More LHC Media

News report on first experiment:



(sorry the ad at the beginning is longer than usual)

RS

Comparison of Prayers - 26th Sunday "Per Annum"

aka 26th Sunday of Ordinary Time

Collect (Opening Prayer)

Official Latin from the 1969 & 2002 Roman Missals
Orémus. Deus, qui omnipoténtiam tuam parcéndo máxime et miserándo maniféstas, multíplica super nos grátiam tuam, ut, ad tua promíssa curréntes, cæléstium bonórum fácias esse consórtes.
Per Dóminum nostrum Iesum Christum, Fílium tuum, qui tecum vivit et regnat in unitáte Spíritus Sancti, Deus, per ómnia saécula sæculórum.

Official 1973 I.C.E.L. Translation (Used at Mass in English)
Let us pray. Father, you show your almighty power in your mercy and forgiveness. Continue to fill us with your gifts of love. Help us to hurry toward the eternal life you promise and come to share in the joys of your kingdom.
Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

My Own Literal Translation
Let us pray. O God, You Who manifest Your omnipotence especially in Your forbearance and mercy, increase Your grace upon us, so that, running towards Your promises, You may make us to be sharers of the Heavenly Goods.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, Who lives and reigns with You, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.

Prayer Over the Gifts

Official Latin from the 1969 & 2002 Roman Missals
Concéde nobis, miséricors Deus, ut hæc nostra oblátio tibi sit accépta, et per eam nobis fons omnis benedictiónis aperiátur.
Per Christum Dóminum nostrum.

Official 1973 I.C.E.L. Translation (Used at Mass in English)
God of mercy, accept our offering and make it a source of blessing for us.
We ask this in the name of Jesus the Lord.

My Own Literal Translation
Grant to us, O merciful God, that this our sacrificial offering may be acceptable to You, and through it may the Font of all blessings be opened to us.
Through Christ our Lord.

Post-Communion Prayer

Official Latin from the 1969 & 2002 Roman Missals
Orémus. Sit nobis, Dómine, reparátio mentis et córporis cæléste mystérium, ut simus eius in glória coherédes, cui, mortem ipsíus annuntiándo, compátimur.
Qui vivit et regnat in saécula sæculórum.

Official 1973 I.C.E.L. Translation (Used at Mass in English)
Let us pray. Lord, may this eucharist in which we proclaim the death of Christ bring us salvation and make us one with him in glory,
for he is Lord for ever and ever.

My Own Literal Translation
Let us pray. O Lord, may this Heavenly Mystery be for us a restoration of mind and body, so that, by announcing His death, we may be coheirs in the glory of Him, with Whom we suffer.
He Who lives and reigns forever and ever.

RS

LHC now down until Spring of 2009

Wow, maybe the LHC is a time machine. Because the experiment is moving further and further into the future.

The warm-up period and ensuing investigations will bump up against the LHC's "obligatory winter maintenance period," according to a statement today from CERN. This brings us into early spring before commissioning can restart.

Whole article here:

Large Hadron Collider Down Until 2009

I did manage to find some video of some lower energy collision experiements.
(Remember, kids, don't try this at home, these are the world's top scientists working with the most complex machine in the world).



RS

Ember Days

Today is (well, was at this hour) the first day of the Autumnal Ember Days. Here's some good articles about Ember Days. It seems ironic that in the hurry to restore things from the early Church into the liturgy, one of the oldest traditions was not only downplayed but in actuality dropped by the wayside.

From Fr. Z's blog:

EMBER DAY AWARENESS … DAY

From The New Liturgical Movement:

Ember Days: Explanation and Two Proposals [UPDATED]

and of course the Catholic Encyclopedia

Ember Days

RS

LHC start delayed for at least two months.

Well, bad news on the science side of things. The LHC has had some mechanical failures and will be out of commission for at least two months according to a CNN article:

Large Hadron Collider down for 2 months

At this rate it looks like we'll get something for Christmas, either a Higgs particle, a new physics, or a just the end of the world. LOL.

