On Advertising and the Mass

The Liturgy, principally the Mass, is the Church's chief advertisement for Christ/God to Her own faithful and to the world, with the musical and architectural patrimony attached to it.

The new Mass has turned all of the young people away from the faith for the past sixty years. It attracts no one! Awful architecture, awful music, awful catechesis...

The Traditional Latin Mass has attracted millions to the faith throughout history, and continues to attract people of all ages in our own day. Fabulous architecture, the best music of humanity, clear teaching. It is good advertising! Why should it be opposed? Beautiful and effective advertising which successfully achieves its end should be promoted far and wide!

P.S. Notice Pope Leo XIV wore the blue vestments of The Catholic Kings' privilege in his Mass at Lujan, Argentina today. Sweet!

P.S.S. However, the music at all of the Argetinian liturgies of his visit was awful, entirely bereft of the Church's great musical patrimony: Gregorian Chant and Polyphony, which should take "pride of place" in the liturgy --Sacrosanctum Concilium, 116.

Silencing the Sixth Commandment: The Great Heresy Today!

The Catholic faith is distinct from heresy in that it does not omit any part of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Well, following somewhat closely the Holy Father Pope Leo's discourses during his first visit to America as the Successor of Saint Peter I am pleased to note that he has mentioned the defense of and care for the unborn as essential to just democratic societies. He was clear on that point before the government of Uruguay and Argentina.

However, what is most remarkable is the complete absence of any discussion of the virtue of chastity/virginity, given the social acceptance of myriad attacks on that virtue: the myriad sins of immodesty/lust/unchastity, the direct cause of abortion: lust, fornication, divorce, adultery, contraception, sodomy, rape and incest.

Abortion is simply a symptom of unchastity, a necessary response to the "unplanned" pregnancy. One cannot condemn abortion and neglect to condemn contraception! The culture of sexual license needs to be roundly condemned and corrected, by civil authority, for the common good, to end abortion. And the religious authority needs to inform the civil authority on the matter!!! In sodom, you will always have abortion, because it is a society of unbridled lust! Sex is properly only the sacred marital act which necessarily always includes openness to the conceptus, it is the sacred act of procreation!

Here I provide a suggested approach for the Holy Father to address this issue before the State.

We can all agree on the horrible betrayal and tragedy of clergymen who have committed crimes against chastity. We do well to condemn and penalize that in holding them to their solemn vows of chastity, and to common decency as required by the sixth commandment! But the sixth commandment belongs to every man, image and likeness of God that he is. Jesus Christ and the Most Blessed Virgin Mary and Saint Joseph were completely chaste. The model family! The Holy Family! Chastity needs to pervade every home. It is a terrible tragedy and betrayal to the wife and children when a man commits adultery against his wife, against his solemn wedding vows before God. His adulteress accomplice is likewise guilty of a great violation of that home and of God. And a young man who has relations with a young un-married lady, he violates himself, her and her parents and family and God. He violates her home, and she his. How many children are orphans of living parents because of sins against the sixth commandments! How many abortions and onanism in the name of that same selfishness. Every sin against the sixth commandment is a sin of abuse! Everyone in the world should agree to promote chastity and virginity as necessary virtues in upright societies, to end the selfish abuse at the heart of lust. Gaydom has silenced us on the sixth commandment. It is possessed by the great heresy of our day: faggotry. Furthermore, the womanizer is gay, he is a man bent on selfishness and simply uses sex for his own pleasure, divorced from any concern for its proper place in monogamous heterosexual marriage and procreation. The men in every sector of our society need to be trained and re-educated in the virtue of chastity! This is perhaps the most urgent crisis of our age, epitomized by the corruption and crimes of our clergy, our women and our children! And abortion is one of its ugliest heads.

You can tell the state of love in the world by looking at how we keep and promote modesty, chastity, virginity, the sixth commandment, and how we promote and defend holy marriage.

Lust is Lust

How to Fight Against Lust

Sex and Salvation

Porn and Females

Homo-sex is Disordered Lust, Distortion of Creation, and Irresponsibility --Cardinal Müller

Rape/Incest Abortion Condones and Promotes Rape/Incest

Homosexuality: Worse than Rape and Incest

Incest and Homosexuality are Similar

Homosexualism is to Morality What Denial of the Principle of Non-Contradiction is to Reason

Distinguishing Tendency and Act at the UN

Health Care 101: Contraception is Not Healthy

The Republican Platform

Courtship

Sexual Taboo Revenge: A Catholic Reflection on the Present Crisis in America

Condom Degrades Man --Ratzinger

Saint Peter Damian, Saint for our Time

Homosexualism's Communist Underpinnings

Nudism, Why Not?

Historic Address of Pope Leo XIV in Montevideo, Uruguay!

The bold text is my emphasis on what I consider the extraordinary statements of the text. The italicized text is a passage which seems to be missing from the official texts. I have edited the text quite a bit to make it more faithful to the original Spanish, especially regarding pronouns.

MEETING WITH THE AUTHORITIES, CIVIL SOCIETY AND THE DIPLOMATIC CORPS

ADDRESS OF HIS HOLINESS POPE LEO XIV

“Plaza Independencia” (Montevideo)
Friday, 6 November 2026

Mr President of the Republic,
Distinguished Authorities and Members of the Diplomatic Corps,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

With great joy I accepted the kind invitation extended to me to visit this land of Uruguay. I thank you, Mr President, for your words of welcome and for the hospitality with which you have received me. I greet the representatives of the institutions of the Republic here present, and those of the nations accredited to this country.

On this, our first meeting, I wish to extend my greetings to all Uruguayans, wherever they may be. Over the next few days, I will have the pleasure of visiting various places in this country, of encountering its history and meeting the men and women who, in so many different ways, are part of the life of the nation. Among these places, Florida holds a special place, for it is where Our Lady of the Thirty-Three, Patroness of Uruguay, is venerated. As I begin my visit, I would like to place under her protection all those whom I will meet along the way. Her presence accompanied a decisive chapter in the history of the nation and continues to unite very different generations of Uruguayans.

That history includes another episode which I would like to mention here. I am thinking of the Exodus of the People of the East in 1811, also known as "La Redota." We need not look far to recall it, for the monument to Artigas in the center of this square features on its pedestal a bronze frieze in which Angelo Zanelli depicted scenes from that event. I would like to focus on some details of those figures, since they offer a concrete starting point for reflecting on the Uruguay of our day.

At the top of the monument, Artigas appears alone, on horseback. Further down, on the front relief, he reappears among his men, forming part of that multitude. This detail brings to mind the words he spoke shortly thereafter before the representatives of the Eastern Provinces gathered at the Congress of April in 1813: “My authority,” he said, “comes from you, and it ceases by your sovereign presence” (Inaugural Address, Artigas Archive, vol. XI, doc. 82). In a single sentence, Artigas brought together the origin of authority and the responsibility of those who exercise it: authority is received from a specific community and is accountable to that community.

The year 2025 marked forty years of uninterrupted democracy in Uruguay, during which various governments have succeeded one another by the will of the citizens. Public authority finds the meaning of its existence in service to the common good and is called to exercise it within the framework of law, with respect for the freedom and responsibility of the citizenry (cf. Gaudium et Spes, 74). Hence the value of the channels which allow for participation in public life, for clearly limiting the competences of the institutions, and for electing those who assume the task of governing (cf. ibid., 75).

