No Apologies #120 – ( 08min) >>> Play

Ave Maria!

Update: Audio problem has been fixed.

The Sedevacantist professes that the Seat of Peter is now vacant. Benedict XVI  is a false pope posing as the legitimate Vicar of Christ. Their reasoning is that he, and at least 4 of  his predecessors, have taught and believe heresy, and so automatically are deposed of their office. Their error is private judgment, which when looked at reveals a foundation built upon sand.

Ave Maria!

Audio (MP3)

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Pope Benedict has issued the post-synodal apostolic exhortation Verbum Domini [The Word of the Lord], the most important Church document devoted to Sacred Scripture since the Second Vatican Council’s Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation (Dei Verbum), which was promulgated in 1965.

via Catholic Culture : Latest Headlines : Pope Benedict issues major document on Sacred Scripture (link to full text).

Full text is over 200 pages. The ending is included here on AirMaria since it relates to Mary, Mother of God and so Mother of Joy:

“ Mater Verbi et Mater laetitiae ”

124. This close relationship between God’s
word and joy is evident in the Mother of God.
Let us recall the words of Saint Elizabeth: “ Blessed
is she who believed that there would be a fulfi
lment of what was spoken to her by the Lord ”
(Lk 1:45). Mary is blessed because she has faith,
because she believed, and in this faith she received
the Word of God into her womb in order
to give him to the world. The joy born of the
Word can now expand to all those who, by faith,
let themselves be changed by God’s word. The
Gospel of Luke presents this mystery of hearing
and joy in two texts. Jesus says: “ My mother and
my brothers are those who hear the word of God
and do it ” (8:21). And in reply to a woman from
the crowd who blesses the womb that bore him
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and the breasts that nursed him, Jesus reveals the
secret of true joy: “ Blessed rather are those who
hear the word of God and obey it! ” (11:28). Jesus
points out Mary’s true grandeur, making it possible
for each of us to attain that blessedness which
is born of the word received and put into practice.
I remind all Christians that our personal and
communal relationship with God depends on our
growing familiarity with the word of God. Finally,
I turn to every man and woman, including those
who have fallen away from the Church, who have
left the faith or who have never heard the proclamation
of salvation. To everyone the Lord says:
“ Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone
hears my voice and opens the door, I will
come in to him and eat with him, and he with me ”
(Rev 3:20).
May every day of our lives thus be shaped
by a renewed encounter with Christ, the Word
of the Father made fl esh: he stands at the beginning
and the end, and “ in him all things hold
together ” (Col 1:17). Let us be silent in order to
hear the Lord’s word and to meditate upon it, so
that by the working of the Holy Spirit it may remain
in our hearts and speak to us all the days of
our lives. In this way the Church will always be
renewed and rejuvenated, thanks to the word of
the Lord which remains for ever (cf. 1 Pet 1:25;
Is 40:8). Thus we too will enter into the great
nuptial dialogue which concludes sacred Scripture:
“ The Spirit and the bride say: ‘Come’.
And let everyone who hears say: ‘Come!’ ” The
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one who testifi es to these things, says: ‘Surely I
am coming soon!’. Amen. Come, Lord Jesus! ”.
(Rev 22:17, 20).
Given in Rome, at Saint Peter’s, on 30 September,
the Memorial of Saint Jerome, in the year
2010, the sixth of my Pontificate.

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Variety #107 – In Defense of Vatican II ( 09min) >>> Play

Ave Maria

In Defense of Vatican II – Part 1

In this short four part series Fr. Peter Damian Fehlner outlines many of the blessings brought to the Church through the Second Vatican Council. He also explains the need to interpret its documents in light of Tradition with a “view to reform” avoiding both extremes of Modernism and Traditionalism.

Ave Maria!

Audio (MP3)

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Variety #115 –  ( 03min) >>> Play

Ave Maria!

Vatican II Treasure.

Here’s a short clip in honor of Vatican II and Christian unity week. Hope you like it.

Ave Maria!

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The post Video – Vatican Treasure first appeared on AirMaria.com.

Recently within certain circles a debate has arisen as to whether the Second Vatican Council is actually in continuity with sacred Tradition.  The debate stems from an address given by Pope Benedict to the Roman Curia on December 22, 2005, in which he spoke famously of the “hermeneutic of continuity.”  It is contended by some that at that time the Holy Father actually invited the debate.

