The Resurrection Story...

As a catechist and former RE teacher, I used to despair when confronted by students who, after 11 years of Catholic schooling, got Christmas and Easter completely confused. Something similar happened last Sunday when my minicab driver (who claimed to be Catholic) asked me: "I get that Jesus was nailed to the cross and died on Good Friday... but Easter Sunday... what's that all about then?"

I gently pointed out that anyone could get himself nailed to a cross... it was the rising again from the dead which was the really amazing thing that got Christians all excited!

So I was delighted to see that some families do still pass on the Faith... heartfelt congratulations to Annie Elizabeth and family...

Continuing The Cat Theme...

I was fascinated by this video - The Science of Cats. I knew quite a few of the facts detailed, but there were some new snippets of information... and I suspect that some of the related videos might be worth investigating, if only to play to a class at school as a little "treat" at the end of a lesson. Well, how else can we increase "general knowledge"?

Enjoy...

It's Been A While...

Zephyrinus pointed out that it has been a while since I posted any funnies from the Lolcats Cheezburger site. I explained that my own kitties have kept me busy writing about their own antics. However, I really couldn't resist this one...

Photos From The Vigil At Blackfen...

I've been struck down with the dreaded lurgy (the bane of all teachers once on holiday!) and so I've been a little slow to get some photos up on Flickr from the Easter Vigil.

Keith and Michael were in charge of the Easter Fire again this year, just to make sure that we wouldn't be needing to ask if anyone had a light when it came to lighting the Paschal Candle. Like barbecues, the Easter Fire is obviously a "man" thing. One year Fr. Tim's vestments are going to catch light along with the candle, I fear. He had to use a branch instead of a taper...

I was pretty impressed with the performance of my mobile phone camera, though I cheated for the crowd photo and used my flash...

Do go over and see the rest on Flickr.

A Spectacularly Blonde Moment...

Thursday had been exceptionally busy. That is the only excuse I have been able to come up with...

I knew that I (and some of the servers) would probably be in need of some refreshment after the Maundy Thursday Mass - just a brief visit to the club before spending the last hour watching at the Altar of Repose. So I went to the cashpoint to get some money out.

As I was removing my card, I suddenly remembered that I needed to buy some food items, as Good Friday was a Bank Holiday. I grabbed the card and shot into the shop next to the machine. I paid for my purchases by card and rushed off to Mass.

It was a long evening. At 10:20pm I offered to go and order a round of drinks while the servers finished rearranging the pews. This was considered very good planning on my part, and off I went, very pleased with myself...

...until I discovered that, in one of those blonde moments, I had failed to take the money out of the machine after removing my card...

Further enquiry revealed that the money hadn't been returned to the machine, so obviously someone found themselves £30 richer...

Good Friday...

The Good Friday Liturgical Action of the Passion isn't very photogenic, at least not in the Novus Ordo - the altar is stripped bare, and a lot of what is going on is very "static." I've never attended the Good Friday service in the usus antiquior, though, so maybe it is equally bleak.

Nevertheless, I have a small selection of photos over on Flickr...

Maundy Thursday...

I've been rather busy, as school didn't finish before Holy Week this year, and it felt as if we went right up to the wire before breaking up for the Easter Holiday.

As a result, I didn't feel very well-prepared for the start of the Triduum. However, all that was soon forgotten as the Mass was beautiful, and the stripping of the altars very poignant. Fr. Finigan gave a really moving sermon on the importance of the Priesthood for the life of the Church. It is a point I have made countless times before - without the men who sacrifice everything to follow God's call and become priests, there are no Sacraments. Without the Sacraments there is no Church.

I didn't take many photos - my phone was almost completely out of battery power, and I'd forgotten the charger (and my proper camera) - but there is a small selection over on Flickr.

He Died For Me...

I've mentioned before that I returned to the practice of the Faith about twenty years ago, after what I like to call my Damascus Road conversion. I was seriously ill at the time, in chronic pain and on crutches. One night I couldn't sleep, and felt impelled to read a children's book I'd been given for my Confirmation - Adventure of the Amethyst by Cecily Hallack. I've described the book in more detail in another post. I finished the book, fell soundly asleep for the first time in months and woke up six hours later, knowing that I simply had to find the nearest Catholic church.

