Discrepancies.

Between one ceremonial and another.They exist, it seems. The Confraternity says that at the gospel, for example the thurifer should not swing the thurible. The Baltimore Ceremonial says that he should swing it, to keep the coals alive. The Ceremonial also says that the acolytes bow low during the celebrant's communion, but the Confraternity makes no mention of it. Then there are little things (The Ceremonial and Baldeschi say who folds the chalice veil at the offertory, while the Confraternity doesn't. It does say who helps the subdeacon with the humeral veil though.) And none of these make mention of a Crucifer, or what he does. But since a lot of that may have been up to local custom, I guess it does'nt really matter.

I want to apologise...

..and also give you some hope!

I haven't written a good, solid political post in a while. But I have a really good excuse: I've been reading actual, solid books. I don't want to just link to other articles, because It means that I probably don't know what I'm talking about. Honestly, I probably couldn't hold my own in a serious debate as well as I can in just about any of the many other subjects that interest me.(eg.choral technique, guitar tuning, liturgy, modern rock bands, etc.) Because I have'nt read (m)any primary or secondary sources on subjects like the market or different systems of government. So, I read a short little book of lectures by Mises, Economic Policy:Thoughts for Today. It was'nt reccomended to me, but it was free and it was by Mises, which were two good enough reasons to take it (Besides, it's only 120 pages long.). What was reccomended to me was Power and Market by Murray Rothbard and The Anatomy of the State, by the same.(The latter being a mere 30 pages long in my edition.) Now these are good for me, but I'm hoping to find a good read of The Other Side's views, something objective and unbiased. I'll continue till I either find something I like or get a recommendation.

Hopefully, I can make a trip to the main branch of the Philly Free Library and see what I've got to work with there.(And see if the music department is open so I can get a technically-illegal-but-so-what copy of Vierne's 24 Pieces en Style Libre, Widor's 2nd Symphony and Bach's preludes and fugues 540-546. )

*Sigh*

I finished the pencil sketch for the first chapter of my manga a LONG time ago, but I can't ink it and upload it to me deviantArt page until I get screen tone. There are no stores around here that sell it, and Deleter (my preferred company) can only ship it from Japan, or special order from a store in New York. There are digital screen tones, but I don't have Photoshop or MangaStudio.

Them's the breaks, I guess.

I just want to make an announcement:

I love Richard Proulx, the second most awesome church composer of the modern era .
His music is great, it's underperformed,but of high quality (example*) He, Ritter, Msrg. Schuler, and Mawby are my four inspirations that keep me from giving up on Catholic music.

*And this super awesome mass setting is in some of Lourdes' choir books, and we NEVER use it! Why not?! It's so amazing!

[ Another post about cooking]

There was no pepper in the house. I went food shopping yesterday with my dad and oldest brother, and put everything on my list except seasoned salt and pepper. I did pick up some flounder and mahi mahi at reading terminal, and some ground chuck and a couple of good steaks. I was going to buy some kaiser rolls so I could make cheesesteaks for dinners (real ones, mind you. I learned how to make them from my dad, who learned from his dad, who learned from his friend who worked at the original Jim's steaks ( which is literally around the corner from my house) when it opened. I have a pedigree on this, I know what I'm doing.) Only my brother wanted stir fry for dinner. So I made a trip to Trader Joes to buy soy sauce and basmati rice. I bought the soyaki rather than soy sauce, because I think it has a richer flavor (and it does'nt get a burnt flavor when you let it simmer) I did'nt tell anyone it was soyaki rather than simple soy sauce. Since there's most of the bottle left, I think I'll make this fish soup recipe I saw on Alton Brown's show during Advent II. (But without the shrimp, because I can't eat shellfish.)

And now,

A musical interlude.

And I'm so happy I was introduced to this band.

Ritual Notes. (II Sunday of the Year)

Or Per Annum if you wish. Anything by the ghastly phrase 'Ordinary Time'*

The only things I'll note are:

Hey you guys who were supposed to serve mass with me: Thanks for not showing up and not giving me a call first. I appreciate how you all took time out of your day to not tell me you weren't coming.

The music was all of my favorite music for Ordinary Sundays*:"Praise, my Soul, the King of Heaven" (Lauda Anima) as the entrance, Richard Proulx's 'A Community Mass',"Father, we Thank Thee who Hast Planted" (Rendez a Dieu) at the offertory, part of the fugue from BWV532 (Played on soft stops) at communion, and "Now Thank we All Our God"(Nun Danket) as the recessional. Bach's 'St.Anne' fugue as the postlude.

