The new Instruction and other things

It's been out a few days now, and I've read it through more than a couple of times, along with the great analyses which can be found all over the blogosphere. Try here and here and here  (these sites also link to other sites/pages and commentaries).

While a lot of people still might consider us fans of the EF to be fruit loops that will eventually, given enough time and stonewalling, go away, the Instruction effectively says otherwise. For an interesting take on recent Tridentine events, read this, but you might need tissues for the tears of laughter.






One of my favourite parts of the document was point 33, which allows the Triduum. The Triduum has in the past been a source of great anxiety for me, because at this most special time of the liturgical year, you can bet you'll be faced with some of the most tooth-grindingly awful faux liturgy and very often abuses too.

This year, luckily, we experienced a much more reverent and prayerful Triduum in the NO, celebrated by a priest who also says the EF. Now to me, that was enrichment in action! There was also the opportunity for Confessions in Holy Week, even on Good Friday, which was fantastic.


I thank God for the blessing of our Holy Father, and, I'll be honest, I just love him to bits.


Other things...

Fr Bruno Witchalls preached an amazing sermon on Our Lady on Sunday at St Thomas More in Seaford. It's not often you hear a homily on Our Lady of Fatima and praying the Rosary, on sin and how easy it is to gain and to lose heaven, but we did yesterday. It was optimistic, and encouraging and marvellous. It was much the same in tone as Fr Ray Blake's sermon the week before when he preached on the subject of the Cross: it's never going to be comfortable being at odds with the world, because the world does not understand the Cross. Stirring stuff. I know it's not fashionable to talk about sin, but I always find sermons that call a spade a spade infinitely more helpful than ones that talk about 'tendencies' and try to make you feel better, because they invariably don't.

Which brings me onto...

Fish Fridays. Hurrah! Let's hear it for abstinence on Fridays. I know most of us in trad land kept this going or discovered it when we were led to trad land, but this is the greatest news I think. Let's hope it's closely followed by the return of our Holy Days of Obligation to their proper days!