FAQ 11 HOW DO YOU EXPLAIN THESE TRADITIONAL CATHOLIC PRACTICES? TRADITIO Traditional Roman Catholic Network E-mail: traditio@traditio.com, Web: www.traditio.com Copyright 1994-2020 CSM. Reproduction prohibited without authorization. Last Updated: 01/27/20 ADVENT: CANDLES / WREATH The Advent wreath is a simple evergreen wreath hung with three violet candles and one rose candle to represent each Sunday of Advent, the rose candle representing the Third Sunday of Advent, called Gaudete Sunday from the first word of its Introit and being celebrated a little more joyously in rose vestments. The question of Advent Candles always stirs some controversy. Some see it as hailing from the Protestant tradition: The Advent Wreath came from Germany during the time of Martin Luther. The practice of the wreath and lighting candles was spread by the German Mennonites, so this did come from Protestants. The Book of Blessings even has a ritual for the blessing of an Advent wreath, whereas the traditional Roman Ritual does not. On the other hand, even some Catholic areas of Germany seem to have had the practice: Our family used the Advent wreath in the mid-1950's. Each evening, prior to dinner, one to four candles was lit (depending on the week of Advent), and the Antiphon for that Sunday was recited (e.g., Rorate Caeli), followed by one Pater, Ave, and Gloria. It seemed a fitting prayer to remind us of the Advent season. This was done, of course, well before the Novus Ordo. The practice may have been inspired by the Swedish Crown of Lights worn by young Swedish girls on St. Lucia's Day, with the evergreen symbolizing the blessing of eternal life. In ancient Rome the people used to decorate wreaths as a sign of victory and celebrating, the strength of life overcoming the forces of winter. There is also controversy about when this practice came generally into churches in the United States. Some remember it from the 1950s; others remember it coming after the Novus Ordo. Whatever the conclusion one reaches about the history of this practice, it would be fair to say that it has become markedly more prominent since the Novus Ordo. ============================================================================ ADVENT: GREAT "O" ANTIPHONS The Great "O" Antiphons of Advent are a series of seven antiphons chanted or recited before and after the Magnificat of Vespers of the Divine Office on the last seven days before the Vigil of Christmas (December 17-December 23). Their name comes from the interjection "O" with which they all begin. Nothing similar precedes any other feast. These antiphons, embodying all that the prophets said about the Messias, originated in the sixth and seventh centuries. They follow the format of the Roman Collects: (a) an invocation to the coming Messias expressed by the opening phrase, (b) a brief augmentation of the invocation, (c) a petition introduced by "veni" [come] and followed by a plea for redemption. Longing for the coming of the Messias, which is the characteristic mood of Advent, is seen most poetically in these "O" Antiphons. The melody to which they are chanted is marvelously expressive of the intense desire with which the patriarchs, the prophets, the Jewish people, and now all creation wait for God's presence in Jesus Christ. The antiphons are all addressed to the Messias, using the Latin words: Sapientia, Adonai, Radix, Clavis, Oriens, Rex, and Emmanuel. Mediaeval monks devised a two-word Latin mnemonic for these antiphons (in reverse order): ERO CRAS (I will be, tomorrow). December 17 O Sapientia, quae ex ore Altissimi prodiisti, attingens a fine usque ad finem, fortiter suaviterque disponens omnia: veni ad docendum nos viam prudientiae. (O Wisdom that comest out of the mouth of the Most High, that reachest from one end to another, and orderest all things mightily and sweetly: come to teach us the way of prudence.) December 18 O Adonai, et Dux domus Israel, qui Moysi in igne flammae rubi apparuisti, et ei in Sina legem dedisti: veni ad redimendum nos in bracchio extento. (O Adonai, and Ruler of the house of Israel, Who didst appear unto Moses in the burning bush, and gavest him the law in Sinai, come to redeem us with an outstretched arm.) December 19 O radix Iesse, qui stas in signum populorum, super quem continebunt reges os suum, quem gentes deprecabuntur: veni ad liberandum nos, iam noli tardare. (O Root of Jesse, which standest for an ensign of the people, at Whom the kings shall shut their mouths, Whom the Gentiles shall seek: come to deliver us, do not tarry.) December 20 O clavis David, et sceptrum domus Israel; qui aperis, et nemo claudit; claudis, et nemo aperit: veni, et educ vinctum de domo carceris, sedentem in tenebris, et umbra mortis. (O Key of David, and Sceptre of the house of Israel, that openeth and no man shutteth, and shutteth and no man openeth: come to liberate the prisoner from the prison, and them that sit in darkness, and in the shadow of death.) December 21 O Oriens, splendor lucis aeternae, et sol iustitiae: veni et illumina sedentes in tenebris, et umbra mortis. (O Dayspring, Brightness of the everlasting light, Son of justice: come to give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death.) December 22 O Rex gentium, et desideratus earum, lapisque angularis, qui facis utraque unum: veni, et salva hominem, quem de limo formasti. (O King of the Gentiles, and desire thereof, Corner-stone that makest of two one: come to save man, whom Thou hast made out of the dust of the earth.) December 23 O Emmanuel, Rex et legifer noster, expectatio gentium, et Salvator earum: veni ad salvandum nos, Domine Deus noster. (O Emmanuel, our King and our Law-giver, Longing of the Gentiles, and salvation thereof: come to save us, O Lord our God!) The seven "O" Antiphons are represented in the seven verses of the well-known Advent hymn, "Veni, Veni, Emmanuel": 1. Veni, O Sapientia, Quae hic disponis omnia, Veni, viam prudentiae Ut doceas et gloriae. Refrain. Gaude, gaude, Emmanuel Nascetur pro te, Israel. 2. Veni, Veni Adonai! Qui populo in Sinai Legem dedisti vertice, In Majestate gloriae. Refrain 3. Veni, O Jesse virgula, Ex hostis tuos ungula, De specu tuos tartari Educ et antro barathri. Refrain 4. Veni, Clavis Davidica, Regna reclude caelica, Fac iter tutum superum, Et claude vias inferum. Refrain 5. Veni, Veni O Oriens! Solare nos adveniens, Noctis depelle nebulas, Dirasque noctis tenebras. Refrain 6. Veni, Veni, Rex gentium, veni, Redemptor omnium, Ut salvas tuos famulos Peccati sibi conscios. Refrain 7. Veni, Veni Emmanuel! Captivum solve Israel! Qui gemit in exsilio, Privatus Dei Filio. ============================================================================ CHRISTMAS: CAROLS Carols have actually been around for a very long time. While a first-century Roman bishop St. Telesphorus is often credited with introducing the custom of celebrating Christmas with songs, the word "carol" derives from the mediaeval Latin "carolare," a ring dance accompanied by singing. There are examples of "carolare" with words as early as the year 348. The first of these was attributed to the Christian Roman poet, Aurelius