I didn't actually want to go to Confession, or see a priest... I just had to get to the church, without knowing exactly why.

There were plenty of difficulties in this - mostly my lack of mobility and the fact that I didn't actually know where the nearest church was. By the time I found it, it was about 5pm on a grey September Saturday. There wasn't a soul to be seen anywhere, and the church appeared to be closed. I eventually found an open door and found myself in the Nave of the church, staring up at the largest crucifix I had ever seen.

I sank down into a pew, suddenly aware that Christ had died that awful, terrible death on the Cross for my sins. Not only that, but I knew with absolute certainty that it was my sins which had nailed Jesus to the Cross, as surely as if I had wielded the hammer... All the sins I had committed since my Baptism seemed to rise up, forcing me to acknowledge my betrayal, and I also knew that Jesus had known that I would betray him. Despite this, he went to the Cross willingly, even gladly.

And with an awful clarity, I also knew that Jesus would have suffered and died for me even if I had been the only one to be saved.

Often, during Stations of the Cross, the meditations seem to focus on the sins and injustices which are committed by others. Then, to say that Christ died for our sins can seem very glib and easy. In contrast, to recognise that Jesus would have suffered all that just to save one soul is something to treasure for all eternity.

How much must God love each one of us...

I've Won An Award...

It's about time... I haven't had any awards for simply ages, and so I was rather pleased to get this... until I realised that it was awarded for being unpopular...

(Ok, ok... it's for being not as well-known as other blogs!)

I got the award earlier in the week from the most excellent Countercultural Father. Unfortunately, having been rather busy with Confirmations and stuff, I didn't get around to awarding the Liebster Award to anyone else, and now quite a few of my options have already received the award from other sources.

The current requirements have evolved over time and are as follows:

1. Post the Liebster award graphic on your site.
2. Thank the blogger who nominated the blog for a Liebster Award and link back to their blog.
3. The blogger then writes 11 facts about himself or herself so people who discover his or her blog through the Liebster post will learn more about him or her.
4. In addition to posting 11 fun facts about themselves, nominated bloggers should also answer the 11 questions from the post of the person who nominated them.
5. The nominated blogger will in turn, nominate 9 other blogs with 200 or less followers (I'm guessing for my nominees) for a Liebster award by posting a comment on their blog and linking back to the Liebster post.
6. The nominated blogger will create 11 questions for his or her nominated blogs to answer in their Liebster post.

So, 1 and 2 are already completed... thanks Ben... remember that no good deed goes unpunished!

Finding 11 fun facts about myself might be a bit tricky... I'll settle for 11 facts...

1. I am a Catholic woman... I returned to the Church just over 20 years ago - in my defense, I had been very poorly catechised after being baptised at 13 to get my sister into a Catholic school.
2. I love the Usus Antiquior.
3. I wear a mantilla.
4. I love cats. Actually, I am crazy about them.
5. One of my cats (Cardinal Furretti) is named after a dead Pope (Mastai-Ferretti was the family name of Blessed Pius IX.)
6. The other cat (Monsignor Miaowrini) is named after the Papal MC (Monsignor Guido Marini.)
7. I teach Science.
8. I loathe inclusive language - it's usually insulting to women.
9. I love driving, but am not always lucky with cars.
10. I have severe problems with my knees (a legacy from a road-traffic accident in my teens and surgery which went wrong) and one ankle (the result of falling down the sacristy steps after Mass one day.)
11. I closed the A2 motorway in both directions when I got hit (twice) by an articulated lorry one morning in the rush-hour, spinning across three lanes and colliding with the central barrier before coming to rest, upside-down... it took the fire brigade 45 minutes to cut me out of the car.

Now to answer the questions posed by Ben...

