Sunday Inspiration - Passiontide

As I was preparing to compose this week's Sunday Inspiration post, I came across a post on another blog about the time in the liturgical year known as Passiontide. This period of time lasts from the 5th Sunday in Lent until the Easter Vigil. The post I am referring to contains an excellent explanation of how the liturgy during the Lenten season prepares us for the resurrection on Easter. So for today's inspiration, I recommend reading this post and thinking about how we can make the liturgy of the Church part of our daily lives and thus experience this death and resurrection in our own lives.

Laetare Sunday

“Rejoice, O Jerusalem, and come together all you who lover her”

From the Handbook of Christian Feasts and Customs by Francis X. Weiser:

“The fourth Sunday in Lent (Mid-Lent) derives its Latin name from the first word of the Mass text, Laetare Jerusalem (Rejoice, O Jerusalem). It is a day of joy within the mourning season. The altars may be decorated with flowers, organ playing is permitted, and rose-colored vestments may be worn instead of purple ones.

"The historical background of this sudden joyful note during the penitential season lies in the ancient practice of the traditio symboli ('handing over' of the symbolum, the Apostolic Creed). The catechumens received the sacred text for the first time on Wednesday after the fourth Sunday in Lent. Soon afterward, the 'Our Father' was also given to them. These ceremonies formed the last and decisive step toward baptism for those who had successfully stood the tests and scrutinies and proved themselves worthy to be admitted into the Church. Thus already at the beginning of the week (Laetare Sunday) the exultation of Mother Church over the approaching increase of her children (through baptism) manifested itself in the above-mentioned liturgical expression of joy.

"The Station of the fourth Sunday was held at the church of Santa Croce in Gerusalemme (called simply 'Hierusalem' in ancient books). Hence the repeated mention of Jerusalem in the liturgical texts. The holy city is taken as a type of the New Testament 'Jerusalem,' the Church, who is our Mother (Galatians 4, 26), giving supernatural birth to us in baptism.

"In later centuries, when the original practice of the traditio on Wednesday in Mid-Lent had been discontinued (being connected with the baptismal ceremony into one rite), the true reason for the Sunday's liturgical character of joy was forgotten, and other reasons were often given. Thus Pope Innocent III (1216) said in one of his sermons:

'On this Sunday, which marks the middle of Lent, a measure of consoling relaxation is provided so that the faithful may not break down under the severe strain of Lenten fast but may continue to bear the restrictions with a refreshed and easier heart.'"

Catholic Music

The Catholic Church has a very long history of great music. Unfortunately, many parishes today limit the selections sung at Mass to songs written within the last 30 years, ignoring all the beautiful chants and sacred hymns that have been sung for hundreds of years. The parish to which my wife and I formerly belonged was one of these parishes. We have since joined a different parish where the choir sings a nice range of music, including many traditional chants and hymns. My wife recently joined this choir. This past Sunday was her first time singing with them. They sounded great! After Mass, she came down from the choir loft with a few sheets of music that she was to practice for future Masses. I was quite excited to see William Byrd’s arrangement of Ave Verum Corpus. I’ve included a video of this beautiful composition below.
This, of course, has left me wondering why other parishes ignore all this great music from the past and only sing songs written since the second Vatican Council. Encourage your pastors and choir directors to preserve our great culture and traditions!
In the meantime, listen to the song below and read the book, Why Catholics Can’t Sing.

Silence in Church

Read this.

Veni Veni Emmanuel

Today begins the O Antiphons during Vespers. Read about them here.

Vestments

A few weeks ago on the Feast of Christ the King, the priest and deacon at my parish wore a wonderful set of gold vestments made in the 1930's. They were absolutely beautiful and in my opinion enhanced the liturgy by their beauty. This was on my mind recently when I read a few different posts on the New Liturgical Movement about vestments and liturgical colors for Advent. I thought I'd share these with you, as well as a couple of other blogs that focus on vestments. Before checking out these sites, though, I would like to suggest that you read this short comment made by Shawn Tribe of the NLM:

"At times, considerations such as these bring forth a certain subset of people who believe that it is objectionable to ponder these matters -- what they sometimes reduce to being mere "fashion" considerations. Here I would simply make note that vestments are another branch of the sacred arts and we should not be reductionistic and secularize our considerations of them. Their symbolism, their dignity and beauty are equally as pertinent to the matter of the sacred liturgy as the matter of sacred architecture, music, painting or sculpture; they too can be bearers of the sacred, lending to (or, indeed, taking away from) our liturgical worship. We should indeed give them thought then, considering what does and does not lend to the dignity and gravitas of the liturgical rites; the rites in which the Church offers her public worship to God, and where we give our public witness and expression to that divine worship."

With that said, the New Liturgical Movement's posts focused on the liturgical colors of blue and rose, both interesting to consider because of their very limited use. Blue, apparently, is only allowed to be used in certain places, namely Spain. I must say that after viewing the pictures posted on the site, I kind of wish that Blue was accepted everywhere! Here is one of their pictures from Málaga, Spain:

Rose is also a rarely seen liturgical color, as it is only used once each during Advent and Lent. This upcoming Sunday is Gaudete Sunday, the day during Advent when Rose is permitted, so be on the lookout!

