60. You're Doing it Wrong (includes pretty pictures)

(Actually, I have no idea WHAT you're doing...)

(Is this a thing?)

Please, get that priest a fiddleback.

AHHH Much better (Plus, it's actually a liturgical color...)

And finally,

MANIPLE

That is all.

59. Rant

So I logged into Facebook last night because I couldn't sleep. And what do I find? An extremely long, drawn out explanation from a local Priest. About what? Oh boy.

Apparently, he had posted a quote from Thomas Jefferson on his parish's page, 

“…to compel a man to furnish contributions of money for the propagation of opinions which he disbelieves and abhors, is sinful and tyrannical…”

and this quote I agree with. People's reactions, NOT SO MUCH.

The reason that he posted an explanation to his previously posted and then revoked quote (which, in my opinion, he should have just left there and not explained) was because a number of catholic (to use the term so commonly employed on Fr. Z's blog) parishioners put up a fuss about it, automatically calling to mind the Church's "neanderthal thinking" and views on contraception. The comments that ensued were downright frightening. Even on his over the top apology did people bicker and call the Church out. One person pointed out that "95% of us [Catholics] use birth control (emphasis mine)." Like that makes a difference on whether or not it's okay?

(Refreshing Fulton Sheen )

Another: "You use your pulpit to further the political ambitions of the RCC [Roman Catholic Church] which is a most immoral and unethical thing to do."  ... WHAT? First off, the Catholic Church with regards to its dispute with the HHS Mandate is not trying to push any sort of political ambitions. It's trying to assure that the government of these USA doesn't force a risk to the salvation of the souls that the Church is shepherding. The Church is not a government, nor is it a political party. It doesn't change its stance with times. It certainly isn't immoral to try to assert what your Church teaches.  It's preposterous to accuse a priest (of all people. I mean, come on) of immoral acts on the basis that he is promoting what the Church's doctrine and teaching says. Are you even Catholic? (To be Catholic, in short, means to adhere to and accept the Teachings of the Roman Catholic Church, and to believe in its beliefs. Cafeteria catholics are no longer in communion, you guys.)

"The RCC is a driving force behind what will eventually eliminate organized religion from the face of the earth, and consign it [and?] all other religions to the dustbins of history, where it richly deserves to reside."  Can someone please... Just. Wow. 

(Papa Francis is not amused)

<| : - (

(I wish there was a way to make a Mitre that doesn't look like a dunce cap)


What part of "Thou art Peter; and upon this rock I will build My Church, and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it" don't you understand? This is the SAME Church that Jesus founded. This is the SAME Church that has been in existence for approximately 2000 years. This is the SAME Church that is the Bride of Christ, and is the Refuge of Sinners, and is UNIVERSAL. It's not going anywhere, and for you to say that it deserves to be in the dustbins of history doesn't sound very Catholic (or perhaps, ecumenical) to me. And how in the world is the Catholic Church the driving force behind it's own demise? Kind of rings a bell to the Gospel for today (as well as this past Sunday in the EF) 

“Every kingdom divided against itself will be laid waste

and house will fall against house.

And if Satan is divided against himself, 

how will his kingdom stand?

For you say that it is by Beelzebul that I drive out demons.

If I, then, drive out demons by Beelzebul,

by whom do your own people drive them out?"

Luke 11:17-19

And then they brought up Pope Francis, and the all-too-commonly-used, "The Church needs to move forward into modern times."

(That's all I have to say to that.)

Three people left lovely ratings on the Church's page (one star, "because it won't allow a zero."), and numerous long-winded, angry comments followed Fr.'s post. A number of stabs were taken at Fr. as a person, by people who he asserts hardly know him at all outside of Facebook or a simple exchange. Someone actually commented saying "And yeah, you are a lousy priest." I'm appalled!!!