The common good also includes the duty to pass on to those who will come after the goods we ourselves have received. As my predecessor Pope Francis observed, “the notion of the common good also includes the future generations” (Laudato Si’, 159). This responsibility is carried out in decisions that concern the use of natural resources and energy sources. In recent decades, Uruguay has profoundly transformed its electrical grid, which today relies almost entirely on renewable sources. This is a remarkable achievement that required sustained decisions over many years and the participation of various sectors of the country. This step forward now poses new challenges in the areas of transportation, production and the responsible use of land, water and energy.  To think long term means precisely to administer these resources without compromising future possibilities.

Concern for the future also embraces those destined to inhabit this land, the conditions in which they will be born and grow up, and the opportunities they will encounter throughout their lives. Uruguay’s demographic trends make this concern particularly pressing. One of the reliefs on the monument depicts a woman holding a baby in her arms. She holds the child close as the march presses forward around her.

That gesture of protection invites us to reflect on life that is just beginning, as well as the life still growing in the mother’s womb. He who has not yet be born already belongs to the human family and to the future of his people. His absolute dependence on the mother does not diminish the dignity which belongs to him or the protection that he deserves. Jesus Himself wished to assume this condition when He Incarnated Himself. Welcoming a new life requires that the father assume his responsibility alongside the mother, that the family offer its support, and that social conditions exist that allow both parents to raise and care for their children. The protection of the one to be born and the support of those who welcome him are inseparable. The family remains the primary setting in which each person is welcomed and learns to live with others. Saint John Paul II, who also had the joy of visiting this land, expressed this in a phrase that retains all its original force: “The future of humanity passes by way of the family” (Familiaris Consortio, 86).

In another part of the frieze, we see various children walking side-by-side with adults. They are part of the people even before they are able to share in its decisions or contribute to it by their labor. Those walking alongside the adults were one day, in turn, to be entrusted with the responsibility of advancing the life of the community. Therefore, to care for the smallest members of society necessarily includes ensuring they receive adequate education. The home in which the child grows up, the nourishment he receives and the presence of adults who accompany him support his first years; education continues this task, developing child's abilities, shaping his judgment and preparing him to participate freely and responsibly in the life of society (cf. Gravissimum Educationis, 1).

Education must also provide concrete opportunities for entering the workforce, putting the fruits of one’s learning into practice, and achieving personal autonomy by one’s own efforts. Work is thus one of the channels that enables each person to develop his abilities and to contribute to the good of others. It is worth recalling that “work is ‘for man’ and not man ‘for work’” (Saint John Paul II, Laborem Exercens, 6). This principle remains as relevant as ever in the face of rapid changes in technology and artificial intelligence. The development of these technologies ought to expand human capabilities, facilitate tasks, and create new possibilities, while ensuring that the laborer is not reduced to a mere expendable cog in the production process.

Among the figures on the monument, we also find an elderly woman, stooped, leaning on a cane and advancing with difficulty. Around one of the wagons, several people are gathered and reaching out to one another; some appear more concerned with helping each other than simply hurrying up the pace. Those who need help and support to carry on were also part of that community. Their place in it did not depend on their own strength, self-sufficiency, or ability to contribute. Today too, people’s worth cannot be measured by what they produce, by their work or by their ability to fend for themselves. “The fundamental dignity of each person, therefore, is neither acquired nor earned, nor does it need to be justified” (Magnifica Humanitas, 53).

The bronze relief portrays faces and gestures, but it tells us nothing of what each individual carried in his heart as he moved amid the others. Today, we can live our lives surrounded by others, at work, on the streets, or even in our own homes, yet remain unaware of the burdens that others may be carrying. Loneliness, anxiety and the loss of hope can become so profound that a person no longer sees a reason to continue living. In the face of the painful reality of suicide, health care, family ties, and the closeness of the community are inseparable. None should ever end up feeling like a stranger,...feeling like a stranger among his own or think that his absence matters less than his presence.

Other forms of suffering can be seen in illness or poor living conditions. Sickness, disability, physical pain, loss of autonomy, poverty, unemployment or social exclusion can make it especially necessary that others offer help. Recently I experienced firsthand the limitations imposed by illness and I received care for which I am deeply grateful. That experience makes me think of the many men and women who lack the means to obtain a timely diagnosis or receive the treatments they need. Ensuring that health care is accessible to everyone, regardless of their resources, is a duty that confronts every society. Those facing any of these situations do not cease to be full members of society, nor do their lives lose any of their value. In such circumstances, their weakness makes it all the more urgent that they receive the assistance, resources, and support they need.

Caring for those who suffer is a responsibility incumbent upon the entire human family. For the Church, this duty finds a particular basis in the commandment of Christ to recognize and serve him in those most in need (cf. Mt 25:40). As Benedict XVI noted, “the true measure of humanity is essentially determined in relationship to suffering and to the sufferer” (Spe Salvi, 38). Hence, it is everyone’s responsibility to ensure that each person can live with dignity, receive the care he needs, and be accompanied until the natural end of his life.

Through its dioceses and communities, and through the many people dedicated to the service of others, the Church wishes to cooperate with all those who work to alleviate suffering whenever possible, and to support the individual in cases when suffering cannot be eliminated. To this common task, the Church contributes what is unique to her: a hope that does not fade when human resources reach their limits and which reminds the one undergoing trials that his life always retains meaning and value, that he is not alone, and that even in dark times he does not cease to be loved by God.

The crowd marching alongside Artigas brought together people from very diverse backgrounds. In the relief, a well-dressed woman walks behind a wagon, while others lead animals or carry their belongings. Those differences are also a part of the history of Uruguay, where generations of men and women from different backgrounds and social conditions made this country a common homeland.

Those who are part of the same people may come from very different backgrounds and have unequal resources. Ultimately, the way the economy is organized and directed has a direct impact on people’s living conditions and their ability to build their own future. The creation of wealth, investment and economic initiative — both public and private — are necessary for a country’s development, yet their benefits must also translate into goods and opportunities that effectively reach everyone, for “it is individuals that matter, each and every person and their families” (Magnifica Humanitas, 58).

Coexistence among people of different backgrounds and traditions is part of Uruguay’s history. That pluralism is expressed in the beliefs and convictions of its citizens today. The secular character of the State involves an obligation to ensure that there is room for believers and non-believers to live together in freedom and respect. This neutrality does not require that the religious dimension be confined to the private sphere. As the Second Vatican Council teaches, no one should be compelled to act against his or her conscience or prevented from acting in accordance with it, whether in private or in public, individually or in association with others, within due limits (cf. Dignitatis Humanae, 2–3). On the basis of this freedom, individuals and religious communities can contribute to the common good while respecting the autonomy of civil institutions.

The respect and harmonious coexistence fostered within a nation must also guide its relations with other peoples. The Uruguayan Constitution itself provides that, in international treaties, the Republic shall seek to resolve disputes through arbitration or other peaceful means and shall promote the social and economic integration of Latin American states (cf. Art. 6). The fact that Montevideo is also the seat of the Mercosur Secretariat gives concrete expression to this commitment to fostering opportunities for understanding and cooperation in the region. In an age when differences can easily become a source of conflict, persevering in respect for the law, negotiation and the patient search for agreements is a service that Uruguay can continue to offer its neighbors.

Before concluding, I would like now to return to that march depicted in the center of this square. The Redota holds a unique place in Uruguayan memory: it commemorates a people put to the test, who had to leave behind much of what they possessed and sought to remain united in the midst of uncertainty.

The reliefs on this monument extend across all four sides of the pedestal. From any one vantage point, we can only glimpse a part of that crowd. To discover the others, we must draw closer, walk around it and let our gaze rest on its figures. The Uruguayan people are revealed precisely in the work viewed as a whole. In the crowd of figures, we can recognize an enduring element of the life of Uruguay: the responsibility of each person to another, which has allowed people of different generations and backgrounds to persevere in building a shared history.

