Terribilis est locus iste

 Actually, the Latin phrase “Terribilis est locus iste” is a biblical text commonly employed as a cantus firmus throughout many Renaissance texts. From Gen 28:17, it translates to “Awesome is this place.” You’ll see it in motifs dealing with the dedication of cathedrals, as in Dufay’s 1436 “Nuper Rosarum Flores” composed for the consecration of Brunelleschi’s dome in Florence.

Also available via google translate, the Latin phrase terribilis est locus iste is loaded with meaning. It’s also included in one of my favorite motets of all time, Nuper Rosarum Flores. Dufay gets to me every time. 🤷🏼‍♂️

But – this place is awesome, and I love it here.

Guillaume Dufay – Nuper rosarum flores (Best version)

Nuper Rosarum Flores (“Recently Flowers of Roses/The Rose Blossoms Recently”), is a motet composed by Guillaume Dufay for the 25 March 1436 consecration of the Florence cathedral, on the occasion of the completion of the dome built under the instructions of Filippo Brunelleschi.

+

The First Sunday in Advent

Mass for the 1st Sunday in Advent
https://fb.watch/2407boekCI/

I’m so thankful to be in such a prayerful place for the beginning of Advent. Yes, I certainly miss the Parish and all of our wonderful Parishioners, but the Lord is good, great, kind, and merciful.

Brethren: Understand, for it is now the hour for us to rise from sleep, because now our salvation is nearer than when we came to believe. The night is far advanced; the day is at hand. Let us therefore lay aside the works of darkness, and put on the armor of light. Let us walk becomingly as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in debauchery and wantonness, not in strife and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ.

Rom 13:11-14

Happy Advent.

Put forth Your power, O Lord, we beseech You, and come, that with You as our protector we may be rescued from the impending danger of our sins; and with You as our deliverer, may we obtain our salvation.

Collect, from the Mass of the day.

(It’s pretty bad when you’re bald and have a COVID haircut and in need of an actual one. But — it’s #2020. 🤷🏼‍♂️ Also, the Mass is not auto-loading from Facebook up above so, there’s that, too.)

The Sunday Mass

The Mass

The good hermits asked for the Mass in the Extraordinary Form today, and today is the XXIV, and Last Sunday, after Pentecost in the 1962 Calendar.

I confess there is not much a Homily. Prayers for all of you. +

Election Day Prayer

All Souls' Day Night

After a beautiful walk in the glorious countryside yesterday evening, I took a few moments to surf for Election Day spiritual nourishment, and came across these salient Election Day Prayer Points, accompanied by Scripture verses. I tried to stick with Catholic prayers for the Election, but I like these Scriptural points of reflection better. They’re simpler and thought-provoking.

7 Vital Prayer Points:

1. That our nation would turn back to God. 

“If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” 2 Chron. 7:14

“Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord…” Ps. 33:12

2. That we would be faithful in praying for leaders and those in authority,

“I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.”  1 Tim. 2:1-2

“When the righteous thrive, the people rejoice; when the wicked rule, the people groan.” Prov. 29:2

3. That we would recognize God’s Sovereignty over all. 

It is “God who changes the times and seasons; He sets up kings and deposes them. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning.” Dan. 2:21

“But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations.” Ps. 33:11

4. That we would recognize the real battle is not fought against what is seen, but what is unseen. 

“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” Eph. 6:12

“For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds.” 2 Cor. 10:4

5. That we would not succumb to worry, fear, or defeat. 

“They will have no fear of bad news; their hearts are steadfast, trusting in the Lord.”  Ps. 112:7

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Phil. 4:6-7

6. That we would pray for those in authority who are unjustly attacked and accused.  

“No weapon that is formed against you will prosper; and every tongue that accuses you in judgment you will condemn…” Is. 54:17

“Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, which cannot be shaken but endures forever. As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds his people both now and forevermore.” Psalm 125:1-2

7. That our hope would remain in the Lord. 

“Look at the nations and watch– and be utterly amazed. For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told.” Hab. 1:5

“Lord, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, Lord. Repeat them in our day, in our time make them known; in wrath remember mercy.” Hab. 3:2

“Find rest, O my soul, in God alone, my hope comes from Him.” Ps. 62:5

God Bless America

Whitney Houston – Star Spangled-Banner

Among the annals of national anthems as a prelude to sporting events, few have topped the one delivered by Whitney Houston before Super Bowl XXV in 1991 in Tampa, Florida. A woman, her incredible voice, and the bare minimum of extraneous notes.

