To Trust the Unseen

One of Beth's recent posts reminded me of just how special today is.  Today is the Feast of Christ the King, and it is the last time I will hear and say the words of the Mass the way that I learned it, the way I have heard and spoken it since I was little.  Next Sunday, the First Sunday of Advent, not only ushers in a new Liturgical Year, but also the implementation of the New Roman Missal.  For those of us who worship in English, it will still be in English...but in different words.  This new Missal will be closer to the literal translation of the original Latin prayers of the Mass. I must admit, as this important event in Church history draws closer, I have been facing it with some trepidation.  As I said, the Missal as it is now is all my parents' generation and mine have ever known.  Some months back, I read an article about the new Missal in the Arlington Catholic Herald , in which the author said that it would be easier for young people to learn the...

The anniversary of Queen Mary's death was just two days ago.  Interestingly, the day before on November 16, there was a special service at Westminster Abbey--with Queen Elizabeth the Second and her family in attendance--to honor the anniversary of the King James Bible.  Probably the most famous English translation of the Bible, it was published during the reign of King James I in 1611, four hundred years ago. This was fifty-three years after the death of England's first and, to date, only Catholic queen regnant.  But even that has changed recently.  Since times immemorial, succession has always favored sons before daughters; and since 1689, any Catholics, or Anglican heirs who marry Catholics, have been barred from inheriting the English throne.  But as of October 28 of this year, succession now favors age over sex, which means an older sister will not get passed over for a younger brother simply because she is a girl.  Also, any heir who marries a Cathol...

England rejoiced.  Great Harry's daughter was on the throne and all was as it should be.  Queen Mary intended to be a mother to her people, kind and merciful and righting wrongs done to them.  She understood that her rival, the Nine Days' Queen Jane Grey, was only a pawn of powerful men and an unwilling pretender to the throne; Mary did have her put to trial along with her family and in-laws and all were found guilty, but only as a formality.  After having the main conspirators put to death, Mary simply let Jane and the others languish in prison.  She also released Catholic prisoners incarcerated for treason and heresy (that is, beliefs that the Protestant Church of England took for heresy) during her father's and brother's reigns, including the Duke of Norfolk and Bishop Stephen Gardiner. Mary's first Parliament overturned the religious laws instituted during her father's and brother's reigns.  Upon her succession, one of the titles she inherited was ...