Prudentius. St. Jerome wrote that carols were in use during fifth-century Christmases. By 1223 St. Francis and his brethren were singing carols at their first life-size representation of the nativity scene (creche). In England, the "carolare" took the form of a number of short stanzas of verse, usually four lines, followed by a shorter "burden," later called a chorus or refrain repeated after each verse. Soloist usually sang the verses, while townsfolk joined in for the burdens as they danced in chain or circle patterns. "What Child Is This?", "The Coventry Carol," "God Rest You, Merry Gentlemen," and "I Saw Three Ships" date at least from Renaissance times, perhaps earlier, as does Germany's "Lo, How a rose" and France's "The Holly and the Ivy." Also among these are Handel's "Joy to the World" and Mendelssohn's "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing," as well as Richard Willis' "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear," the Rev. Lewis Redner's "O Little Town of Bethlehem," and "Silent Night," written in Austria Fr. Joseph Mohr on a cold, snowy Christmas Even in 1816. A number of popular carols remain anonymous, like "Adeste Fideles," identified variously as deriving from a Latin hymn of Portugal or Wade's "Cantus Diversi." A recent discovery proves that a Catholic priest, Joseph Mohr (1792- 1848), not Franz Gruber, was the original composer of what the English- speaking world knows, through its translation by John Young (1820-1885), as "Silent Night". The original manuscript is dated 1816 and is the only one existing which bears Fr. Mohr's handwriting. Discovered in 1995, it lead to a complete reinterpretation of the carol's origin. Joseph Mohr was ordained in 1815 and was sent as a curate to his first parish in Maria-pfarr. In Mariapfarr, the Mass on Christmas Eve included German singing and folk instruments, as well as the usual Latin litany. It made a deep impression on Fr. Mohr and inspired him to write in 1816 his own carol, which is known in English-speaking countries as "Silent Night, Holy Night." It was two years latter, on Christmas Eve 1818, Fr. Mohr was able to perform Silent Night, Holy Night publicly for the first time, with Franz Xavier Gruber in the St. Nikolas Church in Oberndorf, playing the lute, since the organ was inoperative. Sancta nox, placida nox! Nusquam est ulla vox; Par sanctissimum vigilat, Crispo crine quieti se dat Puer dulcissimus, Puer dulcissimus. Sancta nox, placida nox! Certior fit pastor mox Angelorum alleluia; Sonat voce clarissima Iesus salvator adest, Iesus salvator adest. Sancta nox, placida nox! Nate Dei, suavis vox Manat ex ore sanctissimo, Cum is nobis auxilio, Christe, natalibus, Christe, natalibus. The popular Christmas song "The Twelve Days of Christmas" was written in England during the persecution (1558-1820), when the Roman Catholic Faith could not openly be practiced. It is actually a catechism song for young Catholics with different levels of meaning. The hidden meanings of the song's gifts were intended to help children remember the lessons of their Faith. "Twelve Days": Christmas to Epiphany. "My True Love": God the Father. "Me": every baptized soul. "Partridge": Jesus Christ, symbolically presented as a mother partridge, which feigns injury to decoy predators from her helpless nestlings. 2nd day: the Old and New Testaments. 3rd day: the theological virtues: Faith, Hope, and Charity. 4th day: the four Gospels. 5th day: the Pentateuch (first five books of the Bible), telling of man's fall from grace. 6th day: the six days of Creation. 7th day: the seven gifts of the Holy Ghost: wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, fear of the Lord. 8th day: the eight Beatitudes. 9th day: nine fruits of the Holy Ghost: charity, joy, peace, patience, benignity, generosity, faithfulness, mildness, and continency (as taught in the catechism of the time). 10th day: the Ten Commandments. 11th day: the eleven faithful Apostles. 12th day: the twelve articles of the Apostles Creed. If you add up all the gifts, they total 364, all the days of the year, less Christmas. Also during the time of persecution in England, an 18th-century English candy maker decided to make a candy commemorating Christmas. The candy cane represents a shepherd's staff and upside down is the letter commencing the Holy Name of Jesus. It is made of white candy to represent purity with three red stripes for the Trinity and one large red stripe for Our Lord's blood later shed. ============================================================================ CHRISTMAS: DATE The internal evidence in Scripture seems to indicate a date around spring, when the shepherds would be tending their flocks at night. The date of December 25 is a conventional date for the liturgical celebration of the event. No official reason has been handed down in ecclesiastical documents for the choice of this date. There are basically three theories on the origin of the date. (1) Some early Church Fathers and writers claimed that December 25 was the actual date of Christ's birth. St. John Chrysostom (347-407) held this opinion (apud Nat. Alexandr. t. 4, s. 1) and used it to argue for the introduction of the date, used at Rome, into the Eastern Church. Tertullian (160-230) refers to the record of the census taken by Augustus, which as preserved in the Roman archives, as proof of the December 25 date. St. Augustine (354-430) bears witness to the existence of a definite tradition regarding the date of December 25 (De Trinitate L. 4. c.5; Quest. in Heptat. 90). However, it was expressly stated at Rome that the actual date of the Savior's birth was unknown and that different traditions prevailed in different parts of the world. (2) Since Scripture calls the Messias the "Sun of Justice" (Malachias 4:2), it was argued that His birth had to coincide with the beginning of a new solar cycle, that is, He had to be born at the time of the winter solstice. A confirmation of this opinion was sought in the Scriptures, by way of reckoning six months from the annunciation of St. John the Baptist (which was assumed to have happened on September 24) and thus arriving at March 25 (the Feast of the Annunciation) as the date of the Incarnation. Nine months later, on December 25, would then be the birthday of the Lord. Also, according to a very old tradition, the calendar date of Christ's passion was taken to be March 25. This day was also taken to be the date of His Incarnation, i.e., the Annunciation. The oldest surviving Roman prayer-book labels the day "The Annunciation and Passion of our Lord." It seems, then, that the date of Christmas, December 25, was computed from the traditional date of the Annunciation, and was computed from the traditional date of the Annunciation and was not dependent upon the pagan festival of Sol Invictus (see below). (3) The choice of December 25 was influenced by the fact that the Romans, from the time of the emperor Aurelian (275), had celebrated the feast of the sun god (Sol Invictus: the Unconquered Sun) on that day. December 25 was called the "Birthday of the Sun," and great pagan religious celebrations of the Mithras