Feast of St. Mark the Evangelist

O God, Who didst exalt blessed Mark, Thine Evangelist, by the grace of preaching the Gospel, grant we beseech Thee, that we may ever profit by his teaching and be defended by his prayers. Through our Lord...

PAX TIBI MARCE EVANGELISTA MEVS

The Feast of St. George

O God, Who dost gladden us by the merits and intercession of blessed George, Thy Martyr, mercifully grant that we, who ask for Thy blessings through him, may obtain them by the gift of Thy grace. Through our Lord...

I just come from reading an excellent post on St. George over at Roman Christendom, from his noble birth and career in the Roman army, to his martyrdom under Diocletian, followed by the growth of his cultus in both East and West, especially among the medieval crusaders, and the English in particular.

Are You Really 18?

Happy Birthday to You!

Happy Birthday to You!

Dear Aunt Betsy

Happy Birthday to You!

We Love You!!!

(Maria blows kisses)

Ad multos annos!

Happy fifth anniversary of his elevation to the See of Peter to His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI. Drink German beer (preferably Bavarian) and pray for our Holy Father!

Little D. Lee

Here's a video of Thomas especially for his great Aunts Barb and Annie. I think the outfit was a gift from Aunt Barb for Maria when she was this age. Thomas fills it out pretty nicely already. I hope you'll pay particular attention to the hand he favors.

Quasimodo Sunday

Such a cool name! (from the Introit for the Mass - as if in the mode of infant babes...) Today is also called Low Sunday (at the close of the Easter Octave), White Sunday (the day on which the neophytes laid aside their baptismal garments), Thomas Sunday (our Lord appeared to Thomas on the eighth day), and more recently, Divine Mercy Sunday.

Surrexit Dominus vere!

Oh, and the Tigers are doing pretty well so far. It's been fun watching the last couple of games live, which we are only able to do when they play day games. The pitching has looked pretty good overall, and we've seen lots of production from the middle of the lineup - very important. That said, I'd sure like to see them cash in their scoring chances more consistently. They often seem to lack the ability to drive in runners in scoring position. It'll be interesting to see how they stack up against some of the good teams in the league, too, but for now it's fun to get a pile of W's against KC and CLE.

Another Easter Birthday!

The Lord brought forth His people with joy, alleluia: and His chosen ones with gladness, alleluia, alleluia.

Happy Birthday to You!

Happy Birthday to You!

Dear Papa / Grandpa!

Happy Birthday to You!

Happy Birthday!

Come ye blessed of My Father, receive the Kingdom, alleluia, which was prepared for you from the foundation of the world, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.

Blessed Feast of the Resurrection and Happy Birthday, Papou!

Around here classes are getting started again today, and the Tigers are back in action, but they're playing a night game in Kansas City, which means that we can watch them play live at 2:00 AM, or wait until tomorrow to watch archived video of the game. This means that we must hereby and forthwith institute a very strict no-talking about the Tigers game policy on days after a night game. Thank you for your understanding and compliance.

Easter Tuesday

He gave them the water of wisdom to drink, alleluia: she shall be made strong in them, and shall not be moved, alleluia, and she shall exalt them forever, alleluia, alleluia.

I don't know what they are thinking scheduling an off day immediately after opening day. It's just not nice. We did have an excellent dinner with some friends, and Lisa's first try at making Chicago style deep dish pizza was a magnificent success.

Opening Day

Tigers 8, Royals 4. Would've liked to see a better game from Verlander, but nice comeback, and always nice to get a win in a game against the reigning Cy Young award winner. Go Tig's!

Our Tigers:

John: Austin Jackson (and Jeremy Bonderman)

Lisa: Brandon Inge (and Justin Verlander)

Katie: Scott Sizemore (and Rick Porcello)

All of our Tigers moved on this past offseason - Granderson, Thames, and Polanco - and so we've had to pick some new ones.

Easter Pictures

The Lord hath brought you into a land flowing with milk and honey, alleluia: that the law of the Lord may be ever in your mouth, alleluia, alleluia.

Maria and her chocolate-bunny wishing everybody a joyous celebration of our Lord's triumphant Resurrection from the dead.

Happy Easter!

The empty tomb.

And, today I caught Thomas trying to escape.

The Solemnity of Solemnities

Christus Resurrexit!

Isaiah's Prophetic Vision of Holy Saturday

Read the familiar words of the fourth Servant Song of Isaiah with an eye on the tenses of the verbs, and ask yourself what far-off day Isaiah has beheld in prophetic vision (it's not perfect).

