juli 2009

Litt av et prestejubileum!

Katolsk /

En engelsk, katolsk prest, Fr. Tim Finigan, feiret tirsdag 25-årsjubileum for sin prestevielse, med en svært storslått markering, som man kan lese om HER – med lenker til andre blogger nederst. Det var visst nærmere 300 menensker til stede, og over 30 prester, da Fr. Finigan var hovedcelebrant i en høymesse etter den gamle ritus.

Fr. Finigan skriver selv om messen: «Last night’s Mass was a very beautiful, sacred and at the same time homely occasion. The Parish choir, led by Brenda who has been involved with the music in the parish since before I was born, sang Ludovico Viadana’s Missa L’Hora Passa, as well as Crookall’s Confirma Hoc and Gounod’s Ave Verum at the offertory, and Mozart’s Iubilate Deo at Holy Communion. The Schola who come regularly for our first Saturday Missa Cantata sang the proper texts in Gregorian Chant. We had Credo I and finished off with a rousing Te Deum in which there was actuosissima participatio. «Jubilee Secretary», Wendy, organised the printing of a fine booklet for the Mass so that everyone could follow the proper texts and «say or to sing together in Latin those parts of the Ordinary of the Mass which pertain to them.»»

La oss alle glede oss i Herren på festen for den salige Olav, Norges evige konge. Englene jubler over hans martyrdød og lovpriser Guds Sønn.

Katolsk, Liturgi, TLM /

Gaudeamus omnes in Domino diem festum celebrantes sub honore beati Olavi, regis et martyris, de cujus passione gaudent angeli et collaudant Filium Dei. (Inngangsverset i messen – norsk (i overskrifta) og latin.)

I dag feirer vi den hellige Olav, Norges evige konge. Under ser vi inngangsverset i den gamle messen. Den gamle og den nye messen samsvarer i stor grad i dag, og her kan man se hele DEN GAMLE MESSEN, og her den nye messens TEKSTER og BØNNER. Og her kan man lese mye om hellig Olav.

Gud er i sin hellige bolig. Han lar de ensomme finne et hjem. Gud er den som gir folket kraft og styrke.

Liturgi /

Slik (over) lyder inngangsverset i dagens messe, 17. søndag i kirkeåret, og her er resten av messens antifoner og bønner:

KIRKEBØNN
Allmektige Gud, du er et vern for dem som håper på deg. Uten deg har intet verd, og uten deg er intet hellig. Utøs din miskunn over oss. Lær oss å bruke denne verdens goder i pakt med din vilje, sa vi under din ledelse kan nå det som har evig verd. Ved vår Herre …

BØNN OVER OFFERGAVENE
Herre, ta imot de gaver vi har fått av din godhet. La disse mysterier ved din nådes kraft helliggjøre oss i dette liv og føre oss frem til de evige gleder. Ved Kristus, vår Herre.

KOMMUNIONSVERS
Min sjel, lov Herren, glem ikke alle hans velgjerninger! Sal 103 (102), 2

SLUTNINGSBØNN
Herre, vi har mottatt ditt hellige sakrament, et evig minne om din Sønns lidelse. Vi ber deg: La denne gave som han i sin store kjærlighet skjenket oss, tjene oss til evig frelse. Ved ham, Kristus, vår Herre.

Denne søndagen forlater vi Markus-evangeliet (siden det evangeliet ikke er langt nok til å dekke hele år B) og leser første søndag (av i alt fem søndager) evangeliet fra Johannes 6. Dette store kapittelet om eukaristien begynner med brødunderet:

Johannes 6,1-15
På den tid drog Jesus over til den andre siden av Galilea-sjøen (også kalt Tiberias-sjøen). En stor mengde fulgte ham, ettersom folk så de jærtegn han gjorde på de syke. Jesus drog opp i fjellet og satte seg der sammen med sine disipler. Det var innunder påske, jødenes høytid. Jesus så utover og ble var den store folkemengden som kom mot ham. Han sier da til Filip: «Hvordan skal vi få kjøpt brød, så alle disse kan få noe å spise?» Dette sa han for å sette ham på prøve; selv visste han godt hva han kom til å gjøre. Filip svarte: «Brød for to hundre denarer ville ikke være nok til at hver enkelt fikk en liten bit.» En av hans disipler, Andreas, bror av Simon Peter, sier: «Det er en liten gutt her som har fem byggbrød og to småfisk; men hva forslår det til en slik mengde?» Men Jesus sa: «La folk slå seg ned,» – for det vokste tett med gress der på stedet. Folk satte seg da, og tallet bare på mennene var omkring fem tusen. Og Jesus tok brødene, fremsa takksigelsen og delte ut til dem som satt omkring, så meget de ville ha, og likeså med fiskene. Da folk var blitt mette, sa han til disiplene: «Sank sammen de stykkene som er til overs, så ingenting går til spille.» De gjorde så, og fikk tolv kurver fulle av stykker som var til overs av de fem byggbrødene, etter dem som hadde spist. Men da det gikk opp for folk hva for et jærtegn han hadde gjort, sa de: «Han er for visst den profeten som skal komme til verden!» Jesus forstod at de var like ved å komme og ta ham med makt for å gjøre ham til konge, og trakk seg på ny opp i fjellet, han alene. Slik lyder Herrens ord.

