Ongoing Conversion

As someone who is struggling to incorporate more prayer into his life, I have considered the discipline of the Liturgy of the Hours. However, this seems to represent a tremendous commitment of time.

Well, somebody was listening….Here is the Liturgy of the Seconds.

Thanks to the Curt Jester for that good hearty laugh.

Popularity: 68% [?]

There has been quite a buzz about what Pope Benedict XVI will do regarding the Tridentine Mass. The Tridentine Mass is the Mass that was celebrated prior to Vatican II. Traditionally, it was said in Latin, which some felt made it inaccessible to the general population. Vatican II changed all of that.

The Vatican confirmed today that “about 15″ bishops were invited to a meeting with the Holy Father to discuss this very issue. Our own Archbishop Burke is one of the invitees, one of only two Bishops from the U.S. chosen. Cardinal Sean O’Malley from Boston was the other invitee.

Vatican officials have said the document will allow for wider use of the Tridentine rite, but have not provided details about how this will be accomplished. (CNS)

The outcome of this meeting will be a document that will be sent to local bishops detailing how the changes will be implemented. This is expected to be released on July 7th.

Wider use of the pre-Vatican II Mass in Latin “is not a step backward,” Cardinal Castrillon said, but a sign that the pope “wants to make available to the church all the treasures of the Latin liturgy that have, for centuries, nourished the spiritual life of so many generations of Catholic faithful.” (CNS)

While I have not attended a Latin Mass, it certainly is on my list. I would welcome the experience as a way to share my love for the Eucharist in the way that was done for centuries. Will I want this experience every week? Probably not, but I believe that the option should be available to all of the faithful.

I’ll have to admit that the anticipation of this action has been interesting to read about. It seems that the blogosphere was disappointed yesterday when another motu proprio was released that had nothing to do with the Mass. Jimmy Akin writes:

POPE BENEDICT XVI HAS JUST RELEASED HIS NEW MOTU PROPRIO!!! WOO-HOO!!!

AND HE’S TURNED BACK THE CLOCK!!!

In it, he orders the Church to revert to a traditional practice that had been changed in the years following Vatican II! And it’s not just an “if the bishop doesn’t object” reversal! It’s a complete and total reversal!

The only thing is . . .

It doesn’t concern the Mass.

It’s not that motu proprio. It’s a different one.

He goes on to talk about the fact that now a Pope must be elected by a two-thirds majority instead of the simple majority that was required for Benedict’s election. This reverses changes that Pope John Paul II made.

Who knew that Church news could be so exciting!

Popularity: 79% [?]

Thanks to Sr. Anne @ nunblog for linking to this video:

Apparently, I still have some things to learn yet.

Popularity: 47% [?]

Saturday night, we had the opportunity to watch the first talk of Christopher West’s Theology of the Body DVD series. A few other couples from St. Rose took part as well.

These talks are based on Pope John Paul II’s monumental series of talks on the Theology of the Body. The talks occurred over a series of general audiences the Pope had from 1979 to 1984. 129 of them, in fact. The Vatican has since combined these “talks” into a massive document.

Mr. West is well-known for his ability to make this lofty subject understandable to the laity. The first talk was a very broad overview of the subject. Not much to chew on per say, but sweeping enough to have my mind swirling.

One point that Mr. West made really struck me.

“If the task of the twentieth century was to rid itself of the Christian sexual ethic, the task of the twenty-first century must be to reclaim it.”

It would be easy to take this statement as a call for prudence and chastity, but I think there is more to it. When we look at the latter half of the twentieth century, we see the liberation and empowerment of women. At the same, there is increased exploitation of women in this country. West is calling on men and women to cherish and respect their bodies. In this context, sex is not merely an act, but an identity. You are a man or woman and what does that mean to you, me, and God? This is one of the many questions that will hopefully be answered in the future sessions.

Popularity: 53% [?]

Welcome to Ongoing Conversion and thanks for stopping by!

I am not entirely sure what direction I will be taking with this new blog. I would like to have an outlet to share my thoughts and observations as a Catholic.

In a nutshell, that is our purpose here.

Thanks again for stopping by.

Popularity: 42% [?]