Has anyone ever sung the National Anthem as beautifully and effortlessly as Whitney Houston?

Prayers and blessings.

Hope to see you all soon. 🙏🏻

+

The Modern Pornocracy

Forbidden Fruit from the Sistene Chapel

In 2019 the NFL generated 15.2 Billion dollars of revenue. That same year the porn industry generated 100 Billion dollars worldwide. Wonder why people get hooked?

I’m working on resources here, that I’ll continue to develop, along with the idea of a modern pornocracy – a neologism derived from the Greek “porne (prostitute), and kratos (to rule)”.

Pornography has never been more mainstream than it is today – we’re the first generation dealing with it at the level we are. Many pretend it doesn’t exist, but it touches almost every life in some way, shape, or form.

Consider the secrets people are capable of keeping, and the following which happen all the time:

  • Is your spouse and/or are your kids look at porn in secret.
  • Are they running an affiliate porn site?
  • Is your wife sexting for money in her free time?
  • Are your kids filming and running a porn channel on any number of popular porn websites?
  • Has your sweet, innocent child been exposed to porn by the time he or she is 7? Do they know how to deal with that terrible reality?
  • Do your kids have virtual reality gear for masturbation and/or interaction with others?
  • Does a substance use habit accompany hidden pornography habits?

“How do you ethically steer the thoughts and actions of two billion people’s minds every day?”

Tristan Harris, researcher for Google who speaks about the power of multi-billion dollar industries to form society. Porn is a 100 billion dollar a year, worldwide, enterprise and is responsible for some industry standards in video, audio and streaming technology.

Also, many people are getting in on the act with pornography whereas they used to be mere viewers. Cellphones create great and easy videos. Porn sites have affiliate links for everything from dating, to sex toys, to video uploads, to cam chats, to your imagination is the limit. Sexting is now a part-time job for people the world over, as is camming. Camming is, of course, slang for webcamming (or using a webcam for the sexual gratification of others and,) and is now described as a fun and easy source of revenue. Getting paid for sex?

Human Trafficking is Linked to Porn

Pornography and Exploitation – Sold No More

Why is the sexual exploitation of children increasing at such an alarming rate? What is driving the demand for sex with children, including babies and infants? One answer: the exponential rise in pornography, especially child pornography. No research can be conducted that would prove direct causality between child pornography and the sexual exploitation of children.

Desensitization to sexual experience, and the changes in brain chemistry that result from continued exposure to pornography (it’s an erototoxin, and we’re Wired for Intimacy,) are also linked to a greater incidence of paid sexual encounters, That’s the basics of sex-trafficking. The original meaning of the word pornography has to do with prostitution, which is of course the sale of oneself for sex.

1842, “ancient obscene painting, especially in temples of Bacchus,” from French pornographie, from Greek pornographos “(one) depicting prostitutes,” from graphein “to write” (see -graphy) + pornē “prostitute,” originally “bought, purchased” (with an original notion, probably of “female slave sold for prostitution”), related to pernanai “to sell” (from PIE *perə-, variant of root *per- (5) “to traffic in, to sell”).

https://www.etymonline.com/word/pornography

Via the Conquer Series, “Dr. Mahri Irvine, Adjunct Professional Lecturer at American University, said, “I really wish that people who watch porn knew more about that. Because I think they believe that they’re engaging in this activity in a very passive way. And they’re like, ‘Oh, I’m doing it in the privacy of my own home and this is just a video that I’m watching’. And they’re not associating it with the fact that pornography is very often the filmed rape of sex trafficking victims.

“Noel Bouché, Executive Director of pureHOPE, explained, “While pornographic content includes trafficked victims from around the world, porn consumers aren’t told anything about the performers, including which ones may have been trafficked from an early age. Regular users of internet pornography are likely consuming pornography that includes adult and child victims of sex trafficking.””

Porn Education

The following sites are a few of the many that are arising to help educate our seemingly sexually sophisticated, yet pornographically unsophisticated, generation.

1. Enough is Enough

Enough Is Enough:

The Enough Is Enough mission is to make the Internet Safer for Children and Families. Our initiatives include Internet Safety 101, Project Wilberforce, and others.

