The Curt Jester – Page 30 – Punditry, Prayer, Parody, Polemics, Puns from a Papist Perspective

The Weekly Francis – Volume 386

by Jeffrey Miller November 17, 2021November 17, 2021

The Weekly Francis is a compilation of the Holy Father’s writings, speeches, etc which I also cross-post at Jimmy Akin’s blog.

This version of The Weekly Francis covers material released in the last week from 9 November 2021 to 17 November 2021.

Angelus

14 November 2021 – Angelus

General Audiences

17 November 2021 – General Audience ’ Catechesis on Saint Joseph – 1. Saint Joseph and the environment in which he lived

Homilies

14 November 2021 – Mass for the World Day of the Poor

Letters

9 November 2021 – Letter of the Holy Father to the Catholics of Scotland

Messages

Speeches

Papal Tweets

“There cannot be a cooperation that generates peace without concrete collective dedication that promotes integral disarmament. #ParisPeaceForum2021” @Pontifex, 11 November 2021
“It is time to develop a new form of universal solidarity that is grounded in fraternity, love, and mutual understanding: one that values people over profit, one that seeks new ways to understand development and progress. #COP26![img” @Pontifex, 11 November 2021
“Here at the Portiuncula, Saint Francis welcomed Saint Clare, the first brothers, and many poor people who came to him. Hospitality means to open the door, the door of our house and the door of our heart, and to allow the person who knocks to come in.” @Pontifex, 12 November 2021
“It is time to be scandalised once again before the reality of children who are starving, reduced to slavery, tossed about in the water in the aftermath of a shipwreck, innocent victims of every sort of violence.” @Pontifex, 12 November 2021
“It is time for sleeves to be rolled up so dignity can be restored by creating jobs.” @Pontifex, 12 November 2021
“It is time that eyes be opened to see the state of inequality in which many families live.” @Pontifex, 12 November 2021
“It is time that the poor be given back their voice, because for too long their requests have remained unheard.” @Pontifex, 12 November 2021
“It is time that the circle of indifference be broken so as to discover once again the beauty of encounter and dialogue.” @Pontifex, 12 November 2021
“It is time that violence against women cease and that they be respected and not treated like bargaining chips.” @Pontifex, 12 November 2021
“We are called to discover Christ in the poor, to lend our voice to their causes, but also to be their friends, to listen to them, to understand them and to welcome the mysterious wisdom that God wants to communicate to us through them. Message” @Pontifex, 13 November 2021
“What is it that gives solidity to life, and will never end? Saint Paul tells us: “Love never ends” (1 Cor 13:8).” @Pontifex, 14 November 2021
“A person who is generous, helpful, meek, patient, not envious, does not gossip, brag, or lack respect (cf. 1 Cor 13:4–7), this is a person who builds Heaven on earth. That person may not be noticed, and yet, what he or she does will not be lost because good lasts forever.” @Pontifex, 14 November 2021
“Let us bring an outlook of hope to our world. Let us bring it with tenderness to the poor, without judging them. For there, with them, is Jesus; because there, in them, is Jesus, who awaits us. #WorldDayOfThePoor Homily” @Pontifex, 14 November 2021
“That is the word that makes hope blossom in the world and relieves the suffering of the poor: tenderness. We need to overcome the temptation to be concerned only about our own problems; we need to grow tender before the tragedies of our world, to share its pain.” @Pontifex, 14 November 2021
“I am grateful for all the initiatives of solidarity on the occasion of the #WorldDayOfThePoor. I also invite you to repeat the strong moment of witness and prayer that we lived last Friday in Assisi Moments of Prayer – YouTube” @Pontifex, 15 November 2021
“Dialogue between members of different religions does not take place simply for diplomacy, courtesy or tolerance. The goal of dialogue is to establish friendship, peace and harmony, to share spiritual and moral values and experiences in a spirit of truth and love. #DayForTolerance” @Pontifex, 16 November 2021
“Saint Joseph, you who came from the periphery, help us change our vision and to take care of those persons who are discarded or are on the margins of society. #GeneralAudience” @Pontifex, 17 November 2021

Papal Instagram

Franciscus

November 17, 2021November 17, 2021 0 comment

Book Review

Book Reviews – Not God’s Type and Tolkien’s Modern Reading

by Jeffrey Miller November 10, 2021

written by Jeffrey Miller

So I have been reading a couple of books from Holly Ordway. I had heard her a couple of times on Catholic programs over the years. First up was her conversion story detailed in Not God’s Type: An Atheist Academic Lays Down Her Arms, which I found very interesting.