And it's probably wrong, but I'm only reciting lauds and vespers today, not singing them. I had everything planned for my vesperal 'Per Annum', but then I realised there's no paper and neither Walgreens nor Rite aid have the kind I need.

As you can see,

I've started to put my links back up. I've only gotten my recommended religious orders list up at the moment, But I saved all my other blogs and links and should have them back up by Tuesday.

Is it just me....

....Or do these two statements completely and totally contradict each other?

"178. For vernacular celebration, the conferences of bishops may adapt the Latin hymns to suit the character of their own language and introduce fresh compositions, [13] provided these are in complete harmony with the spirit of the hour, season, or feast. Great care must be taken not to allow popular songs that have no artistic merit and are not in keeping with the dignity of the liturgy."

-General Instruction of the Liturgy of the Hours, chapter III.

And:

"Because the hymns of the office are meant to be sung during the common praying of the hours, popular songs well known to Americans for morning and evening prayer have been incorporated."

-Instruction on the Hours, American Interim Breviary.

Because it seems like the bishops of the United States completely ignored a direction of the Vatican and decided to use popular songs anyway, and now all English-speaking countries have been forced to use popular songs rather than the actual hymns of the breviary*. And that obviously can't be true. I mean, would a bishop of the church ever ignore a liturgical directive based on his own preference and what he likes? Of course not!

Oh wait-

*Hymns, which, by the way were written by saints and doctors of the church:St.Ambrose, St.Gregory, St.Augustine, St.Hillary, St.Bernard, St.Thomas Aquinas, St.Pius X, St.Prudentius,St.Robert Bellarmine, etc. Thanks guys! You threw out thousands of years of hymnody for songs that are at the moment, already old and outdated.

*Sigh* Round III

It's good news. I've been told that I'm COMPLETELY in charge of the music for the first Friday mass in February. Since I'm without restraints, I'm doing a couple rather radical things. This is my set list:

Mass setting: Missa simplex (unaccompanied Latin chant)

Entrance: All ye who seek a Comfort Sure, (Kingsfold)

Alleluia: Mode VII, Verse sung to tone 3a2, simple Gradual (English Chant)

Offertory: O Jesu, Joy of Loving Hearts (Wareham,organ descant on last verse)

Acclamation:Proulx

Amen: Simple.

Communion: Chorale in Bb, II movement, Cesar Franc, Shepherd of Souls, Refresh and Bless (St.Agnes)

Recessional:Holy God, we praise thy Name.(Grosser Gott, descant on last verse*)

Postlude: Toccata-Prelude on Cogitationes eius, Dupre.**

I've been asked if I can learn one old St.Gregory Hymnal classic (You might know exactly what type of hymn I'm talking about). If I can, I'll use it instead of Shepherd of Souls. In which case, rather than the Chorale, I'll use a chorale prelude I found written by some English guy based on the same tune, St.Agnes. The only things that I haven't been playing for years are the entrance hymn, communion hymn, and benediction hymns. Most everyone knows the mass setting by heart, and with three cantors, I doubt it will drag. The alleluia is a bit iffy, but I know it by heart. I just need to know if the celebrant is celebrating St.Agatha, or whether he's going to say a votive mass of the Sacred Heart. I'm hoping he says the votive mass, that way I won't be badgered into learning some saint's hymn at the last minute.


*I'm so totally doing that crescendo on the last verse, just like that. I know, I'm not supossed to use tutti when I play, but that's so awesome. Also, the 1964 Catholic Book of Worship where I get my hymn harmonies from has the tune transposed to G, whereas in Worship III, it's in F. I'm certainly not learning it in a new key. And speaking of this hymn, I really wish a hymnal would print the ENTIRE version. (Scroll down, the hymn is at the bottom.) I used to know the whole thing by heart, but I only know bits and pieces now.

**Or at least purportedly by Dupre. This is really easy, but it has a LOT of dissonant notes and some seeming dead ends.

[Awesomeness]

FINALLY!

They're finally going back to side-scrolling, 2-d Sonic! almost all of the Sonic games after Sonic Spinball (The last really good Sonic game) have been worthless crap. They're 3-d with silly sound effects, voices,weird enemies, and some even have Sonic using a weapon (i.e., The Black Night.)

I'm so excited! I can't wait for this to be released!

In other games news, I bought the first Ratchet and Clank game today. I've basically played them in reverse order ( Deadlocked,Up Your Arsenal, Size Matters, and now the first one.) I really, really want to get ahold of Ratchet and Clank Future: Weapons of Destruction, but it's only on the PS3 right now. I say 'right now' because a ps2 version is supposed to be released early this year, I just don't know when.