cult were held throughout the empire. What was more natural than that the Christians celebrate the birth of Him Who was the "Light of the World" and the true "Sun of Justice" on this very day? The popes seem to have chosen December 25 precisely for the purpose of inspiring the people to turn from the worship of a material sun to the adoration of Christ the Lord. Another common explanation is that Christmas was set during the Roman winter festival of the Saturnalia, in honor of the ancient god Saturn. There is good evidence that Christmas was being celebrated by Christians before the conversion of Constantine and that the date of Christmas was based not on the date of the festival of Mithras, but on a very old Christian tradition about the date of Christ's Passion and the Annunciation. The oldest surviving calendar of the Roman Church, dating from 354, organizes the whole church year around Christmas -- unusual if the feast had been newly introduced only forty years before. Furthermore, St. Augustine, writing at the beginning of the 5th century, mentions that the Donatists refused to celebrate Epiphany along with the other Christian Churches -- but not that they refused to celebrate Christmas. Now, the Donatists thought that the rest of the Christian churches were entirely too liberal and lax, and that (after Constantine) the Church's friendly relations with the Emperor were a pact with the devil. It is extremely unlikely that they would have adopted a pagan feast (if Christmas is such) just because Constantine said so and the bishop of Rome was doing it. Hence, it is very probable that Christmas was being observed in North Africa before the Donatist schism in 303 and probably well back into the third century. That festival, in fact, had been instituted by the emperor Aurelian only in 274. It is probable that, rather than Christmas having been instituted by the Christians in imitation of the pagan festival, Aurelian instituted his festival to counteract the appeal of Christianity, as sun- worship generally was an attempt to provide a pagan "monotheism" to compete with Christianity. So, although it has sometimes been said that the Nativity is only a "Christianized pagan festival," the Christians of the early centuries were keenly aware of the difference between the two festivals -- one pagan and one Christian -- on the same day. The coincidence in the date, even if intended, does not make the two celebrations identical. Some newly converted Christians who thoughtlessly retained external symbols of the sun worship on Christmas day were "immediately and sternly reproved by their religious superiors, and those abuses were suppressed." Proof of this fact are the many examples of warnings in the writings of Tertullian (third century) and the Christian authors of the fourth and fifth centuries, especially the sermons of St. Augustine (430) and Pope Leo (461). ============================================================================ CHRISTMAS: SANTA CLAUS The real St. Nicholas (Santa Claus in German), was bishop of Myra in what is now Turkey, early in the fourth century. Orphaned as a young boy, he was left with substantial financial means by his parents. He used this inheritance to benefit others, especially children. Deeply religious, Nicholas became the Bishop of Myra in Turkey and played an important leadership role in the Church during the period of the Arian heresy, when most of the bishops, and probably even the pope, had adopted the heretical position. Called the "Wonderworker," he was well known for his generosity to children, hence his association with the legend of Santa Claus. Saint Nick as another name for Santa Claus persists to this day. St. Nicholas is the patron saint of virgins. His patronage of purity may explain his association with the "naughty" and "nice" categories when Saint Nick checks and rechecks his list. The red suit with white ermine trim associated with Santa Claus represents the episcopal robes that St. Nicholas wore as he went, in the middle of the night of Christmas Eve after Mass, taking presents to the poor people of his diocese who might otherwise not be able to celebrate Christmas. Legend has it that St. Nicholas became aware of a desperately poor parishioner having three daughters with no dowry to recommend them for marriage. The father had planned to sell them into prostitution to provide some means of support. By night, St. Nicholas secretly brought bags of gold on three separate occasions to the man's home. These generous visitations allowed the three daughters to have sufficient means to avoid prostitution and later strike a marriage covenant. On the third visit to deliver the gift, Nicholas was caught in the act of generosity by the grateful father. Many make the Santa Claus-like association of this story to St. Nicholas the gift-giver. These three visitations of St. Nicholas may have been Charles Dickens' inspiration for the Three Ghosts of Christmas in his famous story, "A Christmas Carol." The feastday, of double rank, of St. Nicholas, Bishop & Confessor, occurs on December 6 in the traditional Roman calendar. ============================================================================ CHRISTMAS: STAR There are many disputes about the Christmas "star." If one interprets it as an astronomical conjunction of planets (which is not the only explanation), the year could have been anywhere from 7 B.C. to 1 B.C. Most historical evidence places the birth of Christ around 4 B.C. on our modern calendar. Why not Anno Domini 1 (there being no Year 0)? The most likely explanation is that for over a millennium, years were counted from the founding of Rome in 753 B.C., much as if U.S. counted years from the Declaration of Independence. In the sixth century, a monk named Dionysius Exiguus (Dennis the Short) performed calculations to make the year 1 start at the birth of Christ. Bede the Venerable popularized this calendar in the eighth century. In doing so, most historian agree that Dionysius made a mistake of about four years. Thus, it is probable that on our modern calendar the year 1996 was the millennial year. =========================================================================== CHRISTMAS: THE TERM "XMAS" It a common misconception that the use of the term "Xmas" instead of "Christmas" spelled out was started by those who hate Christianity and who want Christ to be removed from society. Actually, the term "Xmas" has religious origins. It is not some kind of X-ing out of Christ. In fact, the X is not a Roman X at all, but the Greek letter chi, which looks something like the Latin X. Chi and rho are the two letters in ancient Greek that begin the name Christos [Christ]. The chi-rho was used on the standards of Constantine's Roman army when he defeated Maxentius and brought Christianity into the Roman Empire as its official religion in the early fourth century. It is frequently used in the orphrey of traditional vestments. So, "Xmas" is actually a more ancient form, in a way, recalling to our minds the origins of our Faith, in which Greek, as well, as Latin, is paramount in