Les alle messens tekster her.

Både den gamle om den nye messen kan feires dårlig

Liturgi, TLM /

Konklusjonen på et innlegg på NLM-bloggen blir ganske enkelt «a matter of common sense: that there is a necessity to strive for the proper and dignified celebration of the sacred liturgy according to the usus antiquior just as there is for the modern Roman liturgy and every other liturgical rite or use.»

Noen som snakker mye om dårlig feiret liturgi tenker bare på den nye romerske messen, men også den gamle messen kunne og kan feires dårlig. F.eks. slik:

In terms of the ars celebrandi, an over-exaggerated or theatrical approach to the execution of the ceremonial actions of the liturgy is problematic on the one hand, as is rushing through the liturgical texts and ceremonies on the other; the rites should be celebrated with a gravitas which doesn’t see them rushed of course, but there should also be a natural quality to them that isn’t lethargic or ponderous. Poor execution of the chants and sacred music of the Mass can be a source of great and awkward distraction, as can the poor execution of the Latin. Finally, no matter how splendid the celebrant, poorly trained and disciplined servers can also greatly distract from the liturgy.

Slik begynte dette innlegget, med et folus på at alle liturgier må feires verdig og korrekt etter bøkene:

Very often when we consider the question of the «ars celebrandi,» or in other words, the proper and dignified celebration of the sacred liturgy, our mind turns to a consideration of how that may or may not be manifest in typical parish liturgy. For the most part, that will likewise put us into the context of the modern Roman liturgy. Perhaps in part because of this, and precisely because it is the predominant liturgical form in use, a not uncommon way of thinking that has developed amongst some of the liturgically-interested is that when one is considering poor manifestations of the celebration of the liturgy, including liturgical abuses, some might presume to think almost exclusively in terms of the modern liturgy.

However, while it is true that there is much grass-roots work to be done in re-enchanting our typical parish liturgies as well as eliminating «normalized» abuses; and while acknowledging there are deeper issues also to be considered as part of the reform of the reform at the scholarly and formal ecclesial levels, I believe it is important to challenge the potential assumption that, by contrast, poor ars celebrandi and, for that matter, poor experience of the liturgy itself, are somehow things from which the usus antiquior is more or less exempt, or which will not be experienced in that context.

Not only is this objectively not the case, I also believe this assumption stunts a much needed and conscious consideration of the way in which the usus antiquior is to be approached today, … …

Les altså hele stykket HER – inkl. mange interessante kommentarer.

25. juli: Festdag for den hellige Jakob

Kirkefedre, Liturgi /

I dag feirer vi festen for den hellige Jakob (den eldre), og på katolsk.no leser vi om hvorfor han blir feira på denne dagen: «Opprinnelig ble Jakob feiret sammen med sin bror Johannes den 27. eller 28. desember, og dette var dagen for hans fest i Frankrike til 600-tallet. Senere ble han feiret den 1. mai, inntil pave Johannes III (561-574) en 1. mai vigslet den korsformede kirken Ss Filip og Jakob i Roma (nå Apostelkirken, Ss Apostoli) etter modell av Justinians Apostoleion i Konstantinopel, hvor noen av Filips og Jakob den Yngres relikvier befinner seg. Da ble festen for Jakob den Yngre byttet med festen for Jakob den Eldre. Endelig ble fra 700-tallet Jakobs minnedag translasjonsdagen 25. juli, og det er fortsatt hans minnedag. Til 1955 feiret Kirken ham også med en vigilie. … Hans minnedag er også avmerket på den norske primstaven.»

I matutin-bønnen i dag leste vi en tekst av Johannes Krysostomos, om hvordan jesus korrigerte brødrene Jakob og Johannes da de ba om å få sitte ved hans høyre og venstre side i himmelen – samtidig som han oppmuntra dem til tjene ham med enda større iver:


The sons of Zebedee press Christ: Promise that one may sit at your right side and the other at your left. What does he do? He wants to show them that it is not a spiritual gift for which they are asking, and that if they knew what their request involved, they would never dare make it. So he says: You do not know what you are asking, that is, what a great and splendid thing it is and how much beyond the reach even of the heavenly powers. Then he continues: Can you drink the cup which I must drink and be baptised with the baptism which I must undergo? He is saying: “You talk of sharing honours and rewards with me, but I must talk of struggle and toil. Now is not the time for rewards or the time for my glory to be revealed. Earthly life is the time for bloodshed, war and danger.”

Consider how by his manner of questioning he exhorts and draws them. He does not say: “Can you face being slaughtered? Can you shed your blood?” How does he put his question? Can you drink the cup? Then he makes it attractive by adding: which I must drink, so that the prospect of sharing it with him may make them more eager. He also calls his suffering a baptism, to show that it will effect a great cleansing of the entire world. The disciples answer him: We can! Fervour makes them answer promptly, though they really do not know what they are saying but still think they will receive what they ask for.

How does Christ reply? You will indeed drink my cup and be baptised with my baptism. He is really prophesying a great blessing for them, since he is telling them: “You will be found worthy of martyrdom; you will suffer what I suffer and end your life with a violent death, thus sharing all with me. But seats at my right and left are not mine to give; they belong to those for whom the Father has prepared them.” Thus, after lifting their minds to higher goals and preparing them to meet and overcome all that will make them desolate, he sets them straight on their request.