See, if Congress hadn't canned the Superconducting Super Collider here in Texas, we probably would have figured all this science stuff out by now.

Here's a webcam of the LHC so you can watch what's currently going on if any are online.

LHC Webcams

RS

Comparison of Prayers - 25th Sunday "Per Annum"

aka The 25th Sunday of Ordinary Time

Collect (Opening Prayer)

Official Latin from the 1969 & 2002 Roman Missals
Orémus. Deus, qui sacræ legis ómnia constitúta in tua et próximi dilectióne posuísti, da nobis, ut, tua præcépta servántes, ad vitam mereámur perveníre perpétuam.
Per Dóminum nostrum Iesum Christum, Fílium tuum, qui tecum vivit et regnat in unitáte Spíritus Sancti, Deus, per ómnia saécula sæculórum.

Official 1973 I.C.E.L. Translation (Used at Mass in English)
Let us pray. Father, guide us, as you guide creation according to your law of love. May we love one another and come to perfection in the eternal life prepared for us.
Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

My Own Literal Translation
Let us pray. O God, You Who placed all the ordinances of the sacred law in the love of You and of neighbor, grant us, that, keeping Your precepts, we may merit to attain to life everlasting.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, Who lives and reigns with You, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.

Prayer Over the Gifts

Official Latin from the 1969 & 2002 Roman Missals
Múnera, quaésumus, Dómine, tuæ plebis propitiátus assúme, ut, quæ fídei pietáte profiténtur, sacraméntis cæléstibus apprehéndant.
Per Christum Dóminum nostrum.

Official 1973 I.C.E.L. Translation (Used at Mass in English)
Lord, may these gifts which we now offer to show our belief and our love be pleasing to you. May they become for us the eucharist of Jesus Christ your Son,
who is Lord for ever and ever.

My Own Literal Translation
Graciously receive the gifts of Your people, we beseech You, O Lord, that the things which they publicly profess in piety of faith, they may take possession of by these heavenly Sacraments.
Through Christ our Lord.

Post-Communion Prayer

Official Latin from the 1969 & 2002 Roman Missals
Orémus. Quos tuis, Dómine, réficis sacraméntis, contínuis attólle benígnus auxíliis, ut redemptiónis efféctum et mystériis capiámus et móribus.
Per Christum Dóminum nostrum.

Official 1973 I.C.E.L. Translation (Used at Mass in English)
Let us pray. Lord, help us with your kindness. Make us strong through the eucharist. May we put into action the saving mystery we celebrate.
We ask this in the name of Jesus the Lord.

My Own Literal Translation
Let us pray. O Lord, kindly raise up through Your continual help, those whom you have refreshed by these Sacraments, so that we may take hold of the effect of our redemption both in these Mysteries and in our conduct.
Through Christ our Lord.

RS

Current most overused word in the media

"Slam"

I am so sick of seeing this word. You know it is overused and usually used in situations which really don't need that dramatic of a word.

"LOS ANGELES - A light rail train slammed into a bus near downtown during Friday morning's commute, injuring at least 13 people, fire officials said."

"Ike Slams Into Eastern Cuba; Thousands Begin Evacuating"

OK, maybe it's appropriate in those instances. But I see it everywhere, so I've become jaded to the word ... aside from it being annoying.

"Catholic Bishops Slam Pelosi On Abortion"

It's just getting ridiculous. I swear, any outside observer looking at US media coverage would think that the US Presidential election is actually decided by a tag-team wrestling match.

(story made with ACTUAL headlines)

This is the big tag team match! Obama and Biden are going up against McCain and Palin for the Heavyweight Presidential Championship of the United States of America!

OK, the two teams are in the ring. The referee has Obama and McCain step forward before the bell. OH! Before the bell rings, McCain is already in Obama's face, yelling. "IN 'POLICY SPEECH,' MCCAIN SLAMS OBAMA"

And the bell rings. But Obama quickly get's up and begins fighting back. It looks like Obama already has the upper hand. He moves in on McCain and ... WOW! "OBAMA SLAMS MCCAIN ON IRAQ FACTS" then he goes again! "Obama Slams McCain Over The Economy"!

