2017 Thanksgiving Day Card

May God, the giver of all good things, continue to bestow His blessings upon you. May He, Who knows us and our deepest desires before we were made, continue to be gracious to us. May we bless Him by raising our hymns of thanks and praise for all He has done for us.

Happy Thanksgiving, Everybody!

Cantate Domino

On this day of the Feast of St. Cecilia, Virgin and Martyr, patron saint of musician, I was looking for inspiration on what to write about her or the art.

The Holy Spirit obliged.

Along the lines of quotes about music which I did back in 2005, 2006, and 2007, below are some Bible verses (Douay-Rheims version) which have the word "sing." (The search engine found 89.) Most of them, as you would expect, are found in the Psalms.

I will be glad and rejoice in thee: I will sing to thy name, O thou most high.

Psalm 9:3

Sing to him a new canticle, sing well unto him with a loud noise.

Psalm 32:3

Sing praises to our God, sing ye: sing praises to our king, sing ye.

Psalm 46:7

For God is the king of all the earth: sing ye wisely.

Psalm 46:8

Sing to God, ye kingdoms of the earth: sing ye to the Lord: Sing ye to God.

Psalm 67:33

It is good to give praise to the Lord: and to sing to thy name, O most High.

Psalm 91:2

Come let us praise the Lord with joy: let us joyfully sing to God our saviour.

Psalm 94:1

Sing joyfully to God, all the earth: serve ye the Lord with gladness. Come in before his presence with exceeding great joy.

Psalm 99:2

I will sing to the Lord as long as I live: I will sing praise to my God while I have my being.

Psalm 103:33

And let them sing in the ways of the Lord: for great is the glory of the Lord.

Psalm 137:5

Sing praise, and rejoice, O daughter of Sion: for behold I come, and I will dwell in the midst of thee: saith the Lord.

Zachariah 2:10

Is any of you sad? Let him pray. Is he cheerful in mind? Let him sing.

James 5:13

Plenty of inspiration, both spiritually and musically.

Let those who pursue this art keep these things in mind.

St. Cecilia, pray for us.

November 2017 Morning Offering Prayer Intention

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

Christians in Asia: That Christians in Asia, bearing witness to the Gospel in word and deed, may promote dialogue, peace, and mutual understanding, especially with those of other religions.

A reflection for this intention is found here.

October 2017 Morning Offering Prayer Intention

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

Workers and the Unemployed: That all workers may receive respect and protection of their rights, and that the unemployed may receive the opportunity to contribute to the common good.

A reflection for this intention is found here.

A 'Blogger's Dozen

I can't believe it's been twelve years since this first appeared on the internet.

Then again, I can't believe this 'blog has continued for this long. I started this shortly after the crest of 'blogging began and have been riding that wave until now. There have been times I have wondered out loud if I should hang it up and reduce the cacophony of chatter that has only increased since then.

It has been a small, quiet voice. My Faith has been my guide. My leanings toward things liturgical and musical in the Catholic Church have been my Polaris. My personal story has been a detour. The peaks and valleys of posts have seemingly correlated with my own waning and waxing of living my life.

At times, it's been a chore. (But ask any professional writer if this is not the case.) But, for the most part, this is still a labor of love. While I have "required" times where I have to move the muse into action, I still maintain a level of spontaneity about posting. My philosophy is to (hopefully) make meaningful comments. I tend not to get in over my head, but perhaps more venturing into the deep end is what's needed to keep what very little relativity I have. Less re-posting (although I have traditions to maintain); more new material.

I do cherish my history.

The "here and now" is still my place.

The future still awaits.

My twelve-year old invitation is still open:

"Welcome to my infinitesimal corner of the universe!"

Bitter Sixteen

When General Lord Charles Cornwallis formally surrendered to General George Washington at Yorktown, VA on October 19, 1781, legend has it the British army band played a tune called "When The King Enjoys His Own Again". The lyrics associated with it at the time was an English ballad titled "The World Turned Upside Down". While this story has been historically refuted, the last line in each of the song's five verses seemed very appropriate:

Yet let's be content, and the times lament, you see the world turn'd upside down.

History does seem to repeat itself on occasion. For sixteen years ago today, the world again was turned upside down. Someone could make the argument it hasn't been righted since.

Once again we mark the anniversary of the largest terrorist attack on this country's soil. Four commercial airliners were turned into suicide bombs. Two struck each of the "Twin Towers" in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. One slammed into the Pentagon in Washington, DC. The last one was headed to the Capitol Building, but was diverted into a field near Shanksville, PA.

The damage to the Pentagon was repaired. The "Freedom Tower" now stands near where those two buildings at the World Trade Center were destroyed. The crash site of the fourth plane is now a National Memorial.

But nothing could ever replace the loss of life.

The death toll:  2,996.

To paraphrase Gordon Lightfoot, "And all that remains are the faces and the names of the spouses, the sons, and the daughters." (Living memorials, indeed.)