2. Fight the New Drug

Home – Fight the New Drug

Fight the New Drug is a non-religious and non-legislative nonprofit that exists to provide individuals the opportunity to make an informed decision regarding pornography by raising awareness on its harmful effects using only science, facts, and personal accounts.

3. Integrity Restored

IntegrityRestored.com

INTEGRITY CIRCLE COACHING ONLINE SESSIONS FOR YOU OR THOSE YOU CARE ABOUTTO UNDERSTAND AND COMBAT THE SCOURGE OF PORNOGRAPHY FROM THE GROUND UP INTEGRITY CIRCLE COACHING ONLINE SESSIONS FOR YOU OR THOSE YOU CARE ABOUT TO UNDERSTAND AND COMBAT THE SCOURGE OF PORNOGRAPHY FROM THE GROUND UP Stay up-to-date with all of Integrity Restored’s content and material.

4. The Conquer Series

Here’s how men are quitting porn

The Conquer Series is a 10-episode film series that’s taught millions of men how to quit porn. It’s the number one tool to break a porn addiction.

Louisiana and PornHub

The popular pornography website PornHub relies on Google Statistics to cull its data. Most visitors only spend about 10 minutes per visit to the massive depository of freely available pornographic material. But all the states whose residents stay the longest—more than 11 minutes per visit—are located in the politically conservative deep South:        

  • Mississippi
  • Alabama
  • South Carolina
  • Louisiana
  • Arkansas

Take note of that stat, parents, ladies, and gents.

Pornography and the Occult

Lots of people are pointing out the fact that the pornography industry has at its roots an occult reality. Rod Dreher has an article that provides a great start to looking at the reality of that matter. And lest we forget, a priest in the Archdiocese of New Orleans was recently caught filming a sex act with an avowed satanist atop the Altar, (though the Eucharist had allegedly been removed.)

Masturbation

Masturbation often accompanies participation in the consumption of pornography. Any number of websites and links exist to articles on the effects of masturbation. A simple article I’ve linked before is the one about science saying it’s time to stop masturbating so much. Science is on the side of genuine, real, relationships.

It’s, of course, easy for anyone to say “Well just stop!” “Just don’t do it!” “Don’t do that!” – but why? Why wouldn’t anyone want to do something that can feel so good and is entirely simple and easy to undertake? Are you’re being too religious and shaming everyone? (Those are common questions asked when the subject is brought up.)

No one is shaming anyone when it comes to porn and masturbation. Pornography is a 100+ billion dollar a year industry that wants people to get hooked, and instead of relying on the science of things, which thankfully more and more are doing, men and women show up at the doorsteps of priests and ministers looking for answers when all too often priests and ministers themselves are getting sucked into the quagmire as well, with few answers to the questions.

The answers lie in the science of sex, the reward centers of the brain, the hormonal responses of relationships. The matters can be complex and the answers aren’t simple. You can’t expect a hormonal people bombarded by sexual imagery and opportunity, and immersed in an entirely new sexual reality, to simply respond as if they’re St. Paul writing to the Romans.

Being Healthy

The Archdiocese of New Orleans hosts a 12 Step program for men seeking change out of a pornography habit, called the My House Men’s group. It’s patterned after the meetings of Sexaholics Anonymous, which has great phone meetings for daily strength and accountability.

My great friend Gary Leblanc works with men overcoming pornography (and other areas of spiritual import as well, in case your husband, friend, or co-worker is working with him and you’re suddenly concerned he may be overcoming a porn habit you don’t know about.)

Fr. Sean Kilcawley runs the Office of Marriage and Family Life in the Diocese of Lincoln, Nebraska, and has any number of excellent videos on the subjects of pornography, masturbation, healing relationships, and approaches the matters from the scientific angle, the anthropological angle, and from the simple and holistic viewpoint of Faith, too.

Stay Healthy and Be Well

The world may be going crazy, but it doesn’t mean you have to be. Never let what everyone else is doing guide you into bad habits or poor choices.

Internet pornography is a new phenomenon, and no other generation has had to deal with it so far. We may as well continue to look at the science behind it and continue to make healthy choices. Be a pioneer, learn and grow, you can help many others, in wisdom, as the years go on.

+

Fr. Kenneth Allen