Litany of the Saints

If someone were to ask me, "Bryan, what's your favorite hmyn?" I'd know exactly what to say. Of course first of all I'd ask them why they wanted to know, but then I'd be quick to answer... "Well, it's not really a hymn, but the Litany of the Saints is my favorite," is what I'd say.

Lord, have mercy on us.
Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, have mercy on us.
Christ, have mercy on us.
Lord, have mercy on us.
Lord, have mercy on us.
Holy Mary, Mother of God.
Pray for us.
Saint Michael,
Pray for us.
Holy angels of God,
Pray for us.
Saint Joseph,
Pray for us.
Saint John the Baptist,
Pray for us.

Who doesn't love the ancient litany, the draft and example for all other litanies? It's a beautiful prayer set deep in the Catholic Christian experience, rooted in an understanding of recognizing holiness and responding to it. I caught myself singing parts of this litany on my way to work this morning. We sang a shortened version of the litany at Mass on Sunday and I'm sure that's why it popped in my head, but regardless of the reason I'm glad it did. I love to sing it! And the funny part is that I don't even know it in its entirety, I simply pick saints and sing. And as I pick each saint, I meditate on their life... it's such a great experience. I suggest it, I really do.

Links! Litany of the Saints - Catholic Encyclopedia: Litany of the Saints

Giving Thanks

Tomorrow is the big day, Thanksgiving Day, but it's not the only reason November is a "month of thanks." Consider what holidays we celebrate at the beginning of the month, All Saints Day and All Souls Day. These are amazing holy days for remembering and paying homage to the heros of our faith and of our lives. We thank God for giving them to us as true role models and loved ones. We thank God for giving us a chance to be as loved and faithful as these people were in life and are in their new life in Christ.

And then at the end of the month we celebrate Thanksgiving, which is a great holiday and also a great holy day. In the same way that all days are holy, Thanksgiving is a time in this country for us to thank God for all that he gives us, for his blessing upon our lives, for his graces, and for his trials he puts us through. The last may be a little hard to swallow, but God tries us in an effort to grow closer to him. We should always thank Him for that.

God is awesome. Thanks be to God!

Schismatics Must Mend Themselves.

Are we getting closer? There's been talk for a little while now about a document the Pope is supposedly preparing to release in hopes of reconciling with the Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX). It's been stated that the document will greatly losen restrictions on parishes using the traditional Tridentine Mass by not making priests first seek approval from their Bishops. Cardinal Arinze recently told a congregation in St. Louis that latin should be used more often in Mass. This is a step in the right direction and in my mind may be setting up a release of the document soon, hopefully right after the Pope returns from Turkey. The question is, will this mend the schisms with SSPX?

Answer: That's up to SSPX.

I understand that SSPX and a number of other smaller traditional Catholic societies are upset and dissapointed greatly with the current liturgy (Novus Ordo), but since when is it a good idea to break with the Church in order to get something done? Let's see...Martin Luther, no. Ummm, eastern orthodox bishops, no. Oh yeah, that's right, it's never a good thing to do.

I spoke with a tradionalist friend recently and it brought some light on the dark nooks of the situation I may have missed the several hundred first times I ran through it. The deal is this...whether or not people are happy with the current liturgy, it is valid. The Novus Ordo Mass is valid because it is sanctioned by the Church. That's really all there is to it. To say it isn't valid is to be one step away from heresy. Now... a Novus Ordo Mass, or any kind of Mass, can be illicit, yes. And that's where the problems come in, crazy priests doing extrememly irreverent things in the name of "the spirit of vatican II." Seriously, that needs to stop.

So when it comes down to this document to be released, it's up to the SSPX and other groups like it to understand that breaking with the Church is breaking with the fullness of truth. Christ's Church subsists within the Roman Catholic Church. To quote a friend of mine, "John and Mary stood at the foot of the cross. They didn't like what was happening, but the stood there." We as Catholics are very much at the foot of the cross that is Christ's Church subsiding in the Catholic Church. Regardless if one likes the current Mass or not, it is the Mass of the Church. One should not walk away from the Church because they aren't a fan of Novus Ordo. Nor should they say the Novus Ordo is invalid when in fact it is valid.

The schismatics need to mend this problem by getting over themselves and their likes and dislikes, and giving it up to God. The Church will change, the liturgy will change, but forever the Church of Christ will subside in the Roman Catholic Church and that's why we're Catholics. I like tradition. I love latin and incense, etc. I believe a traditional approach to any Mass (Tridentine or Novus Ordo) is the best approach. We must pray that others keep the Mass solemn and lawful by approaching it this way as well. God Bless You.

