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1 week ago | 
catholic.com | Michael P. Foley
One solution to this disorientation is a sort of “trad starter kit”— a collection of books for those who would like to learn more about the TLM. I do not believe that there is a definitive, one-size-fits-all list; much depends on the individual, his temperament, and his own background, and one man’s medicine can be another man’s poison. Some souls delight in the polemics of Michael Davies; others are offended by the tone.
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1 week ago | 
newliturgicalmovement.org | Michael P. Foley
What is less obvious is why the prayer also includes Ps 140, 3 and 4, a petition for clean words and thoughts. I consider this inclusion to be another example of the liturgical stutter. Here, at this point of the Mass, it is being prompted by an awareness of heightened numinosity. The priest is about to enter into the Sancta Sanctorum of sacrifice, and he knows it. Accendat in nobis Dóminus ignem sui amóris, et flammam aeternae caritátis. Amen.
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2 weeks ago | 
newliturgicalmovement.org | Michael P. Foley
The choice of pronouns in the Per intercessionem and Incensum istud is significant. Whereas English has two demonstrative pronouns, Latin has three. In English, “this” is used to point to things that are near the first person (I, me) while “that” is used to point to things that are near either the second person (you) or the third (he, him).
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1 month ago | 
newliturgicalmovement.org | Michael P. Foley
Anonymous, the Archangel Gabriel, depicted on the predella of the high altar at the subsidiary church of Pesenbach, Upper Austria, 1495In the traditional Roman calendar, the feast days of saints are sometimes clustered together to form archipelagos of holiness that allow the faithful to meditate longer on a sacred mystery. These archipelagos do not always consist of consecutive days.
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2 months ago | 
catholic.com | Michael P. Foley
Now's the time to work on being sober, both physically and spiritually . . . or at least being soberish. “‘Soberish’ can mean drinking more mindfully, drinking less or avoiding alcohol altogether but not other drugs.”—Emily Schmall, “Not Drunk, Not Dry: What It Means to Be ‘Soberish,’” New York Times, January 15, 2025Periodic abstinence is one of the key ways to maintain a healthy relationship with alcohol, and many Catholics use Lent as the occasion for such a dry spell.
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2 months ago | 
newliturgicalmovement.org | Michael P. Foley
Here, the sacrifice was consummated or completed when the fire of the Lord fell on the holocaust victim, but the sacrifice began when Elijah, after repairing the altar stones, ritually prepared the wood and the victim. Similarly, the sacrifice of the Mass begins when the priest begins the Offertory; he can thus refer to his actions as sacrificial even though he knows that the sacrifice will not reach its apex until the Words of Institution are uttered.
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2 months ago | 
newliturgicalmovement.org | Michael P. Foley
Lost in Translation #120As we saw last week, the Offertory prayer In spiritu humilitatis contains the verse “In the spirit of humility and with a contrite heart may we be accepted by Thee.” (Dan. 3, 39) A contrite heart is a recurring theme in the Sacred Scriptures, but the terms to describe it are not always the same. In the Old Testament, the most common noun is indeed “heart,” the Hebrew lêḇ. [1] There are, however, exceptions.
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2 months ago | 
catholicdigest.com | Michael P. Foley
Valentine was a priest in Rome who was martyred on this day in AD 270. There are several theories regarding his patronage of young lovers. According to one, he administered Holy Communion and last rites to Christian prisoners before being imprisoned himself. As a prisoner, he wrote a letter to the jailer’s daughter, signing it “your Valentine.” Another version has it that the saintly priest played matchmaker for the jailer’s daughter. But the most likely reason is historical happenstance.
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2 months ago | 
newliturgicalmovement.org | Michael P. Foley
For “being accepted” in Daniel 3, 39, the Vulgate uses suscipiamur, and the In spiritu humilitatis faithfully follows this choice. Latin has several verbs to signify accepting or receiving. In the capio family alone, there are four. Capio means to grab, and it takes on different nuances depending on the prefix attached to it. Ad+capio or accipio literally means to take something to oneself; it is the origin of our work “accept.” Concipio is a combination of cum/con and capio.
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Jan 24, 2025 | 
newliturgicalmovement.org | Michael P. Foley
Lost in Translation #118At the middle of the altar, the priest offers the new mixture of water and wine. Holding the chalice at about eye-level and raising his eyes to the altar cross, he says the prayer Offerimus tibi. When he is finished, he makes the sign of the cross with the chalice and places it on the corporal.