Then the other ten became angry at the two brothers. See how imperfect they all are: the two who tried to get ahead of the other ten, and the ten who were jealous of the two! But, as I said before, show them to me at a later date in their lives, and you will see that all these impulses and feelings have disappeared. Read how John, the very man who here asks for the first place, will always yield to Peter when it comes to preaching and performing miracles in the Acts of the Apostles. James, for his part, was not to live very much longer; for from the beginning he was inspired by great fervour and, setting aside all purely human goals, rose to such splendid heights that he straightway suffered martyrdom.

Let etter åndelige perler i Kirkens liturgi

Liturgi /

Å lese gjennom og meditere over Kirkens liturgi – messen og tidebønnene først og fremst – hver dag gir my og god næring til vårt åndelige liv – leser vi på NLM-bloggen:

My advice to those of you who wish to nourish your own life of prayer with the public liturgical prayer of the Church is to do as you would if you were prospecting for gold. The cycle of the liturgical year is like a great river freighted with rituals, chants and poetry. One finds everywhere tiny phrases or two or three words shining brilliantly likes specks of gold.

An excellent method of prayer is to read slowly the proper of the day from the missal and day after day sift through, as it were, the water of this river and carefully to keep back whatever answers the soul’s needs and desires.

The field of liturgy is itself a locus theologicus of inexhaustible wealth, a scattered network, as it were, of doctrinal truths with no systemic ordering. .. (it is) a kind of «relaxed theology». Full of poetry, the Exultet arises in the night of the Easter Vigil, and the dogma of the Redemption illumines our understanding with its light, which is none other than the natural splendour of the truth. The Exultet, the Lauda Sion, the Dies Irae are, as it were, chanted doctrine, infusing directly into the soul both light and love. Dom Gueranger once said, in words which were quite surprising at the time, that the liturgy was in fact Tradition in its most powerful and most solemn guise.

Leder av engelsk, katolsk ekteskapskontor uttaler seg tydelig mot Kirkens lære om ekteskapet

Katolsk /

Leder for den katolske organisasjonen Marriage Care, Terry Prendergast, har nylig holdt et foredrag for en (katolsk, homofil) gruppe som heter ‘Quest’. Og der har han sagt ting om ekteskapet som vil sjokkere mennesker med et (tradisjonelt) katolsk syn på ekteskapet: Ekteskapet er visst like mye et sakrament om det er mellom en mann og en kvinne, mellom to av samme kjønn, eller om man bare er samboende. Her tar jeg med litt av foredraget:

We also seem to run into a real problem immediately in our own Church which seems to have the rules really sewn up when it comes to defining family. It is man and woman, and children, and we have recently had this re-emphasised by Rome. We have had this definition reiterated often enough to know what the ‘rules’ are.

And whilst, it is possible to perceive these rules as an ideal type, it is also clear that some sections of the Catholic community see it as the norm, and not as ideal. So, other family forms do not partake of the Church’s blessing, in legislative terms, though it is also possible to perceive a more pastoral and compassionate view if you search. But, it is not the view purveyed by the Magisterium.

So, many families, and the individuals that make up these groups, other than married man, woman, and added child, find themselves discriminated against or denigrated. The list is long and current – single-parent families, re-constituted families (where the relationships are deemed to be irregular), cohabiting families, same-sex families. The irony for me is the way that all these attempt to live out good, Catholic lives whilst being judged and bracketed by those in authority, or those who appear to have reached the Kingdom already! … …

How these definitions are made by the State and Church are contained in what I have suggested above. For example, from the point of view of Church, a proper family must have a marriage in it – as I have just said, we have had this repeated over and over. As I have said elsewhere, I am more interested these days in the concept of the sacrament of relationships, rather than merely marriage, but this is certainly a bridge too far for our own Church. So, we do get a clear idea from Church, even if we don’t subscribe to it, of what family is, or isn’t!

The State is much more open to other forms and is perhaps driven by other considerations, not least the views of the electorate. But it is ironic that the State appears to be much more pastoral and compassionate in its acceptance of what family is. The fact that there are all kinds of benefits available for different family forms, and legal imperatives to support families suggests that the State is even more concerned for families than Church. … …

We should be less concerned, as Church, with the purely civil, and focus on sacrament that is more about the expression of the presence of God mediated through commitment, consent and covenant. Where this exists in married couples, in cohabiting heterosexual couples and same-sex couples, there is sacrament, I believe.

Les hele foredraget HER – og Damian Thomson kommenterer det HER.

Gode nyheter om mulighetene for å feire den tradisjonelle latinske messen

Liturgi, TLM /

7. juli var det to år siden pave Benedikt offentliggjorde sitt brev Summorum Pontificum, om feiringen av den tradisjonelle latinske messen. Jeg skrev om brevet da (se her), men i år har jeg ikke markeret toårsjubileet for dette viktige brevet på noen måte.

I erkebispedømmet Miami i Florida har bispedømmets liturgiske leder, Msgr Terence Hogan, offentliggjort et brev om feiringen av den gamle messen, som man må si er svært positivt og viser forstålse for hva paven ønsket med dette initiativet.

