A Blessed Christmas To You All...

 

The photo is from last year's crib at Our Lady of the Rosary, Blackfen. I hope to get some photos for this year's crib after Midnight Mass...

New Technology...

I have just treated myself to a new phone. More about that in another post. While gloating over my acquisition, I discovered that Annie Elizabeth is even more geeky than me - and she is considerably better informed. After an enjoyable discussion of technological advances (both of us remember the time when computers had green screens) I asked if she had seen the Medieval Helpdesk sketch. She said she hadn't, so I thought it deserved another airing...

On A Guilt Trip... (Just A Small One)

I have been a very baaaaad girl.

I gave the kitties some catnip mice as an early Christmas present (mostly to distract them from the small packet of smoked salmon which is supposed to be my Christmas present...

Those kitties got seriously high... Miaowrini went into ecstasies, not realising that she had dropped her mouse, and stopped with one back leg up in the air, totally fascinated by her own toes...

Furretti rolled around on the bed so much that I thought she would fall off...

I'm afraid that I found this all very amusing.

Does this mean that I'm a (kitty) drug pusher?

Bones Needs A Hand...

Poor Bones has had some very bad luck - his van has failed its MOT. The repairs it will need are likely to cost between £550 and £700.

It's not a huge amount, unless you are on a low wage, when it becomes an almost impossible amount to stump up. So Bones is running a Christmas Van Appeal, and I'm sure that a few blog readers have appreciated his songs enough to want to help out. He's a little wary of putting his home address out on the internet (sensible chap) and so is asking for donations to be sent c/o St Mary Magdalen Church, 55 Upper North Street, Brighton BN1 3FH.

Remember that he's not called "Bones" by the bank - make any cheques payable to Laurence England.

Campaign To Stop Smoking In Church...

It seems that we shall have to ration our use of frankincense during Mass. Servers will have to be given instruction in how to get maximum smoke from minimum grains of the precious stuff.

According to a report in the Telegraph, the number of boswellia trees is expected to drop by half in the next 15 years or so, and the trees are expected to disappear by 2060.

Just for once, global warming hasn't been identified as a cause - it's all due to cattle grazing, fire and insect attacks. Mind you, someone will no doubt point out that all of those causes can be traced back to global warming...

In the meantime, get ready to change the lyrics of that Christmas carol...

Starting To Feel Christmassy...

Twitch of the mantilla to Blondpidge...

Making Christmas Letters That Bit More Special...

Yup. My two seem to like the taste of paper... if I'm writing on it.

The Bishops Are Reassured... So Why Does That Ring Alarm Bells?

I see that the Bishops of England & Wales have welcomed Government assurances on protecting freedom of conscience with regard to civil unions.

The Government have promised not to put anyone into a difficult position... so that's alright then, because, after all, the Government is unchanging and eternal, just like its policies...

Why does it make me think about the Mental Capacity Act, and how welcoming the Bishops were about the assurances they were given then?

A Busy Sunday...

I seem to be on a bit of a "go-slow" this week... my body appears to have shut down early for Christmas, aided and abetted by some repair work on my car which is both necessary and taking longer than anticipated.

Sunday saw the Carol Service at Our Lady of the Rosary Church... in contrast to previous years, we didn't have a separate children's crib service, so it was a bit of an unknown quantity, but in actual fact it worked out pretty well.

I was sitting with the choir, which, on reflection, wasn't the best place from which to take photos, but I'll know better for next year. Thee are a few more photos on my Flickr page for the Carol Service.

After the Carol Service I went off to St. Bede's, Clapham Park, for Sung Vespers. This is a regular feature at St. Bede's, I understand. At one point it looked as if there would be more bodies on the Sanctuary than in the congregation, but more people arrived to redress the balance.

The service was a real treat, though the church was almost colder inside than outside, Fortunately I had had the foresight to wear a very thick coat. I often forget to bring a coat because I go nearly everywhere by car, and most places are well-heated.

Fr. Andrew Southwell officiated at Vespers, and the parish priest of St. Bede's, Fr. Christopher Basden, was present in choir (though I don't seem to have caught him on camera) along with an unidentified Monsignor who exposed and reposed the Blessed Sacrament (the purple cassock buttons gave him away.)

The photos aren't as good as I'd like - the back of the Sanctuary was so brightly lit that my little camera couldn't quite adjust, despite me playing around with various settings. Still, there are a few more photos over at the Flickr page for this set.