Finally, just for fun, here are a couple of sites to check out regarding vestments:

Dappled Photos is a site dedicated to "Catholic ceremonial vesture and objects." I believe I have linked to their site in past posts, but thought it would be appropriate to bring up again.

Last (and maybe least), is a humorous site called Bad Vestments. This site has photos of some strange looking vestments. A bit different than what NLM features, but fun to look at, at least once.

The Week Ahead - Keeping Up With All The Feasts

There are a number of important feast days in the upcoming week. I would like to make posts about each one, but I am predicting that I will not end up having the time due to this being a very busy week for me. I will try, but I figured that, just in case, I would write one quick post here mentioning them and encourage everyone to take some time each day to observe the celebrations of these Holy men and women.

Monday, December 7th is the Feast of St. Ambrose, Bishop and Doctor of the Church.

Tuesday, December 8th is the Feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, a holy day of obligation in the United States.

Wednesday, December 9th is the Feast of Blessed Juan Diego, the man to whom Our Lady of Guadalupe appeared.

Saturday, December 12th is the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Patroness of the Americas.

A great way to keep up with all of these wonderful feast days is to check out the website Catholic Culture. Visit their site and click the link "Liturgical Year" at the top of the homepage. They have tons of great information about the liturgical celebrations of the Church. One feature I especially like on their site is their "Things To Do" section for some feast days. They give ideas for ways of celebrating the feast days, including cultural traditions, links to websites, and even recipes.

Another great way to keep up with all of these Feasts is to have a book, such as a Lives of the Saints book to read daily. I have been very lucky lately to obtain a couple of great books that have a vast amount of information about the Church's liturgical traditions. Both of the books are pretty old, so they may not be easy to acquire, but if you can get your hands on them, I would highly recommend them.

The first is titled Handbook of Christian Feasts and Customs; The Year of the Lord in Liturgy and Folklore by Francis X. Weiser. Originally published in 1952, my copy was printed in 1958. It is filled with historical and cultural facts about the Church's liturgical celebrations.

The second is the first volume of the set of books called The Church's Year of Grace by Dr. Pius Parsch. A good friend recently gave me this book. I haven't read much of it yet, but I can tell you that it has a ton of great information about the Church's liturgical life. The volume I have spans from Advent to Candlemas. Each day has its own entry with information about the prayers and mass for the day. It does, of course, not follow the modern Roman calendar exactly since it was written before the Second Vatican Council, but the information it contains is still wonderful.

I believe that we as Catholics are called to more than just attending mass on Sundays. We need to be a part of the liturgical life of the Church, which will lead us, as St. Paul exhorted us, to pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17). By observing the feasts of the Church and sharing the traditions of the Church with our families, we will be learning more about our faith and strengthening our relationship with Our Lord.

Have a great week!

Listen to Sung Masses and Vespers

Last night I had the opportunity to attend sung Vespers for the first Sunday of Advent along with exposition and benediction of the Blessed Sacrament at my parish. It was a very beautiful and prayerful service. I wish that more parishes made this available for the faithful to take part in the beautiful prayer of the Church.

Going right along with that, The New Liturgical Movement made a post today about the Monks of the Monastery of San Benedetto in Norcia, Italy who have begun recording their sung Masses and Vespers and made them available to listen to for free on the internet. Here is a portion from NLM explaining:

"The NLM and the Benedictine Monastery of San Benedetto in Norcia, Italy (the birthplace of St. Benedict) are pleased to jointly announce today that, as we begin the liturgical year, so too has a new initiative begun which will make available recordings of festal and Sunday Vespers each and every Sunday as well as for important feast days of the liturgical year.

"The monks are, of course, already making available audio recordings of their daily Mass and this addition now makes Sung Vespers, in a Benedictine form of the Divine Office, available to a wider public, thus facilitating greater access to sung Sunday and Festal Vespers than has heretofore been available to the general Catholic public -- not, mind you, as it might be sung by a professional choir of course, but rather Vespers sung from within the intimacy of the monastic community and as part of the day-to-day exercise of the monastic horarium.

"It is certainly my own hope that, in addition to providing people with the opportunity to listen in each week, on feast days, or with whatever frequency they may choose, this might further inspire people to take up the praying of the Divine Office as part of their own personal spiritual practice, and also encourage priests and parishes to make sung Sunday Vespers available as part of their own parish liturgical life -- both of which were encouraged by the Second Vatican Council."

On the right side of this page, you will see a picture that links to the Monks' site with their recordings. I have listened to a bit of what they have up there and it is beautiful. It is in Latin which may pose a problem for those attempting to pray along, unless a Latin-English prayer book is available. If not, however, it is still nice to listen to while you are working on your computer or as background while you pray Vespers yourself in English. Regardless of how you intend to use these recordings, they are beautiful and I would encourage all to give them a listen!

1st Vespers of Advent

I just wanted to write a quick post to let everyone know that Catholic TV is going to be airing the 1st vespers of Advent with Pope Benedict XVI from the Vatican on Sunday, November 29th at noon and 8pm. Here is their commercial for it:



The New Liturgical Movement already has pictures of the service on their site.