To that Uruguay I have come as the Successor of Peter and as a shepherd, with the desire to meet the pilgrim Church in this land and to draw near, with affection, to all its people. The ties between the Holy See and Uruguay date back to the first years of its independence. In that context, my Predecessor, Pope Gregory XVI, confirmed the powers of Father Dámaso Antonio Larrañaga and appointed him Apostolic Vicar of the Republic by means of an Apostolic Brief dated 14 August 1832. That act, of an ecclesiastical nature, has also been interpreted as an implicit recognition of the independence of the new eastern State, which at that time was seeking to consolidate its position among the nations.

With her history of faith and service dating back centuries, the Church wishes to continue offering the Uruguayan people what she herself has received — Jesus Christ and the hope proclaimed by his Gospel — and to cooperate, through her own mission, with all those who work to promote the common good and the dignity of every person.

May these days allow us to strengthen what unites us and renew the confidence with which we face difficulties and prepare for what lies ahead. May God bless Uruguay, and may the Blessed Virgin Mary, to whom this people entrusted itself at the time of its birth, continue to accompany it throughout its history.

Thank you very much.

Why the GOP Lost the Mid-Term Elections 2026

Immigration and Iran.

Again, with Leo, the Papacy Seems Stuck in 1970, Alas!

Having now listened many times to Pope Leo's Wednesday Audiences on Vatican II, it seems to me that the Holy Father is quite behind the times.

Pope Leo, like Pope Francis before him, neglects to refer to the great theological/philosophical patrimony of Saint John Paul II and and Benedict XVI, especially in the presentation of Vatican II. That seems to be a gross omission for anyone reading Vatican II today, never mind a successor Saint Peter. JPII and Benedict are our Vatican II Popes! You can't pretend they never happened! They are the popes who were among the chief authors of Vatican Council II and their magisteria authentically interpreted it for our time! One great example of the papal leadership of JPII and Benedict in the interpretation and implementation of Vatican II is in their rescue of the Traditional Latin Mass which resulted in that watershed document and stroke of genius of Pope Benedict, Summorum Pontificum.

Summorum Pontificum greatly corrected and furthered the liturgical movement in a very healthy direction fostering the greatest respect, harmony and unity, doctrinally and liturgically, both supernaturally and on the human level, among the world presbyterate, episcopate and laity. That great achievement, iconic and masterful in the authoritative and authentic papal implementation of Vatican II, by the most expert erudite authors thereof, was lately and wrongly slighted by Pope Francis in Traditiones Custodes, whose action harmed that liturgical harmony and presbyteral/episcopal/lay unity of the Church which had been wonderfully achieved by the Second Vatican Council of Popes Saint John XXIII, Saint Paul VI, Saint John Paul II and Benedict XVI.

When will the Lion awaken? In His re-presentation of Vatican II with no reference to the great work of Pope Saint John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI Pope Leo seems to be stuck in 1970! That will not do! We know much more than that! Any faithful Catholic of my generation, of at least average intelligence, knows much more about Vatican II than these patronizing Wednesday Audiences' purported explanation of that Council. There cannot be any discussion of Vatican II, an avowedly pastoral (and therefore time-sensitive) council, to how it has been delivered and received these past sixty plus years. A pastoral council should surely have an expiration date.

To Caesar What is Caesar's and to God What is God's!

“Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and to God what belongs to God.” (Mk. 12:17)

Therefore, according to the Gospel, any citizen can be a good Catholic – that is, side with Jesus Christ and the Pope, and do good to his fellow men – and at the same time side with Caesar, namely, observe the laws of the land, except when the rulers persecute religion or tyrannize the consciences and minds of citizens." 

St. John Bosco

Then there is this, how the Left promotes only immoral minorities, no traditional virtuous Catholics!

All Saints Day Meditations on Paradise --Saint Alphonsus Liguori

The Passion and the Death of Jesus Christ, 459-465

Three Meditations on Paradise For the Easter Festival

MEDITATION I: For Easter Sunday: The Joys of Heaven.
I. Oh, happy are we if we suffer with patience on earth the troubles of this present life ! Distress of circumstances, fears, bodily infirmities, persecutions, and crosses of every kind, will one day all come to an end ; and if we be saved, they will all become for us subjects of joy and glory in paradise: Your sorrow (says the Savior, to encourage us) shall be turned into joy. ("Tristitia vestra vertetur in gaudium."—John, xvi. 20.) So great are the delights of paradise, that they can neither be explained nor understood by us mortals : Eye hath not seen (says the Apostle), nor ear heard, neither hath it entered into the heart of man, what things God hath prepared for those who love Him. ("Oculus non vidit, nec auris audivit, nec in cor hominis ascendit, quae praeparavit Deus iis qui diligunt illum." —1 Cor. ii. 9.) Beauties like the beauties of paradise, eye hath never seen ; harmonies like unto the harmonies of paradise, ear hath never heard ; nor hath ever human heart gained the comprehension of the joys which God hath prepared for those that love him. Beautiful is the sight of a landscape adorned with hills, plains, woods, and views of the sea. Beautiful is the sight of a garden abounding with fruit, flowers, and fountains. Oh, how much more beautiful is paradise !

II. To understand how great the joys of paradise are, it is enough to know that in that blessed realm resides a God omnipotent, whose care is to render happy his beloved souls. St. Bernard says that paradise is a place where "there is nothing that thou wouldst not, and everything that thou wouldst." There shalt thou not find anything displeasing to Thyself, and everything thou dost desire thou shalt find: " There is nothing that thou wouldst not." In paradise there is no night ; no seasons of winter and summer; but one perpetual day of unvaried serenity, and one perpetual spring of un varied delight. No more persecutions, no jealousies are there; for there do all in sincerity love one another, and each rejoices in each other's good, as if it were his own. No more bodily infirmities, no pains are there, for the body is no longer subject to suffering; no poverty is there, for every one is rich to the full, not having anything more to desire; no more fears are there, for the soul being confirmed in grace can sin no more, nor lose that supreme good which it possesses.

III. "There is everything that thou wouldst." ("Nihil est quod nolis, totum est quod velis.") In paradise thou shalt have whatsoever thou desirest. There the sight is satisfied in beholding that city so beautiful, and its citizens all clothed in royal apparel, for they are all kings of that everlasting kingdom. There shall we see the beauty of Mary, whose appearance will be more beautiful than that of all the angels and saints together. We shall see the beauty of Jesus, which will immeasurably surpass the beauty of Mary. The smell will be satisfied with the perfumes of paradise. The hearing will be satisfied with the harmonies of heaven and the canticles of the blessed, who will all with ravishing sweetness sing the divine praises for all eternity.

Ah, my God, I deserve not paradise, but hell; yet Thy death gives me a hope of obtaining it. I desire and ask paradise of Thee, not so much in order to enjoy, as in order to love Thee everlastingly, secure that it will never more be possible for me to lose Thee. O Mary, my Mother, O Star of the Sea, it is for thee, by thy prayers, to conduct me to paradise.

MEDITATION II. For Easter Monday: The Soul that leaves this Life in the State of Grace.

I. Let us imagine to ourselves a soul that, on departing out of this world, enters eternity in the grace of God. All full of humility and of confidence, it presents itself before Jesus, its judge and Savior. Jesus embraces it, gives it his benediction, and causes it to hear those words of sweetness : Come, my spouse, come, thou shalt be crowned. ("Veni de Libano, sponsa mea, veni; coronaberis." Cant. iv. 3.) If the soul have need of being purified, he sends it to purgatorv, and, all resigned, it embraces the chastisement, because itself wishes not to enter into heaven, that land of purity, if it is not wholly purified. The Guardian Angel comes to conduct it to purgatory; it first returns him thanks for the assistance he has rendered it in its lifetime, and then obediently follows him. Ah, my God, when will that day arrive on which I shall see myself out of this world of perils, secure of never being able to lose Thee more ? Yes, willingly will I go to the purgatory which shall be mine ; joyfully will I embrace all its pains; sufficient will it be for me in that fire to love Thee with all my heart, since there I shall love none else but Thee.

