Posted on 08/18/2015 2:35:35 PM PDT by NYer
In the post-Vatican II world where Catholic education suffered a steep decline and Catholics began to mesh indistinguishably with the culture, many Catholic devotions faded from view. It was not a reflection of Catholicism, but rather of a world that became increasingly pre-occupied with non-religious concerns.
But what was good centuries ago is still good today. Being a Catholic always means more—the most—of what Christ had to give. So in a world broken and scarred, Catholics can rest in the gifts of the ages—prayers, devotions, and graces in abundance with power beyond this world to repair and console.
Fridays are historically a day of penance in honor of Christ’s death on the cross. Prior to 1966 Catholics abstained from meat. The U.S. bishops waived that requirement but most Catholics missed the rest of the message. The responsibility to sacrifice didn’t go away, we were simply given the choice to make a substitute. This made the sacrifice more meaningful especially for people like me who like fish better than red meat anyways.
Indulgences got a bad rap when they were abused but they never went away. Here is what the Church says:
“An indulgence is a remission before God of the temporal punishment due to sins whose guilt has already been forgiven, which the faithful Christian who is duly disposed gains under certain prescribed conditions through the action of the Church which, as the minister of redemption, dispenses and applies with authority the treasury of the satisfactions of Christ and the saints.”
“An indulgence is partial or plenary according as it removes either part or all of the temporal punishment due to sin.” The faithful can gain indulgences for themselves or apply them to the dead. (CCC 1471).
For specific indulgences that can be gained, go to My Catholic Source.
Do Catholics still pray the rosary daily? Only the ones that take the Blessed Mother at her word, and want to maximize our spiritual life. The Rosary has always been and continues to be one of the Church’s most powerful devotions. But don’t take my word for it…
“Continue to pray the Rosary every day” ~Our Lady of Fatima to Sister Lucia.
“You shall obtain all you ask of me by the recitation of the Rosary. ~Our Lady to Blessed Alan de la Roche.
“Give me an army saying the Rosary and I will conquer the world” ~Pope Blessed Pius IX.
“The Rosary is THE weapon” ~Saint Pio of Pietrelcina
It’s not just a Catholic thing, but it’s a very good thing. Beyond the required fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, fasting is another spiritual weapon used even by Jesus. Before beginning his public ministry, Jesus first went into the wilderness to fast for forty days. In Matthew 6:16: “When you fast…” not “If you fast…” The first Christians fasted (Acts 13:2-3; 14:23).
Praying novenas is alive and well in the Church. The first novena—9 days of prayers– was carried out by the Blessed Mother and the Apostles during the nine days between the Ascension and Pentecost. On the 9th day, the Holy Spirit descended upon them. I did not even know about novenas until I was in my thirties. Then, I heard about the St. Jude novena, tried it out, and received a powerful answer to an impossible situation.
Catholics that don’t believe in the devil—and I know they are out there– are missing the basics. He’s real, he’s mentioned in the Bible, our exorcists, (yeah, we still do that too) drive them off, and most importantly, we need not fear them as long as we remain in the state of grace.
It never went away. The Latin Mass is also called the Tridentine Latin Mass, was codified by Pope St. Pius V shortly after the Council of Trent (1545-1563). Since Latin is a dead language, and the Church carefully protects the Mass so as to prevent doctrinal errors from slipping into the liturgy, the Latin Mass expresses the unchanging truths of the Catholic Church. Although it dates back to 150 AD, it was offered by fewer priests with the advent of the New Mass (Novus Ordo Missae) on March 22, 1970, by Paul VI. However, parishes around the country still offer the Latin Mass.
Of course there are many Catholic devotions that we still practice, that have been practiced for thousands of years. After all, we are Catholic and like to stay the course. The most important point is to keep Catholic devotions in your own life so that they can keep you alive in the next one.
Eucharistic Adoration and Processions ... still with us, ping!
Genuflection and kneeling to receive the Eucharist are still with us, too.
All wonderful rituals; all good for the soul. For those who hate a meatless day, remember that in the Middle Ages, there were over 150 meatless days. It’s why King Richard the Third’s remains revealed a diet very high in fish.