On July 7, 2007 Pope Benedict XVI published the Apostolic Letter Summorum Pontificum by which the Holy Father allows for and promotes a wider usage of the liturgical books that were in use by the Roman Catholic Church in 1962. Pope Benedict XVI seeks in this Apostolic Letter to reconcile “in the heart of the Church” those individuals who have demonstrated an attachment to the liturgical forms that were in place before the liturgical renewal of the Second Vatican Council. He begins by defining two forms of the rule of prayer of the Latin Church: an ordinary form contained in the Roman Missal of Pope Paul VI, and an extraordinary form, as contained in the Roman Missal of Pope Saint Pius V. Both make up the Liturgy of the Roman Rite.

Any priest of the Latin Church may, without permission from the Holy See or his bishop, celebrate the extraordinary form in a Mass without the people at any time except during the Easter Triduum. It is noted that he may be joined by the faithful, since the extraordinary rite is primarily a private Mass. In parishes where a group of faithful are attached to the extraordinary form of the Mass, they may approach the pastor to request the celebration of the extraordinary rite, without permissions from the Holy See or the bishop. If a priest cannot demonstrate a minimum rubrical or linguistic ability in Latin, he is not to celebrate the extraordinary form of the Mass.

Pope Benedict XVI is very clear in his apostolic letter that the current Roman Missal (Missale Romanum) is the ordinary form of the Eucharistic Liturgy and the extraordinary form is found in the 1962 Missal of Blessed John XXIII. He points out that there is “no contradiction between the missals” and that the history of liturgical books is characterized by “growth and progress, but not rupture.” In both the ordinary and extraordinary forms of the Roman Missal, full, conscious, and active participation of the faithful is to be desired above all else. This begins with interior participation in the sacrifice of Christ. The ordinary form customarily accomplishes this participation through listening and responding to the prayers of the Mass in the vernacular and by taking part in forms of exterior communal action. The extraordinary form accomplishes this interior participation largely by listening to the prayers in Latin and following the words and actions of the priests and joining our hearts to “what is said by him in the Name of Christ and [what] Christ says [to] him.”

From all of the above we see that the Church continues to treasure the riches of its past, especially with regard to the sacred liturgy. The spirit of earlier liturgical forms, which permeated the spirit and culture of many who still remember these forms, continues in the celebration of both rites. Thus, it was through pastoral concern that Pope Benedict XVI was motivated to more easily allow for the celebration of more ancient liturgical rites and prayers by issuing Summorum Pontificium.

Msgr. Terence Hogan
Director, Office of Worship and Spiritual Life

Father Z. trykker også dette brevet – med sine egne kommentarer.

“Å dø er noe av det viktigste vi gjør”

Generelt, Katolsk /

Erkebiskop Vincent Nichols i Westminster (London) skrev sist uke en artikkel i The Telegraph om aktiv dødshjelp. Zenit.org har i dag et grundig referat av artikkelen – som også kan leses i sin helhet her.

Dying Is the Most Important Step

The archbishop of Westminster is underlining the importance of death as a step toward fulfilling our spiritual nature, which should not be perverted by self-seeking assisted suicide. … …

He referenced the July 7 «significant defeat» in the British Parliament of a proposal that attempted to legalize aiding the terminally ill to seek assisted suicide abroad.

The prelate also recalled the July 10 «joint suicides» of British conductor Sir Edward Downes along with his wife, Lady Joan Downes, in Switzerland’s Dignitas clinic. … …

Archbishop Nichols stated that at the heart of the assisted suicide issue «lies the notion that we have an absolute moral entitlement to have whatever kind of death we choose.»

«This is surely the triumph of the philosophy that proclaims individual rights above all other considerations and the relativist insistence that what is good is a matter of personal judgment,» he continued.

As a consequence of this attitude, social structures are weakened, the prelate explained, «including the decline of the family as the core unit, the rise of anti-social behavior, the pursuit of profit at all cost and the increasing intolerance of non-materialist, philosophical or ethical views.»

He continued, «It can be summarized as the age of convenience; the pursuit of what we want despite its cost and impact on others.» …

“Å dø er noe av det viktigste vi gjør”Les mer »

Pave Benedikt under søndagens Angelus-bønn – med gips

Katolsk /

På zenit.org kan vi lese at pave Benedikt i går (søndag) ble flydd med helikopter fra sitt feriested, Les Combes i the Aosta-dalen, til kardinal Bertones hjemsted, Romano Canavese. Der møtte han ca 3 000 mennesker for å be Angelus sammen med dem, og hilse dem med følgende ord:

Dear Brothers and Sisters!

I have come with great joy to your beautiful city, to your beautiful church, the native city of my chief colleague, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, secretary of state, with whom I had already worked for many years in the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

As you see, because of my accident, I am a bit limited in my movements, but my heart is fully present, and I am here with you with great joy!

At this moment I would like to say thank you with my whole heart to everyone: many have shown me, at this time, their closeness, their warmth, their affection and have prayed for me, and in this way they have reinforced the network of prayer that unites us in every part of the world.

