Sacred Liturgy & Sacraments: March 2010 Archives
In October I posted a piece on the Franciscan Friars' wine making hobby. Franciscan Friar of the Renewal Brother Giuseppe Maria Siniscalchi had an idea a few years ago to make homemade wine when he wasn't hitting the theology books. The friars do more than study, serve the poor, run the Catholic Underground-- they cheer the heart with their wine which is a very human thing to do. This is the second year for Our Lady of Cana wines. Perhaps this may be a new franchise for the friars!!! I'm looking forward to a 3rd year of winemaking. AND I am willing to be the wine-quality control guy.
With grapes handpicked and materials donated by friends, and help from the other friars, Brother Giuseppi made a great barrel of wine. Of course, nature did her part and God His... For the last six months the wine has matured --and we've been eagerly waiting for the maturing process to work-- in a basement corner in an oak barrel. The wine now sufficiently mature, today was the time to bottle.
Deacon James Ferreira, Ken Riello (a 1st yr Dunwoodian) and yours truly set out to watch, assist and taste the fruit of the earth. James was most kind in bringing some great bread, cheese and soppressata.
We had great fun bottling nearly 275 bottles of wine. James, I hear, has a case of wine for his first Mass in May! AND this event was SO Catholic!
Always thinking liturgically, the soon-to-be-priested, Friar Deacon Charles blessed the new wine using this text, but here is another version of the blessing of wine:
The Blessing of Wine in Honor of Saint John the Evangelist
Lord, have mercy on us. Christ, have mercy on us. Lord, have mercy on us.
Pray Psalm 22 and then the Our Father
V. And lead us not into temptation.
R. But deliver us from evil.
V. Preserve thy servants.
R. That trust in thee, my God.
V. Send them aid, O Lord, from heaven.
R. And from Sion watch over them.
V. Let the enemy be powerless over them.
R. And the son of evil do nothing to harm them.
V. And should they drink anything deadly.
R. May it not hurt them.
V. O Lord, hear my prayer.
R. And let my cry come unto thee.
V. The Lord be with you.
R. And with your spirit.
Let us pray.
Holy Lord, Father Almighty, eternal God! Who didst will that thy Son, equal to thee in eternity and substance, should descend from heaven and in the fullness of time take temporal birth of the most holy Virgin Mary, so that He could seek the lost and wayward sheep and carry it on His shoulders to the sheepfold, and could cure the man fallen among robbers of his wounds by pouring in oil and wine-- do thou bless + and sanctify + this wine which thou hast vintaged for man's drink. Whoever partakes of it on this holy solemnity, grant him life in body and soul. By thy goodness let it be to him strength in the pilgrimage to prosper him on the way, that his journey may come to a happy termination. Through the same Christ our Lord.
R. Amen.
Let us pray.
O Lord Jesus Christ, Who didst call thyself the true vine and thy holy apostles the branches, and didst desire to plant a chosen vineyard of all who love thee, bless + this wine and impart to it the power of thy benediction.+And as thy beloved disciple John, Apostle and Evangelist intercedes for them that partake thereof, grant them security from all deadly and poisonous afflictions and constant good health of soul and body. Who lives and reigns forever.
R. Amen.
Let us pray.
O God, thou gives to man bread to eat and wine to drink -- bread to nourish the body and wine to cheer the heart. And as thou didst confer upon blessed John, thy beloved disciple such favor that not only did he himself escape the poisoned potion, but could restore life to others so overcome; do thou grant to all that drink this wine spiritual joy and eternal life. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, thy Son, who with Thee, lives and reigns, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.
R. Amen.
The Order of Friars Preachers (the Dominicans) of the Province of Saint Joseph are now showing renewed interest in their own liturgical patrimony.
See this page for list of resources The Dominican Rite: A Guide to the Low Mass
One last reason this is a good thing, the good and excellent Liturgy is not only essential to the fraternal life, evangelization, personal conversion but it also inspires solid vocations. I have met a number of men who were turned-off by the Dominicans because of their refusal to entertain the possibility of a richer, more historic use of the Dominican liturgical tradition. The vocation director aborted the vocations of a number of men because of his dim understanding of the Liturgy; with renewed liturgical verve the Dominicans will likely flourish in great proportions. Sadly, the Dominicans' loss is the gain of dioceses and other religious orders.
Blessed Humbert of Romans, pray for us!!!!
(The Blessing of the Altar frequently takes place the evening before the feast, March 18th. If there is a procession to the Altar, a hymn may be sung on the way.)
Celebrant
O, glorious Saint Joseph, we stand before this Altar with joyful and grateful hearts. We lovingly present to you the labor of our hands and the dedication of our hearts that have fashioned this Altar in your honor. We again place ourselves under your powerful protection. Help us follow your example of complete trust and faith in Divine Providence. Open our minds and hearts to love and serve the poor, the suffering and those rejected or ignored by society. As a family, teach us to love and honor each member of our families with the love and reverence you had for Jesus and Mary. As a nation, inspire in us the will and the way to live in peace with all nations of the world that in our day we can experience the fulfillment of Jesus' prayer--"Peace be to you." Grant this through Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns forever and ever. Amen.
V. O, Glorious Saint Joseph, through the love you bear to Jesus Christ and the glory of His name,
R. Hear our prayers and obtain our petitions.
Celebrant
Lord Jesus, bless this Altar, all this food, the candles and all those who visit it. We ask this in the name of the Father, + and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
(As the Altar is being blessed and incensed, the Litany of St. Joseph is said or a hymn is sung.)
All
Remember, O most pure spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary, my sweet protector, Saint Joseph, that no one ever had recourse to your protection or implored your aid without obtaining relief. Confiding therefore in your goodness, I come before you and humbly supplicate you. O, despise not my petitions, foster father of our Redeemer, but graciously receive them. Amen.
(Now that the Altar
is blessed, guests are invited to visit the Altar and offer their own prayers
to Saint Joseph.)
The liturgical landscape on certain Jesuit university campuses has changed dramatically in the last few years. It is a new world! In my time of studying with the Society of Jesus the Mass of Blessed John XXIII would never have been a possibility (until about 4 years ago). It fact, the Jesuits would have marginalized you to Pluto for suggesting it or sent you to a shrink for thinking about the venerable form of the Mass. Now it seems that Georgetown, Fordham AND now the College of the Holy Cross are willing to occasionally have the 1962 Missal Mass. I wonder how long it will take Boston College, Fairfield, Loyola Chicago, St Louis Universities to pray this Mass publicly????
Have you ever thought of Pope Benedict XVI's liturgical "style"? Or have you asked yourself, "What does Pope Benedict think about the sacred Liturgy?" Or have you asked yourself, "Do I know what the meaning of Catholic Liturgy is for the Church? Good. I want you to ask these questions because I want to encourage you to read some good things on the Liturgy and not the crap you generally find in the NCR or America Magazine. You can read longer works of Ratzinger's like A New Song for the Lord, The Feast of Faith, The Spirit of the Liturgy, Looking Again at the Question of the Liturgy with Cardinal Ratzinger, God and the World (Ch. 17), among others.BUT for a short piece on the subject you may be interested in reading the article by John Allen, "Liturgist: Pope aims to "propose' practices," where he speaks with the Pope's Master of Ceremonies, Monsignor Guido Marini. Plus, there's the "Q&A with Msgr. Guido Marini, papal liturgist."
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