There was much in what she wrote that I could relate to from my atheist days.

“Life inside the fortress of atheism was good. I thought I could make sense of the world just as well as, or much better than, the people who claimed to have faith. I didn’t believe in God, but I had a worldview that felt perfectly satisfactory. It wasn’t a particularly cheery view, but I preferred truth over comfort any day.

She relates her love of reading and then how Tolkien’s works changed everything for her. As she says her imagination had been baptized in Middle-earth. It would take some years for this influence to flower.

Reading through this I could not help to think about how I had deprived myself by purposely avoiding Tolkien and Fantasy in general and priding myself on SF as the most realistic. It was only much later fantasy epics played a part in my life, when I wondered why I loved virtuous heroes, while I was not virtuous myself. I think reading Tolkien earlier for me would be like the parable involving rocky soil. It was only on my way in to the Church that I even read the Hobbit and the LotR and it is still flowering in me slowly.

What I found most interesting, regarded her fencing coach Josh and his wife Heidi. Holly seemed to have a hair-trigger when it came to attempts by anybody to evangelize her, to sell her Jesus. Josh was not an evangelizer looking to just put another notch on his Bible Belt. He is a Christian that worked at being good at his job, respecting others, and building relationships. Over years he was there to train her and answer questions as they came up, especially as she started to wonder about religion.

I think many Christians would have scared her off as she started to tentatively ask questions. Josh really seemed to be the perfect person to play such a role in her life and to challenge her as necessary. To show her the intellectual arguments over a period of time.

I was stunned by the very concept that there were rational arguments for the existence of God. Never mind whether I agreed with the arguments or not, the simple fact that Josh said, “Let’s reason this out” rather than “You have to take it on faith” made me want to keep talking.
What’s more, these arguments made frighteningly good sense. I could see, even right there in that casino coffee shop in Reno, Nevada, that they made more sense than I wanted to admit.

This paragraph was one I could totally relate to upon first hearing a summary version of St. Aquinas’ Five Ways of Knowing God. I was stunned by the idea that there were rational arguments for the existence of God.

Her portrayal of Josh gave me a lot to think about and the kind of slow-brew evangelization he practiced. One that was not about him. Holly would not end up joining the church he was part of and she initially became Anglican before coming into the Church. I got no sense from the book that there was any tension regarding this.

Overall this was a very good read. Her writing is so evocative and pulled me into the moments of her life, not just the ones I could directly relate to.

The second of her books I read was Tolkien’s Modern Reading: Middle-earth Beyond the Middle Ages by Word on Fire Academic.

I think the only thing I didn’t like about this book is that the title is a too narrow indicator of the content. Although, this book would be hard to concisely title.

There are a lot of lessons to learn involving this book. Beyond exploding the myth that Tolkien was stuck in the past in many ways and disdained anything modern from books to technology. That in fact he was very-wide read in a wide range of authors and genres. That he was no technophobe. He could enjoy authors he was diametrically opposed to philosophically. I think if there was a contest where you had to match up books and authors that Tolkien enjoyed or disproved of, most of us would lose terribly.

This book also reinforced to me the idea that you just can’t snapshot people. To get an idea of them from just one period or instant of time. Tolkien was quite capable of reassessing an opinion he previously had regarding a book. So much has been made of various comments he made on other’s works, including his friend C.S. Lewis, that needed more context. This book provides plenty of insight into this. It is always good to be reminded that people are complicated.

I also liked the methodology she employed in this book. She severely limits what other authors and books might have influenced Tolkien’s legendarium to only those he directly mentioned or that there was proof that he knew of them. She takes a very insightful deep-dive into these influences. Tolkien enjoyed detective stories, and this book reminds me of one. For the Tolkien fan, this book is a great read. It is rather amazing how angry it makes me how Tolkien’s early biographers and people up to the present have so inaccurately stereotyped the man.

