by frival
on March 21, 2008
I’m taking the Triduum off from blogging. I haven’t had enough time to pray and that’s just not good enough. May you all have blessed Triduum and a happy and holy Easter! I leave you with these thoughts from the Catecheses of St. John Chrysostom from today’s Office of Readings:
If we wish to understand the power of Christ’s blood, we should go back to the ancient account of its prefiguration in Egypt. Sacrifice a lamb without blemish, commanded Moses, and sprinkle is blood on your doors. If we were to ask him what he meant, and how the blood of an irrational beast could possibly save men endowed with reason, his answer would be that the saving power lies not in the blood itself, but in the fact that it is a sign of the Lord’s blood. In those days, when the destroying angel saw the blood on the doors he did not dare to enter, so how much less will the devil approach now when he sees, not that figurative blood on the doors, but the true blood on the lips of believers, the doors of the temple of Christ.
If you desire further proof of the power of this blood, remember where it came from, how it ran down from the cross, flowing from the Master’s side. The gospel records that when Christ was dead, but still hung on the cross, a soldier came and pierced his side with a lance and immediately there poured out water and blood. Now the water was a symbol of baptism and the blood, of the holy eucharist. The soldier pierced the Lord’s side, he breached the wall of the sacred temple, and I have found the treasure and made it my own. So also with the lamb: the Jews sacrificed the victim and I have been saved by it.
There flowed from his side water and blood. Beloved, do not pass over this mystery without thought; it has yet another hidden meaning, which I will explain to you. I said that water and blood symbolized baptism and the holy eucharist. From these two sacraments the Church is born: from baptism, the cleansing water that gives rebirth and renewal through the Holy Spirit, and from the holy eucharist. Since the symbols of baptism and the eucharist flowed from his side, it was from his side that Christ fashioned the Church, as he had fashioned Eve from the side of Adam. Moses gives a hint of this when he tells the story of the first man and makes him exclaim: Bone from my bones and flesh from my flesh! As God then took a rib from Adam’s side to fashion a woman, so Christ has given us blood and water from his side to fashion the Church. God took the rib when Adam was in a deep sleep, and in the same way Christ gave us the blood and water after his won death.
Do you understand, then, how Christ has united his bride to himself and what food he gives us all to eat? By one and the same food we are both brought into being and nourished. As a woman nourishes her child with her own blood and milk, so does Christ unceasingly nourish with his own blood those to whom he himself has given life.
Please do sneak in a prayer for the four candidates in our RCIA program who will enter into full communion with the Catholic Church tomorrow night at the Easter Vigil. May they receive bountiful graces at this most holy time of the year and grow in grace and truth as they enter ever deeper in the Faith passed on from the Apostles.
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by frival
on March 19, 2008
Matthew Alderman, in particular, has been posting a series of photos and schedules of Holy Week liturgies from around the world at The New Liturgical Movement. They are as a whole, in a word, stunning. It is a welcome reminder that, as good as things are getting, there is still a whole lot of area in which we can improve across the board. The good, the true and the beautiful, indeed.
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by frival
on March 18, 2008
Once a few years ago I heard Father John Corapi mention blessed salt in one of his talks; among other things he talked about how it could be used to great effect in cooking. Then I learned about the old rite of Baptism and how salt was placed on the tongue of the baptized. I never really knew much about blessed salt though until I read the article posted at La Salette Journey, Why Blessed Salt?
There is a renewed interest today in the ancient sacramental of blessed salt, especially by charismatics, in healing and deliverance situations. To understand its proper use and its efficacy, it is helpful to review the Scriptural symbolism and its history, since Vatican II urges us to participate “intelligently and actively” in the use of sacramentals, just as in the use of Sacraments.
Paul (at LSJ) also reminds us that if we can’t easily find blessed salt, Cukierski Family Sacramentals* sends a package of blessed salt with all their orders. You can also order a larger quantity in a Chi Ro case as well. Either way, whether you bring salt to your priest for his blessing or get it through the Cukierskis it does seem that now is a time when we need such sacramentals. Wisdom and purity seem to be in short supply these days – they need all the kick start they can get.
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*No, I’m not affiliated with the Cukierski family or their website in any way. Just wanted to make sure that’s clear.
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by frival
on March 17, 2008
From the Yet Another Resource (aka YAR) files, Catholic Mom lets us know the Diocese of Arlington has made available an online library of its Theology on Tap presentations. Covering from April 2006 to February 2008 and including two Bishops and countless Directors and Founders in its list it certainly looks to be a good resource for anyone looking for some quality audio instruction.
One of the beauties of the Internet is that it has found a new way to bridge the barrier between “particular churches” such that I, in the Diocese of Manchester, now have easy access to resources from the Diocese of Arlington, among others. That we can do this, and do this without any kind of cross-charge, is yet another reminder that catholic equals universal. There’s not a lot left that generates excitement in me in high-tech these days (living in the bowels of the beast for this many years has that effect on one) but this is something I just can’t complain about. Now…should I start with Bishop Loverde or Bishop O’Brien?