Poaching On My Territory...

For someone who grouses (albeit with a slight smirk) each time I post another kitty update, it seems His Hermeneuticalness has, nevertheless, had to acknowledge the sheer power of cat posts.

Cats are, obviously, the latest big thing in the advertising world...

So, all I have to do is get my two felines their own equity cards, and we'll be set up for life. Smoked salmon and cheese-flavour crisps all the way!

In the meantime, I still have a monopoly on hair and nail posts...

Gaudete !

I have failed (yet again) to keep to my New (Church) Year's resolution to post more regularly on the blog. Of late, I find that, by the time I get home, feed the cats, check I have something to wear for the next day and feed myself (not necessarily in that order), all I really want to do is crawl under the duvet.

However, I felt that I ought to make an effort with the photos from last Sunday. Being Gaudete Sunday, the famous rose vestments got another airing. His Hermeneuticalness reminded us in the notices before the sermon that Fr. Z and Damian Thompson had spearheaded the fundraising efforts for the vestments... and that we should all pray for the conversion of The Tablet...

In order to ensure that the whole High Mass set was shown off in full, we had a superb Solemn High Mass. Fr. Finigan was celebrant, Fr. Bernard McNally was deacon and Rev. John Harrison, (on loan from Chislehurst), was subdeacon.

I think this has to be one of my favourite shots...

Happy Feast Day...

Today is one of my favourite Feast Days. I've said it before - it's the day that, theologically speaking, really sorts out the men from the boys (to coin a phrase.) CINOs (Catholics-in-name-only) hate it, because it means that we are less than perfect, which then brings up the idea of sin and not "everyone going to heaven no matter what they do."

Our Lady was preserved from all stain of sin from the first moment of her conception. If you were God, and had the power to make your mother, what would you do? You'd want to preserve her from Original Sin and all the stuff that goes with that, (death, disease, concupiscence) wouldn't you?

Oh, and there's a big pro-life message in there - life begins AT conception.

Am I One Of The Pyjamahadeen...?

Does blogging in a nightie and dressing gown count?

Laurence succumbed to the temptation of writing a song dedicated to all of us Catholic bloggers. The first performance was at Blackfen last Saturday, and Fr. Tim caught it on camera. I heartily approve of the special effects employed which render me unrecognisable even without a mantilla...

Mass For The Immaculate Conception...

For those of you fortunate enough to be able to get to St. George's Cathedral on Thursday morning, there will be a Low Mass according to the usus antiquior in honour of the Immaculate Conception, which is the patronal feast of our diocese.

I was going to say that I was jealous - but then I realised that there's going to be a Missa Cantata at Our Lady of the Rosary, Blackfen at 8pm...

Not that I'm into one-upmanship or anything...

This Is The Ecclesia Dei...

I had a wonderful day yesterday.

First of all, there was our monthly Missa Cantata at Blackfen, which is a cause for great joy anyway. This was added to by the fact that, after Mass, I renewed my vows. I don't make the vows just for a year, they are permanent, but it's a great excuse for a party... it also helps to remind me what I'm doing with my life, and why!

Lunch followed - cooked to perfection by Trisha and her team of helpers - and we all tucked into eggs, bacon, sausages, fried bread, mushrooms, baked beans (I didn't have any of those) and tomatoes (I didn't have those either!)

I was really pleased that Blondpidge was able to make it to Blackfen, and I got to meet Robin (aka Mr. Pidge) and all the little Pidges (I met the youngest - Little Miss Pidge - at Michael Voris' talk back in August!)

It was almost another blognic, what with His Hermeneuticalness, Leutgeb, Zephyrinus (who arrived in time for a late lunch sitting and Vespers) Annie Elizabeth, Blondpidge, Bones and me...

The star of the show had to be Laurence England (aka Bones) who gave us a live performance of many of the songs featured on his own blog, including the first ever performance of Ecclesia Dei... (Click on the link if you want to sign the open "letter" to Archbishop Nichols!)

The children were absolutely entranced, and sat down to listen... and that was just as he was tuning his guitar!

Fr. Tim was also recording, and he was using a much better camera, so my video will probably lose out in the ratings war... but maybe he'll put up one of the other songs instead, and let me have my "blogging exclusive!"