In that address the Holy Father rejected the modernist idea that the Council was a kind of constitutional convention that changed the nature of the Church, and that the actual texts of the Council were compromises between conservatives and liberals, which had to be interpreted according to their innovative spirit.  (This is the origin of the amorphous “spirit of Vatican II”.)  This notion constitutes the “hermeneutic of rupture,” and is corrected by the “hermeneutic of continuity,” which simply means that the Second Vatican Council is not a break from Tradition, but a pastoral adaptation of the perennial principles of Apostolic Tradition according to the circumstances of our times.  The starting point is that the Council must be interpreted in continuity with the Church’s perennial dogmatic teaching.  It should be noted that traditionalists accept the modernist interpretation of the Council, that is, both modernists and traditionalists hold that the Council is a break with Tradition.  Modernists do so because they do not believe in objective revelation; traditionalists because they believe that the Council betrayed objective revelation.

In this post I am following up on my “White Propaganda” contribution that generated a few comments about this debate.  It seems that the work of the Holy See to regularize the Society of St. Pius X has had the effect of lending a certain amount of credibility to anticonciliar intuitions, and that given the Holy See’s openness to the return of the SSPX, the Holy Father himself must share some of these sympathies.  I will address these contentions more directly in my next post.  In this one I merely wish to refute the contention that back in 2005 Pope Benedict invited this debate.

This exercise in the art of illusion consists in a cunning interpretation of the pope’s exhortation in his December 22, 2005, address to the Roman Curia:

There is no doubt that the wearing dispute between modern reason and the Christian faith, which had begun negatively with the Galileo case, went through many phases, but with the Second Vatican Council the time came when broad new thinking was required.

Its content was certainly only roughly traced in the conciliar texts, but this determined its essential direction, so that the dialogue between reason and faith, particularly important today, found its bearings on the basis of the Second Vatican Council.

This dialogue must now be developed with great openmindedness but also with that clear discernment that the world rightly expects of us in this very moment. Thus, today we can look with gratitude at the Second Vatican Council:  if we interpret and implement it guided by a right hermeneutic, it can be and can become increasingly powerful for the ever necessary renewal of the Church.

If one reads this plainly but carefully he will see that the Holy Father is stating something very simple and very pro-Vatcian II:  The modern conflict between faith and reason culminated at the time of the Council in the need for “broad new thinking.”  The conciliar texts went a long way to accomplish this, but the development of this thinking continues as a “dialogue between reason and faith,” established on the basis of the Council.  This dialogue between faith and reason, roughly outlined by the Council, must continue and be “developed” with “openmindedness,” but also with clear discernment.  But it is certainly the Second Vatican Council, interpreted and implemented, “guided by the right hermeneutic,” (the hermeneutic of continuity) that is at the heart of the “ever necessary renewal of the Church.”

So how does this observation that that the dialogue between faith and reason must continue on the basis of the Council, rightly interpreted according the hermeneutic of continuity, become an “invitation to debate” the very possibility of interpreting the Council according to a hermeneutic of continuity?  It is academic sleight of hand, fast-talking lawyering.  See, for example, Roberto De Mattei, “A Council Can Also Make Mistakes”:

The speech to the Roman curia by Benedict XVI on December 22, 2005, opened a debate on Vatican Council II as exemplified recently by the books of Msgr. Brunero Gherardini and the important conference of the Franciscans of the Immaculate, held in Rome between December 16 and 18, 2010, in addition to my study “Il Concilio Vaticano II. Una storia mai scritta [Vatican Council II. A history never written]” (Lindau, Torino 2010).

The pope’s call to interpret the documents of Vatican II according to a “hermeneutic of continuity” has in fact offered a decisive stimulus to developing the debate on the Council in a manner different from that of the “school of Bologna,” which has presented it in terms of fracture and discontinuity with the bimillennial tradition of the Church.

At first glance, De Mattei seems to be supporting the hermeneutic of continuity against “the School of Bologna.” But a careful reading indicates otherwise.  He says that the pope’s call for interpretation of the Council according to a hermeneutic of continuity “has in fact offered a decisive stimulus to developing the debate on the Council in a manner different from the “school of Bologna” (emphasis mine).  He actually says nothing in support of the hermeneutic of continuity.  The “school of Bologna” is the Italian theological school of the progressive “spirit of Vatican II,” and De Mattei says that papal assertion of the hermeneutic of continuity is invitation to oppose the progressivists of that school (as though it was not something acceptable to do before hand).  Is he suggesting that there is no middle way between the school of Bologna and the school of De Mattei?  The pope does not appear to be supporting either the progressivist or the traditionalist school.

What is clear is that De Mattei further uses the observation of the Holy Father, that the dialogue of reason and faith guided by the right interpretation of the Council should continue, as a pretext to challenge the “hermeneutic of continuity” itself.  De Mattei’s reference to Monsignor Brunero Gherardini as being at the forefront of the debate “opened” by the papal address of December 22, 2005, makes his intentions clear, as Gherardini expressly and repeatedly challenges the possibility of the hermeneutic of continuity.  In fact, Basil Valuet in “Perché non sono d’accordo con Gherardini, De Mattei, Rhonheimer” charges Gherardini with rejecting “some formal teachings of Vatican II (“Lumen Gentium” [LG], “Nostra Aetate”, “Gaudium et Spes” [GS] and “Dignitatis Humanae” [DH]).”  At the same time, Valuet sees that De Mattei is not simply countering the position of the School of Bologna, but uses a faulty historical analysis to support Gherardini’s thesis that one must follow Tradition before the magisterium.

