my despicable utterance, which was one sentence long: “The 2020 election was pitiful.” I righted myself by leaving all social media in 2021. I would not assign students anything Rowling writes, but her right to free speech is important. Apparently, the only people who will defend free speech are not part of the violent leftist mobs and their government promoters occupying world capitals, including Washington and Sacramento, globalist communists in it for power and profit. Several friends who fled Vietnam and several friends/acquaintances who fled Nicaragua mean something. I’m guessing you have a few who fled from somewhere, too. America is the last refuge, and she will not fall, because traditional people will stand. If you like Mozart and have an hour or so, you will like this. The video is from 2003, so the picture quality isn’t fantastic, but the sound is good. Missa Pro Defuncto is Mass for the Dead and is performed here by orchestra, choir, soloists, and organist in church during Mass, something rarely done, even in Poland, which is 93% Catholic. Coordination between FSSP priests and the music makers is not difficult, because Mozart was devout and composed for worship. Mozart’s native language was German, he spoke Italian and French, and his Latin was excellent. The 1984 film Amadeus was junk for portraying Mozart as if he were an adult child. You often hear Dominus vobiscum in the Mass. It means, “May the Lord be with you.” If you recall the film, Star Wars, you heard the expression, “May the Force be with you.” Surprise! The Sanctus at 48 minutes is loud. The composed Mass is dramatic throughout, which is fitting because it is the unbloody sacrifice, the living re-presentation of the Last Supper and the Crucifixion, the most magnificent and ongoing moment of salvation. It is offered for Mozart, and Lacrymosa, meaning tears, the last bit of music, suddenly ends. He was working on it on his deathbed and died before finishing. The choir and soloists understand the Latin, and the musicians are filled with sorrowful joy at the consecration with heads bent down over their instruments. How much does the congregation understand at a Mass in Latin? Parts are repetitive and become easy after a while. My Missal lets me cheat because it has English and Latin side-by-side on every page. Altar boys here in Sacramento have the long and short responses memorized, including our little Gregory. When people say, “I am spiritual but not religious,” are they serious? Separation of the two is not even fiction, which must contain some truth therein. So, spiritual but not religious? Gazing at mother earth is a spiritual experience, and church is not necessary. No, mother earth is not God. Still spiritual but not religious? At their particular judgments, dissenters will hear these words, “I am the bridegroom, and the Church is My bride.” This is frighteningly unavoidable. God’s mercy and justice are His, not mine, to give. His words are His, not mine, to speak. Christ and the Catechism are indivisible, and the Church, not mother earth, is His living body. When I step inside, I see all the statues - the more, the better - my living family, and on the crucifix is the Man I love, making me beholden to His Body and Blood. The translation of the praises in Latin, the language of unshakeable clarity, is very good. Sabaoth means the hosts of heaven.
Ad Magnam Dei Gloriam means To the Great Glory of God. |
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