Uh-oh, Palin doesn't like this ... she jumps into the ring. But Obama is ready and ... oh, Obama has them both and "Obama slams McCain camp ..." Palin crawls out of the ring back to the corner.

Obama makes a tag with Biden and now Biden is in the ring. He grabs McCain and "Biden Slams McCain on Economy"! Biden is playing to the fans.

But watch out, McCain is crawling to the corner. And Biden is not paying attention. Yes, McCain makes the tag! But Biden sees it in the nick of time and "Joe Biden Slams Sarah Palin on Down Syndrome Son, Stem Cell Research." Biden again plays to the crowd. Wait, what's this? Palin is up faster than he thought! She grabs Biden and "Sarah Palin Slams Biden on Energy; Drill, Drill, Drill!" Oh, she's pummeling him!

Obama tries to enter the ring! But, what!? It looks like, we have another player! Out of the crowd ... and he grabs a chair ... and is that, yes, it is! "Lindsay's dad slams Barack Obama" BOOM! And Obama is reeling.

After drilling Biden, Palin goes for the tag and McCain is back in the ring. And "McCain slams Biden in new Ad" Biden is motionless. McCain turns and taunts Obama! What's he saying? Oh, he points at Obama, laughs, picks up Biden and "McCain slams Biden VP pick" right to Obama's face!

Oh, we have other people running into the ring. I don't think the Dems liked that. Now, Hillary is running onto the floor. She jumps in the ring, and "Clinton Slams McCain On Farm Bill" but he gets right up and "McCain Slams Clinton for Support of Woodstock Concert Museum".

Then Palin jumps in too, and "Palin Slams Hillary For Her No Show"

Now the Republicans are getting some help. George Bush comes running in but Hillary sees him and "HILLARY SLAMS BUSH ON BIN LADEN

In fact Hillary is going nuts! She's attacking her own team and "Hillary Slams Obama Over Deceptive Ohio Mailers" Obama is furious, and "Obama slams Hillary on her gaffe about lobbyists"

Oh, it's complete chaos in here! We'll be back after this commercial break ...


Admit it, people would be much more interested in the elections if this were the way it was decided. LOL

Regarding this post, I can see it now: "Media outlets slam the Roman Sacristan for slamming the use of the word 'slam'"

RS

Saint Joseph of Cupertino

Saint Joseph of Cupertino
Today is the feast day of Saint Joseph of Cupertino. I thought I would share a few pictures from Assisi. Last year at this time I was making pilgrimage to Italy. A year ago tomorrow, I was in Assisi. I found a friar there whom I had met back in 2002. He was gracious enough to "sneak" me into the cell ... or actually prison cell" where Saint Joseph of Cupertino was held during the time the friars thought he might be possessed because sometime he would levitate. So, I thank Fr. Alfeo for allowing me to see the cell.
One reason I had asked him and knew about the cell before was that I was able to see it back during my Rome semester in 1993. At that time it was pretty unkept and sadly looked like it had been used as a storage closet. But last year I figured since it was the day after Saint Joseph of Cupertino's feast day, and since I had a friend who had just joined the Franciscans of the Immaculate who had a great devotion to Saint Joseph of Cupertino, I thought I'd try to get in and say some prayers for him (and take a few photos).

Sorry these are a bit lower in quality.

Part of the "prison" cell where Saint Joseph of Cupertino was held
Where Saint Joseph of Cupertino prayed (same room as the picture above)
Habit of Saint Joseph of Cupertino above the altar where he said Mass while imprisoned
(in a separate room right behind me when I took the first two pictures)
Chapel dedicated to Saint Joseph of Cupertino
(his cell is on the other side of the painting)
Life of Saint Joseph of Cupertino on EWTN

Thanks again to Father Alfeo.

RS

Catholic Ragemonkey partially returning.