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Bryan and Jenny Get Engaged!

Last night (Thursday, Nov. 9th), I proposed to Jenny on a strawberry scrabble cake. She said "Yes, yes, yes!" and now we begin the greatest time of our life together. With God as our center we pray that we can continue to grow in love and holiness through eachother, for the rest of our lives.

Enjoy the pictures of the cake!

Catholic with a capital C

All new designs at the discerningSainthood store! Take the time to go check out the new line up of t-shirts, bumper stickers, hoodies and a lot more!

Display your faith and help shape Catholic culture by being a trend setter ;) Okay, maybe not, but these designs are cool...oh, and all of them are by me, Bryan. Help support our blogging vocation by taking a look at the store. And if you have an idea for a product, let me know! God Bless and enjoy the shopping!

You can visit the store by clicking here or clicking on the image above.

Video Time! Catholic Videos!

Thank you You Tube and My Space video for being so awesome with letting people post their videos, commercials, informational videos, etc. online.

I'm edited this post to remove all embedded videos and instead I've linked to them. I did this for the sake of the blog loading faster. Click below! :)


Why am I Catholic? (Very Inspirational - Great Song!)

Catholic Coke Commercial
Offensive or not offensive? Tell us.

Fishers of Men (Awesome)

Novus Ordo vs. Novus Ordo

I’ve taken time lately to grow in understanding of the viewpoint of traditionalist Catholic societies like the Society of Saint Pius X (SSPX). And through my studies and reflection on arguments against the Novus Ordo (new order of the Mass since Vatican II), I’ve come to hear some valid arguments for tradional (Tridentine) Mass, as well as, valid issues with the Novus Ordo. I truly hope that there are people from both sides reading this article and please, please email Jenny and me and let us know of your opinion.

In the post prior to this one is a link to a video of a Mass held in California where people serving the Eucharist were dressed in Halloween costumes. It’s a horrible injury to the sacred liturgy to do such a thing and with that in mind I come to a loaded table of Traditionalist Catholic “reasons” why the Novus Ordo “is not valid.” And while I do not concur that the Novus Ordo is not a valid Mass and therefore doesn’t contain a valid sacrament, I will admit that some parishes (some priests) simply take things too far.

I’ve heard the stories as I’m sure everyone has of parishes performing wrong, if not horrific injuries to the sacred liturgy of the Mass. I’ve witnessed a Mass where instead of solemn music for reflection and prayer, we were subjected to “rocking out” the Sanctus and turning the Gloria into an American Idol solo. I’ve been told of Masses where the priest does the motions of the consecration where a soloist sings the prayers. I’m sorry, but that’s simply not valid! Does saying that it’s “not valid!” make me sound like a Traditionalist Catholic?

I belong to a Novus Ordo parish and I’m quite active there. And more than anything I take complete comfort and delight in knowing that Novus Ordo has been successfully and probably perfectly transitioned into the liturgy. I will gladly stand along side anyone who is against such liturgical abuses as those I’ve stated or heard about (blessing a prop of the bread, yes, a plastic prop, I’ve heard of this also). The Mass is Holy, and we do not approach the Holy with irreverence or a false “spirit.”

In closing I must define my viewpoint. I do not agree with radical traditionalist Catholics who claim the Novus Ordo Mass is invalid. I think that’s ridiculous. If the Church validates such a Mass and the proper words of consecration for it, then by its very nature it is valid. However, I do have serious issues with Novus Ordo parishes who abuse the liturgy just as I would have serious issues with a Tridentine parish abusing that liturgy. There’s simply nothing right about injuring the greatest prayer we have, the Mass. It saddens me greatly to know that there are parishes out there, priests out there who hold so little reverence for Church teachings and especially Our Lord that they take part in and promote such abuses.

Devil Distributes the Eucharist

This is sad, really sad. Corpus Christi Parish in the Diocese or Orange. It's time for someone in Rome to starting kicking some irreverent butt and taking some names out in Bishop Brown's territory.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WadbbxPoBlk

Horrible. I don't understand having people dress up for Holy Mass

Vote YES for Marriage

Tomorrow is a BIG day in the state of Virginia. It's election day and a huge thing on the ballet is the Marriage Amendment which will define marriage as a union between a man and a woman. It will also go on to discourage co-habitation since common law marriage is not recognized in the state. I'll be honest, I'm quite nervous at the outcome of the voting. And I have to ask myself, why is it that ignorance of God can run so rampant that I have to be worried about something as fundamental and natural as marriage between a man and a woman?