1.  What inspired the title of your blog?  Well, I wanted to have a title that indicated my faithfulness to the Church as a woman, especially because I was tired of being "represented" by the feminazi types. I also wanted a snappy Latin title. Not knowing any Latin, I asked my Parish Priest what he thought I should call my blog...I would never have been brave enough to come up with that title myself, especially now I know it's a title used for Our Lady...
2. Why should people read your blog? Errrrm... well... there is stuff about cats and stuff about Catholicism...
3. What is your personal favourite post on your blog? That's a difficult one. I think that the most influential post has to be the one on the dilemmas of a traddy womynpriest... I think it was a post that went round the world, aided and abetted by Frs. Finigan, Blake and Zuhlsdorf, and helped along by Damian Thompson. But really, I think my best post is one I wrote arguing against the Stand Up for Vatican II crowd, pointing out that their stand was contrary to the teachings of, ummm... Vatican II.
4. What has been the most popular (most viewed) post on your blog? Strangely enough, it appears to be a game of Liturgical Chicken... how much of the music can you stand before you hit the stop button. I'm not sure how many people stumble across it while looking for real chickens, but at 19,142 page views (according to Blogger) it is far and away the most popular post. For comparison, Felix Fidei Defensor is second most popular - at 1,681 page views. Chickens are more popular than cats? Who knew??
5. Which post on your blog has attracted most comments? I don't usually get many comments, 2-3 is about average Occasionally I get a spike when something happens such as my cat dying. At first I thought that the post with most comments (33) was my Laywoman's Guide to the Usus Antiquior, but further delving revealed that it was actually a post on tacky hymns (47).
6. What other hobbies or interests (beyond blogging) are you prepared to admit to? Photography, singing and going out for dinner.
7. What are your hopes for the new pontificate? The same as my hopes for the old pontificate.
8. Where is your favourite place of pilgrimage, and why? Lourdes. It's one in the eye for anyone who claims not to believe in God or miracles because they are "rational."
9. Who is your favourite spiritual author, and why? Aaaaaaaaaaaargh. It depends what mood I'm in. Ummm... St. Louis Marie Grignon de Montfort. Or possibly St. Alphonsus Liguori. Or maybe Ven. Louis of Granada. Or perhaps Dom Lorenzo Scupoli. Or St. Francis de Sales... As for why, well, that would take forever...
10. Which of these questions did you find it most difficult to answer? The previous one!
11. Are you now, or have you ever been, a member of the Communist Party? No.

My 11 questions are very similar to Ben's (imitation being the sincerest form of flattery) so...

1. What inspired the title of your blog?
2. Why did you start to blog?
3. What is your personal favourite post on your blog?
4. What has been the most popular (most viewed) post on your blog?
5. Which post on your blog has attracted most comments?
6. What other hobbies or interests (beyond blogging) are you prepared to admit to?
7. What has been your closest brush with death?
8. Where is your favourite place of pilgrimage, and why?
9. Who is your favourite spiritual author, and why?
10. Have you ever experienced a miracle?
11. Which of these questions did you find it most difficult to answer?

And my nine nominees for the Liebster Award are:

Vox in Rama Audita Est

Zephyrinus

Defénde Nos In Proélio

Arundel & Brighton LMS

Sub Umbra Alarum Suarum

That the Bones You Have Crushed May Thrill

Left-Footer

The Path Less Taken

Thoughts From A Catholic Oasis

I'm afraid that I couldn't be bothered to work out which blogs didn't have big readerships - and am quite sure that many of the blogs I have named have more readers than me... but I have avoided the really big hitters such as Fr. Z and His Hermeneuticalness... and, actually, any priests, as they tend to have a captive audience of parishioners anyway...

Palm Sunday...

Well, we didn't get to have a Solemn High Mass today, but had to "make do" with a Missa Cantata.

We're obviously spoiled rotten in Blackfen if a full-blown, all-the-trimmings, Missa Cantata with outdoor procession and chanted Gospel is considered "make-do" !!

The only reason that I knew how long the ceremonies lasted was because I was writing down the times of various bits to allow for future scheduling. It really didn't feel like 2 hours 31 minutes.

I think that having a procession outdoors when it's snowing might actually be a step too far.

The server who got to be cross-bearer seemed to enjoy himself...

You can see more photos over at Flickr.

Housework...

I have come to the conclusion that housework is pointless if one has cats.

As soon as I remove one pigeon carcass and hoover up the feathers, the kitties bring me another one. I suspect that the cats have discovered a source of birdseed which they are using as bait.

A New Initiative Worth Noting...

Totally frustrated with the rubbish being spouted by Prof. Beattie and her ilk in the name of Catholic women, Caroline Farrow hit on the brilliant idea of getting together a petition of support from faithful Catholic women.

