Thou art dust

Today is Ash Wednesday, and thus the beginning of the sacred season of Lent. Today thousands in Christendom will go to their local parish and receive either a trace of ashes in the form of a cross on their forehead or spirinkles of ahes above their heads (as you will observe during the Papal Mass for Ash Wednesday). But does this mean that I'm going to church for a freebee, or is it more than that.

I think the answer is obvious.

The sacramental upon our head is a public display of our penitence to show others that we truly are sinners. But it is also a personal reminder of the same, that we are sinners and that we need God more than we really think that we do. To often we blame God for abandoning us, while the truth of the matter is that too often we put God on the backburner of our lives. Let the ashes remind us that we must be true penitents this Lenten season and give God the time he deserves from us, and probably give some time back that we owe Him through our prayer life.

Blessed Lent everyone!

Global WHAT?

If global warming was as big as Al Gore and the envronmental wackos make it sound like it is, can someone explain the invasion of my neighborhood yesterday?

Rev. Msgr. Charles P. Barth, J.C.D. (1929-2010)

The former pastor of my parish and a dear friend of mine, Msgr. Charles P. Barth, passed away last Sunday, at the age of 80. He died while he was on vacation in Wisconsin doing what he loved the most besides serving God's people, fishing.

A Philadelphia native, Msgr. Barth attended Mount St. Mary's Seminary and was ordained a priest of the Diocese of Camden in 1956 by the late-Bishop Bartholomew J. Eustace. Msgr. Barth served as vicar for the City of Camden, chairman of the Commission for Social Justice and for the Moral Committee, and was secretary for the Diocesan Building Commission.

Msgr. Barth served as pastor at Christ the King, Haddonfield (1974-78); St. Joseph Pro-Cathedral, Camden (1978-85); St. Agnes, Blackwood (1985-93); St. Peter, Merchantville (1993-2000); and as administrator for St. Anthony of Padua, Hammonton (2003-2005) and St. Martin de Porres, Hammonton (July-September 2005).

May his soul and the souls of the faithful rest in peace.

Rep. John Murtha (1932-2010)

It's no secret that I disagreed with the Rep. John Murtha (D-Pennsylvania) on a few things. I believed that his irresponsible pork-barrel spending was running our country down and placing a burden on the taxpayer. I thought that he said a lot of boneheaded commenets and bullied his constitutents. I believed that he was a puppet for Nancy Pelosi in unfair games used by the Democrats to intimidate the Republican minority in the House. And I was especially appalled as someone who regarded John Murtha as one of the last hopes for the pro-life Democrats did a quick about face on the right-to-life issue once he gained a strong voice in the House Democrat leadership. And of course there's ABSCAM.

That being said, I also want to focus on on the good side of John Murtha, a 19-year House veteran who passed away today in Virginia after complications from gallbladder surgery. Probably the thing we have the most in common besides a love for our country (Murtha was a Vietnam vet who was still serving in the Marine Reserves when he was first elected to Congress), was a change of heart on the War in Iraq. Known to be a hawkish Democrat, Murtha later supported bringing our troops home after the inconsistency and imbalance the Bush administration showed in its handling of the conflict, which in retrospect was preemptive and undeclared. But I believe that John Murtha was motivated as one who saw the terrors of war, rather than a politician seeking to climb the political ladder, in his support of withdrawal. The words of the great Army general, President Dwight D. Eisenhower, come to mind when I think of Murtha's change of heart: “There is no glory in battle worth the blood it costs”.

While I disagreed with him, I pray that he did ask God for mercy, even if it was at that last moment. I pray for the soul of John Murtha and I ask you to do the same.

As "One Republic", let's take our country back!

Solemn High Mass in honor of Our Lady of Lourdes

On February 11, 2010, Our Lady of Lourdes Roman Catholic Church in the Overbrook section of Philadelphia will celebrate its patronal feast with a candlelight procession and a Solemn High Mass in the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite. Since it is the parish's patronal feast, a plenary indulgence is granted to the faithful under the normal conditions of receiving Holy Communion, going to Confession, and saying the Lord's Prayer, a Hail Mary, and a Glory Be for the intentions of His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI. A wine, cheese, and dessert reception will follow after Mass in Nolasco Hall.

