Words not appearing on the Osservatore Romano

“I still want the left nut of the person who made me wear these vestments... ah, there he is!”

(found on The Recovering Dissident Catholic blog - my emphasis)

The rosary and the swiss-army-knife

So my friend came up to me, fall of our freshman year of college, and said, “QM, do you think you could fix something for me?” I guess he thought he'd try me because I'd glued back together the corpus of his wall crucifix earlier in the year, after it had fallen and broken into pieces. I told him that I'd try, and so he produced a sort of necklace -- wooden beads connected with wire chain-links, with a crucifix at the end. He called it a “rosary,” and pointed out that one of the links had come apart, so what was supposed to be a loop was more like a string. Now, I didn't know what a “rosary” was -- I was a good Lutheran girl, after all! -- and I didn't have any more clues than what he told me, but it looked pretty easy to fix. I pulled out my trusty Swiss Army Knife (which conveniently includes pliars) and twiddled with the wire a bit, and re-connected the links.

(source: Quantitative Metathesis blog; I strongly recommend to read the entire story. And then, the day after, also read the entire blog).

(And -yes!- as soon as possible, I'll translate it in Italian to make my friends read it!)

Blog of the day: the Hermeneutic of Continuity

Franciscan Sisters usus antiquior solemn profession. An image says more than 1000 words.

(found on The Hermeneutic of Continuity, nice blog. This also is in my “breakfast reads”)

Valid Option: Freak Out and Turn Over Tables

“When someone asks you 'think about what Jesus would do', remember that a valid option is to freak out and turn over tables” -- Unknown

Found on Catholic Pillow Fight.

There's always another vocation related blog out there

Blog of the day: Roman Catholic Vocations.

Quantitative Metathesis -- that is, tears of joy

I come to the door of the house, carrying my jar of ointment, still wondering what possessed me to come. As I bribe the doorkeeper -- who knows me -- to let me in, I wonder what He will do when I touch His feet. If He should kick at me, it is only what I deserve, but if He does before I can anoint Him, what then? What then? No answer comes. And now I am already inside, burning under the hostile gaze of everyone in the room. Oh, God, it is a regular dinner party! They all know, they all accuse, they all wonder how I gained entrance. Even the maidservants stare.
(...)
- “So, just to be perfectly clear, Lord, are you asking me to serve you as a...?”



Please, read the entire amazing story on Quantitative Metathesys.

Amazing-- no, more: stunning. I've been stuck for a while, reading her pages, and mostly the one containing the above words.

Sure, I'll pray for you.

(Italian-speaking people may click here)

Say The Black - Do The Red

What Do The Prayers Really Say is one of my most favourite blogs.

I was even tempted to buy a few mugs “Say The Black, Do The Red” - nice idea!



Here in Italy, anti-traditionalist priests (that is, some 95% of the total) use the term “rubricist” as a contemptuous label for people who do not like liturgical “variations” (i.e. liturgical abuses).

Most of them know that Roman Missal allows “freedom to change” at a “certain” (er...) degree. When they feel “uncertain” about the degree, they will take the most liberal interpretation, limited by their perception of common sense.

50 per cent less Bugnini

Creative Minority Report, nice blog.

Click on the image to get the full-size version.

Contains none of the following: “clapping - guitars - extraordinary ministers - reception in the hand”. And even “50% less Bugnini”.

Awesome.

Father Mark's blog

Indeed, another nice blog: Vultus Christi, by father Mark.

Blessed Cardinal Schuster

Found on Matthew's blog, A catholic life.

When neocons start finding ways to disregard what Benedict XVI says...

3. You know the Pope is a traditionalist when the ultra-montanist neo-cons start finding ways to disregard what he says...
OK, he isn't strictly a traditionalist. But all the same there is something truly bizarre about the sight of ultramontanist neo-cons like George Weigel who under Pope John Paul II insisted that every word that dropped from the Pope's mouth had to be believed and obeyed without question suddenly finding ways to disregard large chunks of an encyclical. Yep, apparently now we can go through the document with a red pen and work out what is truly the Pope's own words, and what are interpolations by the evil bureaucrats...

Found on Australia incognita, another good blog to add to my RSS list.

Don't be shy!

The Catholic Church doesn’t need progressives, nor does it need Reactionary Conservatives - It badly needs Catholic Traditionalists that practice faith, hope and charity. So don’t be shy! Come forward.

Found on Gabriella's blog.