My Mom sent me these two digital Christmas videos. See one and another here. Enjoy watching…
Over 2 million views thus far. Happy Advent!
Month: December 2010
Wuerl answers questions regarding Anglicans becoming Catholic
A recent interview with Donald Cardinal Wuerl, Archbishop of Washington, concerning various issues relating to Anglicans seeking to enter into full communion with the Catholic Church was published the other day. Wuerl fills in some gaps in the process and hope that has been generated by Pope Benedict’s motu proprio Anglicanorum Coetibus. Recall that the Pope named Wuerl and 2 other bishops to head a task force that would evaluate and offer guidance to interested Anglicans. Those Anglicans seeking communion with the Roman Church, and live in the USA, ought to write to Cardinal Wuerl. The cardinal is aided by Father Hurd, himself a former Anglican minister now an ordained Catholic priest.
The interview was published by the Catholic Standard on December 17, 2010.
On another front, an Australian newspaper believes that about 1000 members of the Church of Australia will swim the Tiber. The article really offers no new information, but it is interesting to note how focussed the liberal media is on issue of women’s ordination as being the central issue for Anglicans entering the Catholic Church.
O Antiphon: O Root of Jesse
O Radix Jesse, qui stas in signum populorum, super
quem continebunt reges os suum, quem Gentes deprecabuntur: veni ad liberandum
nos, jam noli tardare.
O Root of Jesse (Ac 13:22-23), standing as a sign to the
peoples (Is 11:10), before whom kings shall shut their mouths (Is 52:15), and
whom the nations shall seek (1 Kings 10:24; 2 Chr 9:23): Come and deliver us and do
not delay (Hab 2:3; Rev 22:20)!
peoples (Is 11:10), before whom kings shall shut their mouths (Is 52:15), and
whom the nations shall seek (1 Kings 10:24; 2 Chr 9:23): Come and deliver us and do
not delay (Hab 2:3; Rev 22:20)!
The prophet saw the rebuilding of a destroyed Israel and foretold a Messiah, a twig of hope from the line of David. As Pius Parsch said, “The bulk of the anitphon is devoted to a description of the kingdom. The small twig becomes the unifying principle about which the nations will gather like soldiers and citizens about their flag. With yearning the peoples will assemble around Him, will turn and acknowledge Him as Ruler. The Messiah’s glory will be so great that even kings will stand dumstruck in wonder and awe.”
Pope Benedict re-opens Apostolic Library
Earlier today at
the Vatican, Pope Benedict XVI re-opened the Apostolic Library following a
three year, 11.5 million dollar renovation. The Library’s more modern work
began with Pope Nicholas V providing space for Latin, Greek and Hebrew
manuscripts, updated its climate controls, security and fixed structural
problems. The Pope spent an hour exploring the library. In the Pope’s mind, the
Library is a crucial tool in his ministry as the successor of Saint Peter and the proclamation of the Kingdom of God on earth because it takes seriously humanity and the human search for God. The
Vatican’s Library is said to have 150 thousand manuscripts, a million printed
books, 300,00 coins and medals and more than a 100 thousand prints and
engravings. Some papal thoughts of November 9, 2010 follow:
Eminent place of the historical memory of the universal Church, in
which are kept venerable testimonies of the handwritten tradition of the Bible,
the Vatican Library is but another reason to be the object of the care and
concern of the Popes. From its origins it conserves the unmistakable, truly
“catholic,” universal openness to everything that humanity has
produced in the course of the centuries that is beautiful, good, noble, worthy
(cf. Philippians 4:8); the breadth of mind with which in time it gathered the
loftiest fruits of human thought and culture, from antiquity to the Medieval
age, from the modern era to the 20th century. Nothing of all that is truly
human is foreign to the Church, which because of this has always sought,
gathered, conserved, with a continuity that few equal, the best results of men
of rising above the purely material toward the search, aware or unaware, of the
Truth.
O Antiphon: O Wisdom
O Sapinetia quae ex ore Altissimi prodiisti, attingens a fine usque ad finem, fortiter sauviterque disponens omnia: veni ad docendum nos viam prudentiae.
O Wisdom, you came forth from the mouth of the Most High, and reached from end to end, and disposed of all things sweetly and mightly: come and teach us the way of prudence!
You can hear the Great O Antiphons here…
I absolutely love this part of Advent as our liturgical sensibility starts to be centrally focussed on the birth of the Savior, Emmanuel. At Vespers the antiphon for the Magnificat hymn in the Divine Office shows us the solemnity of the next days. The first antiphon is noted above in Latin and in English. Each of the antiphons appeals to the Old Testament types given to tell of the coming of the Messiah. The OT typology indicates the new dispensation of grace. Today, we ask for a new sense of prudence rooted in Christ.
And NOW we are able to sing the famous Advent hymn O Come, O Come Emmanuel. It is only tonight that singing the hymn makes any real sense as opposed to singing it when Advent begins, a common mistake.
I was reading a bit on Advent in Father Pius Parsch’s The Church’s Year of Grace:
“Come, teach us the way of prudence! What an all-embracing petition! Make us perfect Christians, Christians who are wholly penetrated –mind, will, and emotions– with the leaven of Christianity. Make us true Christian personalities who combine strength with gentleness. Make us strong in battle against hell, the world and self; make us glow with the love of God and neighbor! Enable us to show virile courage, and heroism unto martyrdom. Enable us to show the virgin gentleness and sweetness of a bride. In this sense we pray, “Thy kingdom come!” All this is part of our yearning plea, Come! teach us the way of prudence.