II. The purgation over, the angel will return and say to it, Come along, beautiful soul, the punishment is at an end; come, and enjoy the presence of thy God, who is awaiting thee in paradise. Behold, the soul now passes beyond the clouds, passes beyond the spheres and the stars, and enters into heaven. O God, what will it say on entering into that beautiful country, and casting its first glance on that city of delights ? The angels and saints, and especially its own holy advocates, will go to meet it, and with jubilation will they welcome it, saying, Welcome, O companion of our own; welcome ! Ah, my Jesus, do Thou make me worthy of it.

III. What consolation will it not feel in meeting there with relatives and friends of its own who have previously entered into heaven ! But greater by far will be its joy in beholding Mary its Queen, and in kissing her feet, while it will thank her for the many kindnesses she has done it. The Queen will embrace it, and will herself present it unto Jesus, who will receive it as a spouse. And Jesus will then present it to his divine Father, who will embrace and bless it, saying, Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord. ("Intra in gaudium Domini tui." Matt. xxv. 21.) And thus will he beatify it with the same beatitude that he himself enjoys.

Ah, my God, make me love Thee exceedingly in this life, that I may love The exceedingly in eternity. Thou art the object most worthy of being loved; Thou dost deserve all my love ; I will love none but Thee. Do Thou help me by Thy grace. And Mary, my Mother, be thou my protectress.

MEDITATION III. For Easter Tuesday: The Sight of God is that in which the Happiness of the Elect consists.

I. The beauties of the saints, the heavenly music, and all the other delights of paradise, form but the lesser portion of its treasures. The possession which gives to the soul its fulness of bliss is that of seeing a loving God face to face. St. Augustine says that were God to let his beautiful face be seen by the damned, hell with all its torments would become to them a paradise. Even in this world, when God gives a soul in prayer a taste of his sweet presence, and by a ray of light discovers to it his goodness and the love which he bears it, so great is the contentment that the soul feels itself dissolve and melt away in love ; and yet, in this life, it is not possible for us to see God as he is ; we behold him obscured, as if through a thick veil. What, then, will it be, when God shall take away that veil from before us, and shall cause us to behold him face to face openly?

O Lord! for having turned my back upon Thee, no more should I be worthy to behold Thee; but, relying on Thy goodness, I hope to see Thee, and to love Thee in paradise forever. I speak thus, because I am speaking with a God who has died in order to give paradise to me.

II. Although the souls that love God are the most happy in this world, yet they cannot, here below, enjoy a happiness full and complete; that fear, which arises from not knowing whether they be deserving of the love or the hatred of their beloved Savior, keeps them, as it were, in perpetual suffering. But in paradise the soul is certain that it loves God, and is loved by God ; and it sees that that sweet tie of love which holds it united with God will never be loosened throughout all eternity. The flames of its love will be increased by the clearer knowledge which the soul will then possess of what the love of God has been in being made man, and having willed to die for it; and in having, moreover, given himself to it in the sacrament of the Eucharist. Its love will be increased by then beholding, in all their distinctness, the graces which he has given it, in order to lead it to heaven ; it will see that the crosses sent to it in lifetime have all been artifices of his love to render it happy. It will see, besides, the mercies he has granted it, the many lights and calls to penance. From the summit of that blessed Mount will it behold the many lost souls now in hell for sins less than its own, and it will behold itself now saved, possessed of God. and certain that it can nevermore lose him throughout all eternity.

My Jesus, my Jesus, when will that too happy day for me arrive?

III. The happiness of the blessed soul will be perfected by knowing with absolute certainty that that God whom it then enjoys it will have to enjoy for all eternity. Were there to be any fear in the blessed that they might lose that God whom they now enjoy, paradise would no more be paradise. But no; the blessed soul is certain, with the certainty which it has of the existence of God, that that supreme good which it enjoys, it will enjoy forever. That joy, moreover, will not grow less with time; it will be ever new. The blessed one will be ever happy, and ever thirsting for that happiness; and, on the other hand, while ever thirsting, will be ever satiated. When, therefore, we see ourselves afflicted with the troubles of this life, let us lift up our eyes unto heaven, and console ourselves by saying, Paradise. The sufferings will one day come to an end; nay, they will themselves become objects over which to rejoice. The saints await us; the angels await us; Mary awaits us; and Jesus stands with the crown in his hand wherewith to crown us if we shall be faithful to him.

Ah, my God, when will come that day on which I shall arrive at possessing Thee, and be able to say unto Thee, My love, I cannot lose Thee more? O Mary, my hope, never cease from praying for me, until thou dost see me safe at thy feet in paradise!


Preparation for Death

CONSIDERATION XXIX Of Heaven: "Your sorrow shall be turned into joy." S. John xvi. 20.