Behold my servant shall understand, he shall be exalted, and extolled, and shall be exceeding high. As many have been astonished at thee, so shall his visage be inglorious among men, and his form among the sons of men. He shall sprinkle many nations, kings shall shut their mouth at him: for they to whom it was not told of him, have seen: and they that heard not, have beheld.

Who hath believed our report? And to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed? And he shall grow up as a tender plant before him, and as a root out of a thirsty ground: there is no beauty in him, nor comeliness: and we have seen him, and there was no sightliness, that we should be desirous of him: Despised, and the most abject of men, a man of sorrows, and acquainted with infirmity: and his look was as it were hidden and despised, whereupon we esteemed him not.

Surely he hath borne our infirmities and carried our sorrows: and we have thought him as it were a leper, and as one struck by God and afflicted. But he was wounded for our iniquities, he was bruised for our sins: the chastisement of our peace was upon him, and by his bruises we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray, every one hath turned aside into his own way: and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was offered because it was his own will, and he opened not his mouth: he shall be led as a sheep to the slaughter, and shall be dumb as a lamb before his shearer, and he shall not open his mouth.

He was taken away from distress, and from judgment: who shall declare his generation? because he is cut off out of the land of the living: for the wickedness of my people have I struck him. And he shall give the ungodly for his burial, and the rich for his death: because he hath done no iniquity, neither was there deceit in his mouth. And the Lord was pleased to bruise him in infirmity: if he shall lay down his life for sin, he shall see a longlived seed, and the will of the Lord shall be prosperous in his hand.

Because his soul hath laboured, he shall see and be filled: by his knowledge shall this my just servant justify many, and he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore will I distribute to him very many, and he shall divide the spoils of the strong, because he hath delivered his soul unto death, and was reputed with the wicked: and he hath borne the sins of many, and hath prayed for the transgressors.

Holy Saturday

Like a sheep was He led to the slaughter: and whilst He was ill-used He opened not His mouth: He was delivered up to death * That He might give life to His people. He delivered Himself up to death, and was counted among the wicked. * That He might give life to His people.

Arise, O Jerusalem, and put off thy garments of joy: put on ashes and sackcloth: * For in thee was slain the Savior of Israel. Shed thy tears like a torrent, day and night, and let not the apple of thine eye be dry: * For in thee was slain the Savior of Israel.

Mourn as a virgin, O my people: ye shepherds, howl in ashes and sackcloth: * For the day of the Lord is come, great and exceedingly bitter. Gird yourselves, O ye priests, and mourn, ye ministers of the altar; sprinkle yourselves with ashes: * For the day of the Lord is come, great and exceedingly bitter. Mourn as a virgin, O my people: ye shepherds, howl in ashes and sackcloth: * For the day of the Lord is come, great and exceedingly bitter.

Dying Easter Eggs

On Good Friday, Maria got to work dying eggs in preparation for Easter.

Thomas and I occupied ourselves otherwise:

Notice that he is using his left hand...

Happy Birthday, Grandma!

I guess there won't be too much celebrating, at least until later tonight. But still we hope it's a great day! Maria decided she wants you to have a chocolate birthday cake with pink frosting, which is also what she always chooses for her own birthday cake.

Good Friday

O God, Who by the Passion of Thy Christ, our Lord, hast loosened the bonds of death, that heritage of the first sin to which all men of later times did succeed: make us so conformed to Him that, as we must needs have borne the likeness of earthly nature, so we may by sanctification bear the likeness of heavenly grace. Through the same Christ our Lord...

Ecce lignum Crucis in quo salus mundi perpendit!

Venite, adoremus!

O My people, what have I done to thee? Or wherein have I afflicted thee? Answer Me.

Because I led thee out of the land of Egypt, thou hast prepared a Cross for thy Savior.

Hagios ho Theos! Sanctus Deus! Hagios ischyros! Sanctus fortis!

Hagios athanatos, eleison himas! Sanctus immortalis, miserere nobis!

Because I led thee out through the desert forty years: and fed thee with manna, and brought thee into a land exceeding good, thou hast prepared a Cross for thy Savior.

Hagios ho Theos! Sanctus Deus! Hagios ischyros! Sanctus fortis!
Hagios athanatos, eleison himas! Sanctus immortalis, miserere nobis!

What more ought I to have done for thee, that I have not done? I planted thee, indeed, My most beautiful vineyard: and thou hast become exceeding bitter to Me: for in My thirst thou gavest Me vinegar to drink: and with a lance thou hast pierced the side of thy Savior.

Hagios ho Theos! Sanctus Deus! Hagios ischyros! Sanctus fortis!