Tradition. =========================================================================== CHRISTMAS: TREES It happened that St. Willibrord (658-739) went to preach to the Druids in Northern Germany. Initially, he was not successful and his preaching and attempts to convert the Druids were unsuccessful. When the winter equinox (the first day of Winter) arrived, the people of the town where St. Willibrord was were preparing for the annual celebration of the equinox. They went to the outskirts of the town and prepared to worship a massive dead oak tree. They lit bonfires, and as they were about to start their celebration, St. Willibrord hurled an ax at the huge oak tree, splitting it down the middle. The Druids became angry, until St. Willibrod stood before them and chastised them for worshiping a dead tree. Behind the enormous oak tree, now split in two, there stood a small evergreen. Seeing this, St. Willibrord said: "Let the example of this humble evergreen be an example to you of the everlasting life given to those who believe in Jesus Christ, whose birth we are preparing to celebrate, the day on which eternal life came in to the world. Upon hearing this, the villagers were moved, asked St. Willibrord to baptize them and to teach them more about Christ and eternal life. From that point forward, the CHRIST-mas tree became not a symbol of Druid worship, but the symbol of the everlasting life promised by Christ to all those who believed and accepted the Christian Faith. ============================================================================ "DIVINE MERCY" - A FALSE DEVOTION A local devotion under this title, which is associated with one Sr. Faustina and a chaplet of the Divine Mercy, was approved by the Ordinary of Vilnius, Poland, in 1936 and from there spread rapidly, especially after World War II in the United States. It appears that Sr. Faustina could not write, except for a few lines phonetically. Most of her "diary" was concocted by her sisters after her death. Because of the incongruities of the dairy (different handwriting, different use of terms), the devotion was suppressed, and the book of her diary was placed on the Index Librorum Prohibitorum [Index of Forbidden Books]. This decision was upheld by Pope John XXIII on November 28, 1958. Moreover, after Pope John XXIII's suppression, deliberate mistranslations began to be circulated that "oecumenized" the original diary. For example, the confirmation of the Catholic doctrine that Jews need to convert to Christianity was eliminated. Prophecies warning of a new order were expunged. In early 1978, a Polish cardinal petitioned the Vatican to remove the suppression of the devotion, which was being practiced without sanction in his diocese, and the Vatican replied in the negative, confirming the suppression. By this time the original devotional prayer that Sister Faustina composed in 1935 had been illegally replaced by an oecumenized version framed in New Order terminology -- with substantially changed prayers to promote non-Catholic beliefs and the heresy of universal salvation. Among other things, it omitted Sister Faustina's quotation of Our Lord's words condemning "pagans, heretics, and schismatics." Later in 1978 a Polish pope was elected, and the now modernized version, twice condemned, was now entered onto the Novus Ordo liturgical calendar on the Octave of Easter. The "Feast of Divine Mercy" is strictly Novus Ordo and has no basis in the traditional liturgy. The Octave Day of a feast, particularly of the greatest feast, Easter, is a significant day in itself. The Divine Mercy cult is thus in contravention of the focus of the Catholic liturgy for that day, which is on the Resurrection of Our Lord and faith in His Divinity. As Dom Gueranger, the noted Benedictine liturgical scholar, commented in his fifteen-volume Liturgical Year: "Such is the solemnity of this Sunday that not only is it of greater double rite, but no feast, however great, can ever be kept upon it." That is the Roman Catholic attitude, which the New Order has spurned. Not surprisingly, the cult in post-Conciliar times is increasing in its association with another cult, that is, the cult of "Catholic" Charismaticism. This Charismatic Movement is far from true Catholicism, but is a derivative of the Protestant heresy, based on the erroneous notion that emotional experience always accompanies the conferral of grace, whereas the Catholic doctrine is that the only sensible indication of the conferral of grace is the Sacrament itself. Perhaps the cult's association with New Age ideas is why it has become lionized in recent years, whereas popes up to JPII have condemned it. Is it any wonder that the New Order pushes this corrupted devotion over the traditional devotion to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus? The devotion to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus is a much more ancient devotion, having grown in the early Middle Ages through the efforts of St. Bernard of Clairvaux, a Doctor of the Church, and St. Gertrude. However, it was in the latter half of the seventeenth century that news of three private revelations to St. Margaret Mary Alocoque concerning the Sacred Heart swept the Catholic world and shortly led to the establishment of a feast on the Friday after the Octave of Corpus Christi (the Friday after the Second Sunday after Pentecost). The Feast of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, which was extended to the Universal Church by Pope Pius IX in 1856, became a feast of atonement for human ingratitude toward God in spite of the supreme sacrifice of Calvary. The theme for the new Mass and the Divine Office was taken from the words of Our Lord to St. Margaret Mary: "Behold the Heart which has loved men so greatly, but which has been given so little love in return." Devotion to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus has been richly indulgenced by the Church, and a Litany of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus is one of only five approved for public recitation. Given the apparent New Order's corruption of the original devotion to the divine mercy and the pushing of this Charismatic novelty condemned by two popes, traditional Catholics will continue to stand with the more ancient and universally- approved devotion to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus and reject this New Order novelty. ============================================================================ EMBER DAYS The ember days are days of fast and abstinence prescribed at the beginning of the seasons. "Ember" comes from the Latin word "tempora," meaning "seasons." These days were prescribed for the entire Church by Pope Gregory VII (1073-1085) for the Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday of the weeks after the Feast of St. Lucy (December 13), of Ash Wednesday, of Pentecost, and of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross (September 14). However, the method of reckoning the exact dates of the ember days is a bit complicated, so the practical thing is to consult the TRADITIO Network's Traditional Catholic Calendar department, which follows the calculations