Wow! Cruising around on Fr. Philip, OP's blog, I found out that one of the first Catholic blogs I began regularly reading has popped back up on the blogosphere. The original was run by two priests in Oklahoma, but due to schedules and othe factors, they decided to stop blogging.

Well, Fr. Shane Tharp has decided to return to the blogosphere with:

From the Phoenix Station: The Return of Ragemonkey.

The original Ragemonkey site was sort of like a kaleidoscope of stuff, yet always remained orthodox. So, we'll see how this one develops.

RS

Abortion and Politics

The US Bishops have an excellent article addressing the issue of abortion and the political sphere in responding to Senator Biden's recent erroneous statements.

I recently had a small argument with a Catholic friend of mine who kept approaching the abortion issue from the angle of Church teaching. However, the abortion issue falls under natural law. Abortion isn't wrong just because the Church teaches it's wrong. Abortion is wrong because it is an intrinsic evil, that is, it is the termination of an innocent human life. Murder, the killing of an innocent human being, is something that all persons intrinsically know is wrong. The stage of development does not make a person any less human or alive. Thus the Church's teachings on abortion affirm this natural order. Abortion is not a religious issue per se, it is a human rights and justice issue.

Senator Biden was acting like abortion was an issue similar to the Immaculate Conception. A Catholic can't make laws that say everyone has to believe in the Immaculate Conception. But Catholics as well as any human person are obliged to follow the natural law and work to stop the killing of innocent human lives which happen in abortion. This is also why abortion is never morally permissible.

The US Bishop's article follows [with my emphasis]

Bishops Respond To Senator Biden’s Statements Regarding Church Teaching On Abortion

WASHINGTON—Cardinal Justin F. Rigali, chairman of the U.S. Bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities, and Bishop William E. Lori, chairman, U.S. Bishops Committee on Doctrine, issued the following statement:

Recently we had a duty to clarify the Catholic Church’s constant teaching against abortion, to correct misrepresentations of that teaching by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on “Meet the Press” (see http://www.usccb.org/comm/archives/2008/08-120.shtml). On September 7, again on “Meet the Press,” Senator Joseph Biden made some statements about that teaching that also deserve a response.

Senator Biden did not claim that Catholic teaching allows or has ever allowed abortion. He said rightly that human life begins “at the moment of conception,” and that Catholics and others who recognize this should not be required by others to pay for abortions with their taxes.

However, the Senator’s claim that the beginning of human life is a “personal and private” matter of religious faith, one which cannot be “imposed” on others, does not reflect the truth of the matter. The Church recognizes that the obligation to protect unborn human life rests on the answer to two questions, neither of which is private or specifically religious.

The first is a biological question: When does a new human life begin? When is there a new living organism of the human species, distinct from mother and father and ready to develop and mature if given a nurturing environment? While ancient thinkers had little verifiable knowledge to help them answer this question, today embryology textbooks confirm that a new human life begins at conception (see www.usccb.org/prolife/issues/bioethic/fact298.shtml). The Catholic Church does not teach this as a matter of faith; it acknowledges it as a matter of objective fact.

The second is a moral question, with legal and political consequences: Which living members of the human species should be seen as having fundamental human rights, such as a right not to be killed? The Catholic Church’s answer is: Everybody. No human being should be treated as lacking human rights, and we have no business dividing humanity into those who are valuable enough to warrant protection and those who are not. This is not solely a Catholic teaching, but a principle of natural law accessible to all people of good will. The framers of the Declaration of Independence pointed to the same basic truth by speaking of inalienable rights, bestowed on all members of the human race not by any human power, but by their Creator. Those who hold a narrower and more exclusionary view have the burden of explaining why we should divide humanity into those who have moral value and those who do not and why their particular choice of where to draw that line can be sustained in a pluralistic society. Such views pose a serious threat to the dignity and rights of other poor and vulnerable members of the human family who need and deserve our respect and protection.

While in past centuries biological knowledge was often inaccurate, modern science leaves no excuse for anyone to deny the humanity of the unborn child. Protection of innocent human life is not an imposition of personal religious conviction but a demand of justice.

