New Translation #1: Non sum dignus

The New Translation came into use on Sunday in Canada (and the rest of North America). My kids didn't like the change, but then I guess they don't like any change (any more than they like me changing the things I cook for them).

Most striking for me immediately was the Domine non sum dignus. A couple of years ago I attended an EF Missa Cantata at St Mungo's in Glasgow. The power of the original (and the weakness of the new translation) impressed itself upon me and there after I would repeat the Latin three times before Communion as a private devotion.

We are used to saying ‘Lord I am not worthy to receive you’ ... This changed to: ‘Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed’. This is almost exactly what the Roman Centurion said when he came and begged Jesus to heal his servant. When Jesus says he will come to the Centurion’s house, the man knows that Jesus doesn’t need to do that, that just his word will be enough. The Centurion says: ‘Lord I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but only say the word and my servant will be healed’. Our new reply changes only one word of the Centurion’s speech - my servant became my soul will be healed.

I am becoming more and more cross at the 1970 translation. I've used it for 40 years of my life. I feel short-changed by it. It treated us, the laity, like a bunch of dumbass kindergarten kids who couldn't possibly spot a literary allusion. I also dislike the fact that they felt they knew better than the Holy See what the words of Mass should be. Who the heck did they think they were? And why did the Bishops' Conferences let them get away with? Not trained liturgists, probably.

Interestingly, the incident was the Gospel reading for Mass yesterday:

When he entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, appealing to him and saying, "Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, in terrible distress." And he said to him, "I will come and cure him." The centurion answered, "Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof; but only speak the word, and my servant will be healed. For I also am a man under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to one, 'Go,' and he goes, and to another, 'Come,' and he comes, and to my slave, 'Do this,' and the slave does it." When Jesus heard him, he was amazed and said to those who followed him, "Truly I tell you, in no one in Israel have I found such faith. I tell you, many will come from east and west and will eat with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, while the heirs of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." And to the centurion Jesus said, "Go; let it be done for you according to your faith." And the servant was healed in that hour.

My youngest has not been well recently but is getting better. It has been a worrying time with more visits to hospital etc. This reading has given me so much comfort.

Would that I had the faith of the Centurion.

Occupy London FAIL!

Yeah, man. Those greedy multinational corporations, man. Down with 'em. Oh, yeah, er, a decaff caramel latte with some marshmallows on the top.

H/T Prison Planet

They'll know we are Christians by our love....

Sad to hear that Ttony has hung up his mouse. Amazing the vitriol that comes from one commenter:

James P talking shi*e as usual. Truth is, one less traddie blog on the Internet is no bad thing! You will not be missed. The damage and insult you have caused to good Catholics in this country is beyond measurable.Go, don't hang about to be applauded by the sick freaks who follow you.What a bunch of absolute losers they are! Traditional Catholic blogger's are worse than Nazi's and just as destructive. They hate this church with a vengeance. The Guild are the worst of all. Ministered to by the His hermeneutic, who's ego is so big he needs to be followed around by his own personal phonographer in the guise of the weird Mulier Fortis, she of the 'monitor my cat poo blog'. Then of course we have the Taliban Catholics, Paul Priest, the best Canon Lawyer in the world, but he works in Asda . James Preece who's little girl was in hospital but he carried on blogging , after all sticking it to The Magic Circle is far more importantthan family. Man like that does not deserve children.Can't leave out the old Mossie bidie in France, another nutter! And we should not forget the fat Pharisee Reluctant Sinner who leads a double life. Subs Manager for Oremus by day, out cruising with his copy of the pink paper in his sticky little hand by dark. Oh yes, these are the people who should head this church, these really are the ones to show us the light, lead on Admiral we will follow, we will worship at your alter, not in a million years my friend.

How does that song go? Oh they'll know we are Christians by our love, by our love, yes they'll know we are Christians by our love....

Pray for him/her

Hircorum et caprarum more

Some co-workers and I have taken up the Movember challenge. So I have a month to grow a 'tache. It's to raise funds and awareness of prostate cancer. Prostate cancer doesn't get the kind of attention AIDS used to get and breast cancer has had for some time. Old blokes aren't as glamorous as celebs with an affliction. Also, Catholic priests, it is supposed due to their celibacy, are at greater risk of this disease.