The Mass that Made Saints

I just got home from Mater Ecclesiae's Candlemas Mass, and it was beautiful as always. But I got to thinking as the Solemn High celebration of Our Lady's purification, how anyone who goes to the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite cannot fall in love with it? As the Mass progressed, and the sounds of the chanting and polyphonic music struck my ears and the scent of sweet-smelling incense enveloped my nostrils, you could feel yourself in the presence of the Almighty and fully participated with the angels and saints in adoration of Christ truly present on the altar. Absolutely breathtaking.

Not to put down the Ordinary Form of the Roman Rite (yes it's a valid Mass, so quit your whining hippies and lower your egos trads), when it is celebrated PROPERLY, it can be beautiful as well. But there's something about the traditional Roman form of worshiping the One, True God that cannot be explained because there is no word in any dictionary that can explain the beauty of the mystery that unfolds before our eyes at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Perhaps it's the uniformity, the ideal taken from our Jewish roots of following precisely what is prescribed in the rubrics of the Mass, that adds to the beauty. I know it plays a part in it, but is it? I don't know.

What I do know is that in the Extraordinary Form, our souls fly to God Who is the center of worship, unlike many a parish where irreverence continues to occupy the sacred space and people wait for Christ the rock star to make his big entrance while the band plays on. The traditional form of worship draws people of all ages, and especially young Catholics who flock to these Masses, and makes the toughest of pompous men break out in tears (I've seen it). It made saints since the earliest days of the Church, it released many souls from purgatory, and it drew many back into the fold of Christ and His Church. And it will continue to do so until the triumphant second coming. Wow!

You want to save the world? Then save the Liturgy! LAUDETOR IESUS CHRISTUS IN AETERNUM!

Very UN-American

Thanks to the efforts of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the United States has agreed to join 152 other countries in supporting the Arms Trade Treaty Resolution. What the resolution does is set up a United Nations conference to figure out how to confiscate your guns via the support of anti-gun countries.

According to former U.S. ambassador to the U.N., John Bolton, said that through this conference, the United Nations “is trying to act as though this is really just a treaty about international arms trade between nation states, but there’s no doubt that the real agenda here is domestic firearms control.”

This is an absolute outrage and is highly unconstitutional. How dare Secretary Clinton sell out our rights as American citizens to that Legion of Doom that we know as a United Nations. We as Americans must fight for our sovereignty and do what we can to keep ourselves from being slaves to a foreign regime dedicated to stripping us of our Republic. Secretary Clinton has already promised push the treaty through the U.S. Senate for ratification. CALL YOU SENATORS AND DEMAND THAT THEY SAY "NO" TO RATIFICATION!

Defend your right to bear arms and your right to protect yourself from the government, both the federal and ESPECIALLY a foreign dictatorship. And once and for all, DEMAND THAT WE GET THE U.S. OUT OF THE U.N. AND THE U.N. OUT OF THE U.S.!

Is this what society has come to?

Tonight marked the beginning of another online viral show. But this is a little bit more controversial, let's say. This involves the fictional stories of three pregnant women who are contemplating what to do with their unexpected pregnancies, and where the mothers, the doctor, and (here's a first) THE VIEWER gets to choose whether or not the baby gets to live or get killed.

I think I'm gonna be sick.

The Idea for Bump was conceived after President Barack Obama's infamous commencement speech at Notre Dame University after Obama said that we need "to find ways to communicate about a workable solution to the problem of unintended pregnancies", according to the show's executive producer Dominic Iocco.

The show follows three mothers: a MARRIED woman (Katie) whose husband is serving in Iraq, a mother of two (Denise) who was a victim of domestic violence (and really loves red candies), and a woman (Hailey) who apparently just wants to be on a reality show with her boyfriend (Jason).

The biggest problem I have with this show, whose pilot appeared on the 37th anniversary of the infamous Roe v. Wade decision, is that it not only leaves the decision to the mothers, the doctor (who said "I don't save lives, I'm not that kind of doctor" hmmmm...), but it lets the viewers help decide whether or not these women should abort their children in a sort of online gambling kinda fashion. The pilot has garnered over 140 comments on both the show's website (bumptheshow.com) and YouTube account. From these comments helps in the decion on whether or not there will be an abortion or not.