published for each year by fully-traditional rubricists. The Ember Days retain the ancient tradition from the very beginnings of the Church of Wednesday and Friday as days of penitential fasting. Tertullian and other early writers speak of the ordinary fasts of rule practiced by the first Christians on all Wednesdays and Fridays of the year outside of Paschal time. These weekly fasts were probably established in apostolic times in imitation of a similar Jewish custom -- recall the words of the Pharisee in the Gospel, "I fast twice in the week." However, whereas the Jews fasted on the Monday and Thursday, the Christians, probably to mark their dissent from Jewish practices, chose for this purpose the Wednesday and the Friday. In the early document of the Apostolic Fathers known as the Didache, this distinction is insisted upon with special emphasis. (Fr. Herbert Thurston, Lent and Holy Week: Chapters on Catholic Observance and Ritual, 2nd ed./1914). Their origins are far more ancient, however, as they are mentioned at Rome at least as early as Pope Callistus (217-222). Around 450 Pope St. Leo the Great wrote of the Ember Days in a series of sermons: By voluntary mortifications the flesh dies to its concupiscences, and the spirit is renewed in virtue. But since fasting alone is not sufficient whereby to secure the soul's salvation, let us add to it works of mercy to the poor. The purpose of introducing the Ember Days was to thank God for the gifts of nature and to teach us to make use of them in moderation. We also offer our fast and abstinence for the sanctification of the clergy, as traditionally ordinations are held on Ember Saturdays. For those aged 21 to 59, Ember Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday are traditional days of fast (one full meal, two smaller meals, liquids only between meals) and, for all aged 7 or over, partial abstinence (meat, meat gravy, or meat soup at the main meal only) on Ember Wednesday and Saturday, total abstinence on Ember Friday. Many claim to pray for many and holy priests. They hope for the Traditional Latin Mass to be celebrated in their localities. However, they ought to ask themselves whether or not prayer without some preparation and sacrifice can have much efficacy. In accordance with ancient tradition, we ought to make the Ember Days meaningful by depriving ourselves of a little luxury and engaging in prayer for the Catholic priesthood, which is in great need of fasting and prayers. =========================================================================== FRIDAY ABSTINENCE Explicit mention is made of the practice of abstaining from fleshmeat on Fridays in a document from the end of the first century A.D., the "Didache of the Apostles," as well as by St. Clement of Alexandria and Tertullian in the third century. The perpetual tradition of the Church is clear beyond possibility of mistake on this matter, and from the earliest times the Christians at certain seasons denied themselves fleshmeat and wine, or even restricted themselves to bread and water (Concilium Laodicaeum, Canon 50). The Friday abstinence was the universal custom from the very beginning, as Friday was dedicated to the memory of the Passion of Our Lord, as a day on which we should make a special effort to practice penance. It is in recognition of the fact that Christ suffered and died, and gave up his human flesh and life for our sins on a Friday that Catholics do not eat fleshmeat on Fridays. Also the Friday abstinence reminds us of Adam and Eve's sin, and the Blood of Christ that was shed on Calvary in atonement of the Original Sin. By our abstinence on Friday, we recall, and participate in some small way, in the great sacrifice of Our Lord for us on that Good Friday. Moreover, by abstaining from fleshmeat, we give up what is, on the whole, the most pleasant as well as the most nourishing food, and so make satisfaction for the temporal punishment due to sin even when its guilt has been forgiven. The law of abstinence now forbids under pain of Mortal Sin fleshmeat and gravies and soup made from fleshmeat. All other kinds of food are allowed (CIC [1917], Canons 1250-1254). All persons over seven years of age must abstain. This means that they may not take fleshmeat, meat gravy, or meat soup at all on days of complete abstinence, which are all Fridays (except on holydays of obligation), Ash Wednesday, Holy Saturday (until noon), and the Vigils of the Immaculate Conception and Christmas. They may take meat, but only at the principal meal, on days of partial abstinence, which are Ember Wednesdays and Saturdays, and the Vigils of Pentecost and of All Saints' Day. The abstinence from fleshmeat is an ecclesiastical law with associations to Divine Positive Law, as expressed, for example, in St. Paul's First Epistle to the Corinthians (9:25) and Second Epistle to the Corinthians (6:5). It has long obliged under pain of mortal sin, since Pope Nicholas I in the ninth century. Pope Innocent III at the beginning of the 13th century confirmed this teaching, and Pope Alexander VII anathematized those who would minimize the character of a breach as only venially sinful. Traditional Catholics know full well that they have a grave obligation of maintaining this immemorial practice since the Apostles. They must confess a knowing and willful breach as a mortal sin. The Church does not forbid certain kinds of food on the ground that they are impure (the Jewish belief, disputed by St. Paul in 1 Timothy 4:4). The abstinence required is a reasonable one and is not exacted from those whom it would injure in health or incapacitate for their ordinary duties. Abstinence is a means, not an end, and is meritorious only insofar as it proceeds from faith and love of God (St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica, IIa IIae, q. 146, a. 1). Abstinence promotes our spiritual health by enabling us to subdue our flesh (1 Corinthians 9:27). What does it say when the Novus Ordo apparatus turns its back on such an Apostolic practice of the Church for no reason whatsoever? Can we not do such a little self-mortification for our spiritual health by abstaining from fleshmeat on that one day of the week, which so many nonCatholics do so do anyway for reasons or "to save the whales"? =========================================================================== GREGORIAN MASSES By the "Gregorian Masses" is meant a series of Masses offered, uninterruptedly, on thirty successive days, for the repose of the soul of a deceased person. The series is called a Trental. This practice arose as far back as, at least, the eighth century, and is ascribed to an incident related by St. Gregory the Great (540-604) in his Dialogues (Lib. IV, Cap. 55) -- how he ordered such a series of Masses to be said for the soul of one of his monks who had died penitent, after the commission of a fault against monastic poverty, and how, at the end of the series, the monk announced his delivery from Purgatory. Hence arose the belief that, in addition to the intrinsic value of the celebration of thirty Masses for the soul of a dead person, an extrinsic efficacy was added through the