Indeed, later on in “A Council Can Also Make Mistakes” De Mattei states the following:

The criticism of Marchetto and Introvigne seems to have a single purpose: to close off preemptively that debate which Benedict XVI has opened with an invitation to develop it. […]

Marchetto and Introvigne criticize De Mattei for challenging the hermeneutic of continuity itself.  De Mattei thinks the pope welcomes a challenge to his interpretation of the Council and De Mattei does so on the basis of a specious interpretation of the pope’s statement.

Unfortunately, it now is just generally assumed by the anticonciliar enthusiasts that the pope really did invite theologians, historians, bloggers and armchair prognosticators to challenge him on the very existence and possibility of interpreting the Second Vatican Council according to a hermeneutic of continuity.

Note that the question answered here is not whether the traditionalists are right in challenging the hermeneutic of continuity.  That will be answered in the next post. The question here is simply whether the Holy Father has really invited or encouraged the debate over the possibility of an interpretation of the Council based on a hermeneutic of continuity.  He has not.

Filed under: Church, Religion Tagged: Hermeneutic of Continuity, Monsignor Brunero Gherardini, Pope Benedict, Roberto De Mattei, Second Vatican Council
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Homily #120624 ( 34min) Play – Fr. Bonaventure preaches on how the Birth of John the Baptist, which happened so long ago, is most relevant to our times and to the New Evangelization proclaimed by John Paul II and the true pastoral spirit of Vatican II. As John is the precursor to the Lord, so are we, as we go out into the world giving good example and good news, we are saving souls from despair, bringing them to repentance and to Baptism and so receive Jesus into their hearts. Father exhorts us to be both loving and accurate in our presentation of the Gospel, always showing concern and patient consideration of the needs of the souls we are evangelizing.  This is the true Catholic pastoral spirit which is the true way to follow Christ’s example and is the only way to truly build up the body of Christ.
Ave Maria!
Mass: Birth of St. John the Baptist – Solemnity – Form: OF
Readings: 
1st: isa 49:1-6
Resp: psa 139:1-3, 13-14, 14-15
2nd: act 13:22-26
Gsp: luk 1:57-66, 80

Audio (MP3)

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Conferences #189 – Fr. Elias Mills F.I. ( 35min) >>> Play

Ave Maria!

We received this gift of faith in baptism, a supernatural dogmatic faith.

Vatican II is the greatest grace given to the 20th century.

Misinterpretation is the problem not Vatican II.

The faith has not changed with Vatican II.

Faith is needed for a faithful marriage.

To have a strong society we must have strong marriages.

Families need to study there faith in this year of faith.

With the great loss of faith in the west maybe we’ll see the conversion of the muslims to the true faith.

Mary’s faith was tried like no other.

Resist satan solid in your faith.

Ave Maria!

Audio (MP3)

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Conferences #190 – Fr. Elias Mills F.I. ( 78min) >>> Play

Ave Maria!

We received this gift of faith in baptism, a supernatural dogmatic faith.

Vatican II is the greatest grace given to the 20th century.

Misinterpretation is the problem not Vatican II.

The faith has not changed with Vatican II.

Faith is needed for a faithful marriage.

To have a strong society we must have strong marriages.

Families need to study there faith in this year of faith.

With the great loss of faith in the west maybe we’ll see the conversion of the muslims to the true faith.

Mary’s faith was tried like no other.

Resist satan solid in your faith.

Ave Maria!

Audio (MP3)

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The post Video – Conferences #190: A Year of Faith in Mary Part 2 first appeared on AirMaria.com.

Conferences #191 – Fr. Elias Mills F.I. ( 48min) >>> Play

Ave Maria!

We received this gift of faith in baptism, a supernatural dogmatic faith.

Vatican II is the greatest grace given to the 20th century.

Misinterpretation is the problem not Vatican II.

The faith has not changed with Vatican II.

Faith is needed for a faithful marriage.

To have a strong society we must have strong marriages.

Families need to study there faith in this year of faith.

With the great loss of faith in the west maybe we’ll see the conversion of the muslims to the true faith.

Mary’s faith was tried like no other.

Resist satan solid in your faith.

Ave Maria!

Audio (MP3)

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The post Video – Conferences #191: A Year of Faith in Mary Part 3 first appeared on AirMaria.com.