God instituted marriage. It was one of the first things He did in the book of Genesis. He created Eve for Adam, that they may become one union and as Saint Paul puts it, "one flesh." So why is it that human beings and institutions feel they can ignore God to the point of establishing "unions" between a man and another man or two women as equal to real marriage or even valid at all. I take a step back and look at it from a long-ranged scope and what I see is yet another huge failure by the human race to respect that which God has given us. He gave us marriage.

I might hear "it doesn't affect you if two men get married, so why do you care?", but what someone who might say that doesn't understand is that it does in fact affect me. It affects all of us. When we sin we sin not only against God, but against his creation, against all of us. That's why we confess to eachother, that's why we ask eachother to forgive one another and to pray for one another. If this ammendment doesn't go through, Virginia is one step closer to allowing gay marriage. And that concerns me very greatly because it directly affects me in a very spiritual and very real way.

If you're reading this and you live in the state of Virginia, please make sure to vote tomorrow (Tuesday). If for nothing else, vote to ammend the state's definition of marriage, vote Yes to make sure it says "marriage is between and man and a woman." If you'd like to know more, visit www.va4marriage.org

Best of Pop Culture (according to me, Jenny)

Movies
Crash:
If you haven’t seen this movie yet, you must. It is most definitely not for the kiddies, but for the 17+ crowd out there, Crash has a lot to offer in terms of the message it sends. There have been lots of attempts at “racism is bad” movies, but Crash really hits the nail on the head. It accurately displays prejudices among people and and how those prejudices are lived out in our culture. This movie will certainly give cause to look inward at ones own prejudices, and help to come to a greater understand of how they are lived out.

Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events:
Calling all Harry Potter fans and foes alike. The good family friendly, ethereal spirit present in the Harry Potter movies and books is equal (if not greater . . . sorry H.P. fans) in Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events. The Baudelaire orphans struggle with the loss of their parents, battle against the evil Count Olaf, and handle complex moral questions with their unique talents. However, there are some parts that could be scary for the littlest of the little ones.

Passion of the Christ:
Enough said.

Band/Artists
Matisyahu:
A reggae singing Hasidic Jew with lot of talent and even more to say in his music. Some of his music has a distinctively ecumenical flair. I especially like “King Without a Crown” from his album Youth.


P.O.D.:
These guys broke out in a major way into the world of secular music with “Boom” and “Youth of a Nation.” Not all of their music is overtly religious in subject matter, but it’s always wholesome, and they do classify themselves as a Christian rock band. My two personal favorite songs are “Ridiculous” and “Strength of my Life.”

Television
The Office
Always funny. Truly funny. I can’t recall any crude humor on the show, and I have been watching it since the first season. It’s simply a conglomeration of dry office-related humor. Any 9 to 5ers out there will appreciate it immensely.

Comedy
Brian Reagan:
Reagan is squeaky clean and hilarious, a rare combination. He comments on everything from mistaking the pronounciation of someone's name, to little league coaches, to awkward dating situations. Every bit of his comedy is for anyone who wants to listen. Some younger listeners may not "get" some jokes, but it is still appropriate for all ears.

Friends Don't Let Friends Skip Mass

It's a motto, learn it, love it, live it.

Hi there, since today is one of the holy days of the year that's also a day of obligation, I figured I'd give you and yours a little motivation to start your holy day of obligation off on the right foot.

First and foremost, as Catholic Christians we live a faith that is protected and guided by the Holy Spirit. And as we all know, Christ gave the keys of heaven to St. Peter and stated "Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven" (Matt, 16:19). This is very important when we look at a holy day of obligation like today (All Saints Day) and ask "but why must we go today?"

I'm going to make this really simple and direct... because the Church says so. If at first you think "this guy is just illogical," consider this... if the Holy Spirit is guiding the Church, then when the Church makes an official decree that a certain day is a holy day of obligation, then how can one say "nah, I don't feel like going" or "it's not important enough to go to mass" without turning their back on the guidance of the Holy Spirit itself? If the Church deems a certain day a holy day of obligation, that is because she feels the teachings and observance of the day are so important to the life of a Catholic that he/she simply MUST be there.

Consider it. And God bless you on this day when we remember all the Saints in heaven, especially those we don't know.