Plenty of ink and pixels have been used since then in an attempt to answer the simplest yet most complex question humans can ask:  "Why?"

I don't have nor will I ever have an answer. Who other than God understands evil? How from the depth of the heart and soul comes this kind of darkness? We will never fully know while we are here.

Perhaps we can take some comfort in these words from St. Paul:

We know that all things work for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose....What then shall we say to this? If God is for us, who can be against us?...What will separate us from the love of Christ? Will anguish, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or the sword?...No, in all these things we conquer overwhelmingly through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor present things, nor future things, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 8:28, 31, 35, 37-39

The world was turned upside down because of sin. We lament what it has done to creation and ourselves. Yet, we can find not only contentment, but joy in the love God has shown us in the life, death, and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. By His stripes we are healed. By His brokenness we are made whole. We only need to cooperate with His Grace by which we are made perfect. By His Passion the world was righted.

The scars of that day will remain will us. Today is a somber and solemn occasion, a time to recollect and grieve a little more. There will be plenty of commentary other than my own; seek and reflect upon those words. There will be ceremonies commemorating these event; avail yourself to one if possible.

Never Forget.

September 2017 Morning Offering Prayer Intention

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

Parishes: That our parishes, animated by a missionary spirit, may be places where faith is communicated and charity is seen.

A reflection for this intention is found here.

PM: Special Edition--Feast Of The Transfiguration

When I did my meditations on the Propers in 2016, I omitted some of the feast days as they did not fall on a Sunday. Since this one does this year, it would be a good time to "catch up" on the "neglected" ones.

Of you my heart has spoken:  Seek his face. It is your face, O Lord, that I seek; hide not your face from me.

V. The Lord is my light and my Salvation; whom shall I fear?

Ps. 26:8, 9; V. 1

One of the two Introits for the Second Sunday of Lent as well (as the Gospel Reading that day is the same). While it is our sins that cause us to hide our face, God still calls us from hiding.

Your beauty surpasses that of all the children of me; grace is poured out upon your lips.

V. My heart overflows with a goodly theme; I address my works to the King; my tongue is like the pen of an agile scribe.

Ps. 44:3; V. 2

Rarely heard, this Graduale is from the Second Sunday after Christmas (as the Solemnity of the Epiphany instead is celebrated in parts of the world). When we seek and find the face of the Lord, where truth, beauty, and goodness come together, our lips proclaim what our heart speaks.

He is the splendor of eternal light, an unspotted mirror and the image of His goodness.

Wisdom 7:26

This obviously speaks of the Son. And as Jesus said, He can only reflect what He sees the Father doing.

You have crowned him with glory and honor, and you have placed him over the work of your hands, O Lord.

Ps. 8:6,7

This originally refers to humanity. It finds its true fulfillment in Jesus after His Death and Resurrection, where His Divinity and Humanity are one.

As for the vision you have seen, tell no one until the Son of Man has risen form the dead.

Matt. 17:9

He is Risen indeed! And we should proclaim the fulfillment of the Law and Prophets in Him.

August 2017 Morning Offering Prayer Intention

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

Artists.  That artists of our times, through their ingenuity, may help everyone discover the beauty of creation.

A reflection for this intention is found here.

Life At The Speed Limit

It's that time of the year again.

It's that time of my life again.

Another candle on the cake. (No jokes about if I need a fire extinguisher. Inquire when I reach 100.)

And while the status quo is still status quo, there are some things that have changed.

Some not so good. The slight bulge in my disc between the 4th. and 5th. lumbar vertebrae, causing the back problems that will be with me for the rest of my life. Between that and my tendonitis in my right elbow, my limited ability to do manual labor, and to do it for any length of time. The anxiety that is causing regarding my working career, as I still seek a full-time position that will utilize my talents without stressing those joints. The worry about the meager income I do earn, knowing it's not close to meeting my financial needs. (And, no, I am not asking for monetary help. I had that already. And to this day, it is still appreciated.)

In a word, I am a little more than a little scared.

But then, there are some things that not changed.

Those are good. I am still fighting to earn my place in the working world with the right job. I still have belief in my abilities. I still have hope my patience and perseverance will be rewarded. I still have plans and dreams and goals and schemes. Although it is being tried and tested, I still have faith I will come through this.

In a word, I am not letting this beat me.

"With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world." It is. I am grateful to still be among the living, enjoying the gift of life which God has bestowed. While there are times my negative emotions betray the stoic in me, I still hold true to the phrase of St. Irenaeus. And while I may cloud that glory with pessimism and fear, it may be the end of the poem "Footprints" is right now more a reality than even I realize.

Over the past few months I have developed a new catch phrase. While the first part of it is always of grateful praise, the second half could be left open to interpretation, based on apprehension or anticipation. I use it to mark the end of a significant part of my life, no matter how small.

Today, I use it to mean I am ready (willing and able are different matters) to "Go Forward".

"Thank you, God. What's next?"

Let's see "what's next" in the next twelve months.