Christus Vincit, Christus Regnat, Christus Imperat

We heard this at Mass this morning in our parish. Quite a change from the songs usually picked these last few decades.   Vive Christus Rex!

Give thanks for the makers of music

Give thanks for the makers of music
who add to the beauty of creation
and give us songs of praise to sing to our Creator.

Sancta Cecilia, ora pro eis!

Most high, all powerful, all good Lord,
may we always remember Thy blessings,
and sing to Thee a hymn of gratitude in our hearts.

And I heard a voice from heaven, as the noise of many waters, and as the voice of great thunder; and the voice which I heard, was as the voice of harpers, harping on their harps.
And they sung as it were a new canticle, before the throne, and before the four living creatures, and the ancients; and no man could say the canticle, but those hundred forty-four thousand, who were purchased from the earth.

The Apocalypse of Saint John 14:2-3

A Brighter Day

A nurse told my best friend today that her myeloma shows no sign of progressing and they don't need to see her for another 3 months. Happy news.

Two lovely prayers for a lovely soul (found here):

Heavenly Father, physician of our souls and bodies, Who have sent Your only-begotten Son and our Lord Jesus Christ to heal every sickness and infirmity, visit and heal also Your servant R. from all physical and spiritual ailments through the grace of Your Christ. Grant her patience in this sickness, strength of body and spirit, and recovery of health. Lord, You have taught us through Your word to pray for each other that we may be healed. I pray, heal Your servant R. and grant to her the gift of complete health. For You are the source of healing and to You I give glory, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.

O Lord our God, Who by a word alone did heal all diseases, Who did cure the kinswoman of Peter, You Who chastise with pity and heal according to Your goodness; Who are able to put aside every sickness and infirmity, do You Yourself, the same Lord, grant aid to Your servant R. and cure her of every sickness of which she is grieved; and send down upon her Your great mercy, and if it be Your will, give to her health and a complete recovery; for You are the Physician of our souls and bodies, and to You do we send up Glory: to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, both now and forever, and to the ages of ages. Amen.

A Dark Day

It was grey and chilly today, a warning of still colder days to come, yet a suitable day to remember the 50th anniversary of the distinctive feature of the Mass I love.

50 years ago today, a decree of the Sacred Congregation of Rites added the phrase "and also of the blessed Joseph, Spouse of the same Virgin" to the text of the Communicantes.

For over 13 centuries, the canon of the Roman Mass had remained virtually unchanged and it came to be seen as unchangeable, part of a sacred patrimony bequeathed to the church in ancient days.

That profound reverence for what we received began to weaken in the mid-20th century. And then this unprecedented change to the canon alerted people to the fact that even the Mass itself was not untouchable. Changes followed that were more drastic and more damaging to the faith of Catholics.

A comment on Rorate Caeli has a possible explanation for what could have prompted the Pope to take such an action. It is not the whole story, however. Even before the council began, the pope was inclined to do something to honor St. Joseph. Fr. Z provides more background.

Sancte Ioseph, Ora pro nobis

More reading from Michael Davies, in the Catholic Encyclopedia, and in wikipedia.

A Mild Day in November

We have had chilly days already, and there is no question that winter approaches, but today it warmed to 65°F.

Thank You, heavenly Father, that our lives include the comfort of days like today. Grant that we may bless Thy holy name in every season.
Through Christ our Lord.

Homily for the 23rd Sunday after Pentecost

Given on the 23rd of October, Anno Domini 2005
by Father Louis J. Campbell
"Qui legit, intelligat"
"He who readeth, let him understand"

THE CALM AFTER THE STORM

With all the storms raging against body and soul these days, these are truly times of fear and trepidation for those who do not have the faith to trust totally in Jesus Christ and His promises of healing and comfort. To those who believe all He imparted it is the silver lining that spurs them on to hope in everlasting life.

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.

The news has been anything but good lately. Political and economic chaos are on the horizon. With Katrina, Rita, and now Wilma, hurricanes seem to target this country more than any other. Drought and famine are the scourge of Africa, but they could spread dramatically if the world climate continues to change. Terrible earthquakes are occurring in many places, and such plagues as the Avian flu, whether of natural causes or concocted in someone's laboratory, are a constant threat. Scientific studies seem to indicate that things are only going to get worse, perhaps much worse.

As "the nations rage and the peoples utter folly" (Psalm 2:1), do we have any reason for hope? Should we be bewildered and fearful? Or does our dark cloud have a silver lining somewhere? Well, it does, of course, if we look at things from God's point of view. None of these things are news for the Christian. We have the word of God to tell us that these things are signs - signs of the approach of the Kingdom of God, and of the King of Kings Himself, our Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus told us to look for these things to happen, as Blessed Apostle Saint Matthew records in His Gospel:

"Take care that no one leads you astray. For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and they will lead many astray. For you shall hear of wars and rumors of wars. Take care that you do not be alarmed, for these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; and there will be pestilences and famines and earthquakes in various places. But all these things are the beginnings of sorrows.
"Then they will deliver you up to tribulation, and will put you to death; and you will be hated by all nations for My name's sake. And then many will fall away, and will betray one another, and will hate one another. And many false prophets will arise, and will lead many astray. And because iniquity will abound, the charity of the many will grow cold. But whoever perseveres to the end, he shall be saved" (Blessed Apostle Saint Matthew 24:4-13).

