WHAT IS THIS?

Can anybody tell what is a LAY LITURGIST?

GUESS WHO OR WHAT

What does this book which is supposedly selling like hot cakes lack?

INCULTURATION AT ITS FINEST

The coconut is known as the tree of life, so is that enough excuse to pattern a tabernacle out of a coconut?

GUESS WHAT

Carlita posted this old image of the Manila Cathedral last Sunday.

What do you notice?

What does it have in common with this. 

Let me rephrase my question: WHAT IS WRONG WITH THESE IMAGES?

ANSWER?

Watch this!

GUESSING GAME

What color is this?

Guess who!

Hey look who is with the Asian nun!

ANSWER: Guess who this guy is.

Remember the post about asking who this guy is?

Now here is the answer.

Look for him below.  Click the image for a bigger view.

Yup.  He represents the highest degree of Masonry of the York Rite.  There are two "rites" in Masonry:  Scottish and York.  The Scottish Rite is the one here in the Philippines.

That guy up there is Knight Templar, a member of the Order of the Knights Templar.  (Ha!)  equal in right a dignity to the highest degree of the Scottisch Rite's 33rd degree.

Here is how they look today:

Now do they look familiar to you?

Look here.

That is a group of 4th degree Knights of Columbus, wearing the chapeau, baldric and ceremonial sword, the same as those of the Knight Templar of Masonry.

4th degree Knights of Columbus always do not dress this way.

Here is an example of one of the first 4th degree Knights of Columbus.

 

SEE THE SIMILARITY?

There is a reason for this.

It was said that the author of the fourth degree ritual of the Knights of Columbus, William Harper Bennett, (here wearing his fez as Supreme Commander of the Order, pictured with Blessed John Paul II) was once a Mason, and brought back to the Church by our Holy Father Founder, Servant of God, Fr. Michael Joseph McGivney.  Bro. Bill then founded the Order of Alhambra, which is a counter to the Masonic Order of Shiners.  Look at the picture above an look for the guy standing below the arch, the one wearing a fez.

Fr. McGivney founded the Knights of Columbus to encourage Catholic men to form a fraternity to support one another and to keep them away from the Masonic Association, which endangers a Catholic man's eternal salvation.

Now you know.

For a more detailed discussion about the connection of the Knights of Columbus and the Freemasons, and why Catholic Men MUS NOT be Masons, click here.

Guess who this 4th degree KofC is

I mean the guy on the right.

See his Baldric?  The sash under his tuxedo?  That is a mark of a 4th degree Knight of Columbus.

The other Knight, third from left, is wearing a Jewel of the Office from his neck, and looks like he is a Grand Knight, since his Jewel looks like an anchor.

And the prelate with the Knights is wearing his ferraiolo or clerical cape which is worn by clerics on formal occasions and remains so today.  The practice is NOT abolished.

Judging by his watered-silk cape, he might be either a papal legate, nuncio or a cardinal since these ranking prelates are the only ones allowed to wear that kind of a ferraiolo.

So chime in your guess.

Answer: Guess what this is

Here is the answer to yesterday's pop quiz:

That is the Sweet and Holy Name of our Lord, Jesus Christ, written in Aramaic.

Guess what: Do you know what this is?

Come on...

You say it all the time!

The answers tomorrow at 5:00PM, PST (Philippine Standard Time)

GULP Exam: What is this?

I showed these photos in my post about my experiences during Holy Thursday and here is what this really is:

That is the...(Hold on! Sorry if you'll lose your lunch or dinner for this.)

ALTAR OF REPOSE!

Yup. The altar was placed at the front of the main door of the church. Carpets or persian rugs, whatever they are called, were placed on the ramp.  The women at the foot of the altar are probably novices or postulants of a religious order.  I saw some elderly sisters standing on the side.  These young sisters are all wearing the same color of dress so I guess they are their habits.  You can also see the benches were the adorers and pilgrims sat.  And yes, no kneelers.  BUT, you can see a sister (with traditional veil) on the first photo on the lower left portion of the photo, kneeling!  Huzzah sister!

The first photo shows a blurred image of an SUV.  This shows you that the altar is just a few feet away from the noise and pollution of Commonwealth Avenue.

Holy Thursday...Altar of repose...near a busy highway?

I think they don't mix.  Was I able to pray?  Hardly.  I go to church to look for a quiet place where I can spend an hour with the Lord just as He requested at the Garden of Gethsemane.

But how can you possibly do that in this situation?

Says a lot about the priest who did all this...

Don't expect me to come looking for him for spiritual direction or invite him to deliver a talk about Eucharistic Adoration.

Guess what this is?

I think I am on a roll on getting photos...
So...Aside from being a "work of art", this has something to do with what we do as Catholics. Guess what this is. No joking, really, this is serious stuff.