First of all, I would like to say thank you to the doctors and the medical personnel of Aosta who have treated me with such diligence, with such competence and friendship and — as you see — with success — we hope!

I would also like to say thank you to all the government and Church officials and to all the simple people who wrote me or showed me their affection and their closeness.

…

This morning you celebrated the Eucharist and Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone has certainly already explained the Word of God to you, which the liturgy offers for our meditation on this 16th Sunday of Ordinary Time. As the Lord invites the disciples to come away to listen to him in a more intimate setting, I also would like to be engaged with you, …

Pave Benedikt under søndagens Angelus-bønn – med gipsLes mer »

En bysantinsk katolikk ser på den moderne katolske messen

Liturgi /

En dyktig liturg innenfor en bysantisk/»gresk»-katolsk kirke sier sin mening om den moderne (latisk-)katolske messen. Han vil forandre følgende ting: En god oversettelse bør lages av messen fra 1962, hele menigheten må gjerne svare der ministrantene svarer i TLM, presten må vende seg mot Gud under den eukaristiske bønn, den eukaristiske bønn bør bes stille. Og hele messen må synges; hvis man synger de fire vanlige salmene i messen, mens resten sies, forrykkes hele balansen i messen. Her er et større utdrag av det han sier – fra Rorate-Cæli:

Q: What do Byzantines see when they look at the Novus Ordo Roman Catholic Mass? How would you change it?
A. If this had been right at Vatican II the answer would be easy. I would have prepared exactingly accurate and faithful translations of the “1962 Blessed John XXIII” missal into Standard English (literal, word-for-word but with elegance). Then I would have taken the responses typically recited by the altar server and given them to the faithful. Finally, I would have recommended the development of new chant settings for those responses for a sung Mass.

Q: And now?
A: Almost the same thing. I’ve seen the draft texts of the corrected translation of the Novus Ordo Mass and they appear to be quite excellent (and my friends who are Latin scholars say they are very accurate). I’d implement them along with a new lectionary that is the old lectionary or a modified form of the old lectionary.
I’d also move away from the presentation of “four songs and a Mass”. Right now in many (not all) Roman Catholic parishes you have a recited Mass with the four “anchor” songs (Opening, Processional, Communion and Recessional). When this happens what is communicated to the faithful is that the four songs are important and the Mass is not (the very fact the organist and choir or cantor gear up to sing for these four songs but not the rest of the Mass is what transmits that message). Instead I’d encourage the singing of the entire Mass. Gregorian chant – yes. But also simple chant that people can pick up and sing with gusto. I would not outlaw the “four songs” but I would be careful with them to make sure they are not a distraction from the Mass itself.

Finally, I’d ask the priest to face ad orientem (East, towards the altar table) for the Anaphora (the prayers of the Eucharistic Canon). I can understand the “we gather around Jesus rather then face Him together” approach but it just doesn’t work. No matter what happens the priest is the star of the show. People watch him and are not attentive to the Mystery taking place. I’d also recommend that at least the Eucharistic Canon return to being prayed quietly. In his book “The Spirit of the Liturgy” Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict XVI) noted that the praying of the Canon loud has led to what some liturgists call a “crisis” and the endless writing of new Canons. He concludes that all the various experimentation with the Eucharistic Prayer “balk, now as in the past, at the possibility that silence, too, silence especially, might constitute communion before God.” Some who support the praying of the Canon aloud claim that they do so because these prayers are “for us”. They’re right, but in the wrong way. The prayers are indeed for us but they are not for our education by hearing. They are for our salvation by praying.

I suspect there would be more, but all this would be more then enough for one or two generations. Liturgical changes must never be so severe that they hurt the faithful. We know that after Vatican II a sizeable number of Roman Catholics walked away from the Novus Ordo Mass. Some became “Christmas and Easter Catholics”. Many never returned. … …

Q: What has been your experience of the Novus Ordo? Good or bad?
A: Both. At the Jesuit University I went to in the early 1980s I attended one “coffee table Mass”. One was enough. But the daily and Sunday Masses in the main chapel were quite edifying. I’ve attended many lackluster Masses. [No surprise there – we Byzantines have lots of parishes with lackluster Liturgy, too.] I’ve also attended some wonderful Masses – Masses that were well planned, well prayed, and well sung. I occasionally attend Novus Ordo Roman Catholic Masses in the Diocese of Arlington here in Virginia where I live. Yes, on Sunday they have the “four songs” but they are (in the nearby parish) well chosen to reflect either the readings or sometimes the saint of the day. Even better is that all the major parts of the Mass are sung (the Kyrie, the Gloria, the Sanctus, the Lord’s Prayer and the Lamb of God). Sometimes the chant is Gregorian and sometimes modern. Almost always very good. Now if only the priest would face East for the Canon and pray it in a low voice.

Se, Gud hjelper meg, Herren holder meg oppe. Med villig hjerte vil jeg ofre til deg, og lovprise ditt navn, Herre, for det er godt.

