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Post by Maolsheachlann on Apr 12, 2018 21:56:51 GMT
What devotions do people practice, other than the Rosary?
Or what other devotions HAVE you practiced?
This question is obviously aimed mostly at Catholics, but anyone is welcome to answer.
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Post by cato on Apr 13, 2018 13:07:47 GMT
My devotions are quite post Vatican II which surprised me ... I like the office of the church especially the psalms and readings from the church fathers. The psalms with their themes of spiritual combat , trust , dejection etc are a great consolation. I like the Orthodox Jesus prayer which I pray on my rosary when out walking or prior to a stressful encounter. Similarly I am fond of Icons and have a house full of them. They are a beautiful radiant reminder of God Mary and the Saints present here and now in our world aiding us. When I visit a church I always light a candle for my deceased mother. She taught me to pray and I always try to pray once a day the prayers she taught me. I was a pilgrim to Lough Derg on several occasions but swore never to return . I will please God return this year to one of the most venerable and humble of all pilgrimage sites.
In art galleries I like praying in front of religious art that has been taken away from its' original home. There are some lovely works in the national gallery here in Dublin.
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Devotions
Apr 13, 2018 13:14:31 GMT
via mobile
Post by cato on Apr 13, 2018 13:14:31 GMT
I remember reading Ruth Dudley Edwards biography of Patrick Pearse and being embarassed by the account of the GPO garrison praying the rosary during Easter week. Imagine that scene around 100 years ago. And look at what the Irish government and establishment have done and want to do to Ireland now. Imagine if those patriots were to encounter those who want the freedom to choose to kill the unborn Irish. Cherish the children of the nation equally...
Those rosary praying idealists are a haunting reproach . Maybe they were praying not for themselves but for their unborn and for us.
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Post by cato on Aug 16, 2018 17:13:39 GMT
One of the most popular of traditional devotions and one that has seen a popular revival often in the face of clerical indifference is adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. Worship of God , Adoration and being still and receptive to God's presence are rather down played in the modern liturgy where the focus is more rational , active and communal.
In the current issue of the English Catholic journal The Tablet there are a series of letters from Catholics attacking adoration. I was aghast and dismayed but not surprised to see a lay man defend adoration and priests and a nun attacking the practice. The nun from some obscure order attacked it as not being found in the Gospels! Neither can you find nuns in the gospels using that criteria.
It is ironic that liberals expect great latitude from Church authorities but express open hostility to any spiritual diversity which they find old fashioned or horror of horrors pre Vatian II!
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Post by Deleted on Aug 16, 2018 17:35:37 GMT
It is not surprising that in a climate that de-emphasizes personal devotion and piety that many clergy fail to keep their vows of celibacy. Such sacrifice requires spiritual strength. Where do modernists expect it to come from?
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Post by Maolsheachlann on Aug 16, 2018 17:46:08 GMT
One of the most popular of traditional devotions and one that has seen a popular revival often in the face of clerical indifference is adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. Worship of God , Adoration and being still and receptive to God's presence are rather down played in the modern liturgy where the focus is more rational , active and communal. In the current issue of the English Catholic journal The Tablet there are a series of letters from Catholics attacking adoration. I was aghast and dismayed but not surprised to see a lay man defend adoration and priests and a nun attacking the practice. The nun from some obscure order attacked it as not being found in the Gospels! Neither can you find nuns in the gospels using that criteria. It is ironic that liberals expect great latitude from Church authorities but express open hostility to any spiritual diversity which they find old fashioned or horror of horrors pre Vatian II! It's quite extraordinary you should write this, since today I happened to write down this argument from St. John Eudes, defending the devotion to the Sacred Heart: "If the novelty of this devotion be called an objection, I reply that novelty in matters of faith is most pernicious, but that it is excellent in matters of devotion. Otherwise we should be forced to condemn all those feasts which are now celebrated in the Church, and which were novel when they were first celebrated."