 This should not be happening! If a priest says or does something that you don't agree with (as a faithful Catholic), bring it up to them in charity, as a way to help them, their soul, and the souls of their flock. Trying to disrespect a priest is not the best way to build up the Kingdom, and certainly doesn't do you any good. We should be supporting our priests with prayer, fasting, and counsel. They're on the front lines. Whether they're right or not, we need to care for their eternal salvation, and raking them over the coals in the public square isn't the #1 way to do that. I don't agree with some things that this priest does or thinks, but I wouldn't treat him as many of these parishioners did. If I were his parishioner, I would bring some of these things up to him, perhaps after Mass or even during a scheduled meeting. There's no reason for public cyber uncharitable-ness, especially on your parish's page. 

Pray for our priests, and have a good day.


<end rant>

+ PAX

~SSWW

57. My Reversion Story

New video out! A better enunciated version of my reversion story! YAY!

The video for some reason doesn't want to be on a plugin on my blog, so I'll just link it HERE. Sorry about that...

I hope you enjoy! Please share it with your friends!

+ Pax

~SSWW

56. Interesting How the Spirit Works

Now if this doesn't freak you out a little...

So I pinkie promise that I didn't see this before now. In fact, one of my good friends (John, who helped to put together my Why Wear the Veil video a while back) messaged me on FaceBook and proceeded to ask me if I had seen the article on Regina Mag's FaceBook. I hadn't, so I searched, and found (Thanks, St. Anthony!), and read.

Hm.

This                                                            

   Seems...                       

                                 Familiar.

Like, really familiar. Like, HOLY SPIRIT WHAT ARE YOU DOING familiar...

POST FOUND HERE (Published on the 9th.)

Now, compare with my post from the 12th.

SEE WHAT I MEAN?!

Yeah. 

Like I said, I am 100% certain that I did not see Regina Mag's post before this evening. 

If that's not the Holy Spirit, at work, I don't know what is!

+ Pax

~SSWW

55. Now THIS Is Awesome!

HUGE Round of applause to Fr. Richard Heilman (whose blog is found here), who is making some AWESOME changes in his parish!

Read Fr. Z's posts for details:

Ending the use of "Extraordinary Ministers"

Switching to Ad Orientem Worship 

Making Confession frequently and easily accessible - with the use of technology!
*My soul did a happy dance upon reading this post...*

Installation of altar rails!

I would have to say, this priest is on a roll!

Please pray for Fr. Heilman and his parish, and for all priests!

Good stuff...

+ Pax

54. Oh no, here she goes again...

Happy John Day!

...

No, I won't subject you to the torture like I did last year. Just thought I'd remind you that today is 3/16!


+ Pax

53. I Apologize in Advance

Someone on Twitter posted this and I have to share it.

For the liturgically squeamish, the canon lawyers, and traditionalists, this might be a good time to check out my other posts...

My thoughts:

0:01 what is that hunk of metal doing in the sanctuary? Are we in a junk yard? The foliage makes me think of a jungle...
0:50 ... that song sounds familiar...
0:52 West Side Story?
1:23 commence hysterical laughter
2:33 Oh, good! They're gone!
2:43 They're back. And they brought... the gifts?
3:02 Where in the rubrics is this?
3:08 Where in the rubrics is any of this?
3:15 Don't put the gifts down on a bare "altar!" There has to be a white cloth...
3:19 Oh how convenient...
3:25 It looks like an oversize sheet of toilet paper...
3:54 Incense?
4:06 Last time I checked, that's not how you incense an altar...
4:26 It looks like an aerobics class is taking place in the background...
4:47 I feel bad that this guy is never gonna live this down...
4:52 WHAT are you doing?!?
6:01 I always love when they light candles with grill lighters... So liturgical.
6:14 What the heck kind of reverencing the altar is that?
6:18 You forgot to bow.
6:21 My favorite part, by far, is when they leave...

(My thoughts exactly)

As an antidote for that, please enjoy this video:

Ahhh much better

So why did I put you through that torture?

It's Lent! Penance!

