The O Antiphons: The Fullness of Time

December 21-22 2019 4th Sunday of Advent
Parish Marian Year
 
 

December 17 begins the ‘O’ Antiphons, and it means Christmas is only an octave away.

The ‘O’ Antiphons (also known as Greater Antiphons or the Great ‘O’) are ancient antiphons found in the liturgy that is prayed from December 17-23. They all begin with the invocation ‘O.’ They call to mind the ancient longing and pleading of the people of the Old Testament for a Saviour to come, invoking different Christological titles on the seven days before Christmas Eve. In praying these we remember the original yearning for the First Coming of Christ at Bethlehem, and echo the same waiting and supplication for the Emmanuel to come at Parousia, His Second Coming. The ‘O’ Antiphons take us through chronological order from before Creation to the birth of Christ at Bethlehem.

December 17: O Sapientia (O Wisdom)

December 18: O Adonai (O Lord and Ruler)

December 19: O Radix Jesse (O Root of Jesse)

December 20: O Clavis David (O Key of David)

December 21: O Oriens (O Dayspring)

December 22: O Rex Gentium (O King of Nations)

December 23: O Emmanuel (O God with Us)

You might recognize the antiphons as the same words in the favourite Advent hymn "O Come, O Come Emmanuel" 
 
Each day’s antiphon is recited before and after the Magnifi-cat in the Evening Prayer of the Liturgy of the also in the Alleluia versicle before the

Gospel at Mass. By the time we reach December 23, the backwards acrostic of the Latin initials of the Christological titles spell ERO CRAS: Tomorrow I will come.

O Wisdom—At God’s word, creation was formed; the Word issued from the mouth of God, the Son, came to earth; we ask prudence to keep on the paths of wisdom to come to His Kingdom.
O Lord and Ruler—God fulfilled His promises and redeemed the Israelites from the bondage of Egypt, and also unveiled the Law at Sinai; Jesus as Lord redeems mankind from the bondage of sin and bestows the gift of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. Parousia is often seen as a fulness of Pentecost.
O Root of Jesse (father of King David) —Jesse’s tree was cut down to the root, with only the stump remaining. Jesus revitalizes that root. He is the Vine and the Branches, of which requires pruning until Parousia.
O Key of David—Paradise was closed by the sin of Adam, but Jesus re-opens it with His Redemption. At the end of time there will be no more sin or obstructions to the Kingdom of God.

O Dayspring/Sun of Justice/Rising Sun—The prophets begged for deliverance from the darkness of death, which Jesus accomplished at His resurrection as the new Rising Sun. At Parousia this Light of the World will dispel any remaining sin and darkness.


O King of Nations—Israel in exile longed for the Kingdom of God; Jesus, Desire of Nations, extends this Kingdom to all peoples, Jews and Gentiles alike. At Parousia Je-sus will draw all things to Himself and His Kingdom will be fulfilled.
O Emmanuel—The sacred name revealed to Israel of Who was to come was fulfilled as Jesus, Emmanuel, God-with-us, with His enduring presence. This is the final Scriptural image of the apocalyptic vision in Revela-tion, seeking the ultimate promise of the Emmanuel at Parousia: "Surely I am coming soon. Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!" (Rev. 22:20).

Jennifer Gregory Miller Dec 16, 2019

  

*********************************

 

Anglican cleric, former chaplain to Queen

Elizabeth, to become Catholic

 December 17, 2019
 Rev. Gavin Ashenden, a former chaplain to Queen Eliza-beth, will be received into the Catholic Church next Sun-day. He explained: "I came to realise (too long after both Newman and Chesterton had already explained why) that only the Catholic Church, with the weight of the Magiste-rium, had the ecclesial integrity, theological maturity and spiritual potency to defend the Faith, renew society and save souls in the fullness of faith."

Afraid of going to confession? Pray this prayer for courage:

December 14-15 2019 3rd Sunday of Advent Parish Marian Year
 
 
Ask God to bring light into the darkness and help you run to the sacrament of his mercy.
Going to the sacrament of confession isn’t always easy. Often embarrassment or shame over our sins will prevent us from going to a priest to ask for God’s mercy. However, confession is good for the soul and can help lift many burdens we are carrying, giving us new life.

One way to prepare for that sacrament is to ask God for strength, courage and enlightenment. Sometimes we don’t go to confession because we can’t "think" of any sins. In reality, we sin every day, but we aren’t always observant enough to recognize our many failings.

Here is a prayer adapted from the Golden Manual that places all of these needs before God and is a prefect preparation for confession.
 O most merciful God, enlighten me, for you know all my ways and observe all my footsteps. Come, true light, and dispel the darkness of my heart, that I may see what in me is displeasing to you, and that with a contrite heart I may be sorry for my sins, rightly confess them, and amend my life. Send forth your light into my soul, and show to me all those sins which I ought to confess at this time.