Tune in if you can to watch this beautiful beginning of Advent.

Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine,

et lux perpetua luceat eis. Requiescant in pace. Amen.

Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace. Amen

Monday, November 2nd is the commemoration of all the faithful departed, commonly known as All Souls Day. On this day we remember and pray for all the faithful who have gone before us. Don't forget to spend some time praying today for all family members, friends, acquaintances, and even those unknown to you for eternal rest in Heaven with Our Lord. Visit a cemetery and pray for those buried there. And, of course, be sure to attend mass. There are indulgences that can be attained for the dead by doing such things.

The New Liturgical Movement has had a few posts on its site in the last week about All Souls Day that are worth reading. First, they have their 5th annual appeal for the clergy to wear black vestments for All Souls celebrations. They also have ideas for living a liturgical life.

Finally, here is the beautiful sequence, Dies Irae, from the Mass for the Dead. The Latin text can be read here. Below the video is a very poetic English translation.

Lo, the Day of Wrath, that day
Shall the world in ashes lay;
David thus and Sibyl say.

Oh, how great shall be the fear,
When at last, as Judge severe,
Christ the Lord shall reappear.

When the trumpet’s wondrous sound,
Ringing through each burial ground,
All shall call the Throne around.

Death and Nature then shall quake
As the Dead from dust awake,
To their Judge reply to make.

Then shall written book be brought,
Showing every deed and thought,
From which judgment will be sought.

So, before the Judge enthroned,
Shall each hidden sin be owned,
Naught of guilt left unatoned.

How shall then my life appear?
Who the Saint my prayer to hear,
When the just himself shall fear?

Thou, O dread and mighty King,
Mercy’s inexhausted Spring,
Now Thy free deliverance bring.

Think, good Jesus, think, I pray,
I it was that caused Thy way,
Cast me not aside that day!

Faint in search of me hast lain,
On the Cross hast suffered pain,
Shall such labor be in vain!

Who just judge of vengeance art,
Thy forgiveness now impart,
Ere the accepted day depart.

Guilty, lo, I groan with fear,
Whilst with shame Thy Throne I near,
Thou, O God, my crying hear!

Who didst bend to Mary’s grief,
Didst accept the contrite thief,
Wilt not grudge me Thy relief.

All unworthy though my prayer,
Yet be Thine the gracious care
That hell’s fire be not my share.

Far from that rejected band,
Mid Thy sheep O bid me stand,
Safely placed at Thy right hand.

When the cursed, at Thy behest,
Go to flames that never rest,
Call me Thou to join the Blest.

Prostrate now in prayer I bend,
Contrite now my breast I rend,
Help me Thou at my last end.

Sad indeed shall be the day
When the guilty, cast away,
Fall into eternal gloom.
Save us. Lord, from such a doom.

In Thy mercy, Jesus blest,
Grant Thy servants endless rest.
Amen.

Sunday Inspiration - All Saints

This Sunday, November 1st, we celebrate the Feast of All Saints. On this day we remember all those Holy men and women who have been exemplary imitators of Christ and servants of Him and His Church, and request their intercession for us to Our Father in Heaven.

Today join in this beautiful prayer, the Collect from the traditional Roman liturgy of All Saints:

Almighty and eternal God,
who givest us to celebrate in one solemnity the merits of all Thy Saints:

we beseech Thee to bestow upon us,

through these countless intercessors,

the longed-for fullness of Thy propitiation.

Through Our Lord,

Amen.

Another wonderful prayer for today is the Litany of the Saints. EWTN has an English version here. Below is a beautful version of the Litany of the Saints sung in Latin:

And finally, just for fun:

Christian Unity

In yesterday's Gospel (St. Luke 12:49-53), Our Lord said,

"Do you think that I have come to establish peace on the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division. From now on a household of five will be divided, three against two and two against three; a father will be divided against his son and a son against his father, a mother against her daughter and a daughter against her mother, a mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.”

Since Christ's earthly life, not only has the world experienced that division between believers and non-believers, but also within Christ's Church itself.

Our Lord also prayed, however: "I pray not only for them, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, so that they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be in us, that the world may believe that you sent me." (St. John 17:20-21)

Our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI is taking this prayer of Jesus very seriously and trying to unify Christian peoples. In the 4 1/2 years of his pontificate, we've witnessed him do many things to try to create more unity in Christitanity. He has made provisions for those who prefer the traditional liturgy. He has held talks with leaders of the Orthodox Church. He has agreed to hold talks with the Society of St. Pius X. And now this week, he paves the way for large numbers of Anglicans to enter the Catholic Church. (A great video explaining this was posted on American Papist. See it here.)

We need to continue to pray for our Pope and pray the prayer of Jesus for unity of all Chrisitan peoples into what St. Irenaeus called "the tradition derived from the Apostles of the greatest, most ancient, and universally known Church, founded and established by the two most glorious Apostles, Peter and Paul...the faith decalred to men which through the succession of bishops comes down to our times."