Holy Youths Hananiah, Azariah and Mishael
The Byzantine Church honors many Old Testament prophets and holy people that the Church in the West recognizes but does not commemorate in the sacred Liturgy, though the Roman Martyrology noted the holy youths yesterday. I actually think we ought to honor the OT figures as saints in our Liturgy, but greater minds will have to make that decision. Being faithful to the Divine Office you’ll recall that we pray the Canticle of the Three Youths (Daniel 3:57-88; 56) at Lauds at Sunday I. The pertinent section of the canticle follows:
O Israel, bless the Lord. Priests of the Lord, bless the
Lord; Servants of the Lord, bless the Lord. Spirits and souls of the just,
bless the Lord; Holy men of humble heart, bless the Lord. Hananiah, Azariah,
Mishael (Shadrach, Meshach & Abednego), bless the Lord; Praise and exalt him above all forever. Let us bless
the Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost; Let us praise and exalt God above
all forever. Blessed are you in the firmament of heaven; Praiseworthy and
glorious forever.
Mass Ad Orientem: 10 good reasons
A friend started a few years ago, after doing the required study and catechesis, to celebrate the Sacrifice of the Mass facing East, or if you will, facing God. Father Kirby argues well his case for a priest to offer Mass suing the ad orientem gesture. And for goodness sake, don’t call it “Mass with the priest’s back to the congregation.” It only shows ignorance of a proper liturgical tradition to say such. This aspect praying the Mass is met with fear and anger from bishops and seminary professors, not to mention pastors and laity that has more to do with a lack of understanding of liturgical prayer and too often agenda-ladened.
Father Mark Daniel Kirby lists 10 good reasons why a priest ought to celebrate Mass in the more venerable and correct way of celebrating the Mass:
1. The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is experienced as having a theocentric direction and focus.
2. The faithful are spared the tiresome clerocentrism that has so overtaken the celebration of Holy Mass in the past forty years.
3. It has once again become evident that the Canon of the Mass (Prex Eucharistica) is addressed to the Father, by the priest, in the name of all.
2. The faithful are spared the tiresome clerocentrism that has so overtaken the celebration of Holy Mass in the past forty years.
3. It has once again become evident that the Canon of the Mass (Prex Eucharistica) is addressed to the Father, by the priest, in the name of all.
Respect for religious freedom leads to peace, Pope’s message affirms
The Pope released his message for the World Day of Peace today which celebrates the XLIV World Day of Peace. It’s a New Year message all peoples. The themes of the message are:
- the nature of religious freedom
- the right to religious freedom
- religious freedom is a duty of public authority
- religious freedom and the search for truth
- religious freedom and identity
- communal dimension of religious freedom
- religious freedom and dialogue
- religious freedom and the state
- religious freedom is motivated by solidarity and not reciprocity
- religious freedom and the missionary charge
Evangelization and the carrying out the missionary charge, then, do not contradict and oppose the sense of religious freedom. Rather evangelization stirs up the religious freedom of every person and drives it towards the truth that saves, in the hope that persons in their religious freedom would desire it and embrace it. In the embrace of the truth that saves, all religious freedom enjoys the peace that, on earth, is bestowed “on all on whom his favour rests”!
The papal text of “Religious Freedom, the Path to Peace“
Rome Reports covers the story
Cardinal Peter Turkson and Bishop Mario Taso’s presentation of the message
Christianity is the most persecuted religion in the world. 200-300 million Christians face persecution yearly. 7 of out 10 can’t live in freedom with the faith. And about 150 thousand are killed for being Christian. The countries which are known to not respect Christians are: Myanmar (Burma), China, North Korea, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Uzbekistan, Eritrea.
Life Around the Collar … on the Canons Regular of St Augustine of Klosterneuburg
This is a must see video on the life of the Canons of Klosterneuburg, some of whom are moving to the Rockville Centre in the Spring 2011. The producer of the video, Jason Fudge, did a terrific job in making “Life Around the Collar.”
The Canons Regular of St. Augustine of the Klosterneuburg is one of the oldest
Latin Rite orders. The canons live together in community and take three vows of
chastity, poverty and obedience. Because of this, many times they are confused
with monks who live a cloistered, contemplative life. However, the canonical
life is clerical and engages in public ministry of liturgy and sacraments for those
who visit their churches.
As one of Austria’s oldest and most historically
important orders, the order has been traditionally Austrian. However in the
last 20 years, people outside of Austria have decided to take the solemn vow to
become a canon at the monastery.
For almost 900 years a monastery in Austria
has been devoted to preserving a religious life, culture and science. The
origin dates back to Margrave Leopold III when he founded the monastery in
1114. In 1133, the Canons Regular of St. Augustine were summoned to develop the
monastery. Alongside the canons’ devotion to religion, they also viewed it
their duty to preserve culture and art. Since its foundation, the monastery has
grown to be one of the wealthiest monasteries and owns the largest private
scholarly library in the country.
Saint John of the Cross
“My sole occupation is love,” Saint John of the Cross said.
Para venir a gustarlo
todo,
todo,
no
quieras tener gusto en nada;
para venir a poseerlo
todo,
no
quieras poseer algo en nada;
para venir a serlo
todo,
no
quieras ser algo en nada;
para venir a saberlo
todo,
todo,
no
quieras saber algo en nada;
para venir a lo que
no gustas,
has de
ir por donde no gustas;
para venir a lo que
no sabes,
no sabes,
has
de ir por donde no sabes;
para venir a lo que
no posees,
has
de ir por donde no posees;
para venir a lo que
no eres,
has
de ir por donde no eres.
(San Juan de la Cruz – Subida 1,13,11)