PM: Introit Mondays--2nd. Sunday Of Advent

People of Zion behold, the Lord is coming to save all nations; and the Lord shall cause you to hear his majestic voice for the joy of your heart. 

V. O Shepherd of Israel hear us, you who lead Joseph like a flock! 

Cf. Is. 30: 19, 30; Ps. 79

I am reminded of the following:

For he is our God, we are the people he shepherds, the sheep in his hands. Oh, that today you would hear his voice:  Do not harden your hearts as at Meribah, as on the day of Massah in the desert. There your ancestors tested me; they tried me though they had seen my works. 

Psalm 95:7-9

The "Four Week Night Watch"

The sunlight of the last day of the liturgical year fades. Another year of the temporal cycle had rolled through our calendar. Winter settles in the northern hemisphere; the darkness increases as December knock on our door.

We arrive at another Advent. We come to prepare and wait along with the Blessed Virgin Mary as well as the world for the appointed time when Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will enter time and space, taking on our image and likeness so we can be restored to God's. We are prayerfully watchful.

Out comes the Advent wreath to mark the weeks of our confinement. Candles of purple and one of rose are embedded in a garland of green, a unique juxtaposition of symbols of  penance, joy, and hope in anticipation of what is to come.

We cannot wait for the day to arrive, but we must. And there is much to do make ourselves as worthy as possible for the birth of our King. And it seems so little time, just "four weeks", but it can be time well spent.

Again, we prepare the way for the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

May our "night watch" make us ready for the joy that is to come.

PM: Communion Fridays--1st. Sunday Of Advent

The Lord will bestow his loving kindness, and our land will yield its fruit. 

Ps. 84:13

How fitting for Communion. And also how fitting a sign of Who Is To Come in "four weeks".

2015 Thanksgiving Day Card

May God, the giver of all that is good, shine his face upon you and grace you abundantly. May He bestow upon you blessings upon blessings. May He shower you with His gifts of the Spirit and the fruits they bear.

Happy Thanksgiving, Everybody!

PM: Offertory Thursdays--1st. Sunday Of Advent

Unto you, 0 Lord, have I lifted up my soul; 0 my God, I trust in you, let me not be put to shame; do not allow my enemies to laugh at me; for none of those who are awaiting you will be disappointed. 

Ps. 24:1-3

The verse which accompanied the beginning of the Liturgy of the Word now does the same for the Liturgy of the Eucharist. As the priest lifts the bread and wine during Consecration, may our souls be united with these gifts so we may become holy.

PM: Alleluia Wednesdays--1st. Sunday Of Advent

Show us your mercy, O Lord, and grant us your salvation. 

Ps. 84:4

As we prepare for the upcoming Year of Mercy, this short exhortation from the Psalmist should be part of our daily prayer. (And if you think you might have heard this at Mass, it is part of Penitential Rite B.)

PM: Gradual Tuesdays--1st. Sunday Of Advent

They will not be disappointed, 0 Lord, all those who are awaiting you. 

V. Make your ways known unto me, 0 Lord, and teach me your paths. 

Ps. 24:3-4

Only in God do we find security and peace. Only in His will do we find freedom.

PM: Introit Mondays--1st. Sunday Of Advent

Unto you have I lifted up my soul. O my God, I trust in you, let me not be put to shame; do not allow my enemies to laugh at me; for none of those who are awaiting you will be disappointed. 

V. Make your ways known unto me, O Lord, and teach me your paths. 

Ps. 24:1-4 

It is about our dependence on God for everything.

It is about trust and hope in Him alone.

It is about being child-like in front of our Father, despite the fact we are His creatures.

It is about becoming more and more worthy heirs of our heavenly inheritance by heeding His voice.

Propers Meditation: Introduction

Welcome to the latest endeavor from this infinitesimal corner of the universe. It will be my most challenging due to the fact it will take the entire liturgical year to unfold. Coming from someone who has been very inconsistent in consistently posting most of the lifespan of this 'blog and frequently re-posting earlier entries, this will be nothing less than inspired by the Holy Spirit. (And may I use the grace given to me for this wisely and well.)

My inspiration for this series is based on my Christmas Eve Reflections where I used the Propers for the four Masses of Christmas (the Vigil and the Masses at Night, at Dawn, and during the Day) as the basis for my post. While I have written other posts utilizing a Lectio Divina approach, those four have stood out to me as being my best work, as humble as those offerings have been.

The format is simple. Each weekday I will post a Proper from the upcoming Sunday Mass as found in the 1990 Gregorian Missal published by Solesmes (their English translation of the Latin) and briefly describe what I think the underlying lesson is. The tile for each post will have PM--as in Propers Meditation--in it. Here is the outline for each day:

Monday--Introit
Tuesday--Gradual (or First Alleluia during Easter)
Wednesday--Alleluia (or Tract during Lent)
Thursday--Offertory
Friday--Communion

If there are Solemnities and Feast Days during the week which need this kind of attention, I will include them in a separate post.

Remember I am basically just another person in the pew, having no training in Theology or Biblical Studies. My insights are just what made an impression on me. Your mileage may vary; indeed, I hope you use this as your own catalyst for delving into the Word of God as well as preparing for the upcoming Sunday Mass. And that is my intent.

I invite you to join me in taking the advice of St. Jerome and become less ignorant of the Scriptures and, therefore, Christ.

It promises to be heavenly.

"Music, When Soft Voices Die"

With November 22 falling on a Sunday this year (and the last Sunday of the liturgical year no less), the feast of St. Cecilia was superseded.

Nevertheless, I did want to make mention of the patron saint of musicians.

I will let the entry at New Advent tell you all about her.

St. Cecilia, pray for us.

All you choirs of angels, who sing before the King of the Universe, pray for us.

"And All That Remains..."

In this month when we are asked to pray for the Church Suffering, there are times when the tragedy known as Death just takes too vicious a turn.

Such an event happened tonight 35 years ago.

"Does anyone know where the love of God goes/when the waves turn the minutes to hours?"

We believe He is there.

All 29 crewmen were in His arms.

A Fedora Doff to a former CatholicSingles.com member who lives in the Detroit area for the reminder.

UPDATE:  It is now the 40th. year anniversary. The church bell chimes of the Maritime Sailors Cathedral will ring out their requiem again.

November 2015 Morning Offering Prayer Intentions

Here are the intentions for this month when reciting the Morning Offering:

Universal Intention - Dialogue. That we may be open to personal encounter and dialogue to all, even those whose convictions differ from our own. 

Evangelization Intention - Pastors. That pastors of the Church, with profound love for their flocks, may accompany them and enliven their hope.

Reflections for these intentions are found here.