Ubi Petrus

Well, actually, my wife got it for me and it chants but the point still stands. I’m listening to the CD from the Cistercian Monks of Stift Heiligenkreuzand I can see why everyone has raved about what they have done. Maybe some day we’ll hear music like this in our churches now that the silly season has been seen for what it is. Until then, buy one and do your ears – and your soul – a favor.

Dr. Paul Camarata of the SaintCast podcast really outdid himself this time. As impressive as it was, I couldn’t help but wonder two things: 1) how many times did he have to record it in order to get them all right and 2) how long did he practice to be able to speak that long on one breath? Most impressive.

H/T The Curt Jester.

The cheerful news this past weekend that a local woman had qualified for the upcoming Olympics in race walking (oh, I should mention that as a local parishioner she was featured in the Diocesan magazine Parable before the race) got me to thinking. Strangely, it got me thinking about martyrdom. Then again, if you’ve ever trained for a race that connection isn’t as strange as you’d otherwise think.

Just as racing is generally divided into long- and short-distance the muscles that run those races can be divided into fast- and slow-twitch. Fast-twitch muscles are what we generally think of as “stronger”, generating more power and speed, but they quickly tire. Slow-twitch muscles generate less power and speed but tire much less slowly. Everyone has a different balance of fast- and slow-twitch muscle fibers. Those with a high proportion of fast-twitch tend to become sprinters or body builders or the like; those with a high proportion of slow-twitch tend to become distance runners. The former garner all the attention, the latter are often shown on TV in the wee hours of the morning. In the end though, it’s still a gold medal.

I’ve harbored for a long time a haunting wish that God would grant me the blessing of becoming a martyr for His Name. Not because I enjoy pain or have some particular interest in death but because, well, in some curious way it seems easier than the life-long alternative. It’s a one-shot deal with a guaranteed ending if you can hold on for just a little while. It is, in that way, like a sprint – one short burst of extreme pain and then, at the end, if you compete well, you garner that gold medal. It’s short, glorious and when it’s over you get the title of “World’s Fastest” and your face on a cereal box, or in our case you get the title of Martyr and your name remembered in Masses until the end of time.

But really, how many of us are there out there who are built like that? No, we’re here for the long haul. We are, in fact, race walking – putting one foot in front of the other time after time after sometimes painful time. Striding ever forward, sometimes dodging a puddle, a rock or a pothole and always trying to avoid drivers who have better things to do with their time is our call.

You know, maybe being a walker isn’t so bad. The sprinter has his glory and his crown, is regaled in song and cereal box and meets his eternal destiny in the blink of an eye. His is an inspiration to a life that almost no one can attain because it is only through a gift of God that he was built that way to begin with. But the walker grinds through life and is met by many who, if he is doing his job, find their own inspiration to take up that walk and join on the road. Most of us will never be championship sprinters, but we are all called to walk the narrow path.

Breviarium Romanum where, if you can translate the Latin, all things regarding the Roman Breviary are discussed. This may be the final straw to make me take the time to learn my Latin. I have heard some wonderful things about the pre-conciliar Breviary and if it really is that much better than my already-beloved “modern” Breviary then I truly am missing something. Go, check it out. (I do wish the poll on the sidebar had a “I don’t pray the Breviarium Romanum, but I wish I did” option…)

H/T The Hermeneutic of Continuity.

Well, let’s just say life at work as been … interesting. Having somehow, and only through the grace of God, managed to dodge the many bullets flying around I’m just now going to get back into the swing of a “normal” life.

So what have I been doing during all this time other than dodging work bullets? Mostly … reading. I started with Questions and Answers – a collection of, as you’d guess, questions and answers from various groups over the beginning of Pope Benedict’s pontificate. If you follow the Pope closely none of this will be new since these sessions were well-covered at the time; if not, however, this book is a priceless insight into the mind and heart of the Pope. With his wonderful way of treating even complex issues in the simplicity born of love of God he takes questions from groups as diverse as young children and priests of different dioceses in Italy and gently answers every question giving the same attention to a simple child’s question as to a deep question from a priest. The contrast between the innocent yet sincere questions of the children and the less-a-question more-a-statement types of the priests of Rome cannot be missed.

Next I went to A Civilization of Love by the Supreme Knight of the Knights of Columbus, Carl Anderson. Perhaps the best part about this book for me was that it was simply impossible to pin Anderson down to one political ideology – every time it seemed he was about to over-state a point he would produce a deeper insight into the topic and show he had always been trending to the center. Several time I caught myself thinking “I know where he’s going with this” only for him to prove me wrong and point out what is truly not the left or the right, but the Catholic position. I would say his strongest points are those where he is talking about things done by the Knights as a group which, given his position, could be expected. He doesn’t call us to anything extraordinary nor does he promulgate any particularly new teachings – what he does do, however, is remind us how much we can do even in the small things if only we do them, and do them in faith.

