Thursday, November 25, 2010

Just in case anyone might be fooled into thinking..

..That I've been really productive while I've been sick, while I did do some work, I also have been watching videos like This One over and over and over again.

It's like Snuppie- You remember? Snuppie, de Kleine Krokadil?

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

(Not quite) Daily Psalm.

Psalm 116, Westminster Cathedral Choir.

THE FLU.

I have it. It great how, less than three days after I get over a very severe allergy attack, I thn go on to get the flu.

Anyway, I did finally find a video of This Thing, which I actually kind of like and have liked since I first saw it. Now,that doesn't make it any less silly-sounding. I just think that some of the harmonies are rather nice.

Friday, November 19, 2010

This is now the stupidest comment,

That I have ever seen in the entirety of my short life:

“Surely as a black man you can sympathize with the non-theist community,” she said, suggesting that attitudes about her group were “equal to the way blacks were treated before the civil rights movement."

From this idiot here.


Yes, because not being allowed to put a tree with offensive books on it on public property is the same as being murdered, beaten up, harassed and mistreated for wanting to vote and go to schools that are'nt purpousely sub-standard.

*Sigh* If there was ever disproof of the theories of the progress of man/society or evolution, I think this lady is it.

I agree that there shouldn't be these types of religious displays on public property. In this day and age, where civility is non-existent, trying to allow everyone of all religions to put up a display only ends in the uncharitable fighting, insulting and insensitive mocking that you see happens with the displays that happen here. It's not about suppressing free speech*. It's actually about tolerance. Since, as her own group ought to admit, they are not really tolerant of other faiths, and those other faiths are not tolerant of her, why bother pretending that we all get along when under the paper-thin surface, disunited and hatred actually exist?

Besides, you would think in a time where the separation of church and state is becoming more pronounced, a so-called free thought society would advocate the elimination of religious displays on tax-payer funded property, in favour of religiously neutral displays. But since this would mean that they would have to give up their atheistic display, legality and their own principles are thrown out of the window in favour of ideology.

*Free speech, by the way, is'nt totally free. It is governed by the rules and laws of those who own the property. i.e., speech is free withing the bounds set by the person who owns the property that the right is being exercised on. If a local government sets a rule that limits free speech on state property, there's nothing to get into a tizzy about because similar laws already exist EVERYWHERE.

Sunday, November 14, 2010

A litany for the departed,


That I stole form Recta Ratio.

It follows:

Almighty God, Father of Goodness and love,
have mercy on the Poor Suffering Souls,
and grant Thine aid:

To my dear parents and ancestors;
Jesus, Mary, Joseph! My Jesus Mercy.
To my brothers and sisters and other near relatives;
Jesus, Mary, Joseph! My Jesus Mercy.
To my benefactors, spiritual and temporal; etc.
To my former friends and subjects;
To all for whom love or duty bids me pray;
To those who have suffered disadvantage or harm through me;
To those who have offended me;
To all those who are especially beloved by Thee;
To those whose release is at hand;
To those who desire most to be united with Thee;
To those who endure the greatest suffering;
To those whose release is most remote;
To those who are least remembered;
To those who are most deserving on account of their services to the Church;
To the rich, who now are the most destitute;
To the mighty, who now are as lowly servants;
To the blind, who now see their folly;
To the frivolous, who spent their time in idleness;
To the poor, who did not seek the treasures of Heaven;
To the tepid, who devoted little time to prayer;
To the indolent, who were negligent in performing good works;
To those of little faith, who neglected the frequent reception of the Sacraments;
To the habitual sinners, who owe their salvation to a miracle of grace;
To parents who failed to watch over their children;
To superiors who were not solicitous for the salvation of those entrusted to them;
To the souls of those who strove for hardly anything but riches and pleasures;
To the worldly-minded, who failed to use their wealth and talents in the service of God;
To those who witnessed the death of others, but would not think of their own;
To those who did not provide for the great journey beyond, and the days of tribulation;
To those whose judgment is so severe because of the great things entrusted to them;
To the popes, rulers, kings and princes;
To the bishops and their counselors;
To my teachers and spiritual advisors;
To the deceased priests of this diocese;
To all the priests and religious of the whole Catholic Church;
To the defenders of the Holy Faith;
To those who died on the battlefield;
To those who are buried in the sea;
To those who died of stroke or heart attack;
To those who died without the last rites of the Church;
To those who shall die within the next twenty-four hours;
To my own poor soul when I shall have to appear before Thy judgment seat;

V. O Lord, grant eternal rest to all the souls of the faithful departed,
R. And let perpetual light shine upon them.
V. May they rest in peace.
R. Amen.

A wise Quote.


“Every true reformer is obedient to the faith: he does not act in an arbitrary manner, he does not appropriate any discretion over the rite; he is not the owner, but the custodian of the treasury instituted by the Lord and entrusted to us. The whole Church is present in every liturgy: adhering to its form is a condition of authenticity for what is celebrated.”

-Benedict XVI.

