St. Benedict Press RSV-CE

St. Benedict Press has released their new RSV-CE. Information at this time is rather sparse. I didn't actually get an email announcement but noticed it had appeared on another blog. The cover options look the same as their new Douay-Rheims.

According to online shops the presentation pages, maps, and color paintings are identical.

I have emailed the publicist for layout shots. So far there is no information regarding cross references, footnotes, or any other extras. More information to come when I get it!

Redirected blame in Obamacare

There is a point being missed big time by conservative and, frankly, liberal commentators and politicians. The line goes something like this:

"everyone should be required to buy health insurance because otherwise the uninsured who need emergency care will be forcing others to pay for them."

That is not correct. It is the government that forces everyone to pay for the uninsured. The government is the only one making anyone do anything here. And pretty soon we'll all be paying for just about EVERYONE anyway. So where is their point on this one?

A look inside the Liturgia Horarum

I purchased this a few weeks ago and have had a chance to use it quite a bit. So I am ready to take you on a short tour around Volume IV of the Liturgia Horarum. But before I do there are a few things I would like to say.

First, and I mentioned this in my previous post, I get the impression this edition was not meant to be used so much as it was to be a reference text. Either that is the case or it was surmised that much effort should not be put into it because of limited demand. Unlike other all-latin editions of the Divine Office this one doesn't have a spec of beauty in it. They printed the text, formatted it and slapped a leather semi-hardcover on it. Then they stamped a weird harp with star and clouds on the front cover. No gilt edges. Price: $200 per volume.

The insides are nearly identical to the english Liturgy of the Hours. Even the fonts look the same. That is a good thing for those who would like to make the jump to the official Liturgia Horarum. Switching to the Latin version is a breeze and getting around is no problem whatsoever. I have been keeping my english edition handy during the Office of Readings to use for the readings themselves but use the Latin one for the psalms, canticles, and prayers.

By the way, it is true that there are moments one will wonder what the heck ICEL was thinking during translation. Even if you don't read latin at all, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to see the english edition can be ...lacking... .

Here we can see the text of Psalm 117. The Psalms are counted in the Vulgate numberings unlike the english version. It is interesting how quickly the Church abandoned the polarizing Pius XII neo-psalter in favor of the more traditional Nova Vulgata Psalms. This is one example of restoring tradition after Vatican II. (Yes, I typed that. It happened and we should be grateful.)

Below we see next Sunday's place in the Liturgia Horarum. Newer editions have 3 antiphons for the Magnificat on Sundays for years A B & C which match the Gospel reading that day. I believe that is a mixed bag but I will leave it be. Notice what happens with ribbons after 30 years. You can see a red stain going across the page. Cheap ribbons?

This is an atrocious picture of one of the card inserts. Again, it is identical to the ones provided in the English version.

The Benedictus and Magnificat are in the traditional renderings, and not taken directly from the Nova Vulgata or the Pius XII edition. Also, by praying the Latin version, one doesn't have to use the awful "My soul PROCAIMS..." text of the Magnificat.

One thing that is missing in this text are the "extras" that traditionally come in a breviary. Those would be the parts of the Rituale Romanum for use by priests (or its modern counterpart), thanksgiving before and after Mass, and litanies.

This is a $40 book with a $200 price tag that despite some issues is a joy to use if you don't mind saying the modern office. It is better in Latin even if you don't have a firm grasp on the language or are a beginning Latin student like myself.

We need more publishers of this work to come out with nice, decently priced editions made for general use. Ignatius? OSV? CPB? Scepter? Anyone out there? Hello?

A Conversion of Heart

Take a look at this great story:

They're here!

A couple first impressions...

It is in much better condition than I expected it to be. It is a hardcover but not like a standard hardcover book...feels more like the recent printings from Baronius Press. Its a leather cover on top of a semi-flexible board. I believe these are the ones advertised on paxbooks.com for almost $200.

...

If I saw this book in a store for $200 I would be in stitches. There are some things too ridiculous not to laugh. I mean, its not a terrible book at all. In fact it is rather nice. But it is not $200. Maybe they could get away with $40.

My other first impression is that this was printed as an template, rather than a beautiful liturgical book. (like old Breviaries) The insides are identical to the English Liturgy of the Hours in just about every way. But I'll show that in a later post.

I paid $35 for the volume pictured. I am very pleased.

Is this the same Rome Reports?

Whenever I see Rome Reports on EWTN there is an urge to unplug the TV and toss it out the window. It is the most irritating program on television. So I have to ask, is this really the same Rome Reports? It is ... but then lift in the reporter's voice gives me pause.

Durham

Found this photo today while looking through some albums. It continues the Anglican theme. This is the steeple of Durham Cathedral in England. I took this photo back in 2000 when visiting Europe. It was the first time I think I realized the universality of the Catholic Church...and that realization came as I stood on top of St. Cuthbert and said to myself "I'm standing on Saint."

I recently learned, St. Bede the Venerable is also buried there. Though at the time I didn't even know anything about him. Or Cuthbert for that matter.

 

Coming soon in the mail.

I have ordered something off the net which is expected in my mailbox sometime this week. I can't wait to show it to you but I am going to hold back until I have some time to spend with it. It is lamentably rare and absurdly expensive...but I found it (them) used for a *huge*
discount. It was a deal I had to take.

...So I bought 2 volumes of the (Latin) Liturgia Horarum. Hardcover (?), leatherbound.

Each new leather edition volume costs $185, the Vinyl is $85. A four volume set in leather will run you $740 plus shipping. Absurd. I paid about $65 for both volumes (combined).

Anglicans Comin' Home and their Booke

All this talk today about the Traditional Anglicans has been making me curious about the one thing that, if anything, identifies them as particularly Anglican.  That would be the Book of Common Prayer.  It appears that with every Anglo-Catholic group that comes home, and even the Western Rite Orthodox for that matter, Common Prayer is always adapted rather than replaced. 

 

I have very little experience with it, only having perused the 1979 Book of Common Prayer at Borders several times. That as a while ago but I remember that it at least looked Catholic at a glance, which is probably why it adapts so easily.  There are also several online editions I have looked at over the years.  Whereas I can swim in almost any Catholic Breviary now, I must admit the Book of Common Prayer is very alien to me.

 

There are several nice editions out there.  Oxford even has a version combo’d with the King James or NRSV Bibles.  But the only approved Catholic edition is the Book of Divine Worship which is currently out of print.  I read an essay in Chesterton’s Well and the Shallows that one of the reasons he would convert to Catholicism (if he already hadn’t) was the 1928 Book of Common Prayer.

 

Our martyrs during the protestant revolt loathed Common Prayer.  Some might have even taken serious offense at its adaptation for Catholic use.  But Tyburn Tree has long since been put out of commission. 

 

So do any readers have thoughts on Common Prayer?    Experience with it?