By the way, before reading this book I had wondered if Tolkien had read Dune. I found this unpublished letter to John Bush, 12 March 1966.

Tolkien writes:

Thank you for sending me: copy of Dune. I received one last year from Lanier and so already know something about the book. It is impossible for an author still writing to be fair to another author working along the same lines. At least I find it so. In fact I dislike DUNE with some intensity, and in the unfortunate case it is much the best and fairest to another author to keep silent and refuse to comment. Would you like me to return the book as I already have one, or to hand it on?”

November 10, 2021 0 comment

Prayer Scripture

Keep Chipping Away

by Jeffrey Miller November 10, 2021November 10, 2021

written by Jeffrey Miller

I find it interesting how you can understand a theological premise and totally accept it, and yet you read a phrase that brings it from the abstract to the concrete for you.

This morning I was reading Scott Hahn’s commentary on Romans chapter 8.

“But in Paul’s view, suffering is God’s way of sculpting us into the image of his Son.”

While the following story of Michelangelo being congratulated at the unveiling of his immortal statue of David has no historical basis, it gets across this idea.

“How could you have achieved a masterpiece like this from a crude slab of marble?” a fan is supposed to have asked him.

“It was easy,” Michelangelo is said to have said. “All I did was chip away everything that didn’t look like David.”

Plus most days I feel more like a “crude slab of marble,” than being sculpted into an image of Jesus.

November 10, 2021November 10, 2021 0 comment

The Weekly Francis

The Weekly Francis – Volume 385

by Jeffrey Miller November 10, 2021November 10, 2021

written by Jeffrey Miller

The Weekly Francis is a compilation of the Holy Father’s writings, speeches, etc which I also cross-post at Jimmy Akin’s blog.

This version of The Weekly Francis covers material released in the last week from 21 October 2021 to 10 November 2021.

Angelus

7 November 2021 – Angelus

General Audiences

10 November 2021 – General Audience – Catechesis on the Letter to the Galatians’ 15. Let us not grow weary

Homilies

Messages

21 October 2021 – Message of the Holy Father on the occasion of the conference ‘Promoting child safeguarding in the time of Covid–19 and beyond’ [Rome, 4 November 2021]

Speeches

Papal Tweets

“May the protection of minors be more and more a concrete, ordinary priority within the Church’s educational works. May it be the promotion of an open, trustworthy and reliable service, in strict contrast to every form of domination, betrayal of intimacy or silent complicity.” @Pontifex, 4 November 2021
“Being a member of the people of God is a gift, a responsibility: the responsibility of witnessing by our deeds, not just our words, to God’s wonderful works, which, once known, help people to acknowledge his existence and to receive his salvation. #Synod” @Pontifex, 5 November 2021
“Contemplating the Heart of Christ, we can allow ourselves to be guided by three words: memory, passion and comfort.” @Pontifex, 5 November 2021
“Memory. To remember means ”to return with the heart“. It is good for us to nurture our memory with those who have loved us, taken care of us, lifted us up. The Heard of Jesus reminds us that whatever happens to us in life, we are loved.” @Pontifex, 5 November 2021
“Passion. The Heart of Christ is an impassioned heart, wounded by love, torn open for us on the cross. That tenderness and suffering, that Heart reveals what God’s passion is: man.” @Pontifex, 5 November 2021
“Consolation is a strength that does not come from ourselves, but from the One who is with us: Jesus, the God-with-us. Let us encourage ourselves with this certainty, with God’s consolation. And let us as the Sacred Heart for the grace of being able to console when it is our turn.” @Pontifex, 5 November 2021
“Let us care for our common home, and also for ourselves, trying to eliminate the seeds of conflict: greed, indifference, ignorance, fear, injustice, insecurity and violence. Humanity has never before had at its disposal so many means for achieving this goal #COP26![img #EnvConflictDay” @Pontifex, 6 November 2021
“Let us #PrayTogether for the people of #Ethiopia, so sorely tried by the conflict that has lasted more than a year and has caused numerous victims and a serious humanitarian crisis. I renew my appeal for fraternal harmony on the peaceful path of dialogue.” @Pontifex, 7 November 2021
“In the #GospelOfTheDay (Mk 12:38–44), Jesus proposes the poor wideo as a teacher of faith: the sound of her few coins is more beautiful than the grandiose offerings of the rich, since they express a life sincerely dedicated to God with unconditional trust.” @Pontifex, 7 November 2021
“The world needs Christians who know how to demonstrate the beauty of the Gospel by the way they live; who are weavers of dialogue, models of fraternal life; who bring the sweet fragrance of hospitality and solidarity, who protect and safeguard life.” @Pontifex, 8 November 2021
“Let us commit ourselves to fostering an education in fraternity, so that the outbursts of hatred that would destroy that fraternity will not prevail. The threat of antisemitism still lurking in Europe and elsewhere is a threat that must be defused.” @Pontifex, 9 November 2021
““Faith in Christ in your heart is like Christ in the boat” (Saint Augustine). We wake Christ up in our hearts and then we can contemplate things with his vision because He sees beyond the storm. #GeneralAudience” @Pontifex, 10 November 2021