Liturgi /

16. søndag i den alminnelige kireåret har følgende inngangsvers (over), og de andre antifonene og bønnene er slik:
KIRKEBØNN
Herre, se i miskunn til ditt folk, og utøs din nådes gaver over oss. Bevar oss i håpet, troen og kjærligheten, så vi alltid våkne holder dine bud. Ved vår Herre …

BØNN OVER OFFERGAVENE
Herre, i din Sønns fullkomne offer på korset har du fullbrakt alle den gamle pakts ofre. Motta våre gaver og helliggjør dem, du som engang velsignet Abels offer. La det som enhver frembærer til din ære, bli til alles frelse. Ved Kristus, vår Herre.

KOMMUNIONSVERS
Han har gitt oss et varig minne om sine underverk. Herren er nådig og barmhjertig. Han gir føde til dem som frykter ham.

BØNN ETTER KOMMUNION
Herre, bli hos ditt folk. La oss som du har næret med ditt rikes mysterier, legge av det gamle menneske og leve et nytt liv. Ved Kristus, vår Herre.

I tekstrekke B handler tekstene om gode og dårlige hyrder – her er noen utdrag:
Jeremia 23,1-6
«Ve de hyrder som ødelegger og sprer den hjord jeg har på beite,» lyder ordet fra Herren. Derfor sier Herren, Israels Gud, om hyrdene som gjeter mitt folk: «Dere har spredt mine får og jaget dem bort og har ikke tatt dere av dem. Nå skal jeg ta meg av dere og straffe dere for det onde dere har gjort,» lyder ordet fra Herren. «Og så vil jeg samle resten av mine får fra alle de land jeg har drevet dem bort til. Jeg vil føre dem tilbake til deres egne beitemarker, og der skal de øke og bli mange. Da vil jeg sette nye hyrder til å gjete dem, så de ikke lenger skal skjelve av redsel, og ingen av dem skal savnes,» lyder ordet fra Herren. «Se, dager skal komme,» lyder ordet fra Herren, «da jeg lar en rettferdig spire vokse frem i Davids ætt. Han skal være konge og råde med visdom og gjøre rett og rettferd i landet. I hans dager skal Juda bli frelst og Israel bo trygt.
Fra Markus 6,30-34
På den tid kommer apostlene tilbake og samles omkring Jesus, og forteller ham om alt hva de har gjort og alt hva de har lært folket. … … Da Jesus gikk fra borde, var der allerede en stor mengde folk å se. Han ble grepet av en hjertens medynk med dem, for de var som en fåreflokk uten hyrde. Og han gav seg til å undervise dem om mangt og meget.

Les alle tekstene denne søndagen – og her er en preken jeg holdt på denne søndagen for tre år siden.

En katolsk messefeiring fra USA gjør meg litt trist og opprørt

Liturgi /

En venn av oss i USA holder nå på å konvertere til Den katolske Kirke, og da jeg søkte på internett etter informasjon til ham, kom jeg over et nettsted (http://www.themass.com) som daglig sender messen på TV og internett.

Man kan nok si mye godt om denne menigheten og dette initiativet, og kirkerommet er ganske fint, og liturgien på mange måter godt forberedt og gjennomført, men jeg satt likevel igjen med en litt trist følelse – etter å ha sett messene torsdag og fredag denne uka.

Hovedproblemet (slik jeg ser det) er at prestens fokus i messen i svært stor grad er mot folk som deltar i messen (og TV-kameraet), heller enn mot Gud. Bønner bes til Gud, messens hellige offer løftes fram for Gud etc, men presten ser på oss når dette skjer. I tillegg tar prestene seg noen (riktignok nokså små) friheter i messen, alteret har verken lys eller krusifiks, musikken er den nokså kjedelige typisk amerikanske etc.

Se gjerne på programmene selv, og noter både positive og negative ting.

Pave Benedikt falt og brakk høyre håndledd

Generelt /

Jeg leser nå i kveld at pave Benedikt falt i går kveld/natt og brakk høyre håndledd. Bruddet var (visst) ikke særlig alvorlig, og etter en liten operasjon med lokalbedøvelse forlot paven sykehuset i Aosta – med høyre hånd i gips. Jeg har lest om det bl.a. her og her:

Pope Benedict has had surgery on his wrist after suffering a fall while on holiday in the Italian Alps. The Vatican says the 82-year-old pontiff accidentally slipped during the night in his chalet and broke his right wrist.

Despite his injury, he was able to celebrate Mass in the morning in the alpine town of Aosta before undergoing surgery to re-align the fractured wrist bones.

He left hospital after a 20-minute operation under local anaesthetic and has now returned to his holiday home. The Pope will have to wear a cast for about a month.

Mer om ekskommunikasjon av abortleger i Brasil

Katolsk /

I mars fikk abort av tvilling-foster i Brasil sto medieoppmerksomhet, mest fordi mora var bare ni år gammel, og fordi erkebiskop José Cardoso Sobrinho offentlig ekskommuniserte personene som var ansvarlig for aborten (men ikke jenta) – jeg nevnte det HER og HER. Vatikanets erkebiskop Rino Fisichella kritiserte den brasilianske erkebiskopen, som på sin side har brukt mye energi siden den tid for å bli renvaska – han har bl.a. sagt at man på ingen måte hadde ignorert å gi den lille jenta all mulig hjelp og støtte.