prayers and merits of St. Gregory, inclining God to apply more fully the infinite merits of the Mass to the deceased person, so that at the end of the thirty days he would be freed from Purgatory. While THE CHURCH HAS NEVER GIVEN ANY DECISION AS TO THE TRUTH OR VALUE OF THIS VERY OLD BELIEF, the Sacred Congregation of Indulgences did declare (Acta Sanctae Sedis, XVI, 509), on March 15, 1884, that "the confidence of the faithful, convinced that the offering of thirty Masses called "Gregorian" Masses possesses a special efficacy for the deliverance of souls in Purgatory, is pious and reasonable, and the custom of celebrating these Masses is approved by the Church." Conditions of the Trental 1) The thirty Masses must be offered without a break (S. Cong. Indulg., Jan 14, 1889; Holy Office, Dec. 12, 1912 [II]), for thirty consecutive days, not necessarily by the same priest (Holy Office [III]) -- hence the priest who undertook the celebration may have one or more Masses supplied by another priest--, nor in the same church. Should the last three days of Holy Week occur, and the celebrant does not say Mass on Maundy Thursday, or Holy Saturday (if he does, he must make those Masses part of the Trental), the series is not broken (Benedict XIV, Institutiones Eccl. 34 [n. 22], and he may continue, on Easter Sunday, as if there had been no interval. 2) The Masses must be spread over thirty days -- one being celebrated each day. Hence, the celebrant must not get one more more of the Masses celebrated by others on the one day, so that the thirty are completed in a shorter period than thirty days; nor must he apply more than one of his Masses on Christmas Day as a part of the Trental (S. Cong. Indulg., Jan. 14, 1889; Holy Office, Dec. 12, 1919 [II and IV]). 3) The Masses must all be offered for ONE deceased person only, not for several; nor for the living (S. Cong. Indulg., Aug. 24, 1888). 4) The Masses need not be Requiem Masses, even on days when these are permitted, but "it is praiseworthy to say them, out of regard for the dead, on days on which this is lawful and becoming" (Holy Office, Dec, 12, 1912 [V]). 5) The Masses need not be said at a privileged altar, nor need they be offered in honor of St. Gregory, nor with a commemoration of him (S. Cong. Indulg., Jan 14, 1889). 6) It is not certain that there is any plenary indulgence attached to the Trental (S. Cong. Indulg., Aug. 24, 1888). the special efficacy is due rather to the divine good pleasure and mercy, and to the acceptance on God's part of the Masses (S. Cong. Indulg., Aug. 24,, 1888, and Mar. 15, 1884). 7) The Masses of the Trental have no liturgical privileges. (J.B. O'Connell, The Celebration of Mass) There are several traditional organizations whose priests offer Gregorian Masses. For listings, see the Traditional Catholic Suppliers section of the latest edition of the Official Traditional Catholic Directory, Listing All Traditional Latin Masses and Traditional Resources for North America at http://www.traditio.com/nat.htm. ============================================================================ HALLOWEEN The question often arises about the celebration of Halloween by Catholics. Is it, for instance, "pagan" to dress up and go about as ghosts and goblins? The question often comes up because many modern Christians (mostly non-Catholic ones) believe that Halloween has something to do with worshipping the devil and participating in witchcraft. The truth is that the origins of Halloween are rooted deeply in the theology and popular customs of Catholics. It is a revision of actual history to say that our modern celebration of Halloween has origins in Druid customs. It is true that the ancient Celts celebrated a major feast (the Celtic New Year) on October 31st, but the fact is that they celebrated a festival on the last day of almost every month. Halloween, a contraction of "All Hollows Eve," falls on October 31st because the Feast of All Saints or "All Hallows" falls on November 1st. The feast in honor of all the Saints used to be celebrated on May 13th, but Pope Gregory III, in 731, moved it to November 1st, the dedication day of All Saints Chapel in St. Peter's in Rome. This feast spread throughout the world. In 998, St. Odilo, the abbot of the powerful monastery of Cluny in France, added a celebration on November 2nd. This was a day of prayer for the souls of all the faithful departed. Therefore, the Church had a feast of the Saints and those in Purgatory. It was the Irish Catholics who came up with the idea to remember somehow those souls who did not live by the Faith in this life. It became customary for these Irish to bang on pots and pans on All Hallow's Eve to let the damned know that they were not forgotten. In Ireland, then, ALL the dead came to be remembered. This, however, is still not exactly like our celebration of Halloween. On Halloween we also dress up in costumes. This practice arose in France during the 14th and 15th centuries. During the horrible bubonic plague, the Black Death, Europe lost half of her population. Artists depicted this on walls to remind us of our own mortality. These pictures and representations are known as the "Dance of Death" or "Dance Macabre." These figures were commonly painted on cemetery walls and showed the devil leading a daisy chain of people into the tomb. Sometimes the dance was re-enacted on All Soul's Day as a living tableau, with people dressed up as the dead. But the French dressed up on All Souls, not Halloween, and the Irish, who celebrated Halloween, did not dress up. The two were brought together in the colonies of North America during the 18th century, when Irish and French Catholics began to intermarry. Thus the two celebrations became mingled, and we began dressing up on Halloween. It is, as we can see, a very "American" holiday, but Catholic as well. "Trick-or-Treating" is a very odd addition to Halloween. It is the most American aspect of the holiday, and is the (unwilling) contribution of English Catholics. Guy Fawkes Day became a great celebration against Catholics in England. It celebrated the day the plot to blow up Parliament and King James I was discovered. This was on November 5, 1605. Guy Fawkes was the rather reckless man guarding the gunpowder. He was arrested and hanged. During these times of persecution of the Catholic Church, bands of revelers would wear masks and visit Catholics in the night demanding they be given cakes and beer. Guy Fawkes Day arrived in the American colonies with the first English settlers. Old King James had long been forgotten, but "Trick-or- Treating" was too much fun to give up. Eventually, it moved to the Irish/French Catholic masquerade. This practice of "Trick-or-Treating" was simply moved to coincide with the Catholic celebration involving dressing up. The ancient Druids did contribute the candy, which was used to welcome the good spirits, and masks (jack o'lanterns), which were used to scare away the evil spirits. Halloween can still serve the purpose of reminding us about Hell and how to avoid it. Halloween is also a day to prepare us to remember those who have gone before us in Faith, those