RS

Church to have a congress on evolution

I've been waiting for something like this. Evolution has been such a hot topic with the extremes of pure scientism (those who think science is only the natural sciences and forget that philosphy and theology are sciences as well) and the fundamentalists (who ignore scientific data altogether). Both these sides think that faith and reason are incompatable. It will be good to have a look at the topic and get a better theological understanding of it.

CONGRESS ON EVOLUTION TO BE HELD IN 2009

VATICAN CITY, 16 SEP 2008 ( VIS ) - In the Holy See Press Office this morning, the presentation took place of an upcoming international conference entitled: "Biological Evolution: Facts and Theories. A Critical Appraisal 150 years after 'The Origin of Species'". The conference is due to be held in Rome from 3 to 7 March 2009.

The congress has been jointly organised by the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome and the University of Notre Dame in Indiana, U.S.A. , under the patronage of the Pontifical Council for Culture and as part of the STOQ Project (Science, Theology and the Ontological Quest).

Participating in today's press conference were Archbishop Gianfranco Ravasi, president of the Pontifical Council for Culture; Fr. Marc Leclerc S.J., professor of the philosophy of nature at the Pontifical Gregorian University; Gennaro Auletta, scientific director of the STOQ Project and professor of the philosophy of science at the Pontifical Gregorian University, and Alessandro Minelli, professor of zoology at the University of Padua, Italy.

"Debates on the theory of evolution are becoming ever more heated, both among Christians and in specifically evolutionist circles", Fr. Leclerc explained. "In particular, with the approach of the ... 150th anniversary of the publication of 'The Origin of Species', Charles Darwin's work is still too often discussed more in ideological terms than in the scientific ones which were his true intention".

"In such circumstances - as Christian scientists, philosophers and theologians directly involved in the debate alongside colleagues from other confessions or of no confession at all - we felt it incumbent upon us to bring some clarification. The aim is to generate wide-ranging rational discussion in order to favour fruitful dialogue among scholars from various fields and areas of expertise. The Church has profound interest in such dialogue, while fully respecting the competencies of each and all. This is, however, an academic congress, organised by two Catholic universities, the Gregorian University in Rome and Notre Dame in the United States , and as such is not an ecclesial event. Yet the patronage of the Pontifical Council for Culture serves to underline the Church's interest in such questions".

RS

If The Dark Knight trailer seemed to dark for you

if the original trailer was too dark:



Try this one:



RS

Are vegitarians meat eaters?

I need some Monday levity.

Maybe vegitarians do eat meat indirectly:



Beware of the lettuce!

RS

Comparison of Prayers - Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross

"Glorification of the Cross" by Adam Elsheimer

Collect (Opening Prayer)

Official Latin from the 1969 & 2002 Roman Missals
Orémus. Deus, qui Unigénitum tuum crucem subíre voluísti, ut salvum fáceret genus humánum, præsta, quaésumus, ut, cuius mystérium in terra cognóvimus, eius redemptiónis praémia in cælo cónsequi mereámur.
Per Dóminum nostrum Iesum Christum, Fílium tuum, qui tecum vivit et regnat in unitáte Spíritus Sancti, Deus, per ómnia saécula sæculórum.

Official 1973 I.C.E.L. Translation (Used at Mass in English)
Let us pray. God our Father, in obedience to you your only Son accepted death on the cross for the salvation of mankind. We acknowledge the mystery of the cross on earth. May we receive the gift of redemption in heaven.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

My Own Literal Translation
Let us pray. O God, You willed Your only-Begotten Son to undergo the Cross, so that He might save the human race, grant, we beseech You, that, having known His mystery on earth, we may be made worthy to obtain the rewards of His redemption in Heaven.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, Who lives and reigns with You, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, forever and ever.

