Echoes In The Light

Thanks to EWTN, I have seen a few of the Triduum Liturgies via the host's livestream media. With only a minimal amount of people assisting, both clerical and laity, the starkness of the empty church seems to me to bring out more of the solemn nature of the rituals. I don't think this is what the Church Fathers had in mind when they spoke of "noble simplicity", but the bare-bones nature of the execution of these rites is more out of necessity than anything. They have their own beauty, just as much as a full-blown "smells and bells" service would.

So how does one approach tonight's Vigil Mass? When normally "this is the night" to wrap the glory of the Resurrection and its accompanying Rites of Initiation with all the pomp and circumstance befitting the moment, this is not going to be the case this year. Less will be enough. But this "less" takes nothing away from the actions.

Consider the beginning of tonight's festivities as an example. The creation of the Vigil fire and the preparation and procession of the Paschal candle will be done in its required red and black. What will be missing is the myriads of candles held by the People of God in attendance. This may not be such a bad thing. It will allow the light of Christ to shine even brighter throughout the Church. And isn't this what we need right now?

This "enhancement" of sight will also apply to the intoning of the Exsultet, the Church's great hymn of praise and thanksgiving to our risen Lord and Savior. Without the pews full of the Church Militant, the sound will symbolically carry farther, alerting the world to the ultimate message of the Good News:  "He is not here. He is Risen." Is this also not a message we need to hear?

The Light of the World shining brighter because of the darkness enveloping us right now. The Word made Flesh made more audible because of the silence which has fallen upon us right now. This is noble simplicity at its finest. This is the worship done in spirit and truth.

The text of this prayer, in both Latin and English, is provided for your meditation.

"Words" For All Time In This Time

Interesting times, no?

While the People of God have no direct access to the liturgies of the Church, we are reminded they are still our public expression of our Faith, even when they are seemingly done in "private". The Communion of Saints still shine in all its glory, even when this veil has been placed over them. (Which begs the question--do all these wonderful attempts around the world to use media old and new to bring the Mass and the Liturgy of the Hours/Divine Office to screens on various devices a form of "active" or "actual" participation?)

So while we are for a time deprived of the horizontal aspect of our worship, it would be interesting to see how much of an increase there has been in private devotions. The Rosary has always been an excellent fallback. Chaplets (including and especially the Divine Mercy Chaplet) could find a bit of a renaissance. Perhaps the eight officially approved Litanies of the Church are finding their way into your prayer life. And then devotional reading, whether the Bible or other pieces of literature, are another tried and true method.

In that regard, I once again step into the breach. Allow me once again to offer my meditations on the "Seven Last Words" of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, the sentences He uttered while hanging on the Cross. A traditional service of this 'blog since its inception, I hope they will provide a point of departure to find other deeper insights into what became Jesus' last "sermon" before His Resurrection.

In a time when comfort is needed more than ever, what could be better than the consoling words of the Suffering Servant.

"Come to me, all you who are weary...."

"I will not leave you orphans...."

"And know that I am with you always...."

Re-acquaint yourself with what He said.

They appear for the next seven days "at the hour of His death."

April 2020 Morning Offering Prayer Intention

Here is the intention for this month when reciting the Morning Offering:

Freedom from Addiction. We pray that those suffering from addiction may be helped and accompanied.

A reflection for this intention is found here.

March 2020 Morning Offering Prayer Intention

Here is the intention for this month when reciting the Morning Offering:

Catholics in China. We pray that the Church in China may persevere in its faithfulness to the Gospel and grow in unity.

A reflection for this intention is found here.

These Days Of Penitence

Even now, says the LORD, return to me with your whole heart, with fasting, and weeping, and mourning; rend your hearts, not your garments, and return to the LORD, your God. 

cf. Joel 2:12-13a

As a Christian, our lives are spent in conversion. The interior life strives to become perfected. Our whole being, seeking the beatific vision, searches for He Who is our source and summit so as to behold Him face-to-face.

To be in communion with God is always a work in progress. His Grace is continually offered to aid us in this process. And while we ask, seek, and knock for this gift at all times, there are times when it seems it is more abundantly available.

Lent is one of those times. The Church's annual retreat before the celebration of the Lord's Passion, Death, and Resurrection is a more direct call to repentance. We are still sinners. We are still being refined as if by fire. This part of the liturgical calendar is set aside for us to make a more conscious effort to become holier.

Whether with baby steps or giant strides, we have an opportunity to become more worthy of our calling as the People of God. Upon the three-legged stool of fasting, praying, and almsgiving can we sit at the feet of Jesus and allow Him to lead us to the Father. With equal parts of Mary and Martha we can again and some more be more closely united to God.

It starts today in purple.

It starts with ashes.

It starts with a reminder:  Remember that you are dust, and unto dust you shall return. 

February 2020 Morning Offering Prayer Intention

Here is the intention for this month when reciting the Morning Offering:

Listen to the Migrants’ Cries. We pray that the cries of our migrant brothers and sisters, victims of criminal trafficking, may be heard and considered.

