Always Advent

Just a link today—to one of the front page articles at Catholic Exchange:

The Mystery of Divine Mercy

I just got back from the annual Holy Thursday Eucharistic Chapel Hopping thing that the children and I have done for the past 3 years: right after the Holy Thursday mass, one stops at the altar of reposition at Church for a few moments of adoration, then travels to a number of different Eucharistic chapels throughout the area, stopping by each one for a brief time, then moving on to the next one.

The total number of chapels one visits is either nine or seven (not sure why, but I suppose nine is for a novena.) This year we did the pilgrimage with a family with two very small children, so we only did three stops (which we said was for the Trinity!)

Has anyone else ever kept this yearly custom? Where did it start? Why nine chapels? Or seven? Or whatever your custom dictates?

The first year we did it, one of the kids complained a bit that she was tired.

“That’s the point,” I replied.

“It is?” she said, perplexed.

“When Jesus asked his apostles ‘Could you not watch one hour with me?’ they fell asleep because they were tired. The point is for us to be tired and offer that time for Jesus.”

Kind of a variation on the Eucharistic Holy Hour, but in motion. A very kid friendly activity, because it appeals to short attention spans.

I love seeing how the various parishes set up their Eucharistic altars. Our favorite one EVER was a nearby parish that placed the altar and the blessed sacrament in a tent made of thin netting, and placed desert-themed plants and decorations around it, then put a harpist there playing beautiful music throughout the adoration period. We didn’t want to leave!

I came across this at Fr. John Zuhlsdorf’s website What Does The Prayer Really Say?

At the end of Holy Mass of Palm Sunday in St. Peter’s Square, at noon, His Holiness delivered him (sic) Angelus message. This week it included a very strong appeal for peace in Iraq, following on the death of the Archbishop of Mossul of the Chaldeans, Paulos Farah Rahho.

Here is the section of his comments on Iraq. My emphases indicates the part he quite literally shouted, though they were part of the prepared text:

At the end of this solemn celebration, in which we have meditated on the Passion of Christ, I want to call to mind the late lamented Archbishop of Mossul of the Chaldeans, Paulos Farah Rahho, tragically deceased a few days ago. His beautiful witness of faith in Christ, the Church and his people, which despite many threats he never wanted to abandon, presses me to raise a strong and concerned cry: enough of these massacres, enough with the violence, enough with hatred in Iraq! And I raise at the same time an appeal to the people of Iraq, which for five years is bearing the consequenzes of a war which has provoked the upheaval of civil and social life: beloved Iraqi people, raise up your heads and let you be, in the first place, riconstructors of your national life. Let there be reconciliations, forgiveness, justice and respect in common life betweem tribes, ethnic and religious groups, the solid way of peace in the name of God.

Wow!
(Here’s a link to the post: The Holy Father shouts for peace in Iraq.)

I pulled the image at the top from Fr. Z’s website. He has more images from the papal Palm Sunday liturgy in St. Peter’s Square here: Benedict XVI’s Palm Sunday Mass.

February 2nd–40 days after Christmas–is set aside by the church as the feast of the Presentation. It’s also called Candlemas because historically it was the day for blessing all the candles that were to be used throughout the coming year in the church. You’ll also sometimes see it referred to as Little Christmas.

My pastor says that the Presentation is a “feast of light that occurs in the dark of winter.” Candlemas is a time to reflect on the light of Christ. As a candle burns and gives forth light, it is consumed. It shrinks away to nothing. Christ was consumed as he his light and life for us. We, in imitation of Christ, must also allow ourselves to be consumed in our sacrificial love of God and neighbor.

Links

Catholic Encyclopedia entry:
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/03245b.htm

Wikipedia article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Candlemas

Just a picture for Epiphany–the 3 kings statues at my parish. Click on the image to see a bigger version. Enjoy!

January 3 is the Feast of the Most Holy Name of Jesus.

It’s a good day to remember the Second Commandment: You shall not take the name of the Lord, your God, in vain. (Exodus 20:7) This commandment is probably the most forgotten and most violated of the ten; everywhere you go you will hear the phrases “Oh my God,” “Jesus Christ,” and their variations almost constantly, and definitely not in the context of prayer or praise to God.

The sad fact is that even Christians habitually sin against the second commandment by misusing the holy name of God and of Jesus.

Misuse of God’s name offends Him and gives a bad example to the people around us: consider what St. Paul wrote to the church in Rome: The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you. (Romans 2:24)

Here are 3 simple things you can do to increase your own devotion to God’s name and help foster obedience to the second commandment:

1 – Make a slight bow or nod of the head at every audible mention of the name of Jesus, especially during Mass or the recitation of the rosary.

2 – When making the sign of the cross, don’t say, “Father, Son, Holy Spirit” and wave your hand around like you’re brushing away flies. Make the gesture carefully and reverently, clearly pronouncing each word: “In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.”

3 – Say “Blessed be God. Blessed be his holy name” or “Blessed be the name of Jesus” in reparation every time you hear or accidentally utter an offense against the second commandment. If it is prudent, say it out loud with the same volume as the offense. Otherwise simply say it quietly. This habit alone will sensitize you to the rampant misuse of God’s name: you may start to wince as, wherever you go, you hear the name of someone you love being thrown in the dirt. Keep at it, though, and you will find yourself slipping up less and less, and often the people around you will start to modify their speech.

This third suggestion is, in my experience, the most effective of the three. I got the idea from the Catholic Children’s Treasure Box booklets. These books were first published in the 1950s, so they are somewhat outdated and sometimes too syrupy for my taste, for mostly they are very sweet. In booklet 8 there’s a charming story about a little girl who asks what “taking the Lord’s name in vain” means and what she can do to better honor the holy name of God. The person she’s talking to suggests that every time she hears someone utter God’s name as an expression of dismay, peevishness, anger, and so on, she should say, “Blessed be God, blessed be his holy name” or “Blessed be the name of Jesus.”

