Feast of St. Michael

September 29th is the feast of the Dedication of the Basilica of St. Michael.

From Matins of September 29th:
The Lesson is taken from the Sermons of St. Gregory the Pope


We say that there are nine orders or choirs of Angels, for, by the witness of the holy Word, we know that there be Angels, Archangels, Virtues, Powers, Principalities, Dominions, Thrones, Cherubim, and Seraphim. Nearly every page of the holy Word witnesseth that there be Angels and Archangels. The books of the Prophets, as is well known, do oftentimes make mention of Cherubim and Seraphim. The Apostle Paul, writing to the Ephesians, counteth up the names of four orders, where he saith : Far above all Principality, and Power, and Virtue, and Dominion. And the same, again, writing to the Colossians, saith : Whether they be Thrones, or Dominions, or Principalities, or Powers. If, then, we add the Thrones to the four orders of which he spake unto the Ephesians, we have five orders ; and when we add unto them the Angels and the Archangels, the Cherubim and the Seraphim, we find that the orders of Angels are beyond all doubt nine.

But we must know that the word Angel is the designation, not of a nature, but of an office. Those holy spirits in the heavenly fatherland are alway spirits, but they may nowise be alway called Angels. For they are Angels only when they are sent as Messengers. Hence also it is said by the Psalmist : Who makest spirits thine Angels! as if it were : Of them who are alway with him as spirits, he doth somewhiles make use as Messengers. They who go on the lesser messages are called Angels : they who go on the greater Archangels. Hence it is that unto the Virgin Mary was sent no common Angel, but the Archangel Gabriel. For the delivery of this, the highest message, it was meet that there should be sent the highest Angel. Their individual names also are so given as to signify the kind of ministry wherein each is powerful. Michael signifieth Who is like unto God? Gabriel, The Strength of God. And Raphael, The Medicine of God.

As often as anything very mighty is to be done, we see that Michael is sent, that by that very thing, and by his name, we may remember that none is able to do as God doeth. Hence that old enemy whose pride hath puffed him up to be fain to be like unto God, even he who said : I will ascend unto heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God... I will be like the Most High, this old enemy, when at the end of the world he is about to perish in the last death, having no strength but his own, is shewn unto us a-fighting with Michael the Archangel, even as saith John : There was a war in heaven : Michael and his Angels fought against the dragon ; and the dragon fought and his angels. Unto Mary is sent Gabriel, whose name is interpreted The Strength of God, for he came to herald the appearing of him who was content to appear lowly that he might fight down the powers of the air. Raphael, also, as we have said, signifieth The Medicine of God, and it is the name of him who touched as a physician the eyes of Tobias, and cleared away his blindness.

A Disgrace to Catholicism

Ted Kennedy dies, a man who publicly ignored Church teaching, and he gets a grand Catholic funeral Mass, and our president who has a most un-Catholic position on many things gets to speak at the funeral while everybody assumes Ted Kennedy is in heaven. How sad. Remember purgatory exists. So does hell, by the way. God help his soul.

Series on the Mass: Introduction

It's been a while since my last post, but it's time to get to a series on the Traditional Latin Mass, the Mass that was the norm in the Roman Rite until 1970. It was officially codified during the Council of Trent, but had only minimal changes since the days of St. Pope Gregory the Great, and had minimal changes even up to the time of Pope John XXIII.

Father Frederick Faber once referred to the Traditional Mass as "the most beautiful thing this side of heaven." I have found this to be very true. Whether in a small room in a rectory in Fairpoint, Ohio, to a grand cathedral in Wheeling, West Virginia, the Classical Mass is truly the most beautiful thing I have ever witnessed, and as many today are not familiar with it at all, I feel it necessary to explain what happens during the Mass.

I will have two series, the first being on what happens in the Mass, as well as before and after, and all things encompassing it. I will divide the Mass into parts, and in each post I will explain what occurs in each part. In the second series, I will take the same divisions, but this time I will give my own personal reflections and insights into each part of the Mass, giving historical reasons for the existence of the part being analyzed as well as its origin. Overall, the first part will mainly be copying and pasting from websites that have the text of the Mass. I will also present all the prayers in Latin and English for the benefit of the reader.

I intend both of these series to be presented as somewhat of a well researched essay, so that people can use them to their advantage when learning about the Classical Mass. I am aware that in the schools people are getting taught to be weary of internet sources, so the better I write these the more they could be used by those who are the product of a high school education.

In case you are wondering, according to the motu proprio "Summorum Pontificum" of Pope Benedict XVI, any competent priest of the Roman Rite, that is, a priest who knows all the rubrics of the "Extraordinary Form," is allowed to celebrate the Classical Mass according to the Missal of Pope John XXIII for the people of a parish, except during the Paschal Triduum, and is to acknowledge the people's request for the Classical Mass to be celebrated at the parish.

Filler post for the 4th of July weekend

I don't want to abandon the blog ever but the 4th of July, among other things, is for
-blowing stuff up
-food
-ESPN's coverage of the Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest
-food
-celebration of these United States (as it used to be called, because it appeared the nature of the "unity" of the States wasn't understood as one country as it is now, hence the Confederate States' logic)
-food

I will talk later about the state of "democracy" in America today, (really it is "republicanism"), as it the antithesis of monarchism, called "the best of all governments" by Pope Pius VI.