Papal Instagram

Franciscus

November 10, 2021November 10, 2021 0 comment

Humor Scripture

Odd Takes on Today’s Readings

by Jeffrey Miller November 7, 2021November 7, 2021

written by Jeffrey Miller

In the first reading today regarding Elijah and the widow, I think this offers biblical precedent for “Woman make me a sammich.”

As for the second part of the Gospel today I recently read that according to the Talmud, there were thirteen trumpet-shaped receptacles for offerings for the temple. The horns were called a shofar which acted as a funnel into a chest. Each one of these Shofar-chests had an inscription.
So what Jesus is saying is that those who placed money in the treasury as an act of their own aggrandizement ultimately had nothing to shofar it.

November 7, 2021November 7, 2021 0 comment

The Weekly Francis

The Weekly Francis – Volume 384

by Jeffrey Miller November 3, 2021

written by Jeffrey Miller

The Weekly Francis is a compilation of the Holy Father’s writings, speeches, etc which I also cross-post at Jimmy Akin’s blog.

This version of The Weekly Francis covers material released in the last week from 10 June 2021 to 3 November 2021.

Angelus

General Audiences

3 November 2021 – General Audience – On the Letter to the Galatians’ 14. Walking according to the Spirit

Messages

Speeches

4 September 2021 – To the members of the ‘Leaders pour la Paix’ Foundation

Papal Tweets

“Climate change can be faced with a renewed sense of shared responsibility for our world, and an effective solidarity based on justice, a sense of our common destiny and a recognition of the unity of our human family in God’s plan for the world. #Faiths4COP26” @Pontifex, 29 October 2021
“When we pray, we never do so alone: even if we do not think about it, we are immersed in a majestic river of invocations that precedes us and proceeds after us. #Prayer #CommunionOfSaints” @Pontifex, 30 October 2021
“The #WordOfGod must be repeated, made one’s own, safeguarded. It must reach every aspect of life, involve, as Jesus says in the #GospelOfTheDay, the entire heart, the entire soul, the entire mind, all of our strength (Mk 12:28). It must resound within us.” @Pontifex, 31 October 2021
“Let us build cities that, while preserving their respective cultural and religious identity, are open to differences and know how to promote them in the spirit of human fraternity. #FratelliTutti #WorldCitiesDay” @Pontifex, 31 October 2021
“This is a moment to dream big, to rethink our priorities – what we value, what we want, what we seek – and re-plan our future, committing to act in our daily life on what we have dreamed of. The time to act, and to act together, is now! #COP26![img” @Pontifex, 31 October 2021
“I am thinking about the population of Haiti who are living in extreme conditions. I ask that all leaders of nations help this country, not to leave it on its own. How much suffering, how much pain there is in that land. Let us #PrayTogether for Haiti, let us not abaondon them.” @Pontifex, 31 October 2021
“Do not be afraid to set your sights higher, to allow yourself to be loved and liberated by God. Do not be afraid to let yourself be guided by the Holy Spirit. Holiness does not make you less human, since it is an encounter between your weakness and the power of God’s grace” @Pontifex, 1 November 2021
“Do not be afraid of holiness. It will take away none of your energy, vitality or joy. On the contrary, you will become what the Father had in mind when he created you, and you will be faithful to your deepest self. #UniversalSanctification” @Pontifex, 1 November 2021
“Blessed be Jesus Christ, the only Saviour of the world, together with this immense flowering of saintly men and women who populate the earth and who have made their life a hymn to God. #AllSaintsDay” @Pontifex, 1 November 2021
“The saints, who often count for little in the eyes of the world, are in reality the ones who sustain it, not with the weapons of money and power, but with the weapon of #prayer. #AllSaintsDay” @Pontifex, 1 November 2021