The reliquary on the left contains the finger of Saint Thomas, the one he would have used to probe the Sacred Wounds of Christ when He appeared again and confronted Saint Thomas about his doubt in His Resurrection.
The reliquary in the middle contains pieces from: the pillar at which Christ was scourged, the Holy Sepulcre where Christ was buried, and Christ's crib (the rest of which is in Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome).
The reliquary on the right contains two thorns from the Crown of Thorns.
Prayer Over the Gifts

Official Latin from the 1969 & 2002 Roman Missals
Hæc oblátio, Dómine, quaésumus, ab ómnibus nos purget offénsis, quæ in ara crucis totíus mundi tulit offénsam.
Per Christum Dóminum nostrum.

Official 1973 I.C.E.L. Translation (Used at Mass in English)
Lord, may this sacrifice once offered on the cross to take away the sins of the world now free us from our sins.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.

My Own Literal Translation
May this Sacrificial Offering, we beseech You, O Lord, Which on the altar of the Cross took away the offences of the whole world, cleanse us from all our offences.
Through Christ our Lord.

This reliquary contains one of the nails with which Christ was crucified. It is about the size of a nail used on railroad tracks.
Preface
Preface of the Victory of the Glorious Cross

Official Latin from the 1969 & 2002 Roman Missals
Vere dignum et iustum est, æquum et salútare, nos tibi semper et ubíque grátias ágere: Dómine, sancte Pater, omnípotens ætérne Deus:
Qui salútem humáni géneris in ligno crucis constituísti, ut unde mors oriebátur, inde vita resúrgeret; et, qui in ligno vincébat, in ligno quoque vincerétur: per Christum Dóminum nostrum.
Per quem maiestátem tuam laudant Angeli, adórant Dominatiónes, tremunt Potestátes.
Cæli cælorúmque Virtútes, ac beáta Séraphim, sócia exsultatióne concélebrant.
Cum quibus et nostras voces ut admítti iúbeas, deprecámur, súpplici confessióne dicéntes:
Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus ...

Official 1973 I.C.E.L. Translation (Used at Mass in English)
Father, all-powerful and ever-living God, we do well always and everywhere to give you thanks.
You decreed that man should be saved through the wood of the cross. The tree of man’s defeat became his tree of victory; where life was lost, there life has been restored through Christ our Lord.
Through him the choirs of angels and all the powers of heaven praise and worship your glory.
May our voices blend with theirs as we join in their unending hymn:
Holy, holy, holy ...

My Own Literal Translation
It is truly right and just, proper and availing unto salvation, that we always and everywhere give thanks to You, O Lord, Holy Father, Almighty and Eternal God:
You established the salvation of the human race through the wood of the Cross, so that from where death came forth, from there also life rose again; and, He Who was being conquered on the wood, was also to conquer on the wood: through Christ our Lord.
Through Him the Angels praise, the Dominions adore, and the Powers tremble before Your Majesty.
The Virtues, the blessed Seraphim, and the hosts of the Heaven of Heavens celebrate together in exultation.
With whom, we implore You, that You may grant our voices to be admitted, in humble petitioning saying in confession of faith:
Holy, Holy, Holy ...

There is also a part of the sign which was hung above Christ when He was crucified. The "Iesus Nazarenus Rex Iudeorum" (Jesus the Nazarene King of the Jews) sign.
Post-Communion Prayer

Official Latin from the 1969 & 2002 Roman Missals
Orémus. Refectióne tua sancta enutríti, Dómine Iesu Christe, súpplices deprecámur, ut, quos per lignum crucis vivíficæ redemísit, ad resurrectiónis glóriam perdúcas.
Qui vivis et regnas in saécula sæculórum.

Official 1973 I.C.E.L. Translation (Used at Mass in English)
Let us pray. Lord Jesus Christ, you are the holy bread of life. Bring to the glory of the resurrection the people you have redeemed by the wood of the cross.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.

My Own Literal Translation
Let us pray. Having been nourished by Your Holy restoration, O Lord Jesus Christ, we humbly beseech You, that, You may lead those who have been redeemed through the wood of the life giving Cross, to the glory of the resurrection.
You Who live and reign forever and ever.