The power of the devil and his evil associates is at work in the world. But there is a greater power at work - the power of God, driving out the devil, and establishing the Kingdom of God.   Jesus Christ, Who promised to send us "power from on high," the Holy Spirit (Blessed Apostle Saint Luke 24:49), shall reign as King. We see Him already at work in the Gospel of today's Mass (Blessed Apostle Saint Matthew 9:18-26). A father mourns for his child, a little girl of twelve who has just died. The professional mourners are already wailing and making their din when Jesus arrives and raises the child to life.

A woman suffering for twelve years from a crippling infirmity touches the hem of Our Lord's garment, and is immediately healed. Jesus knows that someone has touched Him, and says, as recorded in the Gospel of Blessed Apostle Saint Luke, "Someone touched Me; for I perceived that power had gone forth from Me" (Blessed Apostle Saint Luke 8:46). This was a common occurrence, says Blessed Apostle Saint Luke: "And all the crowd were trying to touch Him, for power went forth from Him and healed all" (Blessed Apostle Saint Luke 6:19).

Who is at work in the forces of nature? He who walked on the water and commanded the stormy sea: "The voice of the Lord is over the waters, the God of glory thunders, the Lord, over vast waters. The voice of the Lord is mighty; the voice of the Lord is majestic. The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars, the Lord breaks the cedars of Lebanon. He makes Lebanon leap like a calf and Sarion like a young wild bull. The voice of the Lord strikes fiery flames; the voice of the Lord shakes the desert, the Lord shakes the wilderness of Cades. The voice of the Lord twists the oaks and strips the forests, and in his temple all say, 'Glory!'" (Psalm 28:3-9).

The powers of this world must fall before the Power of God: "Take warning, you rulers of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice before him; with trembling pay homage to him, lest he be angry and you perish from the way, when his anger blazes suddenly" (Psalm 2:10-12).

Who then, on this earth are the truly powerful? Those who pray with humility and perseverance! The humble Blessed Virgin Mary, states it in her Magnificat: "He has shown might with his arm, he has scattered the proud in the conceit of their heart. He has put down the mighty from their thrones, and has exalted the lowly" (Blessed Apostle Saint Luke 1:51,52).

The Lord hears the prayers of the humble and the contrite: a suffering woman: "If I touch but His cloak I shall be saved" (Blessed Apostle Saint Matthew 9:21); a trusting ruler: "My daughter has just now died; but come and lay thy hand upon her, and she will return to life" (Blessed Apostle Saint Matthew 9:18); a blind beggar: "Lord, that I may see" (Blessed Apostle Saint Luke 18:41). "For the Son of man has come to seek and to save what was lost" (Blessed Apostle Saint Luke 19:10).

Such humble and persevering prayer is essential for those who hope to be saved. Saint Alphonsus Liguori comments: "But this grace is not given in God's ordinary Providence, except to those who pray for it; according to the celebrated saying of Gennadius, 'We believe that no one approaches to be saved, except at the invitation of God; that no one who is invited works out his salvation, except by the help of God; that no one merits this help, unless he prays.' From these two premises, on the one hand, that we can do nothing without the assistance of grace; and on the other, that this assistance is only given ordinarily by God to the man that prays, who does not see that the consequence follows, that prayer is absolutely necessary to us for salvation?" (On the Necessity of Prayer).

The storm is now, the calm of the reign of Christ the King will follow for those who trust in God and pray with perseverance. Let ours be the prayer of the psalmist, King David: "One thing I ask of the Lord; this I seek: to dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, that I may gaze on the loveliness of the Lord and contemplate His temple. For He will hide me in his abode in the day of trouble; He will conceal me in the shelter of His tent, He will set me high upon a rock. Even now my head is held high above my enemies on every side. And I will offer in His tent sacrifices with shouts of gladness; I will sing and chant praise to the Lord" (Psalm 26:4-6).

These words of Saint Teresa of Avila were found written on the wall of her cell after her death:

Let nothing disturb thee; Let nothing dismay thee; All things pass; God never changes. Patience attains all that it strives for. He who has God finds he lacks nothing; God alone suffices. †

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.

a great supply of meekness

“Since it is impossible for us to go through life without causing annoyance to one another, it is necessary to have a great supply of meekness from which to draw to check sudden bursts of anger and preserve peace of soul.”
-Saint Francis de Sales

(found here)

All Soul's Day

For friends and family no longer with us, and for those poor souls with no one to pray for them, let us pray:

Kyrie eleison
Eternal rest grant unto them O Lord,
and let perpetual light shine upon them. Amen.

The Holy Card (a poem for today)

Happy All Saints Day

Dear friend, I pray that you may imitate the examples set by the saints in their trials, so that you may join them in their glory.

O holy and forgotten saints who rest in God, pray for us who labor in obscurity, that we may make better use of the graces granted by our Creator.   Through Christ our Lord. Amen.