“There is a mysterious solidarity in Christ between those who have already passed to the other life and we pilgrims in this one. Our deceased loved ones continue to take care of us from Heaven. They pray for us, and we pray for them and we pray with them. #Prayer #FaithfulDeparted” @Pontifex, 2 November 2021
““To you who pass by, think about your footsteps and your final step”: that it be peaceful. These tombs are a message of peace: “Stop, brother and sister, stop! Stop, weapons makers, stop!”” @Pontifex, 2 November 2021
“There is no time to wait. Unfortunately, there are too many people suffering from the environmental crisis. Urgent and courageous action is needed along with the responsible preparation of a future in which humanity will be capable of taking care of itself and nature. #COP26![img” @Pontifex, 2 November 2021
“When we are tempted to judge others badly, we must rather reflect on our own weakness. It is good to ask ourselves what drives us to correct a brother or a sister, and if we are not in some way co-responsible for their mistake. #GeneralAudience” @Pontifex, 3 November 2021
“Love is the supreme rule for following the path of Christ, it makes us aware of our weakness, and merciful and in solidarity with the difficulties and weaknesses of others. #GeneralAudience” @Pontifex, 3 November 2021
“Let us #PrayTogether that people who suffer from depression or burn-out will find support and a light that opens them up to life. #PrayerIntention” @Pontifex, 3 November 2021

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Franciscus

November 3, 2021 0 comment

Punditry

Praying for the Dead and The Living Dead

by Jeffrey Miller October 31, 2021October 31, 2021

written by Jeffrey Miller

I guess I have gotten to the part of my life where I am more excited about All Souls Day than All Hallows Eve.

Sure I enjoy the cultural baggage tied up with Halloween as I am a long-time horror movie junkie. And there are favorite books I like to revisit at this time of year. (The Haunting of Hill House, Something Wicked This Way Comes, etc).

Still, I am now more prone to praying for the dead than watching The Living Dead. Looking more forward to the blessings of the graves on Tuesday and Mass in our historic church afterward. It really is a blessing that my parish has a cemetery adjacent to the historic church. I wish all parishes could have one on property. There is of course the Memento mori aspect, but praying for the dead should be a constant reminder for all of us. It puts a lot of things more into perspective, especially the salvation of souls as an ongoing mission.

Plus I am also thinking more of All Saints Day and all the unknown saints. That praying for the dead, in God’s plan, contributes to their eventual (however time works in aeviternity) being in the beatific vision. One of my intercessions with passed-on loved ones is for them to pray for me and others that we draw closer to Christ, just as they are.

There are many tragedies involved with the Protestant Revolt, but the loss of the idea of praying for your loved ones is a major one. Of asking them to pray for you and others. We seemed to have lost so much intercessory power by this being so. Thankfully God is not limited by our stupidity (which I am personally thankful for).

So tomorrow we can be thankful for those who died in friendship with God and enjoy the beatific vision. Along with the day after that for those on the path of purification towards that.

Part of this musing was sparked by Amy Welborn’s post ‘Unhappy Reformation Day!’

October 31, 2021October 31, 2021 0 comment

The Weekly Francis

The Weekly Francis – Volume 383

by Jeffrey Miller October 27, 2021

written by Jeffrey Miller

The Weekly Francis is a compilation of the Holy Father’s writings, speeches, etc which I also cross-post at Jimmy Akin’s blog.

This version of The Weekly Francis covers material released in the last week from 21 October 2021 to 27 October 2021.