A reflection for this intention is found here.

(Another case of "better late than never".)

In Another's Words

On or around January 22, the anniversary of the two Supreme Court decisions which allows abortions to be performed for any reason at any time during the entire length of the pregnancy, I attempt to write something about this.

This year, on the 47th. anniversary of Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton, I have decided not to comment.

Instead, I am going to let someone else speak.

For the first time in the history of the National March For Life, the sitting President of the United States made a live appearance and gave a speech.

Yes, I realize a majority of the country does not like how he has conducted himself in the office, much less the policies he has enacted so far in his first term, especially regarding this topic. And, yes, since he is up for re-election, assuming he is not removed from office and banned from seeking the position ever again during the on-going impeachment trial, this may seem to be a part of his election campaign. But this is a significant, even a watershed moment for the pro-life movement. The incumbent, who has done so much in advancing a pro-life agenda, despite legislation enacted in New York State and Illinois and the machinations of the governors of Virginia and California in the past year, has earned the right to rally the troops at their most important event.

Courtesy of LifeSite News, here is the text of President Donald Trump's speech to those gathered at the National Mall:

**********

Thank you very much and thank you, Jeanne. It is my profound honor to be the first president in history to attend the March for Life. We are here for a very simple reason: to defend the right of every child, born and unborn, to fulfill their God-given potential.

For 47 years, Americans of all backgrounds have traveled from across the country to stand for life. 

And today as President of the United States, I am truly proud to stand with you.

I want to welcome tens of thousands – this is a tremendous turnout – tens of thousands of high school and college students who took long bus rides to be here in our nation's capital. And to make you feel even better, there are tens of thousands of people outside that we passed on the way in. If anybody would like to give up their spot, we can work it out.

We have a tremendous group of people outside. Thousands and thousands wanted to get in. This is some great success.

Young people are the heart of the March for Life. And it’s your generation that is making America the pro-family, pro-life nation.

The life movement is led by strong women, amazing faith leaders, and brave students who carry on the legacy of pioneers before us who fought to raise the conscience of our nation and uphold the rights of our citizens. You embrace mothers with care and compassion. You are empowered by prayer and motivated by your unselfish love. You are grateful and we are so grateful ­­– these are incredible people – to be joined by Secretary Alex Azar and Kellyanne Conway.

And thanks also to Senators Mike Lee and James Lankford who are here. Thank you, fellas. And Representatives Steve Scalise, Chris Smith, Ralph Abraham, Warren Davidson, Bob Latta, John Joyce, Lloyd Smucker, Brian Fitzpatrick, and Brad Wenstrup. Thank you all. I have to say – and I look at it, and I see it exactly – we have many more politicians in the audience. But if you don't mind, I won’t introduce them all.

All of us here understand an eternal truth: Every child is a precious and sacred gift from God.
Together, we must protect, cherish, and defend the dignity and the sanctity of every human life.

When we see the image of a baby in the womb, we glimpse the majesty of God's creation.When we hold a newborn in our arms, we know the endless love that each child brings to a family. When we watch a child grow, we see the splendor that radiates from each human soul. One life changes the world – from my family, and I can tell you, I send love, and I send great, great love – and from the first day in office, I have taken historic action to support America’s families and to protect the unborn.

And during my first week in office, I reinstated and expanded the Mexico City Policy and we issued a landmark pro-life rule to govern the use of Title X taxpayer funding. I notified Congress that I would veto any legislation that weakens pro-life policy or that encourages the destruction of human life.

At the United Nations, I made clear that global bureaucrats have no business attacking the sovereignty of nations that protect innocent life. Unborn children have never had a stronger defender in the White House.

As the Bible tells us, each person is wonderfully made.

We have taken decisive action to protect the religious liberty – so important – religious liberty has been under attack all over the world and frankly, very strongly attacked in our nation. You see it better than anyone. But we are stopping it. And we’re taking care of doctors, nurses, teachers, and groups like the Little Sisters of the Poor.

We are preserving faith-based adoption and to uphold our founding documents, we have appointed 187 federal judges, who apply the consultation as written, including two phenomenal supreme court justices – Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh.

We are protecting pro-life students’ rights to free speech on college campuses. And if universities want federal taxpayer dollars, then they must uphold your First Amendment right to speak your mind. And if they don't, they pay a very big financial penalty, which they will not be willing to pay.

Sadly, the far left is working to erase our God-given rights, shut down faith-based charities, ban religious leaders from the public square, and silence Americans who believe in the sanctity of life. They are coming after me because I am fighting for you and we are fighting for those who have no voice. And we will win because we know how to win. We all know how to win. We all know how to win. You’ve been winning for a long time. You’ve been winning for a long time.

Together, we are the voice for the voiceless. When it comes to abortion – and you know this, you’ve seen what’s happened – Democrats have embraced the most radical and extreme positions taken and seen in this country for years and decades, and you can even say, for centuries.