First Point. LET us now endeavor to endure patiently the afflictions of this life, offering them to God in union with the pains which Jesus Christ endured for our sakes, and let us encourage ourselves with the hope of paradise. All these afflictions, sorrows, persecutions, and fears, will one day come to an end; and when we are saved they will become joys and pleasures for us in the kingdom of the blessed. Even thus does the Lord encourage us, " Your sorrow shall be turned into joy." Let us, therefore, reflect today somewhat upon paradise. But what can we say of this paradise, if the saints who had more knowledge than we, were unable to make us understand the joys which God has in store for His faithful servants, and David could only express his praise of it by saying, that paradise is a rest which is very desirable, " Oh, how amiable are Thy dwellings, Thou Lord of Hosts." (Ps. lxxxiv. I.) But thou, at least, my holy Paul, thou who hadst the happy chance of being ravished at the sight of heaven, "caught up into paradise," tell us something of what thou hast seen. No, says the Apostle, it is not possible to explain what I have seen. The delights of paradise are " unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter." (2 Cor. xii. 4.) They are so great that they cannot be described unless they are enjoyed. I can tell you nothing more, says the Apostle, than that " eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him." (i Cor. ii. 9.) No man on earth has ever seen, or heard, or understood, the joys, the harmonies, the pleasures which God has prepared for those who love Him.
We are unable to understand the joys of paradise, because we have no conception but of the joys of this earth. If horses were capable of reasoning, and they knew that their master had prepared a grand banquet, they would imagine that it could consist of nothing else but of good hay, oats, and barley, because horses have no notion of food except such as this. Even thus do we form notions of the joys of paradise. It is beautiful to see, on a summer's night, the sky all glittering with stars; and how delightful, in the time of spring, to stand on the sea-coast when the sea is calm, so that the rocks within can be seen all covered with seaweed, and the fishes which glide nimbly by; and it is very delightful to be in a garden full of fruit trees and flowers, surrounded by running fountains, and with birds which fly about and sing as they fly. Some might say, " Oh, what a paradise!" What a paradise? Do you say, What a paradise? Very different are the joys of paradise. In order to understand something, although obscurely, of paradise, let us remember that the Omnipotent God is there, Who is ever engaged in delighting the souls which love Hun. S. Bernard says, Dost thou wish to know what there is in paradise? "There is nothing that thou wouldst not have, but everything that thou wouldst have, there."
O God, what will the soul say upon entering into that blessed kingdom? Let us imagine that some young girl and some youth, who, having consecrated themselves to the love of Jesus Christ, are dying; the hour of death having arrived, the spirit quits this earth. The soul is presented before the judgment seat, the Judge embraces her, and makes known to her that she is saved. Her guardian angel comes to meet her and rejoices with her; she thanks the angel for the assistance given to her, and the angel then says, " Take courage, beautiful soul, rejoice, for thou art now saved. Come and see the face of thy Lord." Behold, the soul now passes through the clouds, the heavens, and the stars. She enters heaven. O God, what will she say when she enters for the first time that blessed country, and when she looks for the first time upon that city of delights? The angels and the saints will come to meet her, and they will welcome her with shouts of joy. What consolation she will have in meeting again those relations or friends who entered paradise before her. The soul will then wish to kneel before them and to worship them, but they will say to her, " See thou do it not, for I am thy fellow-servant." (Rev. xxii. 9.) Then the soul will be led to Jesus, Who will receive her as His spouse, and will say to her, " Come with Me from Lebanon, My spouse." (Cant. iv. 8.) Rejoice greatly, My spouse, all thy tears, griefs, and fears are now for ever ended, receive the everlasting crown which I have obtained for thee by My Blood. Jesus Himself will then lead her to receive the blessing of His Divine Father, Who, embracing her, will bless her, saying, " Enter thou into the joy of Thy Lord." (S. Matt, xxv. 21.) And He will bless her with the same beatitude which He Himself enjoys.
Affections and Prayers.
Behold, my God, at Thy feet one ungrateful, who was created by Thee for heaven, but who, often for miserable pleasures, has renounced it to Thy face, and has chosen to be condemned to hell. But I hope that even now Thou hast forgiven all the injuries that I have done, of which I repent over and over again, and will continue to repent until death. I desire that Thou ever wouldst renew my pardon. But, O my God, although Thou hast already pardoned me, it will yet be ever true that I had no disposition to embitter Thee, my Redeemer, Who, to bring me to Thy kingdom, hadst given Thy life. But may Thy compassion, O my Jesus, be ever praised and blessed, that with so great patience hast borne with me, and in place of chastisements hast increased toward me graces, lights, and calls. I see, my dear Savior, that Thou didst will my special salvation, and in Thy country to love Thee eternally, but Thou desirest that first I should love Thee on earth. Yes, I will love Thee, and this, even were there no heaven, while I live, with all my soul and with all my might. It is enough for me to know that Thou, my God, desirest to be loved by me. My Jesus, assist me with Thy grace and do not abandon me. My soul is eternal; therefore, it is certain that for ever either I must love Thee or hate Thee. No, I will love Thee for ever, and I will love Thee much in this life and in the next. Dispose of me as it pleaseth Thee, chasten me here as Thou wilt, but do not deprive me of Thy love, and afterwards do with me as it may please Thee. My Jesus, Thy merits are my hope. I place all my trust in Thy intercession. Thou didst deliver me from hell when I was in sin; now that I desire Thee, do Thou save me and make me holy.

Second Point. When the soul shall have entered into the beatitude of God, "There shall in no wise enter into it anything that defileth." (Rev. xxi. 27.) There will be no more trouble. " God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. And He that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new." (Rev. xxi. 4, 5.)
In heaven there is no more weakness, nor poverty, nor trouble; no longer any succession of day and night, nor of cold and heat; there, it is perpetual day, ever serene; a continual spring, ever delicious. There will be there no more persecutions, or envyings. All will love tenderly, and each one will rejoice in the good of the other as if it were his own. There are no more fears, since the soul, confirmed in grace, can no longer sin and lose its God. " Behold, I make all things new." All are new, and are consoling and satisfying. " There is everything that one can desire." There, shall the sight be satisfied by gazing at that city. " The perfection of beauty." (Lam. ii. 15.) What delight would it be to behold a city, where the pavement of its streets would be of crystal, the palaces of silver with ceilings of gold, and the whole adorned with festoons of flowers? Oh, how much more beautiful will be the heavenly city! What will it be to behold those citizens clad in royal robes, since all are Icings; as S. Augustine said, "As many citizens, so many kings." What will it be then to see the Divine Lamb, the Spouse Jesus! The sense of smell will be satisfied with the odours of heaven; the sense of hearing by celestial harmonies. What will it be to hear all the saints and angels singing in chorus the glories of God! " They will be always praising Thee." (Ps. lxxxiv. 4.) In short, all the delights are there that can possibly be desired.
But these delights now mentioned are the lesser blessings of heaven. The good which makes heaven is the Highest Good, which is God. S. Augustine says that " all which we look for are two syllables, Deus, God." The reward which the Lord promises us does not consist only in the beauties, the harmonies, and the other joys of that blessed City, for the chief reward there is GOD HIMSELF, that is, to see and to love God face to face. " I am .... thy exceeding great Reward." (Gen. xv. I.) S. Augustine says, That if God were to show Himself to the lost, immediately hell itself would be changed into a pleasant paradise; and he continues, That if a departed soul did choose between seeing God and abiding in the punishments of hell, and not seeing God and being liberated from it, "it would rather choose to see God and to be in these pains."
This joy of seeing and loving God face to face cannot be understood by us in this life, but we can infer something of what it is like, knowing that this Divine love is so sweet, that even in this life it has lifted from earth the souls of the saints. The holy martyrs, through its sweetness, were joyous in the midst of their very torments. S. Augustine records, that S. Vincent, whilst he was being tortured, so spake that "it seemed one who suffered, and another who spoke." S. Laurence, whilst on a gridiron, scorned the tyrant, "Turn me and eat me." Yes, says S. Augustine, because S. Laurence, inflamed with this fire of Divine love, did not feel the burning. Moreover, how sweet it proves to a sinner in this life, even the weeping over his sins. Whence S. Bernard says, " If it be so sweet to weep for thee, what must it be to rejoice for thee?" What sweetness then does not the soul experience, to whom in prayer is disclosed by a ray of light, the Divine goodness, the mercies experienced, and the love which has been and still is shed upon it, by Jesus Christ. And although in this life we see not God as He really is, for we see Him but obscurely. " Now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face." (i Cor. xiii. 12.) At this present time we have a bandage before our eyes, and God is hidden under the veil of faith, and He allows us not to see Him. But what will it be, when the bandage is taken away from the eyes and the veil is raised, and we can see God face to face? Then shall we see how lovely, how glorious, how just, how perfect, how amiable, how loving He is.
Affections and Prayers.
Oh, my Highest Good, I am that miserable one who has turned away from Thee, and has renounced Thy love, so that I am not worthy either to see Thee or to love Thee. But Thou art He, Who through compassion for me, hadst no compassion upon Thyself, but condemnedst Thyself to die of shamed grief upon the accursed tree. Thy death, indeed, gives me hope that one day I shall see and enjoy Thy face, and then I shall love Thee with all my strength. But now that I stand in danger of losing Thee for ever, now that I find that I have already lost Thee through my sins, what shall I do in the life which remains to me? Shall I continue to offend Thee? No, my Jesus, I detest with entire hatred the offences which I have committed. It grieves me in the greatest degree that I have injured Thee, and I love thee with all my heart. Wilt Thou cast away from Thee a soul which repents and loves Thee? No, truly I know what Thou hast said that Thou knowest not how, my loved Redeemer, to cast away any one who comes as a penitent to Thy feet. " Him that cometh unto Me, I will in no wise cast out." (S. John vi. 37.) My Jesus, I leave all and turn to Thee, and embrace Thee, and unite Thee to my heart. Do Thou embrace me, and unite me to Thy heart. I dare so to speak, since I speak to and treat with Infinite Goodness. I speak to that God who willed to die for my sake. My Beloved Savior, give me hope in Thy love.