already in Heaven and those still suffering in Purgatory. Halloween is a time to let people know about our Catholic roots and significance. (Fr. Scott Archer) Catholic parents who are not comfortable with the worst secular aspects of Halloween, which are admittedly increasing, can avail themselves of alternative activities on that day: family prayer and fasting for the Vigil of All Saints Day, visitations of houses in the garments of non- devilish personae, the reading aloud of stories of the Saints or of seasonal literature such as Edgar Allen Poe's "The Masque of the Red Death" and Washington Irving's "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow", and the playing of seasonal music such as Saint-Saens "Danse Macabre," Modest Moussorgsky's "Night on Bald Mountain," and Sergei Rachmaninoff's "Isle of the Dead". A word of caution, however. The Church has always condemned as sins against the First Commandment, and thus cautioned her children to stay far away from, astrology, charms, divination, fortune-telling, magic, ouija boards, sorcery, spells, witchcraft, and other occult activities, even if they are treated in a trivial or jesting fashion. St. Thomas Aquinas says that it is not permitted to Christians even to dabble in such things: "Man has not been entrusted with power over the demons to employ them to whatsoever purpose he will. On the contrary, it is appointed that he should wage war against the demons. Hence, in no way is it lawful for man to make use of the demons' help by compacts -- either tacit or express" (II-II, Q96, Art. 3). We remember too the the Prayer to St. Michael against "Satanam aliosque spiritus malignos qui ad perditionem animarum pervagantur in mundo" [Satan and the other evil spirits who roam in the world for the ruin of souls]. As in all things, parents must be sure to teach their children the proper balance in such matters, erring neither on the side of defect or excess. ============================================================================ LENT The word "Lent" that we use in English-speaking countries to mark the penitential season of forty days before Easter is from an Anglo-Saxon word meaning "spring." However, the official term used by the Church is "Quadragesima," from the Latin word for "forty." The question arises why the number of days from Ash Wednesday to Easter is not exactly forty. One simple explanation is that if one does not count the Sundays, which are not days of fast, the number of days does equal forty. To help you make a profitable forty-day period of prayer, penance, and spiritual exercises in preparation for the proper celebration of Easter, here are some suggestions for observance of the Lenten discipline, which consists of three separate parts: 1. Corporal (External) Fast. * Observe the traditional Lenten fast and abstinence. * Limit significant entertainments and parties during Lent. * Avoid listening to profane music (rock, pop, etc.) and instead listen to Gregorian chant and sacred polyphony. * Take less of what you like and more of what you dislike at meals one day. * Do not use seasoning on your food one day. * Avoid listening to the radio or television one day. 2. Spiritual (Internal) Fast. * St. John Chrysostom taught: "The value of fasting consists not so much in abstinence from food, but rather in withdrawal from sinful practices." * St. Basil the Great taught: "Turning away from all wickedness means keeping our tongue in check, restraining our anger, suppressing evil desires, and avoiding all gossip, lying, and swearing. To abstain from these things -- herein lies the tue value of fast!" * Abstain from all evil. * Avoid unnecessary talking one day. * Make extra efforts to exercise patience in all things. * Make extra efforts not to complain. * Make extra efforts to restrain anger. 3. Spiritual Change. * Make extra efforts to grow spiritually and to amend your life. * Practice the virtues, particularly the theological virtues of faith, hope, and charity, and the cardinal moral virtues of prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance. * Attend Divine Office, Holy Mass, and liturgical exercises as often as they are offered during Lent. ============================================================================ LENTEN FAST Many of the early Fathers of the Church -- St. Jerome, Pope St. Leo the Great, St. Cyril of Alexandria, and St. Isidore of Seville -- tell us that the season of Lent was instituted by the Apostles themselves from the very commencement of the Church. They legislated a universal fast to serve to purify our souls of sin and to subdue our passions and inclination to sin. The Apostles took the period of forty days from the penances in Sacred Scripture -- the Great Flood of forty days and forty nights, the wandering of the Jews in the desert for forty years to prepare for their entry into the Promised Land, the fast of our Lord for forty days and forty nights in the desert to give us an example of penance, recounted in the Holy Gospel of the First Sunday of Lent. The traditional Lenten fast pertains to every day of Lent from Ash Wednesday until Easter, except Sundays, for those over 21 and under 59 years of age. The fast allows one large meal with meat and two small meals without. Between meals no solid food is permitted. Complete abstinence from meat pertains to those over age 7 on Ash Wednesday and, of course, on Fridays. This is a mild form of fasting compared to what was practiced by our Christian predecessors in earlier centuries, but one that leaves us a little on the hungry side and aware that we are depriving ourselves of the temptation to eat whenever we feel like it. Through this Lenten practice of light self-mortification, we remind ourselves to subordinate our bodies to higher spiritual purposes and to use them for God's purposes. Our self-imposed modern diets, often undertaken only for reasons of surface physical appearance, are usually much more severe. How much more important it is, rather, to fast for our interior spiritual beauty. ============================================================================ ROGATION DAYS The Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday before Ascension Thursday are called the Rogation Days. The origination of the Rogations goes back to the fifth century, when St. Mamertus, the archbishop of Vienne in France, was faced with many calamities in his diocese. There were wars, earthquakes, fires, and attacks by wild animals. During one of the terrible fires that threatened his city, the archbishop began to pray zealously, and the fire went out. On Easter night, when a more serious fire was about to destroy the city, the good bishop again prayed, and the fire was immediately extinguished. The archbishop then instituted the Rogation Days, from the Latin word "rogare," meaning "to request." This practice ultimately spread to the whole Church. Wars, fires, earthquakes, and attacks by wild animals remind us of the present day as well. In the Gospel of this Sunday before the Rogation Days, the Fifth Sunday of Easter, which is therefore known as Rogation Sunday, Christ says that if you ask