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Post by cato on Aug 16, 2018 17:54:36 GMT
One of the most popular of traditional devotions and one that has seen a popular revival often in the face of clerical indifference is adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. Worship of God , Adoration and being still and receptive to God's presence are rather down played in the modern liturgy where the focus is more rational , active and communal. In the current issue of the English Catholic journal The Tablet there are a series of letters from Catholics attacking adoration. I was aghast and dismayed but not surprised to see a lay man defend adoration and priests and a nun attacking the practice. The nun from some obscure order attacked it as not being found in the Gospels! Neither can you find nuns in the gospels using that criteria. It is ironic that liberals expect great latitude from Church authorities but express open hostility to any spiritual diversity which they find old fashioned or horror of horrors pre Vatian II! It's quite extraordinary you should write this, since today I happened to write down this argument from St. John Eudes, defending the devotion to the Sacred Heart: "If the novelty of this devotion be called an objection, I reply that novelty in matters of faith is most precious, but that it is excellent in matters of devotion. Otherwise we should be forced to condemn all those feasts which are now celebrated in the Church, and which were novel when they were first celebrated." Grace perhaps? As I grow older there are many things that happen in my life that I can only put down to Divine prompting. We just need eyes of faith to see what is really going on around us.
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Post by Stephen on Aug 17, 2018 9:10:18 GMT
Unfortunately I don't get to do the office very much. I think it is one of the most underestimated parts of the western church.
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Post by cato on Nov 9, 2020 15:54:56 GMT
Yesterday I saw a man pass by St Agathas church in the North Inner city. After checking to ensure the holy water font was free of used syringes he blessed himself. Then he blessed his golden Labrador. After a moment groaning I realised it was a very ancient incarnational catholic thing to do. I love the idea of blessing animals but I have never been to one of these ceremonies were people are asked to bring along their pets or farm animals.
I lit a few candles in the dim church. I have always found it moving to watch people in a church praying outside of mass , especially as the light fades and the night sinks in.
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Post by Séamus on Nov 11, 2020 12:05:14 GMT
Yesterday I saw a man pass by St Agathas church in the North Inner city. After checking to ensure the holy water font was free of used syringes he blessed himself. Then he blessed his golden Labrador. After a moment groaning I realised it was a very ancient incarnational catholic thing to do. I love the idea of blessing animals but I have never been to one of these ceremonies were people are asked to bring along their pets or farm animals. I lit a few candles in the dim church. I have always found it moving to watch people in a church praying outside of mass , especially as the light fades and the night sinks in. The church my mother was baptised in and probably attended as a toddler until the bombing of the North Strand. It's surprising that holy water is still allowed. It was the first thing covid-banned by Australian bishops. If churches are currently permitted to open I imagine they'll have to be cautious when pushing for public worship not to rock too hard? A Frenchman told me once told that Régine Pernoud was a respected historian there,at least in the proper circles. On Martinmas,one of the few ancient feasts that's kept the name, it's worth returning to her biography of the saint: "the white chlamys or cape was the uniform of that elite guard which served the emperor,the members of which were called candidati,which means 'men clothed in white'. It was a cloak with a slit fastened at the right shoulder with a brooch;the upper part was lined with lambskin..." Challenges most images of the saint,but makes more sense- the lightweight red thing usually depicted looks grossly inadequate. "Perhaps it was that lined part that Martin cut off with his sword to give to the beggar. At any rate,he could not have suspected the importance his action would aquire over the centuries..." She later makes a modern comparison with (St) Mother Teresa's first act of kindness for a dying man. An introductory bit is relevant here: "More than four hundred towns and some four thousand parishes in France are named after St Martin. The term 'chapel' is derived from the oratory where pilgrims venerated Martin's 'cape' or cloak." In the extraordinary form a commemoration is also made on November 11th of Egyptian St Mennas,whose shrine,now buried beneath desert sands, is said by archeologists to have been an ancient Lourdes, miraculous water (in souvenir ceramic creations) and all. The symbolism can't be ignored;the challenges, whether for counties like France or even for newer missionary lands with growing churches. As my edition of MARTIN OF TOURS was printed in 2006, even the over-4,000 statistics may be sadly inaccurate as we now stand.