Pro-life or pro-abortion, there I'm sure this we can agree on this: this method is pretty horrid. Has our society really come to this? I fear for this society because the issue of abortion has been reduced to an online gambling viral show. Forget the fact that it's fiction, the point is the issue is too serious to be reduced to "entertainment".

Really America, have you completely lost your mind?

Out of our courts, off of our soil

Ever since the Obama administration said that they want terrorists to have trials in civilian courts, people on both sides have voiced their opposition to terrorists coming on American soil. Now, the administration finds two new Democrat opponents to their intentions, Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-AK) (whose political future is in the balance) and Sen. Jim Webb (D-VA).

If the terrorists are brought to American soil, it can mean two things: 1.) the Obama administration is making us free game for potential disaster since the terrorists work in cells and 2.) it's the grand opening of the greatest circus that doesn't involve P.T. Barnum. You have to remember, the terrorists work in cells. If they pose a threat in other countries, what do you think they can do if they're right here? And a highly publicized trial on American soil is exactly what these terrorists want. They want themselves to be seen all over the world by Islamic sympathizers in both the Middle East and Europe. Draw your own conclusions.

We'll see what comes of this. In time, this too shall pass, but it will be interesting to see just how.

Candlemas at Mater Ecclesiae

This Tuesday, February 2, the Feast of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Candlemas), Mater Ecclesiae Roman Catholic Church in Berlin, NJ is celebrating a Solemn High Mass at 7:30pm. It also marks the end of the Christmas Season in the traditional Catholic calendar. The celebrant will be Rev. James L. Bartoloma, student in Advanced Studies in Canon Law and Liturgical Latin at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, the deacon will be Rev. Richard K. McFadden, religion teacher at Archbishop Ryan High School in Philadelphia and in-residence at St. Charles Borromeo Roman Catholic Church in Bensalem, PA, and the subdeacon will be Rev. Christopher M. Markellos, Parochial Vicar at Our Lady of Peace Parish in Williamstown, NJ.

The Kyrie and Gloria will be of the Missa de Beata Virgine by Josquin de Pres, the Sanctus and the Agnus Dei will be from the Mass of for Four Voices by William Byrd. The Gregorian Chant propers and the Schola will be under the direction Nicholas Beck, director of Sacred Music and Cantor at Mater Ecclesiae.

Servant of God Maria Esperanza

Yesterday, Bishop Paul Bootkowski, bishop of the Diocese of Metuchen, NJ, opened the Cause of Canonization for Maria Esperanza de Bianchini, the well known visionary of the Betania. This is certainly a wonderful day for her beloved husband, Geo Bianchini (whose meeting of Maria Esperanza was certainly a wonderful miracle in itself), and for many in her family (some of whom I know personally), but especially for the Holy Catholic Church as she moves to see who Maria Esperanza is and how heroic her life was for the better welfare of the Church. Let us pray for a swift, but cautious canonization process. For more info, click here.

Septuagesima 2010

I know I'm a day late with this post, but for those of you in "Ordinary Time" mode, I celebrated with other traditional Catholics all over the world Septuagesima Sunday, the beginning of the time of Septuagesima, which is a time of preparation for the Lenten journey. A period of penance, the vestments return back to the penitential violet. The Alleluia ceases to be sung, not heard again until the Easter Vigil, as well as the Gloria and the Te Deum. It's really a shame that this time was dropped when the Missal of Pope Paul VI was introduced. It's times in the liturgical calendar like this that makes me thank God for Pope Benedict XVI's motu proprio Summorum Pontificum.

Tradition has it that the origins of Septuagesima date to the time when Christians used to fast 70 days before Easter, reminiscent of the Babylonian Exile. Since this is a time of preparation for the 40 day journey with our Lord, it is only appropriate that the Gospel for Septuagesima Sunday be that of the parable of the Workers in the Vineyard, a reminder of God's yearning for all to become workers in His vineyard and enjoy equally the full joy that the other laborers in the Lord's field enjoy. It is also a reminder for us to be cautious when judging others, considering that we too are sinners that need God's mercy and compassion, to do what we must do to buid up the Kingdom of God, lest the just anger of God look upon you for your intent to look at the flaws of others, while ignoring the fact that you have your own unique part to play.

Whether or not you attend the Traditional Mass or not, still take this time to prepare for lies ahead as we prepare ourselves for that long journey with Christ to Calvary, knowing that what lies ahead is the joy of the Resurrection.