Hagios athanatos, eleison himas! Sanctus immortalis, miserere nobis!

For thy sake I scourged Egypt with its first-born: and thou didst deliver Me up to be scourged.

I led thee out of Egypy having drowned Pharao in the Red Sea: and thou to the chief priests didst deliver Me.

I opened the sea before thee: and thou with a spear didst open My side.

I went before thee in a pillar of cloud: and thou didst lead Me to the judgment hall of Pilate.

I fed thee with manna in the desert: and thou didst beat Me with blows and scourges.

I gave thee the water of salvation from the rock to drink: and thou didst give Me gall and vinegar.

For thy sake I struck the kings of the Chanaanites: and thou didst strike My head with a reed.

I gave thee a royal scepter: and thou didst give My head a crown of thorns.

I exalted thee with great strength: and thou didst hang Me on the gibbet of the Cross.

Maunday Thursday

Pange, lingua, gloriosi * Corporis mysterium, * Sanguinisque pretiosi, * Quem in mundi pretium, * Fructus ventris generosi, * Rex effudit gentium.

Our Lord's Institution of the Most Holy Eucharist

Take, eat of this, all of you; for this is my body, which is given for you. Do this in commemoration of me.

Take, drink of it, all of you; for this is the chalice of my blood of the new and eternal covenant, the mystery of faith, which is poured out for you and for many unto the remission of sins. This cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in commemoration of me.

Compiled from the following sources: Matthew 26:26-28; Mark 14:22-24; Luke 22:19-20; 1 Corinthians 11:24-25; Missale Romanum, Prayers Qui pridie and Simili modo.

This is an exercise in my version of the game biblical scholars like to play called What Did Jesus Really Say? A frequent approach is basically to compare all the sources and then only accept as authentic words of Jesus the bare minimum that they all have in common. From the point of view of faith, however, which accepts all of these sources as speaking the truth inerrantly / infallibly, Jesus must really have said every word attributed to him by any and every authentic source. Hence, what Jesus really said turns out to be fuller and richer than what is found in any one source, rather than thinner and poorer as the modern scholarship has it.

The "keyed" version looks like this:

Key: Matthew; Mark; Luke; 1 Corinthians; MISSALE ROMANUM.

TAKE, EAT OF THIS, ALL OF YOU; FOR THIS IS MY BODY, which is given for you. Do this in commemoration of me.

TAKE, DRINK OF IT, ALL OF YOU; FOR THIS IS THE CHALICE OF MY BLOOD OF THE NEW AND ETERNAL COVENANT, THE MYSTERY OF FAITH, WHICH IS POURED OUT FOR YOU AND FOR MANY UNTO THE REMISSION OF SINS. This cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in commemoration of me.

AS OFTEN AS YOU DO THESE THINGS, YOU SHALL DO THEM IN MEMORY OF ME.

There are more than a few interesting points to notice from this compilation of the sources. Let's see, there are only four words common to all five sources (This Is My Body), which somehow highlights their importance; the red text is largely co-extensive with the underlined text (plus the "do this" command after the consecration of the chalice, minus the explanations of "given" and "which is poured out for you"), which confirms the tradition that Luke, a companion of Paul, records for us in his Gospel the preached Gospel of Paul; there is no italicized text which is not also bold, but not vice versa, which shows that here again Mark gives us something like a condensed version of Matthew's Gospel.

Notice, finally, the astonishing amount of text that is written in capital letters only, i.e. that comes to us only from the prayers of the Roman Canon and not from any of the biblical sources, which shows something of the nature and importance of the unwritten Tradition:

Only the Roman Canon reveals to us that Christ himself calls the Eucharist the "Mystery of Faith" (sadly, this has been removed from the words of institution in the Novus Ordo, wherein the "Mystery of Faith" has become: "Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again").

Similarly, only the Roman Canon reveals the end of the triple command that punctuates the institution of the Eucharist: after the consecration of the bread, Christ says, "Do this"; again after the consecration of the wine, he says, "Do this"; and finally after all, he says in the form of the Ten Commandments, "Thou shalt do these things" (referring to both bread and wine / body and blood), and "Thou shalt do them in memory of me." Hence the name Maundy Thursday traditionally given to this day, which comes from the Latin mandatum (command), refers above all to the institution of the sacred priesthood, for by this triple command to offer the sacrifice of the New Covenant, Christ makes the apostles priests of the New Covenant. The priesthood and the Eucharist are most intimately joined in their simultaneous institution, "for every high priest is appointed to offer gifts and sacrifices (Heb. 8:3).