Nation & World | Papal aide restores ancient tradition to rites | Seattle Times Newspaper

"Some of the key trappings of the Mass — the vestments and vernacular, the "smells and bells" — have taken on a more ancient air since Benedict succeeded John Paul II, and since Guido Marini succeeded Piero Marini."

Read more by clicking the link below:

Nation & World | Papal aide restores ancient tradition to rites | Seattle Times Newspaper

Pope Benedict XVI's Prayer Intentions for January 2011

Pope Benedict's general prayer intention for January 2011 is: "That young people may learn to use modern means of social communication for their personal growth and to better prepare themselves to serve society".

His mission intention is: "That every believer in Christ may be conscious that unity among all Christians is a condition for more effective proclamation of the Gospel".

You Might Want To Take This Quiz Just For Fun

So, here I was, just minding my own business. Making sure that all the blogs listed under "My Favorite Catholic Blogs" are working properly.

I clicked the link for "The Way of the Fathers" and patiently waited for the page to load. I noticed something at the top of their sidebar that I had somehow missed before. It is a link for a quiz on their blog. The quiz is "Which Church Father Are You?"

Now I am someone who loves the Church Fathers and I read quite a bit of their writings when I can. I could not resist taking this quiz, and got the following result:

You’re St. Melito of Sardis! You have a great love of history and liturgy. You’re attached to the traditions of the ancients, yet you recognize that the old world — great as it was — is passing away. You are loyal to the customs of your family, though you do not hesitate to call family members to account for their sins. Find out which Church Father you are at The Way of the Fathers!

I am not going to tell you what my answers were except for the first one. The question was "When you hear the co-worker in the next cubicle utter heresy, you instinctively…" I chose "b"..."hit him with a mallet and then question his masculinity".

I suppose I chose that because of something a former contributor...Marie in fact... once said to me. She said "Steve, when you believe strongly in something, you don't try to whitewash it, or beat around the bush. You hit them right between the eyes with a hammer, and more or less say, 'this is the way it is, take it or leave it'." Which is true when it comes to the Church. You either follow the Magisterium and teachings of the Church and the Holy Father or you don't. In my opinion there is no "middle road". 

The middle road is for CINO's.

If you'd like some information on Saint Melito of Sardis, just click on his name for a post I wrote about him on "The Early Church Fathers" back in December of 2005.

Season's Greetings!