A Treasure To Be Shared

I think that gay marriage is something that should be between a man and a woman. ― Arnold Schwarzenegger Huh? As Catholics, we hold the Bishop of Rome in the highest regard. He is our spiritual father. He is the shepherd of shepherds. He is the Successor of Saint Peter, the Rock upon whom Jesus Christ built His Church. And yet, like us, the pope is a human being, a creature of God, in need of our prayers. Chaos, turbulent times, fractious debates. In earlier days, days before the torrent of information provided by or through social media, information spread at a slower pace and was most often constrained by what we would now refer to as technological limitations, sparing the average pew dweller a veritable flood of news, good and bad, issuing from various Church closets. Nowadays, we have immediate access to the thoughts of hierarchs and lowerarchs casting innumerable comments our way. How are we to process so much information? The obvious comes to mind: ask the Holy Spirit for the gif...

[ 2 minute read ] Thoughts from An Unofficial Ordinariate Primer https://atreasuretobeshared.blogspot.com/p/alpha-and-omega-source-and-summit.html Fuel for Mission Beauty feeds the soul for mission. Souls fed on beauty, truth and goodness rise in hope each day to feed others, whether it be by offering bread or by offering the goodness of friendship or guidance or by sharing other charitable gifts. Ordinariate Catholics are fond of saying that we strive to worship God in the beauty of holiness (Psalm 96:9). We endeavor, therefore, to offer the sacred Liturgy (and Offices of Mattins and Evensong) in a manner that honours God and allows His people to perceive His truth, goodness and beauty. That clarity of purpose is not a sterile or banal approach that, to the uninitiated, appears to idolize good gifts while ignoring the Giver of those gifts. Rather, Ordinariate Catholics access the Church's vast treasury of art, music and architecture, enthusiastically employing elements of that ven...

  Thirty people from the Ordinariate community of Saint John Henry Newman in Victoria, BC, attended the inaugural Carol Walk downtown on Thursday, December 21st. https://www.victoriaordinariate.com Carrying lanterns, the group began a ten-stop event with prayer outside St Andrew's Catholic Cathedral and ended on the steps of the Provincial Legislature. Passers-by joined in the singing as the group made its way through the downtown area. 150 fliers with information on St John Henry's Christmas services were distributed. The Carol Walk, by singing beautiful traditional carols, attested to the truth of the Christmas Mystery and brought great festive happiness to individuals the group encountered along the way. Many thanks to David S., in particular, for this great initiative, and to him, Joseph P., and David D. for the photos. British Columbia Legislature Memorial Cenotaph

The Terpsichorean: can't sit still in the pew; shifts from being seated to kneeling to standing every couple of minutes. The Artful Dozer: half-asleep, leans against the wall or a neighbour; needs an occasional  'psst' to prompt him along. Mr. Fidget: weak bladder. The Chatterbox: attempts to engage others in small talk. You can almost bet she's gonna confess to gossipping. The Judge: whose penetrating gaze could cause a saint to wilt with guilt. The Timekeeper (aka The Tracker): her eyes are constantly on her watch timing each penitent in the box. Probably worked the clock during high school basketball games. The Narrator: rehearses his examination of conscience out loud. Mr. Scruples: you can practically see the sweat draining off his forehead. The Devotionalist: rigorously works the rosary beads, and whose whispering of prayers is almost as annoying as an ASMR (autonomous sensory meridian response) video of someone slurping hot soup. The Revert: hasn't been to co...

Magisterium AI (Beta), an artificial intelligence tool, provides the following responses. https://www.magisterium.com/ What are the criteria for determining if the Pope is wrong? The criteria for determining if the Pope is wrong are as follows: The Pope can commit sin and must seek forgiveness in the Sacrament of Penance like any other person. Infallibility does not prevent him from sinning [1]. The Pope is not infallible in everything he says and does. The Holy Ghost was promised to make him infallible only in matters of faith and morals for the whole Church [2]. The Pope's opinion on any subject deserves great respect due to his learning, experience, and dignity [2]. When the Pope speaks ex-cathedra, he must meet certain criteria to speak infallibly. These criteria include speaking on a subject of faith or morals, speaking as the Vicar of Christ and to the whole Church, and indicating by certain words, such as "we define" or "we proclaim," that he intends to s...

A lot of folk might be thinking that it's high time to put the boot to certain people and things. Correctio filialis Confusion reigns in many precincts of the Church. Confusion has become the go-to destination for a theological and spiritual vacation. As a former outsider who sought refuge in the Catholic Church, was received into the Church during the looney 1980s, and who loves the papacy, current events are not earth nor faith shattering. No sinful relationship can ever be blessed. Period. Attempts to twist the Church's ageless teaching are not so much unsettling as they are an annoyance. Do not be deceived; God is not mocked, for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption; but he who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. And let us not grow weary in well-doing, for in due season we shall reap, if we do not lose heart. So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all men, and es...