Annie Elizabeth later tweeted that her children were singing "Some more, some more, Summorum Pontificum" all afternoon...

And then the day finished with sung Vespers and Benediction...

A really wonderful day!

Latin Is Sooooooo Hard To Learn...

Tom sings in the visiting schola at Blackfen, and usually brings his family along for the Missa Cantata. His children love to join in the Marian anthem after Benediction, and really belt it out with gusto. I meant to record them at Benediction, when they would have been totally natural and unconcerned, but of course, it being Advent, we've started to sing the Alma redemptoris mater, and they aren't quite as confident with that one...

So, I persuaded Edward to sing the Salve regina in the parish club afterwards. He and his brother became a little self-conscious and shy, but he certainly knows his stuff... I forget how old the children are...

No Sudden Deaths Due To Use of Corrected Translation...

That's right. I understand that many places only got to use the corrected ICEL translations last Sunday. I haven't noticed any blog reports of parishioners fainting, having palpitations, or any other adverse effects. There have been a very few hissy fits, but really these bear the tones of petulant toddlers, and seem to be making last-ditch attempts to persuade everyone that things will be really baaaaad if we use such big words.

In Britain we have had the corrected translation since September. No-one died here, either.

I was asked to write about the introduction of the new texts from a layperson's perspective for the Catholic Herald, which included a special Advent Magazine last Sunday. I was tremendously chuffed to see that my name appeared on the front cover along with Monsignor Andrew Wadsworth and James MacMillan (Wow! Exalted company for me indeed!) Unfortunately, the Magazine isn't available online, so I can't just give you a simple link, but I thought I'd share what I wrote anyway...

Liturgy: A golden age of worship.

I never learned Latin at school. As an adult, I would take great delight in reminding people that, for years, the only Latin in the Mass which I knew was the Kyrie eleison, and the rest was all Greek to me. And then I’d sit back and smirk as someone pointed out that the Kyrie actually was Greek. But not knowing any Latin meant that I had to rely on the International Commission on English in the Liturgy (ICEL) translation of the Mass.

To begin with, this wasn’t a problem. But once I started to pray the Divine Office I became more and more aware that something wasn’t quite right. The collect at Sunday Mass and the concluding prayer for Morning and Evening Prayer bore a striking resemblance to each other. On looking at things more closely, I discovered that the prayers were actually supposed to be the same – they were the same in the Latin original – and so there was a difference in translation between the prayers for the Mass and for the Office.

I began to attend Mass in the Extraordinary Form and also to sing various parts of the Mass in Latin and, looking at the English translation, I became more and more aware that the language had been over-simplified, and words and phrases had been cut out. The Mass had been impoverished and it had lost the sense of the sacred. I also became aware that this was mostly a problem with the English translation. Most other languages seemed to stick much more closely to the Latin original, most noticeably with the "And with your Spirit" response. The English translation had rendered the phrase as "And also with you", turning it from a recognition of the sacerdotal character imprinted on the soul of the priest at Ordination to the equivalent of "And to you, too!"

Around this time, the news that a corrected translation was in the pipeline was being discussed, particularly on the internet. Fr John Zuhlsdorf, who writes for this newspaper, had a whole blog dedicated to accurate translation of the Latin texts at Mass in which the inaccuracies of the "lame-duck" ICEL translation were laid bare for everyone to see. A more accurate translation could only be a good thing, I thought, but I didn’t actually expect it to have much impact. After all, why should changing one or two words be that noticeable?

It also seemed to take such a long time to get under way. I couldn’t understand why translating the Mass should take so long, though I gathered from reading various reports that there were objections to the use of unfamiliar words. There was talk of the need for training courses to explain the new translation, especially for words such as "ineffable," "wrought" and "gibbet". I found this to be rather patronising. As a teacher, I am well aware that difficult words are only difficult until they are explained. After all, photosynthesis, chloroplasts and cytoplasm are quite difficult words too, but they are taught to every 11-year-old in their Science lessons.

As more and more people, especially on the internet, made fun of the objections and pointed out how spurious they were, I noticed that a real sense of excitement was starting to build. When the Bishops of England and Wales announced that, although the new translation would officially be mandated from the first Sunday of Advent this year, they wanted parishes to start using it from September to allow the laity to become familiar with the responses, it suddenly began to feel as though the change would really happen.