Angelus

24 October 2021 – Angelus

General Audiences

27 October 2021 – General Audience – Catechesis on the Letter to the Galatians’ 13. The fruit of the Spirit

Letters

Messages

Speeches

Papal Tweets

“Keep in mind on his feast day what Saint #JohnPaulII said to us: ”Be vigilant so that nothing might separate us from the love of Christ: neither false slogans, nor erroneous ideologies, nor caving into the temptation to fall into compromises with what is not of God“.” @Pontifex, 22 October 2021
“The preaching of the #Gospel reinvigorates hope because it reminds us that God is present in everything. He accompanies us and gives us the courage and creativity we need to start ever anew.” @Pontifex, 23 October 2021
““Jesus, have mercy on me!” Let us make this prayer our own today. Let us repeat it. We must ask Jesus, who can do everything, for everything. He cannot wait to pour out his grace and joy into our hearts. #GospelOfTheDay” @Pontifex, 24 October 2021
“In the #GospelOfTheDay (Mk 10:46–52), the faith of Bartimaeus, the blind beggar, shines. He asks everything of the One who can do everything: “Have mercy on me”. He doesn’t ask for a favour, but presents himself: he asks for mercy on his person, on his life.” @Pontifex, 24 October 2021
“To live out a mission means cultivating the sentiments that Jesus has, to believe with Him that those around me are also my brothers and sisters. May His love reawaken our hearts and make us all true missionary disciples. #WorldMissionDay Message @Pontifex, 24 October 2021
“I express my closeness to the thousands of migrants, refugees in Libya: I never forget you; I hear your cries and pray for you. We are all responsibile for these our brothers and sisters, who have been victims of this serious situation for too many years. Let us #PrayTogether.” @Pontifex, 25 October 2021
“The Spirit which flows forth from Jesus’ Passover is the origin of the spiritual life. He changes hearts: not our works, but the action of the Holy Spirit in us! #GeneralAudience” @Pontifex, 27 October 2021

Papal Instagram

Franciscus

October 27, 2021 0 comment

Book Review

Book Review: Reclaiming Vatican II

by Jeffrey Miller October 24, 2021October 24, 2021

written by Jeffrey Miller

Being a fan of the The Burrowshire Podcast with Brandon Vogt and Fr. Blake Britton I had been looking forward to the following book since it was announced.

Specifically Reclaiming Vatican II: What It (Really) Said, What It Means, and How It Calls Us to Renew the Church. This book exceeded my expectations, which were already high.

As a convert, coming into the Church I knew nothing about Vatican II. What I learned when I started listening to Catholic radio regarded various controversies about those who rejected the council outright or were very critical of what the council taught. Mostly these were liturgical issues and the idea of the “Spirit of Vatican II.” In the past I had done a lot of parodies involving this aspect. Along with learning that the criticisms were mostly focused on what many experienced in their liturgical life in the Church and not what the text and vision of the Constitution of the Sacred Liturgy Sacrosanctum soncilium said. Then-Cardinal Ratzinger’s view of the Council and the “hermeneutic of continuity” also shaped my understanding. I only provide this background to state that I was not one that needed to be convinced that this was a valid council. Still, it was only within the last year or so that I started to really dig in to the conciliar documents.

There are several aspects of what Fr. Britton wrote that really appealed to me. Part of the framework that he uses to write this book is in regards to his life as a parish priest. That this book is not just some explanatory look at the history of the council, what it taught, and subsequent reactions. While it covers these subjects, he connects the council to the daily life of the Church. His personal stories provide excellent examples of this and events that shaped him in his life as a parish priest.

The idea of the “Spirit of Vatican II” as being against the actual text and teaching of the council is an idea easy to grasp. Still, it can also be more polemical than useful at times in discussing this. So I especially the use of the term paracouncil that he used and had discovered in one of Henri de Lubac’s essays on the council. He goes on to define three aspects regarding the rise of this paracouncil. The council as presented as such was like a decoy sent out to represent the real thing. Like most decoys when you examine them more closely you realize that they aren’t the real thing at all. The problem was on one hand more progressive elements liked what was represented in the decoy and more traditionalist elements saw it as a target to fire at. The decoy is my own imagery, not his.