Assist me by your grace, and grant me courage and strength, that I may be able to declare them to the priest, fully, humbly, and with a contrite heart, and so obtain perfect remission of my sins through your infinite goodness. Amen.

Philip Kosloski Aleteia Dec 12, 2019

*********************************

Ask the Holy Spirit to light a fire in your heart before Mass starts

 The Second Vatican Council encouraged the laity to embrace a "fully conscious and active participation" in the Mass. This was primarily aimed at a spiritual participation in the Mass, where those in the pews are fully present to what is happening in front of them and offering up their lives to God in union with the priest.

However, it is tempting for many of us to attend Mass and only warm the pew and not our hearts. We simply go through the mo-tions, and are not "consciously" participating in the liturgy.


One way to light a fire in our soul is to ask the Holy Spirit to in-flame our heart with a deep love of God and understanding of the Mass. We need the guidance of the Holy Spirit if we are to offer ourselves to God at Mass, preparing our hearts to receive Jesus in the Most Holy Eucharist.

Here is a short prayer from an 1876 prayer book that perfectly summarizes this desire and is a great way to get in the right spiri-tual mood before Mass begins.
Holy Spirit, fill my cold heart with love, that I may hear this Mass with much reverence and devotion.

Mary, my Mother, pray for me. My Guardian-angel, shield me from all vain and wandering thoughts.
  

Philip Kosloski Aleteia Dec 11, 2019

Thoughts from Padre Pio on the Rosary

November 30- December 1 2019
First Sunday of Advent

Be gone Satan
Satan wants to destroy this prayer, but in this he will never succeed. The Rosary is the prayer of those who triumph over everything and everyone. It was Our Lady who taught us this prayer, just as it was Jesus who taught us the Our Father.
 

Holding Mama’s hand
In times of darkness, holding the Rosary is like holding your Blessed Mother’s hand. Pray the Rosary every day. Abandon yourself in the hands of Mary. She will take care of you.  
 
Right beside her

The attention must be on the "Hail Mary" and to the greet-ings which you give to the Virgin and on the mysteries which you contemplate. She is present in all the mysteries and she participated in everything with love and pain.



Always and often
Love our Lady and make her loved; always recite the rosary and recite it as often as possible.
 

A prayer to Our Lady from Padre Pio:

Have pity on me! May one compassionate look of yours revive me, purify me and lift me up to God; raising me from the filth of this world that I may go to Him Who created me, Who regenerated me in Holy Baptism, giving me back my white stole of innocence that original sin had so defiled. Dear Mother, make me love Him!

 

***********************************

Miracle attributed to Carlo Acutis given the OK from doctors

November 23-24 2019:
Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe

Theologians must weigh in, but beatification of young "computer geek" now expected

The Medical Council of the Congregation for Saints’ Causes has expressed a positive opinion on an alleged miracle attributed to the intercession of young Carlo Acutis, who died of leukemia at age 15 in 2006. He was declared venerable in 2018.
 
The miracle regards the healing of a gravely ill boy in Brazil.

Now the opinion of the Theological Commission is awaited.


"We continue to pray that the Lord will soon glorify his servant, to encourage the journey of holiness of the whole Church, especially the young," commented Archbishop Domenico Sorrentino of Assisi. Assisi is where an eventual beatification will likely take place.

Earlier this year, it was reported that Carlo’s body was found incorrupt.

The youth is known for his interest in technology. One of Carlo’s most significant computer ventures was cataloguing all the Eucharistic miracles of the world. He started the project when he was 11 years old and wrote at the time, "The more Eucharist we receive, the more we will become like Jesus, so that on this earth we will have a foretaste of Heaven."

Kathleen N. Hattrup, Aleteia, Nov 16, 2019

This is the daily schedule John Paul II had as a teenager

November 16-17   2019: 33rd  Sunday in Ordinary Time.

John Paul II called the schedule set by his father his "first seminary" that inspired him to become a priest.

John Paul II’s road to the papacy and to the heights of sanctity began while he was in high school. At this point he had experienced the deep pain of loss. Both his mother and his only sibling died during his child-hood, leaving him alone with his father.


This could have led to a sorrowful life for young John Paul II, but instead he clung tightly to his father (Karol Sr.) and they both turned to God. Drawing from his own time in the military, Karol Sr. developed a rigor-ous schedule that they both kept each day.

Rising early in the morning, father and son would say their morning prayers, attend morning Mass at 7:00, and eat breakfast before school started. John Paul II was an altar boy and served the daily Mass he attended with his father.