Just kidding. People need to see how ridiculous this modernist stuff is, and realize how detrimental it is to our Liturgy. This isn't good.

For those of you who saw nothing wrong with the first video, Cardinal Arinze has some words for you:

Why don't you kneel? Why don't you crawl?

(I LOVE Cardinal Arinze.)

And my good friend CalledToBeCatholic's video about Liturgical Dance:

Thank you for reading! Feel free to inflict this torture on your friends (by making use of the share buttons below)!

Have a great day, and God bless you!

~SSWW

UPDATE:

In light of the enthralling "Religious Ed Conference" (REC) this weekend (I was blessed, or not so blessed, to be able to watch the "opening rite' /more like opening wrong/ online), Fr. Z, Michael Voris, as well as Catholic Memes all had commentary to this. Quite amusing. Glad I'm not the only one to have a major problem with this kind of stuff. Oy.

I was watching the ceremony yesterday and having a lovely conversation with some other traditional Catholics in the sidebar, until they blocked me. Oh well. *shrug*

Pax 

52. A Letter to the Shepherds

**I would like to apologize to anyone who saw this post on 3/13/14 before 11pm. Somehow it got uploaded before it was finished, so it was literally just a skeleton outline. I apologize for the mistake. Please see the whole post, below. Thank you and God bless!!**

This is a letter to all of you Shepherds and soon-to-be-Shepherds. Please don't take offense at anything that I am about to write.

I am a 19 year old discerning female, who cares very much for priests. I care about the souls that they are shepherding, and most of all, I care that Jesus' Will is done.

Jesus called you - called YOU to be His advocate, His hands and feet, and a shepherd to His children. This is not something to take lightly. You have the most important vocation in the world. Please remember that.

LOOK THE PART

Don't be ashamed of your vocation. I challenge you to wear your clerics in public! Don't just wear them for Mass and the Sacraments. Wear them always! I remember when I was at 6 Flags with the Salesian Sisters, 

...

(Don't believe me?)

(The scariest ride of my life. I don't do well with rides...)

and a man came up to Sister Colleen and I as we were waiting for the Aspirants to get off a particularly frightening ride. He announced to Sister Colleen, "I'm a priest." We both looked at him curiously, as he was vested in a lovely plaid button down and, if I remember correctly, khakis. Not very priestly... So, of course, we didn't believe him! We thought he was just trying to be funny... Whoops. It would be awesome if all Priests would identify themselves as such - not for self-glorification, but to glorify God! When someone sees a nun in habit or a priest in clerics, they think of God. They don't think "oh, he's trying to show off." Please be proud of the vocation that God has called you to. And if you want extra points, try donning a cassock! Those are very nice, priestly garments, and you really represent your priesthood in that!! (But IMHO, PLEASE none of these goofy hats. Birettas are awesome, but don't go overboard.)

THE MASS

Say Mass as if it were your last. EVERY time. The Mass is something so amazing and mysterious. Please treat it as such! Every Mass, you are in the person of Christ (in persona Christi), and you call down God from Heaven to inhabit something that once was inanimate, and is now ALIVE! Think about that for a moment.

(Before)                                     (After)

Please show the Mass some reverence. Like, a lot of reverence. 

FORGIVE ME, FATHER...

Why not offer Confession more often? It can't hurt, right? Either you help some people, absolve some sins, maybe even bring someone out of mortal sin, or, if nobody shows up, you could use that time to write your homilies, or make use of that time doing my next point. Either way, you can't go wrong. Start small, then work your way up. You don't have to start right off the bat offering Confession 3 hours a day. You'd get exhausted! Start by a half hour before each week day Mass, and another half hour on Saturdays and Sundays. That can't be too bad! My spiritual director offers Confession for at least an hour each day. And the fruits are amazing! 