Finally, at the center of the relics is a cross containing pieces from the True Cross on which Christ was crucified.

RS

Next step at LHC successful.

Well, the proton beams are apparently working at the LHC.

Large Hadron Collider: subatomic particles complete first circuit

I had forgotten that those would be started early this morning until I noticed that even Google has LHC fever.


EDIT - you know, upon looking at the Google logo more and more here, it almost looks like Google is getting sucked into a black hole. LOL.

Actually it's not surprising Google is showing the LHC. Google was started at Stanford University, which is also home to one of the earliest "atom smashers." Their linear accelerator "discovered" many of the heaviest elements we know (by "discovered" I mean artificially created).

You can visit their website here:

Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC)

Still, the main experiment at the LHC has not actually begun yet, ie the high energy collision of particles. That is expected to happen in about 30 days. That's when we'll see if anything "bad" happens or not.


It's funny, over a year ago when I jokingly posted on the LHC it used to be that if you searched for "large hadron collider end of the world" my blog would be on the front page of google. Now it looks like everyone is copying me. Remember, folks, you heard it here first.* And since I'll be in Italy when they start the high energy collisions, I'll try to let you know if I get sucked into a black hole or turn into a strangelet.

LOL.

*(I'm not predicting it, I'm just having fun with it.)

RS

Comparison of Prayers - 23rd Sunday "Per Annum"

aka 23rd Sunday of Ordinary Time

"Ezekiel" (detail of the Sistine Chapel) by Michelangelo
Collect (Opening Prayer)

Official Latin from the 1969 & 2002 Roman Missals
Orémus. Deus, per quem nobis et redémptio venit et præstátur adóptio, fílios dilectiónis tuæ benígnus inténde, ut in Christo credéntibus et vera tribuátur libértas, et heréditas ætérna.
Per Dóminum nostrum Iesum Christum, Fílium tuum, qui tecum vivit et regnat in unitáte Spíritus Sancti, Deus, per ómnia saécula sæculórum.

Official 1973 I.C.E.L. Translation (Used at Mass in English)
Let us pray. God our Father, you redeem us and make us your children in Christ. Look upon us, give us true freedom and bring us to the inheritance you promised.
Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

My Own Literal Translation
Let us pray. O God, through Whom both redemption comes to us and our adoption is manifested, mercifully look upon the sons of Your Love, that both true freedom and an eternal inheritance may be bestowed upon those who believe in Christ.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, Who lives and reigns with You, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.

Prayer Over the Gifts

Official Latin from the 1969 & 2002 Roman Missals
Deus, auctor sincéræ devotiónis et pacis, da, quaésumus, ut et maiestátem tuam conveniénter hoc múnere venerémur, et sacri participatióne mystérii fidéliter sénsibus uniámur.
Per Christum Dóminum nostrum.

Official 1973 I.C.E.L. Translation (Used at Mass in English)
God of peace and love, may our offering bring you true worship and make us one with you.
Grant this through Christ our Lord.

My Own Literal Translation
O God, Creator of sincere devotion and peace, grant, we beseech You, that by this gift we may suitably venerate Your Majesty, and may be faithfully united in understanding, in the participation of this sacred Mystery.
Through Christ our Lord.

Post-Communion Prayer

Official Latin from the 1969 & 2002 Roman Missals
Orémus. Da fidélibus tuis, Dómine, quos et verbi tui et cæléstis sacraménti pábulo nutris et vivíficas, ita dilécti Fílii tui tantis munéribus profícere, ut eius vitæ semper consórtes éffici mereámur.
Qui vivit et regnat in saécula sæculórum.

Official 1973 I.C.E.L. Translation (Used at Mass in English)
Let us pray. Lord, your word and your sacrament give us food and life. May this gift of your Son lead us to share his life for ever.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.

My Own Literal Translation
Let us pray Give to Your faithful, O Lord, whom You feed and enliven with the food of Your word and this heavenly Sacrament, thus to advance by the great Gifts of Your beloved Son, that we may always merit to be made sharers of His Life.
Who lives and reigns forever and ever.

