Sunday, April 24, 2011

2011 Easter Card


"Rejoice, heavenly powers! Sing, choirs of angels! Exult, all creation around God's throne!...Rejoice, O earth, in shining splendor,...Rejoice, O Mother Church! Exult in glory!"

"Jesus Christ, our King is risen! Sound the trumpet of salvation!"

May you, as you join in this great celebration, be blessed with much joy, peace, and love. May God bestow upon you every grace and blessing.

He is Risen! He is Risen indeed!

Happy Easter!

Saturday, April 23, 2011

Swan Chant

Tonight, once again, I will have the privilege to chant the Exsultet, the Easter Vigil's beautiful hymn of praise and joy. This, however, will be the last time this English version will be use, as a corrected translation will come into play with the advent of the 3rd. Roman Missal:

++++++++++

(If chanted by someone other than a priest or deacon, the words in brackets are omitted.)

Rejoice, heavenly powers! Sing, choirs of angels!
Exult, all creation around God's throne!
Jesus Christ, our King is risen!
Sound the trumpet of salvation!

Rejoice, O earth, in shining splendor,
radiant in the brightness of your King!
Christ has conquered! Glory fills you!
Darkness vanishes forever!

Rejoice, O Mother Church! Exult in glory!
The risen Savior shines upon you!
Let this place resound with joy,
echoing the mighty song of all God's people!

[My dearest friends, standing with me in this holy light, join me in asking God for mercy, that he may give his unworthy minister grace to sing his Easter praises.

V. The Lord be with you.
R. And also with you.]
V. Lift up your hearts.
R. We lift them up to the Lord.
V. Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
R. It is right to give him thanks and praise.

It is truly right that with full hearts and minds and voices we should praise the unseen God, the all-powerful Father, and his only Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.

For Christ has ransomed us with his blood, and paid for us the price of Adam's sin to our eternal Father!

This is our passover feast, when Christ, the true Lamb, is slain, whose blood consecrates the homes of all believers.

This is the night when first you saved our fathers: you free the people of Israel from their slavery and led them dry-shod through the sea.

This is the night when Christians everywhere, washed clean of sin and freed from all defilement, are restored to grace and grow together in holiness.

This is the night when Jesus Christ broke the chains of death and rose triumphant from the grave.

What good would life have been to us, had Christ not come as our Redeemer?

Father, how wonderful your care for us!
How boundless your merciful love!
To ransom a slave you gave away your Son.

O happy fault, O necessary sin of Adam, which gained for us so great a Redeemer!

Most blessed of all nights, chosen by God to see Christ rising from the dead!

Of this night scripture says: "The night will be as clear as day; it will become my light, my joy."

The power of this holy night dispels all evil, washes guilt away, restores lost innocence, brings mourners joy; it casts out hatred, brings us peace, and humbles earthly pride.

Night truly blessed when heaven is wedded to earth and we are reconciled with God!

Therefore, heavenly Father, in the joy of this night, receive our evening sacrifice of praise, your Church's solemn offering.

Accept this Easter candle, a flame divided but undimmed, a pillar of fire that glows to the honor of God.

Let it mingle with the lights of heaven and continue bravely burning to dispel the darkness of this night!

May the morning Star which never sets find this flame still burning: Christ, that Morning Star, who came back from the dead, and shed his peaceful light on us all, your Son who lives and reigns for ever and ever.

R. Amen.

Friday, April 22, 2011

Reminded Of Mercy


Today begins the Novina of Divine Mercy. A relatively new devotion promoted by Venerable John Paul II during his pontificate (and how appropriate his Mass of Beatification will take place on Divine Mercy Sunday), its prayers are a repetitive call to God to spare His people.

The Chaplet of Divine Mercy is simple to pray (information courtesy of the Catholic Company):

The Chaplet of Divine Mercy
(For recitation on a chaplet or ordinary rosary beads)

Begin with the Sign of the Cross.

Continue by saying one Our Father, one Hail Mary, and the Apostles Creed.

Then on the OUR FATHER BEAD you will say the following words:
Eternal Father, I offer You the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Your dearly beloved Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world.
On the 10 HAIL MARY BEADS you will say the following words:
For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
Continue in this pattern four more times as you go around the chaplet or rosary.

In conclusion THREE TIMES you will recite these words:
Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and
on the whole world.
End with the Sign of the Cross.
During the Novena, there are these special intentions:

Good Friday - All mankind, especially sinners.
Holy Saturday - The souls of priests and religious.
Easter Sunday - All devout and faithful souls.
Easter Monday - Those who do not believe in Jesus and those who do not yet know Him.
Easter Tuesday - The souls of separated brethren.
Easter Wednesday - The meek and humble souls and the souls of children.
Easter Thursday - The souls who especially venerate and glorify Jesus' mercy.
Easter Friday - The souls who are detained in purgatory.
Easter Saturday - The souls who have become lukewarm.Link
For more information, go here.

Thursday, April 21, 2011

The Ultimate Journey

And so it begins.

The most solemn and mysterious, yet joyful and majestic three days in the Church year.

We take a journey not to just our own parishes during the Sacred Triduum.

We become, even more so than any other time, a transcendent being.

We are in Jerusalem.

We are in the Upper Room.

We are in the Garden of Gethsemane in the Kidron Valley.

We are amongst the assembled with the Sanhedrin.

We are outside the praetorium of Pontius Pilate.

We are in the crowd, affirming our assent, concurring with the sentence.

We are traveling the "Via Dolorosa".

We are at Calvary.

We are at the tomb.

Now, more than ever, we actively participate in the first Mass.

Now, more than ever, we see a glimpse of Heaven even while it seems Hell is here on Earth.

Are you there?

Are you ready?

"Ecce homo."

Sunday, April 17, 2011

Repetitious "Words"

It it once again time to begin another of what is becoming an annual ritual on this 'blog.

You know it is Holy Week in this infinitesimal corner of the universe when I re-post my series of meditation upon the Seven Last Words, the sentences pronounced by Jesus as He hung upon the Cross.

As with my meditations on the "O" Antiphons, it is something my readership seems to enjoy, even though I make little if any changes to these posts.

But, as I was reminded once about my Advent series, that I am able to bring from my store both old and new is a good thing.

We enter "the week that changed the world."

Hear the words of the Word Who made it happen.