Etter flere måneder har den brasilianske erkebiskopen nå fått støtte, skriver www.chiesa, i form av en artikkel i L’Osservatore Romano 11. juli:

The «clarification» is what many were waiting for after a controversial article published last March 15 by the same newspaper of the Holy See, signed by Archbishop Rino Fisichella, president of the pontifical academy for life. ….

Fisichella’s article concerned the case of an extremely young Brazilian mother-child who was made to abort the twins she was carrying in her womb, and was interpreted by many as justifying the double abortion.

There followed a lively public controversy, which www.chiesa related in two extensive articles. But at the same time, the Vatican authorities received many protests and requests through private channels.

These included the step taken by 27 of the 46 members of the pontifical academy for life. On April 4, they wrote a joint letter to Fisichella, their president, asking him to correct the «mistaken» positions he had expressed in the article.

On April 21, Fisichella responded to them in writing, rejecting the request.

On May 1, 21 of the signers of the previous letter then went to Cardinal William Levada, prefect of the congregation for the doctrine of the faith, asking the congregation for a clarifying statement on the Church’s teaching on the matter of abortion.

The letter was delivered on May 4, but did not receive any reply. The writers learned from an official at the congregation that the letter had been forwarded to the secretary of state, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, «because Fisichella’s article had been written at his request.»

Two members of the pontifical academy for life then sent a dossier on the matter directly to the pope.

On June 8, Benedict XVI discussed the case with Bertone, and ordered that a statement be published reconfirming that the Church’s teaching on abortion is unchanged.

The «clarification» published today in «L’Osservatore Romano,» dated July 11, 2009, is precisely the fruit of this decision.

På www.chiesa kan man også lese selve artikkelen i L’Osservatore Romano.

En biskop kommer med nye regler for hvor tabernakelet skal plasseres

Katolsk, Liturgi /

I bispedømmet Fort Wayne-South Bend i USA kom biskop John M. D’Arcy for noen uker siden med nye regler for hvor tabernakelet skal plasseres i kirker innfor bispedømmet; i kirkens kor, helst midt i koret. Jeg ser på denne nyheten som et nytt eksempel på restaurerings-bevegelsen som vi nå opplever innenfor Kirken; å gjenopprette gamle og gode tradisjoner. (Heldigvis er det svært få katolske kirker i Norge som har tabernakelet plassert utenfor koret.) Slik skriver biskop D’Arcy:

… My experience is that our people, with their instinct of faith, have always desired that the tabernacle be central and visible. They find it confusing when the tabernacle in their churches is not visible, and if possible, central. …

4. In the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend, the Bishop has judged that the tabernacle is normally to be prominently located in the sanctuary of the church, along the central axis behind the main altar. Under this arrangement, the tabernacle should be at an elevated, open location in the apse area, or in another central place in the sanctuary that is equally conspicuous. Where a high altar with a tabernacle remains in place, it is appropriate to continue using this noble structure for the reservation of the Blessed Sacrament.

5. This prescription is to be observed in all future construction or restoration projects involving places of sacred worship (including all churches, oratories, and private chapels) in the Diocese. …

6. In those existing places of sacred worship where the tabernacle is currently located elsewhere in the sanctuary or the main body of the church, a liturgical consultation with the faithful and with the Diocese should begin, regarding the possibility of moving the tabernacle to a central position in the sanctuary. Especially if the tabernacle in a particular church was central at one time and then was moved, it should be returned to its original location. …

NLM-bloggen og Father Z. skrev om dette i går.

15. juli: St. Svithun

Katolsk /

«I dag blir rekna som minnedag for St. Svithun, som er Stavangers skytshelgen. Svithun er ikkje blant dei mest kjende helgenane, men her i Stavanger-distriktet er namnet hans godt kjent, også i vår tid. Sjølv har eg i barndomen sykla på Svithunsykkel, eg har vore tilsett på St. Svithun vidaregåande skule og eg har hatt mange flotte opplevingar i domkyrkja, som er vigd til St. Svithun. Det bør vel også nemnast at St. Svithun katolske menighet er ein av dei største kyrkjelydane i byen i dag. … «

Slik skriver en norsk, luthersk prest om St Svithun – og på en engelskspråklig blogg kan vi lese:

Today is traditionally the feast of St Swithun, bishop of Winchester. If people know anything about him, it tends to be the legend that associates his feast day with summer weather. Should it rain today, the legend states, it will rain for forty days. If it stays fine today, then it will supposedly stay fine for forty days. When Saint Swithun died in 862, his mortal remains were buried at his own request outside the old minster of Winchester. There his grave could be walked upon and there it lay open to the gentle elements; a bishop must be humble, even in death. In 971, however, after the construction of the new minster in Winchester they moved his body from the original grave and into the new church where a shrine was established until the Reformation (now re-established). …

… he was a glorious individual. He was chaplain to King Egbert and King Aethelwulf, respectively the grandfather and father of King Alfred the Great. He persuaded Aethelwulf to tithe his royal lands in Wessex to the Church, and undertook his own campaign of church building and reconstructions. The 840s and 850s were grim for Wessex as the Danish invader threatened its security. It would not be until 878 and the battle of Ethandun that Alfred would take a significant step in reducing the Danish menace. In these black times, it was undoubtedly Swithun’s words which kept the royal house of Wessex going.