RS

LHC update and other neat physics machines

I was bumping around teh internets, and got a bit of a status update of the LHC.

They've been in a cooling down process, and have gotten the ring down to 1.9 degrees above absolute zero.

On September 10th they are going to start the first proton beam to get things sync'ed up.

I also found they have a live webcast with a few "channels." It's pretty boring right now, just a bunch of scientists talking about details of this and that. But they are broadcasting the first beam at 9:00 AM CEST, which would be 2:00 AM Texas time.

The video feed is here:

CERN Webcast Service

Here's another summary of the LHC, although it's not nearly as cool as the LHC rap



From what I've heard, they plan to actually begin the main experiements of colliding particles sometime in October. I'll be in Italy in October, so if there's a black hole or strangelet problem, I'll try to let you guys know ASAP. LOL.

Just to have fun, someone made a computer simulation of what would happen if the LHC made a black hole.



But over in Japan, they have made a much cooler looking machine called a Large Helical Device (LHD) which is designed to make the same conditions as the inside of a star in order to study nuclear fusion. It makes a superhot ionized plasma which is contained by magnetic fields which squeeze the particles in the plasma together to cause nuclear fusion. If nothing else, it looks a lot better than a boring ring. LOL.


More info on the Large Helical Device can be found here:

Large Helical Device Information

RS

Tomb of Saint Gregory the Great

Here's a few new photos which I took on my pilgrimage a year ago. Pope Saint Gregory the Great holds a place in my heart, not just because I am a Benedictine Novice Oblate and he was a Benedictine monk, but also because of the Masses I have heard at his altar in Saint Peter's. Pope Saint Gregory the Great's relics are in an altar very near the sacristy of Saint Peter's.

An interesting thing, if you ever visit Rome, is that if you can go to Saint Peter's right when the doors open in the early morning, you can attend a Mass of any number of the priests who say Mass at any of the side altars. What is nice about these Masses is that they are practically a private Mass. Usually, it is just the priest and the altar boy, however, the altar boy will sort of ask you if you are going to receive Communion [quizzical looks and a nodding of the head work well in spite of the language barrier, LOL], and give the priest an extra host at the offertory if you are. Anyway, the Mass, although a simple, low Novus Ordo Mass, is very beautiful and reverent if you get a good priest (as I did).

Since I had a devotion to Pope Saint Gregory the Great, I made it a point everyday I was in Rome, to get up early and go to the Mass at his altar.


Providentially, the priest who regularly said Mass at that altar spoke English. But it gets even better. Usually, the the priests say Mass in Italian. However, the second day I went, when the priest came to the altar and saw me again, he went up to the altar, took the Italian Missal, went over to the little cabinet next to the altar, put the Italian Missal in, and pulled a Latin Roman Missal out!


At that point, I was on a spiritual high. And the rest of my pilgrimage he used the Latin Roman Missal when he saw me. I made it a point to thank him, and he told me that since I was obviously not Italian, he figured I would have an easier time with the Latin. Indeed it was true. Being obedient to Vatican II, I know in Latin the parts of the Mass which pertain to me.*

I also love Pope Saint Gregory the Great because of his "Dialogues" which is the best source of information on the life of Saint Benedict, and which gave me information about some other Saints whom I love, Sant'Eutizio, San Fiorenzo, and San Spes.

His name is also attached to the chant of the Roman Rite (Gregorian Chant).


Sancte Gregori, ora pro nobis.

*Sacrosanctum Concilium
"36. 1. Particular law remaining in force, the use of the Latin language is to be preserved in the Latin rites."
"54. "... steps should be taken so that the faithful may also be able to say or to sing together in Latin those parts of the Ordinary of the Mass which pertain to them. "

RS

Theories about time travel

Just happened to stumble upon this little thing looking at time travel, which has been one of the best explainations I've seen of the scientific theories related to it.



May make your head explode. LOL.

RS