LEARN

Keep learning! Our Church has the Fullness of Truth! Why not dig into that Truth a little and increase your knowledge and understanding of God and His Bride? Read some Thomas Aquinas, or brush up on your Canon Law! Read the GIRM over again. That certainly couldn't hurt! Try pulling out encyclicals - old, new, doesn't matter! Or, if you're bold and have enough time, try to learn the Extraordinary Form, or at least learn how to say the Ordinary Form Ad Orientem! Even if you never use it, you will gain an appreciation for the Mass whichever way you do say it! (Of course, I would prefer that you learn it and use it...)

YOUTH

Get involved with the youth ministry programs at your parish. You are the shepherd for these children and families. Don't leave them hanging! Many families who send their children to faith formation don't attend Mass, or don't bring the kids. These children may never have seen a priest before. Heck, they might not even know that a priest is! Be a representative for Christ to the new generation. Give them an example of holiness and of willingness to follow God's Call. You can't go wrong there.

SPIRITUALITIES

Don't hate on people who want to be a little more traditional (like myself). We all have our own spiritualities, and as long as nobody is killing anyone else over them and the rules are all being followed, we're okay. (Considering that these people are doing nothing wrong,) Don't ask parishioners to stand if they want to kneel for Communion. Don't demand that ladies take off their veils. Don't force people to hold hands at the Our Father. Be charitable and welcoming (but not too much so... Cue Michael Voris' voice "CHURCH OF NICE!!!"), and open to different spiritualities. 

ENCOURAGE THERE TO BE MORE OF YOU!

Talk about vocations. Encourage vocations. You don't want to be one of the 30 priests in your diocese manning 130 parishes because vocations have died down. Again, be a representative for Christ and this beautiful vocation!

HOMILIES

Include in the vast majority of your homilies: the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Eucharist, and Confession. These are three HUGE tools of conversion. Why conversion? These people are already Catholic! Oh really? How many of them believe in the Real Presence? (Statistics say a whopping 30%.) How many pray the Rosary - or even know how to pray the Rosary? And how many have been to Confession in the past month? Probably not a lot (unless you've employed my 3rd point...).

DOMINE NON SUM DIGNUS

Remember to remain humble. The Lord has called you not because of you, but because of HIM. Try to take to heart the prayer that we say at Mass every day, "Lord, I am not worthy..." There's a lot of truth in that. Keep that prayer in your mind and heart always.


If you're struggling with your vocation or doubting your purpose, try this:

I read something from Fr. Z (if you don't know of him, you should) and it mentioned that taking a bit of chrism and rubbing it between the palms of your hands can help remind you of your vocation. Maybe try that every once in a while.

(Here's what I'm referring to, for those of you who don't want to read the whole post)

YOU ARE A PRIEST. FOREVER.

Priests, we love you. We are praying for you. Please keep up the good work. Do not be discouraged. Jesus sees what you are doing and He loves you.

+ Pax +

~SheSpeaksWithWisdom

51. Spiritual Direction - A Gift and Grace

Many people underestimate the importance and value of spiritual direction, and having a spiritual director. It's such an incredible grace to have The Lord grant to you the assistance of a spiritual director, and to hear The Lord speak through this particular director.

It is difficult for some people to locate a director or confessor that is a good "match." From my personal experience, I had a spiritual director and after one meeting I decided that he wasn't the one that The Lord willed for me to consult. I could just tell that we weren't going to get very far. Our spiritualities were very different. My search for a holy director continued, and after many months (over a year), I was granted a holy and wise spiritual director, whose spirituality I shared and embraced.  I cannot tell you the amazing advice and help I have gotten from this holy, yet newly ordained priest. It is no doubt of mine that this priest is simply a "screen," as St. Faustina writes in her diary (DIARY 1729, DIARY 1308), and that the Lord hand-picked this priest for me and my spiritual journey.


Opening up to another human being about our most inner thoughts and desires; about our temptations and our dreams; what we feel the Lord calling us to do and how we are failing Him, can be scary! But the graces and advice that we receive from our Spiritual Director and/or Confessor much outweigh our inhibitions about the meeting.