*Sigh*

Stupid internet connection.Verizon seems to have decided that I really don't need that service that's already been paid for,so the connection decided not to work since Wednesday night. I'm trying this new Clear that they've started offering here in Philly. It seems to work well, but I need to eventually get off this Dinosaur and get back to my old computer.
Now my novena is messed up.
And I've (legally, mind you) downloaded some episodes of Oofuri, since even with broadband and the fastest computer in the house, Funimation's website is glitching up on me and the sound and video are out of synch.

Novena to the Holy Name, day IV

FOURTH DAY.

Efficacy of the Name of Jesus.

Consider, devout soul, the efficacy of the adorable name of Jesus for the purpose of offering prayers pleasing to God, and of obtaining all that we ask of him. This name opens for us the way to arrive promptly at the feet of the Most High, and to have our prayers heard at once. The Gospel also attests that the prayers of Jesus himself have always been heard by virtue of his great name, and that he authorizes us to say, when speaking to God, "Our Father, who art in heaven." In consideration of the name of Jesus, God looks with a favorable eye upon our petition ; he accepts it kindly and grants it, because he sees that it bears his seal and is marked with the precious blood of the Lamb that was immolated for us. For this reason Jesus exhorted the Apostles, and exhorts all, that we should ask in his name all that we ask of his Father, in order to be sure that we shall obtain it: If you ask the Father anything in My name, He will give it to you. (Jn 16:23) It is enough for him to hear the petition, and he will bestow upon us the favors that have been asked of him in the name of his beloved Son, with whom he is well pleased, and who, in order to satisfy his offended justice, has shown himself obedient ever unto death. We should, then know how to profit by the efficacious power of the holy name of Jesus; being sure that our prayers will be heard we should, often, every hour of the day, repeat our prayers to the Eternal Father, and we shall advance in perfection on the road of the divine precepts, until we attain the happiness of seeing and possessing him for all eternity in heaven.

O Sweet Jesus, our love and our hope! since You have deigned to assume mortal flesh, in order to open to us the gate of pardon, and to render our prayers efficacious by virtue of Your glorious name, grant that, in order to obtain from the heavenly Father graces and gifts, our prayers for perseverance may be heard, so that, faithful to the divine law to the end of our lives, we may, with Your holy name on our lips, pass from this valley of tears to the glory of' paradise.

Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory be to the Father, etc., nine times, in honor of the efficacy of the name of Jesus.

V.Blessed be the Name of the Lord!

R.From henceforth and for evermore!

Let us pray.

God, who did appoint Your only-begotten Son Savor of mankind, and did command that he should be called Jesus, mercifully grant that we may enjoy the vision of him in heaven, whose holy Name we venerate on earth. Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.

Oremus!

You all probably already know of the devastating earthquake that happened in Haiti. Death tolls are in the THOUSANDS, and the archbishop of Haiti is reported to be dead.I live in the Haitian-Italian part of West Philly, And some of my friends have relatives living in Haiti (some living in Port-Au-Prince). I haven't spoken to them yet, But I hope and pray that they haven't lost anyone.

And a note: If you're going to donate any money to help those in Haiti, Please make sure you you're using a reputable group! There are already scam donation sites going up! Only use an organization you're familiar and comfortable with.

Office of the Dead.

The Septinarium (Seven days of prayer for the dead, to St.Nicholas of Tolentine.)

[A post about cooking]

One good thing about mom and dad being so busy these past few weeks is that I get to cook breakfast and dinner every day. That means I get to pick what gets made. Usually,because there are things certain people won't eat or try (i.e., mom does'nt eat red meat,my brother does'nt eat anything spicy,I don't really like fish,etc.) Choices are limited.

But in the past two weeks, I've tried making a lot of different things. Before this, I only ever made desserts and pastries.(And I make a mean checkerboard cake. Strawberry-Raspberry cheesecake too.)I made Spanish Rice tonight (a recipe I got from my super-best-friend at school)The night before I made steak and potato pie( With way too thin sauce. I should've reduced it longer.Sorry!) The Friday before, I made grilled breaded salmon fillets.But since I forgot that I absolutely hate salmon, I gave them all to my brother and made whiting for myself.*
Tomorrow is Shepherd's Pie, but I'll have to buy potatoes.(And this time I won't leave them all unseasoned and disgusting.Yuck.)

*I absolutely hate, hate, hate making whiting because it's impossible to get the skin off without breaking the fish into teeny-tiny pieces. That is, unless you skin if frozen, in which case you risk snapping the fish in half.)

[A post about cooking.]