the Father anything in His name, He will grant the request, in the way that is bst for our souls. We certainly have many things to pray for in our times. Each of us can make a special effort on these three days to take some additional time to lift our minds in prayer -- for the propogation of the Faith, for the Church and the clergy, and for our temporal needs. ============================================================================ SACRAMENTALS, HOW TO DISPOSE OF Material Sacramentals are essentially devotional items, particularly those blessed items, such as holy water, holy cards, bibles and missals, rosaries, etc. When a sacramental, particularly a blessed sacramental, becomes so worn that it can no longer be used decorously, the sacramental should, as much as possible, be returned to the earthly elements: earth, air, fire, or water. Excess Holy Water, for example, can be poured into a suitable spot of earth, such as a garden. Excess incense can be burned into the air. A holy card or book can be burned. Excess blessed ashes can be poured into a body of water, such as a lake or ocean. If such disposal is not convenient, at least the sacramental should be altered so that its form no longer appears to be a sacramental. For instance, a holy card can be torn into pieces and then disposed of. A statue can be broken into small pieces and then disposed of. It should be noted that material Sacramentals lose their blessing if they are substantially broken in such a way that they can no longer be used for their sacred purpose, of if they are sold by one individual to another for money. In the latter case, the item would have to be blessed again. However, if a person replaces one worn-out sacramental with another of the same kind (e.g., a scapular), it is not necessary to have the replacement scapular be blessed. It is an old custom that on June 23, the Vigil of the Feast of St. John the Baptist, a fire be built in which no longer useful Sacramentals are burned and then buried. ============================================================================ SEPTUAGESIMA The word "Septuagesima" comes from the Latin for "seventy," from the ninth Sunday before Easter to Easter, there are some seventy days, though not exactly seventy -- the term is used as a round number. The number seventy is associated with the seventy years during which the Hebrews were captive in Babylon in the sixth century. For them, this was a time of somberness and reparation for their transgressions against God. As Psalm 136 describes it: "Upon the rivers of Babylon, there we sat and wept; when we remembered Sion" (Psalm 136:1[D]). Now the Church observes this seventy-day period in a spiritual way for its sins, as the Jews observed it by their physical captivity. To make a transition from the joyousness of Epiphany time to the penitential character of Lent, the Church has inserted for this and the succeeding two Sundays a kind of "pre-Lent" before Lent proper begins on Ash Wednesday. We see the altar clothed not in the green of hope, but in the violet of penitence. The music of the organ, however, remains until Lent proper begins on Ash Wednesday. At Vespers of the Saturday before Septuagesima, the usual single alleluia is doubled as a final sign of joyfulness before the penitential season that will last for the next seventy days. From now on, we no longer hear the joyous alleluia, the Gloria in Excelsis, or the Te Deum. This elimination of joyfulness from the Sacred Liturgy for Septuagesima is quite ancient, going back at least to the Rule of St. Benedict in the sixth century. The Gospels of these three Sundays focus their message upon a single theme: an invitation to us to commit ourselves to our faith even more fervently. The Propers of these Masses are some of the earliest in the Roman Missal, being composed in the time of Pope St. Gregory the Great, perhaps by the great saint himself. I urge you to take the time to meditate upon them out of your missals. ============================================================================ VEILS FOR WOMEN IN CHURCH Traditionally, women cover their heads in church. This practice follows a received custom practiced from very early in the Church. St. Paul, in his First Letter to the Corinthians (11:4-5), writes: "Every man praying or prophesying with his head covered, disgraces his head. But every woman praying or prophesying with her head uncovered disgraces her head." In other words, such a woman wounds her feminine dignity. From this custom arises Canon 1262.2 of the traditional Canon Law of the Church: Viri in ecclesia vel extra ecclesiam, dum sacris ritibus assistunt, nudo capite sint, nisi aliud ferant probati populorum mores aut peculiaria rerum adiuncta; mulieres autem, capite cooperato et modeste vestitae, maxime cum ad mensam Dominicam accedunt. [Men should be with head uncovered in church or outside of church, when they assist at the sacred rites, unless the approved customs of the people or additional particulars of the circumstances call for something else; women, however, should be with head covered and modestly dressed, particularly when they approach the Lord's table.] ============================================================================ WEDDING MUSIC Typically, the Sacrament of Matrimony is conducted in one of three ways: (1) the Sacrament alone (2) the Sacrament, followed by a low nuptial Mass, either of the day or the votive Mass "Pro Sponso et Sponsa" (3) the Sacrament, followed by a high nuptial Mass, with Gregorian chant, and possibly sacred polyphony for the Ordinary of the Mass There are four parts to the typical wedding ceremony: prelude, processional, interlude, recessional. Suggestions for organ music that would be appropriate for each part follow. PRELUDE MUSIC - while guests are being seated Wachet Auf (Sleepers Awake from Cantata 140), by J.S. Bach Air on a G String (from the Second Suite, BWV 1068), by J.S. Bach Schaefe koennen sicher weiden (Sheep May Safely Graze), by J.S. Bach PROCESSIONAL MUSIC - as the wedding party processes in Bridal Chorus (from the opera Lohengrin), by Wagner Canon in D, by Pachelbel Largo from (aria from the opera Xerxes), by Handel Where'er You Walk (aria from the opera Semele), by Handel Trumpet Tune (Prince of Denmark's March), by Clarke Trumpet Tune, by Purcell Water Music, by Handel Royal Fireworks Music, by Handel Sinfonia (from Cantata 156), by J.S. Bach INTERLUDE MUSIC - during the ceremony Panis Angelicus, by Franck Meditation (from the opera Thais) by Massenet, Ave Maria, by J.S. Bach Ave Maria, by Schubert Clair de Lune, by Debussy Reverie, by Debussy Andante Cantabile, by Tchaikovsky Nocturne (from A Midsummer Night's Dream), by Mendelssohn Dance of the Blessed Spirits, by Gluck Gymnopedie #1, by Satie RECESSIONAL MUSIC - as the wedding party recesses out Wedding March from a Midsummer Night's Dream by Mendelssohn Sinfonia (Arrival of the Queen of Sheba) by Handel Trumpet Voluntary, by Stanley Alleluja (from the motet Exultate, Jubilate), by Mozart Allegro (from Spring, the Four Seasons), by Vivaldi And the Glory of the Lord (from the oratorio Messiah), by Handel