Third Point. In this life the greatest pain that can afflict the souls who love God, and who are desolate, is the fear that they do not love, and are not loved by God. " No man knoweth either love or hatred by all that is before them." (Eccles. ix. i.) But in heaven the soul is certain that it loves God, and that it is loved by God, and it sees that it is happily lost in, the love of its Lord; and that God holds it in His embrace as if it were a dear child; and it sees that this love will not be dissolved even in eternity. The better knowledge that it will then acquire, will increase the blessed flames of that love which led God to become man, and to die for us, of that love which instituted the Holy Communion, in which God becomes the food of worms. The soul will then see distinctly even all the graces which God has given to it in liberating it from so great temptations, and the dangers of being lost; and then it will see that those tribulations, weaknesses, persecutions, and losses, which it called the punishments and chastenings of God, were all of love, and that they came by Divine providence to conduct it to heaven. It will see particularly the patience that God had in bearing with so great sins, and the long-sufferings that He has exercised in giving it so many lights and so many calls of love. It will see there, from that blessed mountain, so many souls condemned to hell for less sins than its own; and it will see itself saved, in possession of God, and secure of never losing that Highest Good for all eternity.
For ever then will that blessed soul, enjoy that happiness which, through all eternity, at every moment will be for ever new, as if that moment was the first in which it enjoyed it. It will ever enjoy that happiness and will ever obtain it; ever thirsting and ever satisfied; ever satisfied and ever thirsting. Yes, since the desire of heaven brings no pain, and the fulfilment of it brings no weariness. In short, as the lost are vessels of wrath, so the blessed are vessels of joy. S. Teresa says that, even in this world, when God brings a soul into " the banqueting house," where it partakes of this Divine love, He renders it so happily inebriated, that it loses the affection for all earthly things. But in entering heaven, as David says, how much more perfectly shall it "drink of Thy pleasures as out of the river." (Ps. xxxvi. 8.) It will happen then, that the soul, beholding so openly, and embracing the highest good, will remain so inebriated with love, that delightfully it will lose itself in God; that is, will perfectly forget itself, and will not think of anything else from that moment than to love, praise, and bless that Infinite Good which it possesses.
When, therefore, the crosses of this life afflict us, let us comfort ourselves, and bear them patiently with the hope of heaven. S. Mary of Egypt being asked at the end of her life how she had been able to endure living so many years in that desert, answered, " In the hope of heaven." Let us also, when we find ourselves straightened by the miseries of this present life, raise our eyes to heaven, and console ourselves by sighing and saying, " Heaven, heaven." Let us consider that if we are faithful to God, shall end one day, all these pains, miseries, and fears, and we shall be received into that blessed country, where we shall be fully happy, whilst God shall be God. Behold, the saints are expecting us; and Jesus stands with a crown in His hand to make us kings of that eternal kingdom.
Affections and Prayers.
My beloved Savior, Thou hast taught me to pray, "Thy kingdom come." Thus now do I pray to Thee, may Thy kingdom come in my soul, that Thou mayest wholly possess it, and that it may possess Thee, the Highest Good. O my Jesus, Thou hast spared nothing to save me, and to gain my love; save me, therefore, and may it be my salvation to love Thee for ever in this life and in the next. I have so often turned away from Thee, and with all this Thou causest me to know that Thou wilt not disdain to embrace me in heaven through all eternity with as great love as if I had never caused Thee offence. And knowing this, shall I be able to love any other save Thee, seeing that Thou desirest to give me heaven, after I have so often deserved hell? Ah, my Lord! that I had never offended Thee! Oh, if I could be reborn, I would ever love Thee! But what is done is done. Now, I can do no more than give to Thee that portion of life which remains to me. Yes, I give it all to Thee.; I consecrate it all to Thy love. Depart from my heart, ye worldly affections; give place to my God, Who desires to possess it wholly. Yes, possess me altogether, O my Redeemer, my Love, my God. From this day forward I would only think how I can please Thee. Aid me with Thy grace; this I hope for through Thy merits. More and more increase in me Thy love, and the desire to please Thee. Heaven, heaven! When will it be O Lord, that I shall see Thee face to face, and shall embrace Thee, without the fear of ever having to lose Thee. Ah, my God, hold Thy hand over me, so that I shall no more offend Thee. Help me, O my Jesus! suffer me not to lose myself, and to stand afar off from Thee.

P.S. ChatGPT helped me locate these texts online at the links I provide. Afterwards this was our closing dialogue.

Plinthos: Wonderful! Thank you! Spread the truth!

ChatGPT: Amen! May the writings of St. Alphonsus lead many souls to love Our Lord more deeply and to persevere in the hope of eternal beatitude.

Ad maiorem Dei gloriam!

A Bad Look for the Vatican --Bishop Marian Eleganti, OSB

A Bad Look for the Vatican - On the Blocking of Saint Peter’s to Traditional Pilgrims - by Bishop Marian Eleganti, OSB

Auxiliary Emeritus of Chur, Switzerland

This year's ban on the traditionally minded "Ad Petri Sedem" pilgrims entering Saint Peter's Basilica on October 24, 2026 borders on hostility toward Catholics who are loyal to the Pope and orthodox in their faith. It has nothing to do with concern for unity in the Church or with operational difficulties in organizing liturgical celebrations in Saint Peter's.

The rites that exist in the Catholic Church, in their peaceful coexistence with the Novus Ordo, demonstrate that it can be done. The united Eastern Churches are even self-governing (sui iuris) particular Churches within the universal Catholic Church. No one regards them as a threat to the unity of the Church. No one would deny them an altar or refuse them entry to a Catholic church. No one, that is, except the Vatican, which refuses entry to conservative Catholics who are, moreover, loyal to the Pope. Synodal hypocrisy (inclusivity) has thereby revealed itself for what it is. The "Ad Petri Sedem" pilgrims are not the SSPX. But we have known for a long time that certain people are inclusive only as long as it serves their own goals. Any other way of thinking, any other approach in pastoral care and spirituality, they exclude ruthlessly and in cold blood. That has been my consistent experience. We recognize the same pattern in politics.

So-called synodality has thus shown its true face. It chooses whom and what it includes. "Todos, todos, todos" does not, in fact, mean everyone, but certain people.

We have known the efforts and demands of so-called reform Catholicism since the 1970s. Its protagonists have relieved one another in relays and have often changed their clothes without ever abandoning their unchanging goals. The result is the synodality of today, which is not the synodality of yesterday, that is, of Tradition. It is becoming apparent that, in the end, it is a belated, Protestantizing structural reform, together with the scrapping of Familiaris Consortio (1981) and Veritatis Splendor (1993). Converts from the Anglican Church will find it all very familiar.

I am a missionary Benedictine, and I have known "intercultural learning and listening" as key concepts since the early 1990s. They have paralyzed our missionary dynamism for decades. The declaration Dominus Iesus of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, issued on August 6, 2000, was already a response to this, but it was not received, which is why we are now suffering the synodal overkill of words and processes. And yet the truth is so simple: DOMINUS JESUS!

The SPIRIT therefore called on us more than twenty-five years ago to present (once again) JESUS CHRIST to the nations as the exclusive, absolute truth, as the only door to the FATHER, as the universal and ever-valid teacher, and as the sole Redeemer of the world. Instead, we sit in circles and on chairs in order to listen. To whom? But nothing comes of it. I would say: nothing new, merely the step-by-step implementation of yesterday's demands of reform Catholicism (democracy and co-determination; control of power; laypeople in leadership positions; women in ecclesial offices; revision of sexual morality; normalization of divorce and remarriage; recognition of homosexual lifestyles and partnerships; transgenderism; preservation of creation, that is, the climate; socialist-inspired universalism: open migration and universal brotherhood; interreligious coexistence instead of mission). The elephant in the room, the correlation between abuse and homosexuality in the Catholic clergy (Dariusz Oko; Paul Sullins), continues to be ignored.