Nearly every top Democrat in congress now supports taxpayer-funded abortion all the way up until the moment of birth. Last year, lawmakers in New York cheered with delight upon the passage of legislation that would allow a baby to be ripped from the mother's womb right up until delivery.

Then, we had the case of the Democrat governor in the state of Virginia, the commonwealth of Virginia. And we love the commonwealth of Virginia, but what is going on in Virginia? What is going on? The governor stated that he would execute a baby after birth. You remember that.

Senate Democrats even blocked legislation that would give medical care to babies who survive attempted abortions. And that’s why I’ve called on Congress – two of our great senators here, so many of our congressmen here – I called upon them to defend the dignity of life and to pass legislation prohibiting late-term abortion of children who can feel pain in their mother's womb.

This year, the March for Life is celebrating the 100th anniversary of the 19th amendment, which forever enshrined women's rights to vote in the United States and given by the United States constitution. Such a big event. Today, millions of extraordinary women across America are using the power of their votes to fight for the right and all of their rights as given in the Declaration of Independence – it’s the right to life.

To all the women here today, your devotion and your leadership uplifts our entire nation and we thank you for that. The tens of thousands of Americans gathered today not only stand for life – it’s really here that they stand for it so proudly together. And I want to thank everybody for that. You stand for life each and every day. You provide housing, education, jobs, and medical care to the women that you serve. You find loving families for children in need of a forever home. You host baby showers for expecting moms. You make – you just make it your life's mission to help spread God's grace.

And to all the moms here today, we celebrate you and we declare that mothers are heroes. Your strength, devotion, and drive is what powers our nation. Because of you, our country has been blessed with amazing souls who have changed the course of human history.

We cannot know what our citizens yet unborn will achieve. The dreams they will imagine. The masterpieces they will create. The discoveries they will make. But we know this: every life brings love into this world. Every child brings joy to a family. Every person is worth protecting.

And above all, we know that every human soul is divine and every human life, born and unborn, is made in the holy image of Almighty God.

Together, we will defend this truth all across our magnificent land. We will set free the dreams of our people. And with determined hope, we look forward to all of the blessings that will come from the beauty, talent, purpose, nobility, and grace of every American child.

I want to thank you. This is a very special moment. It’s so great to represent you. I love you all. And I say with a true passion, thank you, God bless you, and God bless America. Thank you all. Thank you.

January 2020 Morning Offering Prayer Intention

Here is the intention for this month when reciting the Morning Offering:

Promotion of World Peace. We pray that Christians, followers of other religions, and all people of goodwill may promote peace and justice in the world.

A reflection for this intention is found here.

(Another case of "better late than never".)

December 2019 Morning Offering Prayer Intention

Here was the intention for this month when reciting the Morning Offering:

The Future of the Very Young. That every country determine to take the necessary measures to make the future of the very young, especially those who suffer, a priority.

A reflection for this intention is found here.

(Caught up in the Advent spirit? Nope. Just plain forgot.)

Old Song For A New Decade

Tonight is a unique ocassion. The new year that arrives will have a zero at the end of it. While time is a normal way to mark milestones, this one should be a bit more festive. And when the time for that special chime comes, the one that marks end and beginning of a year and a decade, may these words from Robert Burns ring out with more meaning:

Should auld acquaintance be forgot, 
And never brought to mind? 
Should auld acquaintance be forgot, 
And auld lang syne? 
 
For auld lang syne, my dear, 
For auld lang syne, 
We'll tak a cup o' kindness yet, 
For auld lang syne. 
 
And surely ye'll be your pint-stowp, 
And surely I'll be mine! 
And we'll tak a cup o' kindness yet, 
For auld lang syne. 
 
For auld lang syne, my dear, 
For auld lang syne, 
We'll tak a cup o' kindness yet, 
For auld lang syne. 
 
We twa hae run about the braes, 
And pu'd the gowans fine; 
But we've wandered mony a weary fit 
Sin' auld lang syne. 
 
For auld lang syne, my dear, 
For auld lang syne, 
We'll tak a cup o' kindness yet, 
For auld lang syne. 
 
We twa hae paidled i' the burn, 
Frae morning sun till dine; 
But seas between us braid hae roared 
Sin' auld lang syne. 
 
For auld lang syne, my dear, 
For auld lang syne, 
We'll tak a cup o' kindness yet, 
For auld lang syne. 
 
And there's a hand, my trusty fiere, 
And gie's a hand o' thine! 
And we'll tak a right guid-willie waught 
For auld lang syne. 
 
For auld lang syne, my dear, 
For auld lang syne, 
We'll tak a cup o' kindness yet, 
For auld lang syne.

May God bless you as you begin 2020. May His grace and favor shine in what you do, say, and are. May He bestow upon you and yours an abundance of virtue in your lives.

Happy New Year, Everybody!