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Post by cato on Nov 11, 2020 13:02:43 GMT
Yesterday I saw a man pass by St Agathas church in the North Inner city. After checking to ensure the holy water font was free of used syringes he blessed himself. Then he blessed his golden Labrador. After a moment groaning I realised it was a very ancient incarnational catholic thing to do. I love the idea of blessing animals but I have never been to one of these ceremonies were people are asked to bring along their pets or farm animals. I lit a few candles in the dim church. I have always found it moving to watch people in a church praying outside of mass , especially as the light fades and the night sinks in. The church my mother was baptised in and probably attended as a toddler until the bombing of the North Strand. It's surprising that holy water is still allowed. It was the first thing covid-banned by Australian bishops. If churches are currently permitted to open I imagine they'll have to be cautious when pushing for public worship not to rock too hard? A Frenchman told me once told that Régine Pernoud was a respected historian there,at least in the proper circles. On Martinmas,one of the few ancient feasts that's kept the name, it's worth returning to her biography of the saint: "the white chlamys or cape was the uniform of that elite guard which served the emperor,the members of which were called candidati,which means 'men clothed in white'. It was a cloak with a slit fastened at the right shoulder with a brooch;the upper part was lined with lambskin..." Challenges most images of the saint,but makes more sense- the lightweight red thing usually depicted looks grossly inadequate. "Perhaps it was that lined part that Martin cut off with his sword to give to the beggar. At any rate,he could not have suspected the importance his action would aquire over the centuries..." She later makes a modern comparison with (St) Mother Teresa's first act of kindness for a dying man. An introductory bit is relevant here: "More than four hundred towns and some four thousand parishes in France are named after St Martin. The term 'chapel' is derived from the oratory where pilgrims venerated Martin's 'cape' or cloak." In the extraordinary form a commemoration is also made on November 11th of Egyptian St Mennas,whose shrine,now buried beneath desert sands, is said by archeologists to have been an ancient Lourdes, miraculous water (in souvenir ceramic creations) and all. The symbolism can't be ignored;the challenges, whether for counties like France or even for newer missionary lands with growing churches. As my edition of MARTIN OF TOURS was printed in 2006, even the over-4,000 statistics may be sadly inaccurate as we now stand. I have a bit of fondness for St Agatha who was a patron of the original Goths. The Goths were largely Arians ie a heresy that many modern Christians believe. I know of another St Agatha of the Goths in Donegal. I think the Irish College in Rome was once housed in St Agathas there hence the naming of new 19th century churches by the alumni of the college when they came home. Devotees of the Roman canon of the mass will be familar with St Agatha. Aunt Agatha is also a femme formidable in the Bertie Wooster novels. And we have Agatha Christie who helped preserve the classical rite of Mass.... and wrote a few novels.
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Post by cato on Dec 15, 2020 14:58:42 GMT
I finished Stephen Bullivants book Mass Exodus recently and strongly recommend it to anyone interested in the collapse of catholic practice in the West and specifically the UK/USA in this account.
Ireland lagged a generation behind which might be the subject of another book.
Bullivant is a small c conservative Catholic sociologist well versed in theology and catholic history unlike most sociologists.
His views on the destruction of catholic public devotional life are interesting. Vatican II 's emphasis on the Eucharist led to a scorched earth policy led by clergy to eliminate everything that wasn't focused directly on the Eucharist, and the Eucharist as the gathered community to be specific. Out went sodalities, statues, altar rails , etc.
Ironically the new emphasis on the Mass alone was a more clerical focused church . Lay involvement in the church was mistakenly interpreted to mean lay people doing traditionally clerical things at mass. Anecdotally I have been told laity led funeral devotions like the rosary prior to the reform but then the clergy took over. Ironically. Bullivant refers to the idea taught by avant garde theologians that devotions distracted people from Christ present in the Mass.
This sounds strangely like the classical protestant idea that devotion to the saints and our lady distracts from adoration of Christ and the Trinity. No one would claim a parent has only enough love to properly love one of their children.
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