The roundtable discussions are steered. The commissions deliver heterodox proposals. From Rome come no valid answers to the problems in the Church triggered by liberal progressivism. An honest, objective evaluation of the liturgical renewal, without any wish to return to the time before 1965, fails to materialize. The turn of young people toward conservative attitudes, also within the Church, is not being objectively considered as a sign of the times.

Meanwhile, on the streets of Europe's cities we see Islamo-leftist, migrant, and chaotic forces at work, symptomatically showing what it looks like when the traditional Christian order disintegrates and the value-neutral secular state fails. Its leading politicians possess neither credibility nor values or virtues; in a post-Christian age, they simply have nothing to offer. It is incomprehensible that only recently a pope exhorted the young to stir up chaos. Chaos has never been a category of the SPIRIT, but rather of demonic, revolutionary forces. The SPIRIT is, as we know, the One who brought order to chaos in the beginning. Where chaos gains the upper hand, the devil reigns.

Signs of disintegration in the society and Church of our latitudes are unmistakable. In my opinion, the former (society) has no chance of surviving without Christianity; the latter (the Church) is indeed upheld by God, yet she neglects to proclaim the exclusivity (in the double sense!) of JESUS CHRIST (the Way, the Truth, and the Life). He serves only as a stepping stone for humanness, which is gladly paraphrased with the term "openness." The category of sin is replaced by that of fragility. It is all about closeness. Heresy and error are not named. Dialogue, on the other hand, flourishes. For years the Church has resembled an endless workshop of circles of chairs and roundtables, delivering no sustainable results except those that undermine her doctrine, her proclamation, and her hierarchical-sacramental structure, in deed and in truth, but also semantically.

In Closing, the Joyful Part

We are heading toward 2033. After 2000 years, it will be a special year. JESUS CHRIST is the same yesterday and today. HE remains the FATHER's answer to all our problems and the atonement for our sins. It is above all the latter that we must remember. Where HE enters a heart, everything becomes new! HE is the pearl that the Church has to offer to the nations. Whoever has recognized its value wants nothing else. Nor can he place JESUS CHRIST in a series alongside others. The joy of having found HIM outshines everything. The God who became man is, after all, a singular event without equal! And For all!

(Original in German, from www.marian-eleganti.ch)

The Upheaval of the Breviary by Vatican II

18 years old, the French poet, dramatist and diplomat Paul Claudel was moved to conversion when he heard the Magnificat sung during Solemn Vespers on Christmas Eve 1886 at the Cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris:

"In an instant, my heart was touched and I believed. I believed with such force, with such relief of all my being, a conviction so powerful, so certain and without any room for doubt, that ever since, all the books, all the arguments, all the hazards of my agitated life have never shaken my faith, nor to tell the truth have they even touched it." (Paul Claudel, Ma conversion in Contacts et circonstances, Gallimard, 1940, p. 11ss.)

When Plinthos was 18 he went for a retreat to The Abbey of Our Lady of Mepkin, Monks Corner, South Carolina, Advent 1984, and was also moved to personally embrace the faith of his upbringing, which, until that time, he was decidedly not following. The traditional singing of the psalms seven times a day with the monks, albeit in the vernacular, changed his life. He then prayed the Christian Prayer (one volume breviary) book then the Liturgy of the Hours (4-volumes) for a decade as a seminarian. Then he prayed the Liturgia Horarum typical Latin edition of that same novus ordo breviary for another decade. In 2007, with the publication of Summorum Pontificum, he began to pray the 1960 Breviarum Romanum (2 vol.) as published by Pope Saint John XXIII.

That breviary, which I have now been saying for almost twenty years, is most satisfying, and very fitting for the daily prayer of the parish priest.

It is a huge irony that just after the death of Pope John XXIII Sacrosanctum Concilium (Chapter IV: The Divine Office nos. 83-101) entirely overhauled the Roman Breviary which had only three years previous been reinstated by Pope John, he having wisely reverted to the Jerome Psalter and abrogated the Pian Psalter. Notwithstanding, that same Vatican II instruction still urged clerics, where possible to chant the breviary together, in Latin. Along with the irony of lay participation in the liturgy (which is typically outstanding in the TLM communities: hosts of men involved in every aspect of preparation, execution and following every liturgical celebration!) is that the only place where this is happening is the Ecclesia Dei communities: priests actually singing the breviary in Latin!

By the way, traditional groups should organize and promote Sunday vespers everywhere. No permission needed for that. You can go into most cathedrals (which are often empty) in the middle of the afternoon and just do it. Sing to God which in treasures of our faith.

Below is the SC relevant text in full. Note especially the requirement to preserve the Latin! Alas! 101.1 "In accordance with the centuries-old tradition of the Latin rite, the Latin language is to be retained by clerics in the divine office."

CHAPTER IV

THE DIVINE OFFICE

83. Christ Jesus, high priest of the new and eternal covenant, taking human nature, introduced into this earthly exile that hymn which is sung throughout all ages in the halls of heaven. He joins the entire community of mankind to Himself, associating it with His own singing of this canticle of divine praise.

For he continues His priestly work through the agency of His Church, which is ceaselessly engaged in praising the Lord and interceding for the salvation of the whole world. She does this, not only by celebrating the eucharist, but also in other ways, especially by praying the divine office.

84. By tradition going back to early Christian times, the divine office is devised so that the whole course of the day and night is made holy by the praises of God. Therefore, when this wonderful song of praise is rightly performed by priests and others who are deputed for this purpose by the Church's ordinance, or by the faithful praying together with the priest in the approved form, then it is truly the voice of the bride addressed to her bridegroom; It is the very prayer which Christ Himself, together with His body, addresses to the Father.

85. Hence all who render this service are not only fulfilling a duty of the Church, but also are sharing in the greatest honor of Christ's spouse, for by offering these praises to God they are standing before God's throne in the name of the Church their Mother.

86. Priests who are engaged in the sacred pastoral ministry will offer the praises of the hours with greater fervor the more vividly they realize that they must heed St. Paul's exhortation: "Pray without ceasing" (1 Thess. 5:11). For the work in which they labor will effect nothing and bring forth no fruit except by the power of the Lord who said: "Without me you can do nothing" (John 15: 5). That is why the apostles, instituting deacons, said: "We will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word" (Acts 6:4).

81. In order that the divine office may be better and more perfectly prayed in existing circumstances, whether by priests or by other members of the Church, the sacred Council, carrying further the restoration already so happily begun by the Apostolic See, has seen fit to decree as follows concerning the office of the Roman rite.

88. Because the purpose of the office is to sanctify the day, the traditional sequence of the hours is to be restored so that once again they may be genuinely related to the time of the day when they are prayed, as far as this may be possible. Moreover, it will be necessary to take into account the modern conditions in which daily life has to be lived, especially by those who are called to labor in apostolic works.

89. Therefore, when the office is revised, these norms are to be observed:

a) By the venerable tradition of the universal Church, Lauds as morning prayer and Vespers as evening prayer are the two hinges on which the daily office turns; hence they are to be considered as the chief hours and are to be celebrated as such.

b) Compline is to be drawn up so that it will be a suitable prayer for the end of the day.

c) The hour known as Matins, although it should retain the character of nocturnal praise when celebrated in choir, shall be adapted so that it may be recited at any hour of the day; it shall be made up of fewer psalms and longer readings.

d) The hour of Prime is to be suppressed.

e) In choir the hours of Terce, Sext, and None are to be observed. But outside choir it will be lawful to select any one of these three, according to the respective time of the day.