A photograph of the Catholicity of the Church

I cannot think of a better photograph to show the catholicity of the Church.

Feast of Sts. Peter and Paul

The Church's long standing belief is that on June 29, the year usually given as A.D. 67, St. Peter was crucified in Rome on an inverted cross, as he believed that he was not worthy to die the exact same way as Christ. On the exact same day, St. Paul was beheaded for the same faith that St. Pope Peter professed.

This feast in my opinion is a hallmark of the Church's catholicity. But what exactly does the word "catholic" mean?

From dictionary.com:

1. broad or wide-ranging in tastes, interests, or the like; having sympathies with all; broad-minded; liberal

2. universal in extent; involving all; of interest to all

3. pertaining to the whole Christian body or church

The word "liberal" here has a different meaning than it is used to mean today, that is, open to various things. That is exactly what the word is implying, and let me explain why the Church is called such.

The old God-revealed religion was Judaism. It was a very ethnic religion. It was a religion of a people, of a race. On the feast of Shavuot, what the Greeks called Pentecost, the Jewish nation was officially established at Mt Sinai. (I will point out it was originally a harvest festival. It is this background that the Eastern Churches use green on Pentecost, with plenty of greenery.)

On the Pentecost after the Resurrection, the Holy Ghost came upon the Apostles and the Church was established, like the Judaism of old was. As the Church grew, we have this quote from St. Ignatius of Antioch: "Where the bishop is, let the multitude of believers be; even as where Jesus is, there is the Catholic Church." That was written in the first century.



So why that description? Because it is a direct antithesis to the Judaism of old: what was a very exclusive religion became religion inclusive of all people, so that all people could be saved, not just Jews. The traditional translation of "catholic" was "universal": the Church was open to all, not just Jews.

When Sts. Peter and Paul when to Rome, two ethnic Jews, they established the faith there that became the faith of what was once a pagan Empire. These people were not Jews. St. Peter became bishop of a people that owned the land his race lived on.

In like manner, St. Paul, the greatest preacher ever seen, went to various places preaching the Gospel to people who were not Jewish. We have Churches with every name, besides Jewish:
Coptic Church, Byzantine Church, Melkite Church, Maronite Church, Roman Church, Romanian Church, Armenian Church, Syro-Malabar Church, Syro-Malankara Church, etc.

So that is my "sermon" for today's feast. I don't think it is too hard to believe that these two great saints died on the same day. Perhaps that's just what the Romans wanted: to kill all teh major Christian leaders in Rome at the same time. But we know the saying: the blood of martyrs is the seed of Christians.

Welcome

Welcome to my first and what I expect to be my only blog ever. The question on everybody's mind is: who are you and what are you blogging about?

I am Joseph Smith, and that's all I'll reveal at this time. I will say I live in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Steubenville, close enough to Wheeling, West Virginia to have easy access to there.

So what am I blogging about? I will blog mostly on things that interest me, which are my religion and politics. But what kind of religion and politics?

You know I am a Catholic by now, and I consider myself a "traditionalist". I consider this to mean that I prefer the older- or, "traditional"- rites of the Church, as I believe they are very beneficial spiritually to the Church, and I would almost go as far to say they are better than the new rites, because I honestly feel that way, but that would offend people (which I feel I will be doing a lot of on this blog, because people can get offended easily), and that is only one man's opinion. By "traditional rites" I mean the Traditional Latin Mass, the Traditional Breviary, Latin in the liturgy, etc.

I also am a monarchist. This means I support monarchy as a workable form of government. I do not mind small-scale democracy, like in a city or smaller political area but I prefer a Catholic confessional state with a Catholic king as the proper form of government, and when I learn more about it, I'll probably endorse distributism in public a lot more as well.


I plan on writing a series on the Traditional Mass, what happens during it and another of my own reflections on the Mass, and another series on why I endorse monarchy, but I'll also blog about things involving these two topics as well as other things that interest me, like orthodox (Greek for "correct belief") Catholicism and liturgics in general, which interest me greatly.

So for now, welcome. Pax et bonum. Peace and the good.

P.S. I take the name of this blog from the story of St. Athanasius. I'll let the Fish Eaters website tell the story.

Athanasius contra mundum

"Athanasius against the world." This phrase refers to St. Athanasius' brave stand against the Arian heresy of the 4th c. when the vast majority of Bishops -- even Pope Liberius himself -- succumbed to heresy. St. Athanasius was even excommunicated for his orthodoxy, but was later exonerated and canonized. The full phrase is, "If the world goes against Truth, then Athanasius goes against the world." The story of St. Athanasius is a good "check" on papolatry and the errors of false obedience. His words to the faithful are good solace for traditional Catholics today who watch Novus Ordo-ites destroy church buildings, trash the liturgy, and preach lies:

"May God console you!... What saddens you ... is the fact that others [Arian heretics] have occupied the churches by violence, while during this time you are on the outside. It is a fact that they have the premises -- but you have the apostolic Faith. They can occupy our churches, but they are outside the true Faith. You remain outside the places of worship, but the faith dwells within you. Let us consider: what is more important, the place or the Faith? The true Faith, obviously."

So if St. Athanasius can be "against the world," I fell I should to if I feel I believe what is right, that is, with my views of Catholicism, traditionalism, conservatism, monarchy, and whatever else I believe to be true.
Hence the name.