It's so beautiful that we as Catholics have been given the amazing gift of priests - men who selflessly give their whole lives to the Lord to heal and save souls! And we literally encounter Christ through them in the Sacrament of Confession and in opportunities of spiritual direction! It's amazing how the Lord works through them!


I made a video some time ago about Spiritual Direction. Check it out (But please excuse the extremely ridiculous beginning)!

Thanks for reading, and God bless!!

~SSWW

50. Communion in the Hand?

(Brace yourselves for lots of fun videos!)

I know that quite some time ago I posted that it was "Jesus in you, either way." That was over a year ago. Since then, I've read a lot of information, spoken to many people, and have prayed over this a lot. I have come to the conclusion that the safest way to receive Our Lord in Communion is to receive on the tongue.

(Watch out - we've got a traditionalist over here)

Sorry not sorry.

Why? Lots of reasons, but I'm sure you like to watch videos more than read my blabbering...

Watch Gabi's videos:

Part 1

Part 2 (Kneeling! 

For those who want to take it 

another notch and are physically able)

THE WHOLE BODY, BLOOD, SOUL, AND DIVINITY OF JESUS CHRIST ARE CONTAINED IN THE SMALLEST FRAGMENT OF THE HOST AND IN THE SMALLEST DROP OF THE CONTENTS OF THE CHALICE. 

On Tuesday I saw something devastating. I was at a noon-time NO Mass where EMHC are regularly used (don't get me started on EMHCs...). One of them, a lady whom I had never seen before, was distributing Jesus in the form of the Host. After handing the ciborium back to Father, she brushed off her hands, kind of like she had been gardening, and walked away. Surely there must have been particles of the Lord on her hands, and now they were carelessly thrown on the floor!

This is something I see too often. I can hardly watch during communion at most NO parishes. I know that Jesus is being thrown on the floor. It saddens me to know that this can only mean one thing - people don't understand or love Jesus in the Eucharist.

The SOURCE AND SUMMIT of our Faith (Can 897). And people don't understand it? We have a serious problem that is in need of some serious fixing (something I will cover at a later date)... Only 30% of Catholics believe in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist.

You are not God. You are not greater than God. You are a child of God. You are a creation, He is the Eternal Creator. Do not act like you are an adult who can feed himself. You are insignificant. Humble yourself and receive on the Tongue. This is the LORD OF THE UNIVERSE. Act like it.

Another video (MUCH SHORTER!)

I love Cardinal Arinze:

That is all...

Leave any comments below! Thanks for reading/watching the multitude of linked videos....

+ Pactum Serva

God bless!

~SSWW

49. Veronica's Veil

You may recall, that is, if I even told you, that in August of this past year I began attending the Extraordianry Form of the Mass, in addition to the Novus Ordo. This entailed the obvious wearing a mantilla. At that point, I was only wearing the mantilla while assisting at the EF, although I had been drawn to the idea of veiling at every Mass for quite some time. It was one of those things that I had been attracted to, but too scared to actually try.

Attending the EF gave me the opportunity to become comfortable wearing a veil, and helped me to realize why it is done.

In November, I spent a weekend with the Dominican  Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist (DSMME). One of my friends who was also to be attending the retreat advised me to bring my mantilla, as many girls who discern the order veil. Since that weekend, I have begun wearing the veil at every Mass, and whenever in the presence of the Eucharistic Lord.

("Starter Veil" from VeilsByLily)

Believe me, this was no easy transition for me. I remember walking into a daily NO Mass the first day that I decided to continue wearing the Mantilla. I could just feel the stares on the back of my veiled head, and boy, were they intimidating! I sat down in my usual place, up in the front of the Church, next to my friend who is a youth minister. She gave me a kind of odd look, but simply said something to the effect of, "oh, you're veiling now?"