This results in one viewpoint:

Thus, in a well-meaning but misguided attempt to relate positively to contemporary society, the genius of Catholicity is supplanted by nonspiritual ideals. This “reverse catechesis” has been a disaster. As a result, millions of Catholics are leaving the Church as she seemingly fades into irrelevance, just one sentimental institution among many in our culture.

and another:

On the other hand, many “conservative” or “traditional” Catholics are in all-out rebellion against Vatican II or, more appropriately, what is falsely peddled as Vatican II. Witnessing the deterioration of solemnity, piety, and catechesis in parishes across the world, they seek to circle the wagons by returning to the tried-and-true infrastructures of traditional Catholicism.

He goes through the four main documents of Vatican II pointing out the main points along with correcting common errors people have regarding them.

The value of this book in more than being able to make the proper distinctions and to see the council as it is. It is how he relates this to the everyday life of the faithful regarding worship of God, liturgy, and spreading the Gospel. I found very helpful the several etymologies of words used in worship and how he puts these concepts together. This was stunningly good. He tells stories regarding his own life along with those of others working towards authentic renewal in his parish. That this is not going to happen overnight and that patience and catechesis are key here.

You will have to buy the book to read his story regarding celebrating Mass in the cave of St. Jerome at Bethlehem along with other personal stories. How they deepened his life as a priest. I also really like his pastoral heart in not dismissing those with a more traditionalist view and listening to them. Just so much that delighted me.

I am probably not conveying the sense of what I found in his book since I think of it as both broad and focused. It deepened my own understanding of aspects of the documents and the liturgy itself. Looking through my copious highlights I found so much learn and to reflect on. Plus he had a list of recommended books on the subject along with a final chapter regarding “What Now?”

My friend Julie at Happy Catholic has a good review of this book that is more focused than mine. I certainly agree with her conclusion.

The Reason and Theology podcast did an interview with Fr. Britton recently that gives a good overview of the book. You can find links to buy the book there. Also a link to buy it with The Word on Fire Vatican II Collection, which has the four documents referenced along with commentary and related documents.

Note:

The Burrowshire Podcast just aired their final regularly scheduled show and there will only be occasional episodes in the future due to the hosts commitments. Still, it is very well worth listening to the existing episodes. In particular 011: What You Need to Know About Vatican II.

October 24, 2021October 24, 2021 1 comment

The Weekly Francis

The Weekly Francis – Volume 382

by Jeffrey Miller October 20, 2021October 20, 2021

written by Jeffrey Miller

The Weekly Francis is a compilation of the Holy Father’s writings, speeches, etc which I also cross-post at Jimmy Akin’s blog.

This version of The Weekly Francis covers material released in the last week from 2 October 2021 to 20 October 2021.