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by frival
on March 17, 2008
The doctor thinks my son should likely be fine since he’s been asymptomatic for so long. Of course, that went with the warning to “keep an eye on him” in case anything should flare up in the following several days. That naturally intersects perfectly with the truism that “it’s impossible to prove the non-existence of any given thing” (think about it) which thus means we’re not quite as relieved as we’d like to be. Ain’t kids grand?
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by frival
on March 16, 2008
Everyone knows the Palm Sunday liturgies can be taxing on everyone. As the entrance to Holy Week they get attention and attendance that I’d venture to guess outstrip any of the mid-week liturgies until the Easter Vigil. Now I don’t know about you, but I’ve never seen any priest decide to use the short form of the Palm Sunday readings and for that I am quite glad.
My son, apparently, had some sort of disagreement with that however. While I was in our RCIA session my wife and kids were at the Church for Mass; near to the end of the Gospel he, as my wife retells, turned his head up to the sky, his eyes rolled back and he collapsed. Needless to say that was not an event that went unnoticed. He had been sick earlier this week but everything at least seemed normal for the past couple of days. This, however, has us all a little on edge. He’ll be going in to see the doctor tomorrow; it was the doctor’s suggestion that since he was asymptomatic after the initial event we needn’t take him to the emergency room right away. We’re told that after some amount of bloodwork and whatever other tests they may decide to run we’re likely to find nothing and that it was an isolated incident. Some fat lot of consolation that is when you look in the eyes of your young child and can see a twinge of fear peaking back out at you. Ahh, sleep likely won’t be plentiful tonight.
Please, if you could, keep him in your prayers. And while you’re at it, throw a couple of prayers heavenward for his soon-to-be sleep-deprived parents. My kid instruction book didn’t come with pages for dealing with this. St. Luke, ora pro nobis!
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by frival
on March 14, 2008
I wanted to make sure I posted this just on the off chance someone who is affected might come across this and not otherwise be aware – the next Extraordinary Form Mass at St. Patrick’s Parish in Nashua will not be on Easter but rather the next Sunday, March 30th at 2:00 PM. Father Kelly writes:
Because requests for an afternoon celebration on Easter Sunday were not numerous there will be none that day. The celebration scheduled for Sunday, March 30, is n exception to the normal schedule both in regard to week and time. The normal schedule will resume in April.
I wanted to put up that clarification so no one got any misunderstandings about whether Father Kelly was willing to have an extra Mass during the Triduum. All of us in this Diocese are in his debt.
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by frival
on March 13, 2008
Now this is a movement just about everyone should be able to get behind:
The Worldwide Hour of Eucharistic Adoration will take place at 7:00 p.m. local time on April 2nd, 2008, the Third Anniversary of Pope John Paul II’s death.
By hosting this hour in time zones throughout the world, this will result in a full calendar day of Eucharistic Adoration in remembrance of Pope John Paul II.
This endeavor will work towards the promotion and education of Eucharistic Adoration worldwide.
Adoration ends with Benediction at 5:00 PM at my parish, but there are three other Perpetual Adoration chapels around that I know of. It’d certainly be nice, though, if any parish that has the capacity for Adoration (i.e. a Monstrance, a valid minister to expose and repose the Blessed Sacrament, and the commitment of at least one person for the hour) were to schedule something for that one hour. Just the thought must send shockwaves through the depths of Hell.
H/T to Mark Shea.
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by frival
on March 13, 2008
Kevin at biblicalia announced a new mailing list a while ago:
The moderators would like to announce the release of their new biblical studies email list, The Biblicalist
The Biblicalist is a biblical studies list of academic emphasis open to all who wish to approach the Bible in its wider context, past and present. All viewpoints and perspectives which draw on the work of scholars in
biblical studies and cognate disciplines are welcome.
Topics of discussion include the interpretation of particular texts of the Bible and related literature, the background of ancient Near Eastern and Classical cultures, theological and philosophical reflections on
relevant issues, and the Bible in art and literature, including the reception of the Bible from ancient times to the present. Other topics in a similar vein are not only welcome, but encouraged.
Yeah, it was quite a while ago, but I’m still digging out from under my piles of accumulated “I need to get to that”. I probably will be for a while too.
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by frival
on March 13, 2008
So I’ll use those of others:
The blood of martyrs is the seed of the Church. — Tertullian
The body of Chaldean Archbishop Rahho has been found in a shallow grave.
In paradisum deducant te Angeli: in tuo adventu suscipiant te Martyres, et perducant te in civitatem sanctam Jerusalem. Chorus Angelorum te suscipiat, et cum Lazaro quondam paupere aeternam habeas requiem.
May the Angels lead thee into paradise: may the Martyrs receive thee at thy coming, and lead thee into the holy city of Jerusalem. May the choir of Angels receive thee, and mayest thou have eternal rest with Lazarus, who once was poor.
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