Divine Office for the Triduum

We've prepared a little document with the texts of Morning, Evening and Night prayer for the Triduum and Easter Sunday, should any of our readers be without a breviary. It's very functional and based on the Universalis texts.

Triduum Office

Things I don't understand

There are many such things. One prominent amongst them is Anglicanism. I am, however, a great fan of Rev. on the BBC in which the aforementioned rev recently got into hot water for very nearly blessing a civil union as a result of which he then quietly blessed the civil union. Does anyone know what the problem with an Anglican priest marrying two people of the same sex should be for an Anglican? I'm not really sure. They changed the matter of their sacrament of ordination in order to be gender neutral. Why not just change the matter of their sacrament of marriage for the same reason? Most of them seem to be in favour of gay marriage, why not just take the opportunity?

The holy army of martyrs praise thee

God, the Church and the Jesuits have gained a new martyr: Fr Frans van der Lugt SJ who was killed in odium fidei in Homs, Syria.

You have considered me worthy of this day and hour, 

worthy to be numbered with the martyrs 

and to drink the cup of your Anointed One, 

and thus to rise and live forever, 

body and soul, 

in the incorruptibility of the Holy Spirit. 

OPN

"In a talk at the beginning of Lent I cited the heroic and faithful work of Fr.van der Lugt SJ who, in the face of extraordinary danger and acute suffering, refused to desert the suffering people of Homs. He personified all the best qualities and ideals which the Society of Jesus stands for. He joins a long list of Jesuit martyrs who have sacrificed their lives truly believing that a man has no greater love than to lay down his life for his friends.

His death is a stark reminder of the systematic campaign by Jihaddists intent on the destruction of the region's ancient churches and the contemporary Passion and suffering being inflicted on the Middle East's Christians.

The tragic news of Fr.van der Lugd's murder came just 24 hours before an Aid to the Church in Need Vigil for Syria in London's Jesuit church at Farm Street. It's a moment to honour a great man but also to raise our voices and prayers."

Lord Alton

Christian Unity

This term, one of my tutors and I attended an ecumenical event in London in which we were invited to encounter the musical cultures of various apostolic denominations. It was a fascinating evening, in which we Latins contributed some Byrd and some plainchant. Today I listened to a lecture online given by Metropolitan Kallistos Ware, an alumnus of this University, in which he discussed the possibilities in the future of Orthodox-Roman relations. Most interesting, particularly the breakdown of authority into three tiers: local, regional and universal. It strikes me that the organizational structure of the Church might not be  of divine command, but might be venerable tradition. I'm not sure, it's something I'll need to think about. When God mentions the seven Churches in Revelation, for instance, he's not so much instituting patriarchates, but describing the existing situation in order to aid the spread of His Word. I haven't seen any more of Metropolian Kallistos's work, but this has been very thought provoking for me.

Obeying Pius XI today

Papa Ratti is not impressed by your heretical fascism.

Pius XI is one of my favourite popes. His encyclicals condemning fascism, Non Abbiamo Bisogno and Mit Brennender Sorge form part of the ordinary magisterium of the Church and as such one sees the protection of Christ against the errors of fascism. Once again, it is becoming necessary to act on these now fairly elderly encyclicals. As economic uncertainty has waxed, so too has the fascist movement in the United Kingdom, with the English Defence League as its vanguard. Any organization that needs to assert that it is neither racist nor violent ought to raise one's heckles. The EDL has recently released a survey online. It seems a good opportunity to put the doctrines expressed by Pius XI in the two aforementioned encyclicals into practice... by spamming them into irrelevance. To spam the fascist beast, follow this here link. Creativity warmly recommended.

Nationalism which is false and exaggerated, as well as dangerous to true peace and prosperity.
(Divini illius magistri)

Maybe this might solve some EDL related problems.

Fr Norman Weslin

With the attacks upon life which are currently making their ways through the British constitutional system, it seems like a good opportunity to mention this man.

Fr Norman Weslin

I've been asking for his prayers privately for some time now. I'm currently watching Kate Smurthswaite shouting at Bernadette Smyth on television and thus am asking for his prayers particularly at the moment.

Angloid Musack

As a result of a little disagreement in the sixteenth century over, amongst other things, the nature of marriage, we have the joy of attending evensong regularly. As a result, there are such delights as these.

Listening to this must be what being an Ordinariate priest is like all the time.