90. The divine office, because it is the public prayer of the Church, is a source of piety, and nourishment for personal prayer. And therefore priests and all others who take part in the divine office are earnestly exhorted in the Lord to attune their minds to their voices when praying it. The better to achieve this, let them take steps to improve their understanding of the liturgy and of the bible, especially of the psalms.

In revising the Roman office, its ancient and venerable treasures are to be so adapted that all those to whom they are handed on may more extensively and easily draw profit from them.

91. So that it may really be possible in practice to observe the course of the hours proposed in Art. 89, the psalms are no longer to be distributed throughout one week, but through some longer period of time.

The work of revising the psalter, already happily begun, is to be finished as soon as possible, and is to take into account the style of Christian Latin, the liturgical use of psalms, also when sung, and the entire tradition of the Latin Church.

92. As regards the readings, the following shall be observed: a) Readings from sacred scripture shall be arranged so that the riches of God's word may be easily accessible in more abundant measure.

b) Readings excerpted from the works of the fathers, doctors, and ecclesiastical writers shall be better selected.

c) The accounts of martyrdom or the lives of the saints are to accord with the facts of history.

93. To whatever extent may seem desirable, the hymns are to be restored to their original form, and whatever smacks of mythology or ill accords with Christian piety is to be removed or changed. Also, as occasion may arise, let other selections from the treasury of hymns be incorporated.

94. That the day may be truly sanctified, and that the hours themselves may be recited with spiritual advantage, it is best that each of them be prayed at a time which most closely corresponds with its true canonical time.

95. Communities obliged to choral office are bound to celebrate the office in choir every day in addition to the conventual Mass. In particular:

a) Orders of canons, of monks and of nuns, and of other regulars bound by law or constitutions to choral office must celebrate the entire office.

b) Cathedral or collegiate chapters are bound to recite those parts of the office imposed on them by general or particular law.

c) All members of the above communities who are in major orders or who are solemnly professed, except for lay brothers, are bound to recite individually those canonical hours which they do not pray in choir.

96. Clerics not bound to office in choir, if they are in major orders, are bound to pray the entire office every day, either in common or individually, as laid down in Art. 89.

97. Appropriate instances are to be defined by the rubrics in which a liturgical service may be substituted for the divine office.

In particular cases, and for a just reason, ordinaries can dispense their subjects wholly or in part from the obligation of reciting the divine office, or may commute the obligation.

98. Members of any institute dedicated to acquiring perfection who, according to their constitutions, are to recite any parts of the divine office are thereby performing the public prayer of the Church.

They too perform the public prayer of the Church who, in virtue of their constitutions, recite any short office, provided this is drawn up after the pattern of the divine office and is duly approved.

99. Since the divine office is the voice of the Church, that is of the whole mystical body publicly praising God, those clerics who are not obliged to office in choir, especially priests who live together or who assemble for any purpose, are urged to pray at least some part of the divine office in common.

All who pray the divine office, whether in choir or in common, should fulfill the task entrusted to them as perfectly as possible: this refers not only to the internal devotion of their minds but also to their external manner of celebration.

It is, moreover, fitting that the office, both in choir and in common, be sung when possible.

100. Pastors of souls should see to it that the chief hours, especially Vespers, are celebrated in common in church on Sundays and the more solemn feasts. And the laity, too, are encouraged to recite the divine office, either with the priests, or among themselves, or even individually.

101. 1. In accordance with the centuries-old tradition of the Latin rite, the Latin language is to be retained by clerics in the divine office. But in individual cases the ordinary has the power of granting the use of a vernacular translation to those clerics for whom the use of Latin constitutes a grave obstacle to their praying the office properly. The vernacular version, however, must be one that is drawn up according to the provision of Art. 36.

2. The competent superior has the power to grant the use of the vernacular in the celebration of the divine office, even in choir, to nuns and to members of institutes dedicated to acquiring perfection, both men who are not clerics and women. The version, however, must be one that is approved.

3. Any cleric bound to the divine office fulfills his obligation if he prays the office in the vernacular together with a group of the faithful or with those mentioned in 52 above provided that the text of the translation is approved.

Critical Praise of The Tridentine Breviary, Blessed John Henry Newman

The Vatican II Overhaul of the Breviary

"The Faith Must Become Culture!" --Pope Leo XIV

Why do people love the Traditional Latin Mass? Because in it the faith has become culture! That is good! Here is a citation from the blog of Bishop Rob Mutsaerts who defends the Traditional Latin Mass on the grounds of legitimate cultural sensibilities which must be respected and promoted, if we are to be consistent.

"The Traditional Latin Mass exerts an attraction not only upon those who grew up before the Council. Young Catholics too [and non-Catholics] feel drawn to it. When young people consciously choose silence, Gregorian chant, ritual precision, and a liturgy that makes virtually no concession to the contemporary preference for spontaneity and immediate comprehensibility, that says something. It suggests that modernization is not always the best path to evangelization. Perhaps modern man sometimes longs precisely for what is not modern. Perhaps he is not seeking a liturgy that resembles as closely as possible the world in which he lives daily and has nothing new to offer him, but a liturgy that helps him to rise above that world. This is not an argument against the new Mass. It is an argument against the assumption that liturgical renewal necessarily coincides with adaptation to the spirit of the age...

"The Catholic et-et — the celebrated Catholic principle of both-and — could be a fruitful starting point here as well. Tradition and legitimate development. Unity and diversity. Fidelity to the Council and reverence for the centuries that preceded it. The new Mass and room for the transmitted Roman liturgy, within the communion of the Church.

"...[T]he Church need not forbid its past to secure its future. A Church that truly trusts in the living Tradition can afford to love its own history. A Church that receives with joy a Byzantine, Maronite, and Armenian liturgy in its midst need not feel too threatened by a Roman Mass that was so dear to it for so many centuries. The Traditional Latin Mass is, after all, no foreign intruder in the Catholic Church; it comes from her own house. And a mother Church ought not to treat her own children as strangers because they prefer to pray in the language of their grandparents."

† Rob Mutsaerts

This love for the Traditional Roman Liturgy, which is the finest cultural expression of Western Catholicism for two thousand years, and arguably the most beautiful cultural achievement of humanity, especially in the musical and architectural elements thereof, is good, noble and true! That type of cultural nobility and rootedness was lauded and encouraged by Pope Leo XIV even today in His Holiness' Wednesday audience, which I quoted in the title. Here is the relevant passage from his reflection on Gaudium et Spes today.

"The relationship between faith and culture finds its primary foundation in the Incarnation: if the divine Word became flesh and came to dwell among us (cf. Jn 1:14), then faith too is an incarnate reality, interwoven with the culture in which it is immersed. It is also required to become culture, that is, to reach the person in their living environment, made up of human words, traditions, religious meaning, art and poetry, thought and science. As Saint John Paul II loved to repeat, “a faith that does not become culture is a faith not fully accepted, not entirely thought out, not faithfully lived”. (St. John Paul II, Address to participants in the Congress of the Ecclesial Movement of Cultural Commitment (MEIC), 16 January 1982.)"

In the Traditional Latin Mass "the faith [has become] an incarnate reality, interwoven with the culture in which it [was and continues to be] immersed. It [became culture, as it was bound to do,] reaching the person in his living environment, made up of human words, traditions, religious meaning, art and poetry, thought and science."