At the end of the school day, there was time for play, homework, and walks together after supper. They would read the Bible, pray the Rosary, and have deep discussions about faith.
Looking back at his childhood, John Paul II was eternally grateful for the example of his father, who provided for him his "first seminary" and gave him the foundation needed to continue in his quest for holiness. It would also provide the first seeds of a vocation to the priesthood, although at the beginning, he was reluctant to accept the call of the Lord.
It is said that sons need good fathers in order to become a fully formed man, capable of fulfilling their vocation to fatherhood, whether as a priest or in a family. John Paul II had one of the best fathers a son could ever have, and so it is no surprise that he devel-oped into a confident man, ready to change the world.

As John Paul II would repeatedly say during his pon-tificate, "The family is the ‘first and vital cell of society’ … The future of the world and of the Church, therefore, passes through the family."

Philip Kosloski , Aleteia, Oct 19, 2019

Pope: Before making a major decision, imagine yourself on the Last Day

November 9-10 2019: 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time
Month of Prayer for the Holy Souls
 


Pope: Before making a major decision, imagine yourself on the Last Day
During his annual Mass for the deceased cardinals and bishops of the past year, Pope Francis points to the end of time.

Each November the Pope offers a special Mass for the repose of the souls of all the cardinals and bishops who have died in the past year. This year Pope Francis focused on the Last Day in his homily, referring to a passage from the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola.


THIRTY - SECOND SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME



He said, "Saint Ignatius suggests that before making any important decision, we should imagine ourselves standing before God at the end of time. That is the final and inevitable moment, one that all of us will have to face. Every life decision, viewed from that perspective, will be well directed, since it is closer to the resurrection, which is the meaning and purpose of life."

Pope Francis then quoted St. Ignatius to reinforce the image, "Saint Ignatius writes: ‘Let me consider myself as standing in the presence of my judge on the last day, and reflect what decision on the present matter I would then wish to have made; I will choose now the rule of life that I would then wish to have observed’ (Spiritual Exercises, 187). It can be a helpful exercise to view reality through the eyes of the Lord and not only through our own; to look to the future, the resurrection, and not only to this passing day; to make choices that have the flavor of eter-nity, the taste of love."

To conclude his homily, Pope Francis presented a series of questions that he urged all Christians to consider in their daily life.


Do I go forth from myself each day in order to come to the Lord? Do I feel and practice compassion for those in need? Do I make important decisions in the sight of God? Let us allow ourselves to be challenged at least by one of these three thoughts. We will be more attuned to the desire that Jesus expresses in today’s Gospel: that he lose nothing of what the Father has given him.

 Philip Kosloski, Aleteia, Nov 05, 2019

***********************************

Pray this prayer to St Joseph for a ‘happy death.’

O Blessed Joseph, who yielded up thy last breath in the arms of Jesus and Mary, obtain for me this grace, O holy Joseph, that I may breathe forth my soul in praise, saying in spirit, if I am unable to do so in words: "Jesus, Mary and Joseph, I give Thee my heart and my soul."

Amen

 ***********************************

"Guard your laws as you would guard your walls."

Heraclitus, c. 535 BC – 475 BC

***********************************

Where is Purgatory in the Bible?

October 26-27 2019: 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time.

Where is Purgatory in the Bible?
Question: I have an Evangelical friend at work who claims that the Catholic belief in Purgatory is not scriptural. What should I say to him?
 

Answer: 2 Sam 12:13-18, "David said to Nathan, ‘I have sinned against the Lord.’ And Nathan said to David, ‘The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die. Nev-ertheless, because by this deed you have utterly scorned the Lord, the child that is born to you shall die.’ And the Lord struck the child that Uriah’s wife bore to David, and it became sick…On the seventh day the child died." Catholic Scriptural Principle #1 – there is punishment for sin even after one has received forgiveness.

Rev 21:27, "But nothing unclean shall enter it…" The New Jerusalem – Heaven. Catholic Scriptural Principle #2 – nothing unclean, nothing with the stain of sin, will enter Heaven

Mt 5:48, "You, therefore, must be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect." That’s because of Principle #2 – nothing unclean will get into Heaven.

Heb 12:22-23, "But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living god, the heavenly Jerusalem...and to a judge who is God of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect…" The spirits of just men, made perfect. Catholic Scriptural Principle #3 – there is a way, a process, through which the spirits of the "just" are "made perfect."

1 Cor 3:13-15, "…each man’s work will become mani-fest; for the Day [judgment day] will disclose it, because it will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work which any man has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire." Where is this place that a man, after he dies, suffers loss, as through fire, but is still saved. Hell? No, once you’re in Hell, you don’t get out. Heaven? No, you don’t suffer loss in Heaven.
 