Angelus

17 October 2021 – Angelus

General Audiences

20 October 2021 – General Audience – Catechesis on the Letter to the Galatians’ 12. Freedom is realised in love

Homilies

17 October 2021 – Holy Mass with Episcopal Ordinations

Messages

Speeches

Papal Tweets

“#SaintTeresaofJesus teaches us that prayer is not to experience extraordinary things, but to unite ourselves to Christ. And the works of charity are the sign that this union is real.” @Pontifex, 15 October 2021
“Rural women have much to teach us about how effort and sacrifice enable us to build the fabric that ensures access to food, the equitable distribution of goods, and the possibility for every human being to realise their aspirations. #RuralWomenDay” @Pontifex, 15 October 2021
“The Word of God summons us to discernment and guides the #Synod, so it may be filled with grace, a healing process guided by the Spirit, in which Jesus calls us to ask what God wants to say to us in this time, and the direction in which he wants to lead us. #ListeningChurch” @Pontifex, 15 October 2021
“The large mining, oil, forestry, real estate, agribusiness companies to stop destroying nature, to stop polluting, to stop intoxicating people and food.” @Pontifex, 16 October 2021
“That the media put an end to the logic of post-truth, disinformation, defamation, slander and that sick attraction for scandal and that they seek to contribute to human fraternity.” @Pontifex, 16 October 2021
“The telecommunications giants to liberalise access to educational material and exchange with teachers via the internet so that poor children can be educated even under quarantine.” @Pontifex, 16 October 2021
“Technology giants to stop preying on human weakness, people’s vulnerability, in order to make a profit.” @Pontifex, 16 October 2021
“Arms manufacturers and dealers to totally cease their activity, that foments violence and war, often in the context of geopolitical games that costs millions of lives and displaces many people.” @Pontifex, 16 October 2021
“The big food corporations to stop imposing monopolistic production and distribution structures that inflate prices and end up withholding bread from the hungry.” @Pontifex, 16 October 2021
“All of us religious leaders, that we never use God’s name to foment wars. Let us stand by our people, the workers, the humble, and fight together with them so that integral human development may become a reality. Let us build bridges of love.” @Pontifex, 16 October 2021
“Financial groups and international credit institutions to guarantee poor countries the basic needs of their people and to waive those debts so often contracted against the interests of those same peoples.” @Pontifex, 16 October 2021
“The fight against hunger demands we overcome the cold logic of the market, which is greedily focused on mere economic profit and the reduction of food to a commodity, and strengthening the logic of solidarity. #WorldFoodDay” @Pontifex, 16 October 2021
“We must adapt our socio-economic models so they have a human face, because many models have lost it. Thinking about these situations, in God’s name I want to ask:” @Pontifex, 16 October 2021
“The Spirit asks us to listen to the questions, concerns and hopes of every Church, people and nation. And to listen to the world, to the challenges and changes that it sets before us. Let us not soundproof our hearts; let us listen to one another. #Synod #ListeningChurch” @Pontifex, 16 October 2021
“Powerful countries to stop aggression, blockades and unilateral sanctions against any country anywhere on earth and that conflicts be resolved in multilateral fora such as the United Nations.” @Pontifex, 16 October 2021
“The big laboratories to liberalise patents and to carry out a gesture of humanity and allow every human being access to the vaccine.” @Pontifex, 16 October 2021
“That governments and all politicians work for the common good. Let them beware of listening only to the economic elite; may they be servants of those people who ask for land, shelter and work and a good life in harmony with all humanity and creation.” @Pontifex, 16 October 2021
“Jesus asks us to immerse ourselves compassionately in the lives of those we meet as He has done with us. God is love and love is humble, it does not exalt itself, but descends like the rain that falls to the earth and brings life. #GospelOfTheDay (Mk 10:35–45)” @Pontifex, 17 October 2021
“The environmental and social crisis are two sides of the same coin. Therefore, strategies for resolving them demand an integrated approach to combating poverty, restoring dignity to the excluded, and at the same time protecting nature. #EndPoverty” @Pontifex, 17 October 2021
“Dear brothers and sisters, have a good journey! May we be open to the Holy Spirit’s surprises, the grace of encounter, reciprocal listening and discernment, joyfully convinced that, even as we seek the Lord, He always comes with His love to meet us first. #Synod #ListeningChurch” @Pontifex, 17 October 2021
“Today, thousands of children around the world are taking part in the campaign organized by #AidToTheChurchInNeed,praying the Rosary for unity and peace.Let us #PrayTogether with them to Our Lady with the same trust as these little ones have in our Heavenly Mother #ChildrenPraying” @Pontifex, 18 October 2021
“Persevering in the daily recitation of the #HolyRosary, we can meet each other every day with the Virgin Mother, learning from her how to cooperate fully with the plan of salvation that God has for each one of us. #ChildrenPraying” @Pontifex, 18 October 2021
“Prayer is like the oxygen of life. Prayer draws down upon us the presence of the Holy Spirit who always leads us forward.Adsumus, Sancte Spiritus” @Pontifex, 19 October 2021
“Come, Holy Spirit of love, open our hearts to listen. Come, Spirit of holiness, renew the holy faithful People of God. Come, creator Spirit, renew the face of the earth! #Synod #ListeningChurch prayforthesynod.va” @Pontifex, 19 October 2021
“True freedom – freedom in Christ – does not seek personal interests, but is guided by love and is expressed in service to others, especially to the poor. Love makes us free, it leads us to choose and to do good, it motivates us to serve. #GeneralAudience” @Pontifex, 20 October 2021

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