Swithun was also a hero of the poor and enjoyed inviting them to banquets the doors of which were closed to the rich! One story claims that he miraculously restored one lady’s basket of eggs which had been maliciously broken by some workmen. Who can doubt but that he had an immense impact on Alfred who was thirteen when Swithun died and who must have heard him preach many times? Perhaps he even heard the young prince’s confessions. …

Rettferdig skal jeg skue ditt åsyn. Jeg skal mettes ved synet av din herlighet.

Liturgi /

Slik lyder inngangsverset i denne søndagens messe (15. søndag i det alminnelige kirkeår), og slik er resten av messens bønner og antifoner:

KIRKEBØNN
Allmektige Gud, du lar din sannhets lys skinne for de villfarne, så de kan vende tilbake til den rette vei. Gi alle som bekjenner den kristne tro, kraft til å gjøre det som er denne tro verdig, og sky det som står den imot. Ved vår Herre …

BØNN OVER OFFERGAVENE
Herre, se i nåde til din kirkes bønner og til de gaver den bærer frem. Gi de troende som skal motta dem, å vokse i hellighet. Ved Kristus, vår Herre.

KOMMUNIONSVERS
Spurven har funnet et hjem, og svalen et rede for sine unger, i din helligdom, Herre, min konge og min Gud. Salige er de som bor i ditt hus, uten opphør skal de lovsynge deg. Salme 84 (83), 4-5
Eller:
Den som eter mitt legeme og drikker mitt blod, han blir i meg, og jeg i ham, sier herren. Joh 6, 57

BØNN ETTER KOMMUNION
Herre, vi takker deg for de gaver vi har mottatt. La oss vokse i din frelses nåde så ofte vi feirer disse mysterier. Ved Kristus, vår Herre.

Og slik lyder søndagens evangelium fra Markus 6,7-13:
På den tid kalte Jesus de tolv til seg, og begynte å sende dem ut, to og to, og gav dem makt over de vanhellige ånder. En stav var alt de skulle ha med på veien – ikke brød eller skreppe, eller penger i beltet. Sandaler kunne de ha på, men mer enn én kjortel skulle de ikke bære. Og han sa til dem: «Når dere tar inn i et hus, bli der så lenge dere er på stedet. Og hvis folk noe sted ikke vil ta imot dere og nekter å høre på dere, skal dere forlate det stedet og ryste støvet av føttene deres, som en advarsel til dem.» Så drog de ut og forkynte for folk at de skulle omvende seg. De drev ut mange demoner, og mange syke salvet de med olje og helbredet dem. Slik lyder Herrens ord.

Les alle søndagens tekster her.

President Obama besøker pave Benedikt – samtale om livets ukrenkelighet

Generelt /

Da pave Benedikt mottok president Obama til en halvtimes samtale fredag, forteller nettavisene (bl.a. HER) at samtalen i ganske stor grad gikk på spørsmål om abort og andre spørsmål om livets ukrenkelighet. Kirkens syn ble klart presentert for USA’s president (som er en svært sterk forsvarer av fri abort), og som avskjedsgave etter samtalen fikk han med seg ei bok som presenterer det katolske synet på slike spørsmål.

Pope Benedict XVI stressed the church’s opposition to abortion and stem cell research in his first meeting with President Barack Obama on Friday, pressing the Vatican’s case with the U.S. leader who is already under fire on those issues from some conservative Catholics and bishops back home.

The 30-minute meeting Vatican audience was described by both sides as positive _ constructive talks between two men who agree on helping the poor and pushing for Middle East peace but disagree on what the Vatican considers prime ethical issues.

«It’s a great honor,» Obama said, greeting the pope and thanking him for this first meeting.

Afterward, the Vatican said the leaders discussed immigration, the Middle East peace process and aid to developing nations. But the Vatican’s statement also underscored the pair’s deep disagreement on abortion.

«In the course of their cordial exchanges, the conversation turned first of all to questions which are in the interest of all and which constitute a great challenge … such as the defense and promotion of life and the right to abide by one’s conscience,» the statement said.

Even in his gift to the U.S. leader, the pope sought to underscore his beliefs. Benedict gave Obama a copy of a Vatican document on bioethics that hardened the church’s opposition to using embryos for stem cell research, cloning and in-vitro fertilization. Obama supports stem cell research.

«Yes, this is what we had talked about,» Obama said, telling the pope he would read it on the flight to his next stop, Ghana.

Earlier, the pope’s secretary, the Rev. Georg Ganswein, told reporters the document would «help the president better understand the position of the Catholic church.»

Bilder fra prestevielse i Stockholm 29. juni

Katolsk /

Jeg skrev 29. juni om prestevielsen av Morgan Elworth i Stockholms katolske domkirke – vi har hatt litt kontakt, siden vi begge er gifte og begge tidligere har vært lutherske prester. I dag fikk jeg en hilsen fra ham, der han sender meg noen bilder (se over – ved alteret står han på biskop Arborelius’ høyre side), og dessuten skriver: «Ett stort tack för gratulation! Jag är fortfarande lite omtumlad nu en vecka efteråt. 48 år har jag väntat på detta. Redan som 15-åring ville jag konvertera men valde sedan att stanna i svenska kyrkan alltför länge. «

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