On the last Sunday in August, I attended Mass with a sense of an era coming to an end. The old ICEL translation was, after all, the only one I had ever known. Although I could hardly wait for the new version, it felt very strange indeed to realise that I would never again say "We believe…" I was almost nostalgic – but only almost.

At Mass the following week we had leaflets with the new responses typed out neatly. It was quite funny because our parish priest announced before Mass that the new responses would be used, and that sheets were available at the back of the church. A few people, having forgotten that this was the big day, shuffled out of their pews to collect a sheet. Mass began, and a few people stumbled over the automatic response "And also with you," and there was a little more shuffling as more people collected a sheet. Then the "I confess" provoked another bout of shuffling. By the time we got to the Gloria, the message appeared to have gotten through.

I felt a real thrill of excitement when making the new responses. At the "I confess" I was able to make the traditional threefold striking of the breast. Then, while reciting the Gloria, I saw how a whole section had been replaced, in which we give glory and praise to God, echoing the cry of the angels when they announced the birth of Christ. Why the words were ever left out in the old translation is a complete mystery – is it really possible to praise God too much?

It was very hard not to lapse into recitation of the Apostles’ Creed – the main indicator of which has always been "I believe," instead of the "We believe" of the Nicene Creed. There had been a great deal of fuss made of the proposed use of "consubstantial" in the Creed rather than "of one being", but actually I have always found the latter expression to be rather vague and woolly, whereas consubstantial quite simply means "of the same substance", and therefore it resonates more fully for me, expressing the divine nature of Christ.

But the most moving part of the new translation of the Mass for me was definitely in the Eucharistic Prayer. The words were unfamiliar, but at the same time they struck a chord. Suddenly it seemed clear that what was happening at the altar was the action of God, that the use of sacred language marked out the numinous for us: the priest, in persona Christi, was interceding on our behalf to the Father, and the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is something done for us by God, not something we do for him.

It will take a while before I learn the new responses off by heart, and I am sure that I will make the occasional mistake. After all, I have been making the old responses for nearly 20 years. Nevertheless, it will be well worth the effort. The new translation has restored the sense of the sacred to the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.

Calling A Spade A Shovel...

Back in the mid 1990s, when I was involved in scientific research, I wrote an article on foetal tissue transplantation for Faith Magazine (archived by EWTN) in which I happened to comment on how the medical profession liked to use highly specialised scientific language in order to obscure the true nature of the work being done.

The mothers of the aborted babies used were referred to in very oblique terms in the papers I reviewed - one study even went so far as to call them "donors." Aborted babies were reduced to "embryonic tissue" or "neural tissue." Everyone knew what it all meant, but it was just a "nicer" way to say it.

It seems, however, that we have now reached the stage where scientific papers are being much more up-front about what is involved. The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists have published advice on performing late abortions:

"Feticide should be performed before medical abortion after 21 weeks and 6 days of gestation to ensure that there is no risk of a live birth."

Patricide, matricide, fratricide, regicide aren't used so often these days - but most people can identify the words as meaning that someone is killed. Homicide is much more widely understood (mostly due to American cops-and-robbers films and programmes) as the killing of one human being by another. There can be no doubt in people's minds that feticide is the killing of a foetus, an unborn baby. Forget "products of conception" - that works earlier on, but not after 21 weeks.

This bluntness is rather surprising, and begs the question: have we, as a society, become so desensitised that the RCOG feels it can give clear advice on killing babies without having to dress it up in fancy language?

Twitch of the mantilla to Fr. Tim, who goes into much more detail (not to be read on a full stomach, trust me!)

World Blogging Exclusive...!

Laurence England (affectionately known in these parts as "Bones") is due to fulfil His Hermeneuticalness' prediction (quoted on the front page of this week's Catholic Herald, no less) that ' "Gimme some more, some more Summorum Pontificum" will be sung in pubs and clubs up and down the land after traditional Masses and other traddie events' !

Bones is planning to visit Blackfen this Saturday, 3rd December 2011 (which, in case I haven't mentioned it, happens to be the day I renew my vows!) and he'll be bringing his guitar, to serenade us all between the Missa Cantata, my vows and Sung Vespers...

Sad News...

I regret to pass on the sad news that Dominic Mary of Libera Me passed away last month. Karen (Gem of the Ocean) has more details, as the two of them started a wonderful blogging romance. Do go over to give your condolences to Karen.