The seasons of Advent and Christmas - yes, dear friend, Christmas is an entire season lasting beyond Boxing Day and New Year's Eve - are seasons of the Word Incarnate. Each year, the Church provides us with a lavish feast of readings in the Mass that immerse us in the mystery and revelation of the Incarnation. For those of us who attend the Ordinariate Liturgy - Divine Worship - or the Latin Mass (1962 Missal), we are blessed with hearing most days the Last Gospel. Divine Worship contains and proclaims a particularly beautiful translation of the Gospel of Saint John, Chapter 1 verses 1 to 14. We who are created in the image and likeness of God - we are little words of God spoken by the Word of God - would do well to acquaint ourselves with God's holy word, for the word of God is a pool of living water in which we may be refreshed. This Christmas, take a vacation with the word of God. Dine on some scripture - the readings of the Mass, perhaps? - even a minute or two, every day o...

  Take care of the little things (even when you're exhausted): do the dishes; clean the bathroom; sweep the floor; tidy the living room; clean your bedroom. Practice charity at home, toward your wife and kids, toward siblings and parents, toward a roommate, toward a landlord. Give to the poor: donate food and/or cash to a food bank. Volunteer at a food bank; pray silently - or if opportunity presents itself, pray with others - for the needs of each person you encounter. Accompany every task with prayer; give thanks to God for the opportunity to serve our brothers and sisters. Reach out to a coworker who is difficult to get along with. Acknowledge something good, however seemingly insignificant that something might be. Ask them what interests them; listen carefully. Go for a walk and acknowledge passersby: catch their eye and say 'hello', or just smile and nod. Remember: the people you encounter are created in the image and likeness of God. Give thanks to God for the miserab...

The following prayer is an adaptation of a prayer by the Rev. Deacon Keith Fournier, NOVEMBER 17, 2023. In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen. Heavenly Father, we thank Thee for Thy great gift of living faith that has opened now our eyes to see life differently because of Who Jesus is and who we are becoming in Him. Lord, we thank Thee for sending Him, Thy beloved only-begotten Son as our Saviour, so that we may be sons in the Son, and see with new eyes all that Thou art accomplishing even in the midst of this present darkness. Vouchsafe to help us, O Lord, to be light to dispel the darkness. Help us to manifest Thy hope for so many people struggling and depressed and fearful. Help us, we beseech Thee, to be disciples who stand with Thy beloved Son, Jesus Christ, and are faithful to Him and faithful to His teaching, and to take our place following in His footsteps. Be with us alway and guide us henceforth with Thy saving grace. This we ask in the Name o...

Holy Communion by Candlelight Rorate Caeli is Latin for “Drop down, ye heavens” and are the opening words of the Introit (which is an opening psalm or antiphon), the text from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah 45:8. Rorate, caeli, desuper, et nubes pluant justum, aperiatur terra, et germinet Salvatorem. Drop down dew, ye heavens, from above, and let the clouds rain the just: let the earth be opened and bud forth a Savior. – Isaiah 45:8 "A Rorate Caeli Mass" - also known since the 8th Century as the Missa Aurea (Golden Mass) or the Missa Angelica , "is traditionally celebrated just before dawn in Advent as a devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. The Mass is only lit by candles, representing Mary’s role in bringing the Light of the World into the darkness of the world." - National Shrine in Champion Photos by D. Duchesne Saint John Henry's in Victoria, a quasi-parish of the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of Saint Peter hosted at Our Lady Queen of Peace Parish, is...

The official reason that the Personal Ordinariates for former Anglicans (and now many, many cradle Catholics) exist is because Anglicans petitioned Rome for inclusion and Rome responded with a generous 'yes'. In recent times the Holy Spirit has moved groups of Anglicans to petition repeatedly and insistently to be received into full Catholic communion individually as well as corporately. The Apostolic See has responded favourably to such petitions. Indeed, the successor of Peter, mandated by the Lord Jesus to guarantee the unity of the episcopate and to preside over and safeguard the universal communion of all the Churches, could not fail to make available the means necessary to bring this holy desire to realization. - Benedict XVI Here are a few reasons drawn from personal experience as to why the Ordinariate is a gift from God for the whole Church. Among Catholics of the Personal Ordinariates, I've found: the reverent worship of Almighty God; beautiful liturgy a confident...

Go to confession and daily Mass . Receive Holy Communion on the tongue. Read the Bible: start with the  Gospel of Saint Luke  and the  Acts of the Apostles . Pray the Rosary daily . Ask Mary to pray that you may acquire a deep reverence for the Holy Eucharist. Surround yourself with faithful Catholics who take your salvation seriously. Take your own salvation seriously. Practice the  Spiritual and Corporal Works of Mercy . Model your life on the saints and encourage others to draw closer to Jesus Christ. Stop reading the National Catholic Reporter. Start reading the National Catholic Register and The Catholic Thing . and... trust in Jesus always!

[ 7 minute read ] Humiliation We recently learned that Michael Voris, the founder of St. Michael's Media, CEO and host, stepped down after a morality clause violation. Voris has always been candid about his past failings. Be ready to accept humiliations. They can hurt terribly but they can help to keep you humble. Whether trivial or big, accept them. All these can be so many chances to be a little nearer to our Lord. There is nothing to fear, if you are near to the Lord and in His hands. - Michael Ramsey, 100th Archbishop of Canterbury Mr. Voris addressed the issue of his resignation in a video posted to his Twitter page in which he referred to "some very, very ugly truths from my past... that I, for essentially 62 years, have avoided facing." Humility is the only thing that no devil can imitate. - St John Climacus It is far too easy for any one of us to slip into mediocrity and fall further into sin when that lifeline to God is ignored. That is, without regular disciplin...