In all honesty, she probably saw this coming, as my spirituality has been leaning more and more to the TRAD side... The rest of the congregation, not so much. Thankfully, I didn't get too many questions about it. I thought for sure I would...

This is probably a result of the fact that most of the people in the congregation were around before Vatican II. Thus, they know what the deal is with the veil, and they had seen it before. Whereas when I donned the veil in front of a group of Confirmation candidates, they had no idea what I was wearing. After mentioning that I was discerning the religious life, one of them asked me if that's why I had that "thing" on my head- because I was going to be a nun. 

(I'm on the right. This was a "Latin Mass selfie" with my friend after her first TLM.)

(Yes, mantillas and flaming red hair DO go together...)

The intention behind writing this post is not to convince one to wear the veil, nor to list the multiple reasons why one chooses to wear the veil. If you're looking for that, check out this video made by yours truly. 

I suppose you could say that my intention for writing this post is to show young women that it's not really that scary. It might seem intimidating to walk into a church and suddenly decide that you're going to start veiling. It's really not that difficult. And if you understand the reasons why people veil, you will be more able to answer people's questions, be more prepared, and just have less fear of doing this.

(I also might be making a plug for why you should wear one...) 

One might be surprised how much support I have received. I've had more support and encouraging comments about it than I have had questions or negative reactions. In fact, when I was asked to make the video Why Wear the Veil, I knew that I couldn't do that alone. Two of my friends helped me by filming and acting in the video (Shout out to Thomas and John!), and the priest who is pastor of the church was willing to let me use his church as a back drop (Thanks, Fr. Joe!). Sadly, other priests weren't so supportive. They haven't said anything to me about it, but I can tell that they're itching to take it off my head (same priest that told me not to kneel to receive the Eucharistic Lord). Others hardly give any notice. It's kind of like, "oh, she's veiled." and that's the end of the thought. 

One thing that is intimidating is being the only one in your church to veil. Especially if you're young, this can be daunting. But you might be called to start veiling in order to set an example, to teach others about the beauty of this act, and thus bring other people into doing this. 

The point of veiling is to reverence the TRUE PRESENCE of Christ in the Eucharist. If He wasn't there, we wouldn't veil! 

It really is a beautiful devotion, with a rich history, that allows us women to embrace our femininity, our dignity, and our awesomeness before God... Always with great humility, of course! 

So why did I name this post Veronica's Veil?

(Laugh break)

Well, it's Lent. And Veronica is included in the sixth Station of the Cross. But more than that. Veronica's actions show a sense of humility, reverence, and love for our Suffering Lord. She is loving, and seeks to console Jesus. All women should strive to be just like Veronica in all of our actions; whether we are taking care of the sick, studying for an exam, at work, or praying. We should always seek to be a consolation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and to be so with the utmost humility and love of the Lord. Do you think that Veronica approached Jesus, stretched her arms out, and wiped the face of the Lord all while standing? Not a chance. My guess is that she humbled herself, knelt down, or at least bowed down, to reach His Face, and wipe the sweat and blood from His Countenance. Whether or not she recognized this Being as the Lord, I'm certain that this gesture was done with extreme respect. If not, wouldn't she just join in the mocking and spitting? Plus, she quite possibly risked her life to make this kind gesture. Certainly the soldiers didn't want Jesus to have any consolation. They surely pushed even His Mother aside! 

The veil that Veronica used to wipe Jesus' Face had been on her head. If she were to put it back on her head, people would see the Face of Christ on her. That is what we need to do. PUT ON CHRIST so that others see Him in you. Do not veil for attention, but to humbly divert ALL attention, recognition, and affection to JESUS CHRIST CRUCIFIED.

As faithful women we are called to imitate not only our Blessed Mother, but also Veronica, in all of our actions, words, and thoughts. Humility and grateful recognition of our dignity should be of high importance. And what more suitable place to do this than in front of the Blessed Sacrament!

Thank you for reading, please feel free to share!

Pax Christi 

~SSWW