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.

October 2015 Morning Offering Prayer Intentions

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

Universal Intention - Human Trafficking. That human trafficking, the modern form of slavery, may be eradicated. 

Evangelization Intention - Mission in Asia. That with a missionary spirit the Christian communities of Asia may announce the Gospel to those who are still awaiting it.

Reflections for these intentions are found here.