For many splendid acts during his pontificate-- think of Rerum novarum and the practice of invoking the Archangel St Michael after Mass; he reigned for over 30 years-- and he also extended the office of Saints Cyril and Methodius, called the Apostles of the Slavs, to the entire Latin Church, writing at least one encyclical dedicated to them. How do I know this? Because three lengthy excerpts from it form the three lessons of the second nocturn at Matins. Three lengthy excerpts; the entire three lessons of the third nocturn added together perhaps equal one of the second nocturn lessons in length. While I do obviously prefer the traditional Office to the Pauline re-making of it, I won't deny that the removal of most (all?) of the lessons taken from pontifical texts of the 19th century and their replacement by lessons taken from the Fathers and the holy theologians was a good choice. These earlier required me (well, gave me the opportunity) to think too much about their 1880s Latin when I should have preferred to be thinking about the glories of the holy brothers' preaching etc etc.
Mass from Paris is next, the external solemnity of the Apostles Saints Peter and Paul; the 29th June seems very long ago, for some reason-- it is as far in the past as it can be, I suppose, in order to be celebrated today, I mean.
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Was going to give this article about the supposed 'transphobia' of those who 'say they will never date' one of those people a read because it's been months since I've read anything defending that party-- I read people who are atheists quite regularly, I imagine, although not any who put their party at the forefront of whatever the essay is about, so I can do these people the courtesy-- but I got to the line "Dating as a trans woman (online or in person) often means an exhausting stream of inappropriate..." wherein he (I believe the author-- a 'queer trans woman'-- is a man who has decided he is a woman... who is 'attracted to' men or women? it is none of my business of course) evinces self-righteous disdain for those who might ask 'inappropriate' questions. For Heaven's sake.
I went back to sleep after the Mass at Saint-Eugène, at 0350 or so, thinking to be awake again by 0500 or 0600. Woke shortly after 0930, tsk. Not going to say Prime and Terce (I'm not bound to the Office, after all) but do want to add the day's Martyrology to the local file; sooner or later I will have the complete Martyrology assembled without needing to go to the considerable expense (four or five hundred dollars) of buying the books.
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