I taught my children to do this, and mostly they follow through. When we’re watching a show or a movie together, and someone blurts out “OMG!”, it always warms my heart to hear a little chorus of “Blessed be God, blessed be his holy name!” from the children.

Andy Eells also makes some excellent points in his essay “His Name” from his booklet The Catholic Challenge:

In current times, it is necessary to address the negative use of God’s name. Christians can hardly expect others to abe attracted to our faith, or even to respect our faith, if our speech is casually disrespectful of our own God. And if it is true that God hears whenever we use his name, what does he hear us say? In the first place, are we really even thinking of God when we use his name? If not, isn’t that rather like placing a phone call and then hanging up when the other party answers? Truly, it is not conducive to intimacy with God to continually “hang up the phone” on him.

Slipshod use of phrases such as “for God’s sake” and “oh, my God” to express personal outrage, surprise, or shock should be studiously avoided. These phrases are nearly always spoken with no thought of their literal meaing. Even more serious an error is using the names “Jesus” or “Christ” separately or together as a personal exclamation about mundane topics like high prices, or automobile traffic. (Dr. Lester Sumrall thinks we should even avoid the use of abbreviations like “gee,” which is really derived from “Jesus.” It can also be observed that under stress, “gee” slips into “Jesus” with great ease.)

If you’re in the habit of using the Lord’s name wrongly, make a resolution today to break that habit by implement the three suggestions above. The Catechism (para 2144) says, Respect for his name is an expression of the respect owed to the mystery of God himself and to the whole sacred reality it evokes. (Copyright 2008 by Clare Siobhan)

Links

Catholic Children’s Treasure Box
https://www.tanbooks.com/index.php/page/shop:flypage/product _id/474/

Note: Andy Eells’s booklet, The Catholic Challenge, appears to be out of print. It was published in 1990 by Max Cotto Books. I couldn’t find any resources on the internet, but the mailing address for Max Cotto Books is 2322 E. Oakland Park Blvd., Fr. Lauderdale, FL 33306. Don’t confuse this booklet with a similarly titled book by Thomas W. Rezanka: The Catholic Challenge: A Question of Conscience. Rezanka’s book promotes dissident Catholic ideology and the website for the book (thecatholicchallenge.com) links to dissident groups Call to Action and Voice of the Faithful.

I quoted extensivelly from Eells’s booklet in a recent series of articles on honoring Sunday: 5 Things Catholics Can Do to Keep the Sabbath Holy (part one, part two, part three, part four, part five)

“O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!” (Psalm 8:1)

HOW TO CLEAN UP AFTER YOUR NEW YEAR’S EVE PARTY

Begin by recalling the words of one of your friends, who offered the blessing before the meal last night at the party: “As we begin another new year, let us put our hands to the plow and not look back.”

Put your hand to the plow first by going around the house sprinkling all the rooms with holy water, saying, “Lord, bless this mess.”

Let the dogs up from the basement to snarf up the crumbs and other edible detritus. Be thankful for every child who snuck food into the various forbidden zones and spilled something. Gratefully pick up left-behind socks and sweatshirts. Thank God for the joy and energy these children – yours and your friends’ – bring daily into your home and into your life.

Take the crockpot of leftover chili out of the fridge and put it on low to heat up for dinner. Thank God for your Mom, who loaned you the crockpot for the party. Remember the countless other favors, little and huge, that your Mom has done for you since before you were born. Be thankful that she’s still in good health, able to work and care for herself and her home, and able to enjoy her grandchildren.

Load the dishwasher and say a prayer for every party guest who dutifully inscribed his or her name on a plastic cup with a permanent marker. Think about how you’ve known some of these people since you were all teenagers, how you’ve seen each other court beloveds and get married, buy first homes, give birth to children, bury moms and dads, agonize over tough decisions, develop gray hair, but most of all grow in love for Jesus. Thank God for giving you and your children a close-knit community of faith. Pray that all of the people in your life – your children, your Mom, your best friends and their families — will be around for the next party and be able to use their cups again.

Find the church bulletin under a couch cushion and thank God for your parish priests, how they live their entire lives so that you, your children and several hundred other people just like you will have the presence of Jesus in their lives, in word and in sacrament. Imagine that even though it must be a joy to serve God in that way, the trials must also be numerous. Resolve to pray for them more and make even more effort to tell them how much your appreciate them.

Wipe the counters and throw away trash. Put the Advent wreath back in its place at the center of the kitchen table. As you light the white tapers, blessed at church on Candlemas Day last year and put in on Christmas Day to replace the purple and pink candles, thank God for the Catholic Church and for the holy season of Christmas, the blessings of which extend into the new year rather than ending with an anti-climactic and almost audible thud on December 26th, the way it does out there in the world.

Now that the house is tidied up, brew a cup of tea and sit down. Thank God for everything that transpired in the past year: the joys and the sufferings, the lessons learned, the countless opportunities to grow in holiness, even the ones you missed. Remember the events of the past and what they taught you, but don’t dwell on them, neither on your failures nor on your successes. Give everything to God.

Put your hands to the plow. Fix your eyes on the Morning Star and plow ahead, never looking back. (Copyright 2008 by Clare Siobhan. Originally published, in slightly altered form, in the National Catholic Register, Dec. 24-Jan. 6, 2006, under the title “New Again”. Subscribers can read the original article at this link: http://ncregister.com/site/article/1648)