Maybe the church is losing people because of the commie pope.
That's very interesting... I never stopped to think of how many days there were! One of my favorite Friday meals: grilled cheese with vegetarian vegetable soup! And thanks to "Mrs. Paul" for inventing the fish stick!
It really wasn't so bad... It was another day of pasta most of the time, with different additives: beans; chick peas; green peas; butter; meatless sauce. They even kept us meatless in school! Funny, I still don't eat meat most Fridays... It just goes against the grain- pun intended! 😀🐟🐡
God bless you!
Please cite and reference statistics to support your statement. Thanks.
Bless you too, FRiend!
My mother, unfortunately, bought cheapo flounder (not cheap today, alas) and cooked it and we ate it with ketchup, I fear. And she wasn’t a bad cook for the most part but she just couldn’t figure out how to deal with flounder. Happier days were when she made spaghetti with crab cakes (a NYC specialty).
Medieval English Catholicism (which I study) was not only religious, it was social as well. To have lived under it seems to me to be like a beautiful dream.
You're right, so many of the things we ate growing up, because they were easy to afford are now considered delicacies (those crabcakes sound yummy!). Greens and beans in a restaurant can run a small fortune. My Mom would get a pork hock; a few cans of beans; and greens my aunts would pick in a field- then put the whole thing in a12 quart kettle; share it, and freeze the rest. I never cared for it, and it wasn't a Friday food, but everybody went nuts over it!
I'm just learning to read about history- it's so important to know. It sounds like your study must be fascinating! A world where people's lives centered around the local church; each person knew one another... There's a lot of that we could use in our communities today!
I'm participating in a genealogy project in our local library system. I even found a cousin, 5 minutes away! The library has access to ancestry dot com. It's fun! Touching history, whether it's direct family or part of our human family is a wonderful thing! God guide you in your studies, and may His Peace be with you!
Grateful 😀
yes they are...and some of us still do that!!
Started a Novena to St. Monica yesterday! I love novenas. I learn more about saints and their lives which helps me alter my own life accordingly. Even if it is just a small change, I am always thankful. Little steps to leading a more holy life, being a better example for my kids.
Also Perpetual Help Devotions and Stations of the Cross.
St. Michael Chaplet, Saint votives, traveling statues, processions. Still done.
He wasn't much of a cook, huh? That's cute, 🍕 Lol! It was nice that he let you do that, a blessing for you!
We once had a wonderful pastor, a Pallotine, and if you've never met one, those fellows are really serious about what they do. We couldn't get Father to eat anything; then his niece, who used to help take care of the church and grounds, told us he fasted 3 days a week, and would only take one meal the rest of the time. He would get up at 3am, spend time in the church in prayer, shovel the walk when needed, then Mass at 630 am so folks could go to Mass before work. I think it's because, although St. Vincent Palloti was Italian, there are a lot of Poles in the order. Having first dealt with the Nazis, then the Soviets, they never took their Faith for granted. Morning Mass Mon-Fri; Mon- Adoration. 7am to 7pm; Wed- Children and parents prayer group; Thursday- prayer group for adults; Prayer Cenacle with Adoration and Benediction, and Mass plus vigil Mass in the evening; Sunday LTM in the morning, then Divine Mercy Holy Hour with Mass in the afternoon. Oh, and Confessions 1/2 hour before every service. One priest. Vigils of Christmas and New Year consisted of Mass at 7pm; Adoration until midnight; Mass for the feast. We would process to four churches on Corpus Christi- that was my favorite! AND, he also went on Sunday to say Polish Mass at a nearby parish. His niece provided blouses and skirts, as well as men's shirts for those who were not dressed properly. One priest. A very amazing person... We were blessed to have him. Then came the consolidation, the "clusters" which combined five parishes into one. We fought like crazy to keep our little parish open, but it was a done deal before we ever got started. Only one church with a high altar was left open, thus ending the LTM in my home town. Funny thing was, our parish was self-sufficient- we didn't cost the diocese a cent. I miss my parish, too my friend; I understand what you mean! But those events will live on- for all eternity!
God bless you!
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