It's rather like the Chrism Mass demo that I used to organise with Joanna Bogle. Sadly, the demo at Southwark had to stop because they moved the Chrism Mass from Maundy Thursday, and getting time off school and work was harder to arrange... though Westminster's is still going strong, I think!

Anyway, Caroline's petition doesn't require a physical presence, just a virtual one. Basically, sign up if you agree with the following...

"I am a faithful practicing Roman Catholic woman, who attends Mass at least once a week and who believes in and practices the Church’s teachings, specifically pertaining to matters on sexuality, contraception, abortion, marriage and the ordination of women. I believe that the Roman Catholic Church is sympathetic to and representative of the needs and concerns of women and their children, wherever they may be in the world. I would like to offer our new Pope Francis, my prayers and support and thank him for his continued protection and support of mothers and their unborn children. I fully endorse Church doctrine in relation to women’s issues."

Personally I would be inclined to reassure people that failing to live up to this ideal is no bar, provided one accepts that the ideal is true and something to strive for, rather than attempting to change Church teaching to suit our sinful natures.

However, if you want to sign up, Caroline has started a specific blog for signatures... please do go over and give your support.

Mainstream "Meedja" Spinning...

A full teaching day at school means that I haven't had the opportunity to watch the Holy Father's Inaugural Mass, nor to check out many of the reports. Having read this (excellent, as always) piece by Fr. Simon, I think I shall be sure to eschew any of the mainstream media reports.

I always advise my students to remember that, if they ever copy and paste information from another source, they should either change key words (rather a lot of them) or put the remarks in quote marks. The sort of plagiarism cited by Fr. Simon would be enough to get coursework thrown out by the Exam Boards...

It's Been One Of THOSE Days...

And Now For Something More Edifying...

One of the best pieces I have read on the election of Pope Francis is from the Provost of the London Oratory. It is such a relief to read something so sensible after all the nonsense.

"Reading the newspapers since the election of our new Pope, pious Catholics will find material that fills them with hope and joy and speculations that might give anyone sane a stroke if they happened to be true. We should not allow what we see in the press or on the Internet to disturb our serenity and distract us from prayer. That would be playing into the hands of the devil, who dreads and despises the prayers of the faithful (any timidity one might have about mentioning the devil in these modern times, by the way, has been dissolved by the fact that Pope Francis mentioned that enemy of God and man at least twice, in startlingly direct terms, in sermons on the first days after the election)."

I particularly enjoyed the reference to Hans Küng as "the Swiss entertainer" !

A Little Humour...

Some people are getting a little over-wrought about our new Pope. Personally, I think we need to give him time... after all, being made responsible for the world's billion or so Catholics must be a bit like being hit with a ten-ton truck. Getting stressed over whether he wears the papal red shoes is perhaps a little premature. He's 76 years old, and wearing in a new pair of shoes is no joke at any age, especially if you do a lot of standing and walking. I seem to recall reading somewhere that his feet are far bigger than anyone else's in the conclave, and the ones made for possible popes just weren't big enough.

So I thought I'd share this little snippet.

A twitch of the mantilla to Damian Thompson.

Photos From Laetare Sunday...

We had a Solemn High Mass on Laetare Sunday (something of a tradition at Blackfen!) but I only just realised that I hadn't put up my photos on Flickr. That oversight has now been corrected!

One of the servers was very anxious to know if we were going to have a Solemn High Mass next weekend, on Palm Sunday. Unfortunately, Fr. Finigan has been unable to find a subdeacon, so it won't be possible. This news appeared to cheer the boy up immensely. That means he gets to carry the cross and bash the church door with it... apparently, at a High Mass the subdeacon carries the cross!

Every cloud has a silver lining for someone, it seems...

Urghhhh...!

There is a dead pigeon in my sitting room. The bird either put up a valiant fight, or the kitties wanted to perfect their feather-plucking techniques...

Still Slightly Stunned...

... But, I suspect that I'm not half as stunned as Pope Francis!

When he first cam out onto the balcony, he had that slightly glazed expression of a rabbit caught in the headlights. It can't be easy, suddenly finding yourself responsible for the souls of all the world's Catholics. And remember, one day he will have to account for any who were lost through his actions (or lack of them) before Almighty God.