Finally, I just finished Augustine’s Confessions as translated by Albert Outler and revised by Mark Vessey for Barnes and Noble Classics. I can’t say much about the Confessions that hasn’t already been said and far more eloquently so I’ll only comment on the translation and the commentary. As good as this translation is, reading through it I came to understand the old latinist’s saying that reading Augustine in anything but his original Latin is a crime – he was too much an artist with the language for all his finest points to translate into another language. It’ll be a while before I’m ready for Augustine in Latin, however, so that’s going to be a ways off before I can speak to it first-hand. One thing I found rather interesting, and this goes for both the translation and the notes, was how the secular viewpoint affected everything. A Christian would expect words such as Lord and God to be capitalized, and would be surprised to find them left lower-case as in this book. In the commentary you can tell the endnotes were written for literary studies rather than spiritual edification, and sometimes the notes belie a certain critical attitude to the Christian points Augustine is attempting to make. At first I found this annoying but quickly found it a source of learning as I had to think through some of the comments to decide where they may have missed the mark. It has been several years since I read Confessions, and I must not wait that long again.

What’s next? I don’t know for sure. I have some thoughts in mind, and if my one project comes together y’all will be among the first to know.

I blame the corny post title on Mike Aquilina. Yeah, that’s it. But my foray into punditry is not why we’re here.

That instead would be to wish Gashwin Gomes all the best and to offer my congratulations on his acceptance to the pre-theology track as a seminarian for the Archdiocese of Atlanta. While we all in St. Blog’s will be saddened if he does in fact have to suspend his blog while in seminary, it is a tremendous joy to see someone take those first steps towards the black and white. Let us all offer up a prayer both of thanksgiving for this and for continued strength and guidance as Gashwin walks further down this path.

I was going to write a snazzy little post on the First Roman Martyrs whom we honor today, but then I read Mike Aquilina’s post on the subject. I can’t compete, the guy rocks. Instead let me just add this little snip from Our Sunday Visitor’s Encyclopedia of Saints– a gift to me from my grandmother:

Many martyrs who suffered death under Emperor Nero (r. 54-68) Owing to their executions during the reign of Emperor Nero, they are called Neronian Martyrs, and they are also termed the Protomartyrs of Rome, being honored by the site in Vatican City called the Piazza of the Protomartyrs. These early Christians were disciples of the Apostles, and they endured hideous tortures and ghastly deaths following the burning of Rome in the infamous fire of 62. Their dignity in suffering, and their fervor to the end, did not provide Nero or the Romans with the public diversion desired. Instead, the faith was firmly planted in the Eternal City.

I just love how that was worded. It is examples like this that give me a little hope. If they can withstand what was asked of them maybe, just maybe, I can withstand the little cross I have to bear if only I can find a way to cooperate with the grace offered me.

First, I want to second (c’mon, that was a well-timed pun!) everything he says about the news that Archbishop Raymond Burke has been appointed the head of the Apostolic Signatura. He has been a voice of reason and sanity in a world, and in a country, where those are in very short supply. He has also served to elevate the level of discourse on critical issues and refused to pander to those who would demand politically-correct wording to avoid otherwise necessary confrontation. While it is a loss to the Church in the United States, it is a gain to the Universal Church which must always be the greater good. I echo Dr. Peters’ hope that his position is filled both soon and well.

Second, he has written an article in Antiphon regarding a suggestion to alter the rules for the Communion fast. I can’t begin to agree enough with his recommendations. The current rule stipulates a one hour fast before receiving Communion. In explaining this rule to our RCIA class I was forced to point out that unless you’re eating in the car on the way to Mass it’s virtually impossible to violate this fast. I say virtually because I have, with my own eyes, seen someone drinking coffee during Mass who then went up to receive Communion. The rule is so simple to obey people think it doesn’t even exist anymore and have found ways to break even this rule. If you’re going to have a rule it must serve a purpose or it becomes legislation for its own sake which never does anyone any good. It will be interesting to see if this gains any traction.

NLM has a full translation of the Osservatore Romano interview with Msgr. Guido Marini, the Pope’s Master of Ceremonies. Do yourself a favor and read the whole thing – it’s densely packed with insights into from where the Pope is coming and to where he is going. As a minor history buff his accent on historical continuity as a proper hermeneutic and as a theological and liturgical key is both critical and intriguing. God has blessed us with this Pope, indeed.