Now, if only Pius XII,of happy memory, had truly known and understood this. Then we wouldn't be is the unfortunate situation that the church is in now.

Thursday, November 11, 2010

Giovanni Croce, you have been my downfall.

Y'know, everything was going fine with the choir. I could learn the music pretty easily, my voice was okay*,things were great.

AND THEN, Giovanni Croce with his eveil** O Sacrum Convivium came along and ruined it. It's a beautiful piece to be sure,wonderful harmonies and wonderful running lines. It's quite impressive. But those running lines are a bit difficult to sing, especially since there are few places to take a breath. Usually one line ends and another begins immediately after it.(Such as the section from Passionis eius' until ;futurae gloriae'-all running lines.) And to be honest, I can sing the part alone, but together, I usually can't manage to get to the 8th measure before I lose my place. I can pick it up again at measure 16, and then I'm fine till measure 29. Then I'm a bit lost on measures 31-32, but I have the alleluias down.

*Except for when my voice cracked at the cathedral during the Haydn gloria.

**That's spelled like that on purpouse.

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

And alsoe,

My two favourite sections form my second favourite setting of the requiem mass-Faure's.

All Souls day.

(Image from the Tres Belles Heures.)

'"Without delay, on that very night, this was shown to me in a vision. I saw Dinocrates going out from a gloomy place, where also there were several others, and he was parched and very thirsty, with a filthy countenance and pallid colour, and the wound on his face which he had when he died. This Dinocrates had been my brother after the flesh, seven years of age? Who died miserably with disease...But I trusted that my prayer would bring help to his suffering; and I prayed for him every day until we passed over into the prison of the camp, for we were to fight in the camp-show. Then was the birth-day of Gets Caesar, and I made my prayer for my brother day and night, groaning and weeping that he might be granted to me. Then, on the day on which we remained in fetters, this was shown to me. I saw that that place which I had formerly observed to be in gloom was now bright; and Dinocrates, with a clean body well clad, was finding refreshment. And where there had been a wound, I saw a scar; and that pool which I had before seen, I saw now with its margin lowered even to the boy's navel. And one drew water from the pool incessantly, and upon its brink was a goblet filled with water; and Dinocrates drew near and began to drink from it, and the goblet did not fail. And when he was satisfied, he went away from the water to play joyously, after the manner of children, and I awoke. Then I understood that he was translated from the place of punishment." The Passion of Perpetua and Felicitias, 2:3-4 (A.D. 202)'
My second favourite day of the year, with November being my favourite month of the year.

And now, the offertory from my favourite requiem mass setting.

Monday, November 1, 2010

If there is one thing I learned..

From Gaia today, it's that the Gaia Community Discussion forum is filled with rich,bigoted, stuck up prommies who can't bear the mere mention that there are people currently existing in the world who disagree with them.

Like I've told people, most of the world's problems stem from the inability of most people to use the principles of logic correctly.

All Saints Day.


"Master William of Auxerre putteth six reasons, in the sum of the office, wherefore it was established that we should here in this world make solemnity of the saints. The first is, for the honour of the divine majesty, for when we do honour the saint or saints, we honour God in his saints, and say that he is marvellous in them. For who that doth honour to saints, he honoureth him specially which hath sanctified them. The second is to have aid in our infirmity, for by ourselves we may have none health, therefore have we need of the prayers of saints, and therefore we ought to honour them, that we may deserve that they aid and help us. It is read in the Third Book of Kings, of the first chapter, that Beersheba is as much to say as the pit of filling, which is to say the church triumphant saying to her son, that is to say that to the church triumphant he had obtained the reign by his prayers. The third cause is for the augmentation of our surety, that is to say for the glory that is purposed in us; in their solemnity our hope and surety be augmented and increased. And if mortal men and dead might thus be enhanced by their merits, it is truth that the might and puissance shall nothing thereby be minished ne lessed. The fourth for the example of us following. For when the feast is remembered, we be called to ensue and follow them. So that by the example of them we despise all earthly things, and desire celestial things. The fifth is for the debt of interchanging neighbourhood, for the saints make of us feast in heaven. For the angels of God and the holy souls have joy and make feast in heaven of a sinner that doth penance, and therefore it is right when they make of us feast in heaven, that we make feast of them in earth. The sixth is for the procuration of our honour, for when we honour the saints we procure our honour, for their solemnity is our dignity, for when we worship our brethren we worship ourselves, for charity maketh all to be common, and our things be celestial, earthly and perdurable."

From the Golden Legend.

Election Day.

It's funny because it's true.

And now, some context.

Google Scholar/Books makes me happy.

Because it makes research for school so much easier. It's a lot easier to settle on a source when you can write down the subjects you'll be using in your outline, and then after searching for sources for one subject or subtopic, search again with another subject/subtopic. You can note down which sources show multiple times. (i.e., they have the info you need for more than one subject/subtopic) which is a lot easier than having 15 subtopic and 17 sources.Much easier to have 15 subtopic and 6 or 7 sources,or at least that's how I do it.

But I am not, nor have I ever been, will be, or have the desire to be a scholar.