I wonder if the Holy Father thought at all of Jonah? After all, at the last Conclave, he apparently begged his supporters in a heartfelt plea not to vote for him, and so those votes went towards electing Benedict XVI. So, having dodged the bullet first time around, it must be slightly disconcerting to feel that God has now caught up with him again.

Anyway, I'm still trying to take in the news. Several sources seem to be trying to put a dampener on things. I refuse to take them seriously. The huge disappointment for many people will have been that the Conclave elected a Catholic as Pope. Even worse, he's a man. How terribly reactionary!

I read on one blog that this was a real disaster for the Church because the Holy Father was opposed to the TLM, and didn't allow any to be said in his diocese. In fact, this seems not to be the case - whatever his personal preferences, he arranged for the TLM to be celebrated 48 hours after Summorum Pontificum was promulgated.

Yes, Liturgy is important. But the Holy Father doesn't have to like the TLM, he just has to allow it to continue. Good Liturgy has its own momentum, and will become more and more widespread: clown-Masses and other liturgical abuses are just not attractive to younger people (from what I've seen in the last decade.)

UPDATE: It seems that the implementation had its problems, but my point still stands: Pope Francis isn't likely to do away with Summorum Pontificum. As long as abuses aren't tolerated, personal liturgical preferences and inclinations aren't an issue.

The more I read about our Holy Father, the more I am drawn to him.

The Holy Father is staunchly pro-life. He's spoken out strongly against abortion, against euthanasia and against same-sex "marriage." In talking about these evils,he has mentioned the devil, the Father of Lies. No mealy-mouthed, half-hearted platitudes these, uttered with an idea of appealing to popular opinion.

The Holy Father spent time talking to Benedict XVI before coming out onto the balcony after his election. The delay in coming out to greet the people is an indication that this was no mere courtesy call, and that they had a real heart-to-heart.

Finally, Pope Francis told everyone from the balcony that he intended to go to pray for the people of Rome before Our Lady, and, sure enough, that is what he did.

A Pope with a true devotion to Our Lady. What more could any faithful Catholic need?

Viva Il Papa...!

The waiting game continued... the focus just switched from chimney-watching to curtain-watching. A couple of bands played as they marched below the balcony...

Of all the images which were recorded during the waiting period, I think this was one of the most moving... a rosary clasped in prayer...

At least 100,000 people were present in St. Peter's Square... not bad for a Church which is out of touch with the modern world and totally irrelevant...

Then the excitement grew as lights came on in the room behind the balcony. I was so afraid I'd miss the big moment that I left my dinner unheeded in the microwave...

Cardinal Tauran came out to announce: "Annuntio vobis gaudium magnum: Habemus Papam; Eminentissimum ac reverendissimum Dominum..." Unlike his predecessor, he didn't milk the moment, and the name was said so quickly that I almost missed it...

And then Jorge Cardinal Bergoglio of Buenos Aires was announced as the new Pope, taking the name of Francis.

The poor man looked totally stunned...

Some nice touches - he started with a prayer for the Pope Emeritus. He also asked for prayers from the people for himself... and you could have heard a pin drop in St. Peter's Square: 100,000 people united in silent prayer. He also announced that he was going to pray for Rome before the Blessed Virgin Mary tomorrow.

The Ubi et Orbi blessing was made available to all those listening on the radio, watching on TV or via the new media.

According to the biography published by the Catholic Herald, Pope Francis has a reputation for being a man of great spirituality. Interestingly (to me, at any rate) he received a Masters Degree in Chemistry - a scientist in the Vatican might prove hard for the mainstream media to get its head around!

I shall forgive him the fact that he's a Jesuit... there have been some great Jesuits (Fr. Thwaites  being one of the best examples.) I'm glad that he didn't take the name Peter... those who believe in the prophecies of Malachy will be getting themselves all het up over the fact that we have a "black" Pope (the leader of the Jesuits is nicknamed the Black Pope because of the colour of the Jesuit habit!)

I take great comfort from the fact that, as Bishop of Buenos Aires, Pope Francis has been outspoken on the subject of abortion and same-sex "marriage." Right now, I think that's all I need to know.

God bless Pope Francis.