I've only ever had facial hair once before when as a student on elective in west Africa I ran out of razor blades. So far the facial hair is coming out as quite grey, which at my age should be no surprise, really. I can't decide on a Merv Hughes, a Freddie Mercury, a Tom Selleck or a Fu Manchu.










Are priests banned from moustaches? I understand they were frowned upon as inhibiting consuming the Precious Blood at Communion.The Catholic Encyclopaedia has a fascinating chapter on beards. It seems they may wear facial hair.The picture shows Bl John XXIII, I think when he was an army chaplain in WWI, with a 'tache.

I don't tend to trust priests with 'taches, which stems from one I knew who left and now lives with another chap. Fr Ronald Rolheiser OMI has a moustache. Hmmm. One of the Canadian bishops, Archbishop Smith of Edmonton has a 'tache.


V. suspicious.

Trouble ahead

Looks like Mass on Sunday could be interesting.

Planned Disruption of Church Occupation Forces Postponement – Vancouver Group Names Provocateurs A Statement from Occupy the Vatican (Vancouver) and Indigenous members of Occupy Vancouver

Sunday, October 30, 2011 on sovereign ©Squamish / Skwxwú7mesh™ Government territory (“Vancouver, Canada”)
Today’s planned occupation of Holy Rosary Catholic Cathedral by our network has been postponed for one week because of our discovery of a plan by paid government provocateurs to incite violence at the event and bring discredit to our efforts and against Kevin Annett – Eagle Strong Voice.
Two of these provocateurs are paid agents of government-funded “Chief” Ed John of the collaborationist First Nations Summit. Their names are Frank Martin and Helen Michel, aka “Telquaa”.
Martin and Michel, assisted by undercover operatives, planned today to publicly condemn and malign Kevin Annett before the media, and incite occupiers to damage church property, causing the arrest of occupiers and the special detainment “for questioning” of Kevin Annett by police.
Our planned peaceful occupation of the Cathedral, and other Catholic church property, will proceed under strict security precautions next Sunday, November 6 at 10 am. This action will include the infiltration of our members into church services in several locations in Vancouver.
As the attached Notice of Eviction and Right of Entry describes, our occupation of this church has been authorized by Siyam ©Kiapilanoq/CAPILANO™ and by a Necessity Duty under Common Law caused by the murderous and genocidal actions of the Roman Catholic Church.

If our pastor wants a pair of hands ready to defend the Church with some muscular Christianity, I'm ready. Might take along my 'Justice For Isaasc Jogues' placard.

Occupy Shakedown

So it begins.

There was a rather pathetic episode happened in Vancouver on Sunday. A group of ‘protestors’, decided to jump on the Occupy bandwagon and turned up at Holy Rosary Cathedral with the intention of disrputing Mass. Finding that hardly anyone had turned up (I think there were more Church ushers and cops than actual protestors) they went off to the Occupy Vancouver camp outside the Art Gallery. Even on a quiet Sunday morning with not much happening, they couldn’t drum up any support from the soapdodgers for their piece of street theatre, and so went back to the Cathedral. They shouted some slogans about Residential Schools (by no means a Catholic-only issue) and disappeared once they had got it out of their system.

Thankfully they didn’t disrupt Mass but I think the whole thing could be part of a more widespread anti-Catholic bandwagon thing, that could be jumped on in time. Lefties, after all, are not a above a bit of church burning and priest killing when the mood takes them.
See what comes up when you google 'Occupy the Vatican'

I notice they pick their targets. The also shouted about the Cathedral being on Squamish Land. If Holy Rosary is on Squamish land, then I'm pretty sure everywhere from Dunsmuir to the Waterfront is. Try going into Steamworks in the middle of a hockey game and shouting and bawling about the bar being built on their land and see the treatment you might get. The bum's rush and a swift kick up the arse might be the least you'd get for your trouble.




I was planning a counter-demonstration. Do you like my banner? After all, I searched in vain for an apology from the First Nations of North America for the appalling treatment of St Isaac Jogues and St John de Brebeuf and their companions. Historical apologies seem to be a one-way street.

I’m sick of these panhandlers, grievance-merchants and hustlers.

Ex ore infantium

Eldest was boasting a bit at dinner on Sunday night, mostly about his sporting prowess. During a lull in his verbal vainglory, Paulinus Minor Minor pipes up:

“whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”

Respect, young ‘un. You were listening.