THIRTIETH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME


Mt 12:32, "And whoever says a word against the Son of man will be forgiven; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come." Implies forgiveness in the age to come. Where can you go to be forgiven in the age to come? Heaven? You don’t need forgiveness. Hell? There is no forgiveness. Catholic Scriptural Principle #4 – there is a place, or state of being, other than Heaven or Hell.

Now, let’s summarize these four scriptural principles: There is punishment for sin even after one has received forgiveness. We have to be perfect as the Father is per-fect, because nothing unclean will enter Heaven. There is some way, or process, by which the spirits of the just are made perfect. There is a place besides Heaven or Hell where you can suffer loss, yet be saved, but only as through fire; and where you can be forgiven of sins from a previous age. It all adds up to one inevitable conclusion - the Catholic teaching on Purgatory is indeed scriptural.

John Martignoni is Catholic apologist and Bible scholar. He is the Founder and President of the Bible Christian So-ciety, where you can find lots of free apologetics materials — CD's, mp3 downloads, e-newsletters, and more, and host of EWTN’s "Open Line" airing on Mondays at 3 p.m. EST.

***********************************
Saint John Henry Newman:
"From the time that I became a Catholic, of course I have no further history of my religious opinions to narrate. In saying this, I do not mean to say that my mind has been idle, or that I have given up thinking on theological subjects; but that I have had no variations to record, and have had no anxiety of heart whatever.



I have been in perfect peace and contentment; I never have had one doubt. I was not conscious to myself, on my conversion, of any change, intellectual or moral, wrought in my mind. I was not conscious of firmer faith in the fundamental truths of Revelation, or of more self-command; I had not more fervour; but it was like coming into port after a rough sea; and my happiness on that score remains to this day without interruption." Apologia, Chapter V.

"I want a laity, not arrogant, not rash in speech, not disputatious; but men who know their religion, who enter into it, who know just where they stand, who know what they believe and what they do not, who know their creed so well that they can give an account of it, who know so much of history that they can defend it. I want an intelligent, well-instructed laity."


 ***********************************

The Rosary made him late … and saved may lives!

October 19-20 2019: 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time.

The Rosary made him late … and saved may lives!
In 1932, my grandfather worked as a slate mason in a German mine near Luxembourg. Every morning he would go to work on foot, while reciting his Rosary. At that time there were no buses yet. The trip took half an hour one way, so he used this time to pray.

One morning, after walking a big part of the way, he suddenly realized that he had forgotten his rosary. He considered what to do: Should he continue walking or go back to pick it up? He made up his mind and ran back home, then ran to work. He nevertheless ended up being 10 minutes late for work. His workmates had to wait for him because as the head of the team he had the keys to the gate. Together, they started for the mine.

Just as they were about to go down, they heard a sound similar to distant thunder. The men looked at each other, seized with a great fear: something must have collapsed! Part of the mountain had crumbled down. Thank God, there were no miners inside the mine! After a first inspection, they discovered that huge rocks had come loose inside and obstructed several galleries...

If my grandfather had not been late on that day, many work-ers would have perished in this disaster, including him! All recognized the protection of God and the Blessed Virgin in this event. When he got home, my grandfather told me the news, and I was thoroughly shocked.

Since then, the Rosary has been honoured in our family. We should never forget that it has saved us from many misfortunes.
 Inge Kowalski, in "Retendes Gottes volk" Collected by Fr Albert Pfleger, Marist, for the Collection of Marian Stories.

***********************************

TWENTY-NINTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME


 
Holocaust survivor Viktor Frankl makes surprising comment about happiness




Self-transendance is what actually gives us meaning, according to the famous psychologist and author.
Before he was captured by the Nazis and thrown into a concentration camp during World War II, Viktor Frankl was an accomplished neurologist, psychiatrist, and professor. But his experience of the worst kind of suffering and affronts to human dignity taught him invaluable lessons about human nature, hope, and happiness.
 After escaping from the camps that killed his wife, parents, and brother, Frankl went on to found Logotherapy, inspired by the idea that the most powerful force in a human’s life is the desire for mean-ing, which Frankl wrote about in his best-selling book about his survival, Man’s Search for Meaning.

Before his death in 1977 at the age of 92, Frankl was interviewed on the CBC’s Man Alive and two excerpts from that show demonstrate why he remains so influential — and even counter-cultural. Frankl, who received 29 honorary doctoral degrees and many prestigious awards, said that the phrase "the pursuit of happiness," is a contradiction in terms:

‘Happiness can never be really pursued; happiness is a by-product — and must remain that way — of pursuing a task or a person other than yourself. This becomes most obvious in sexual neuroses … precisely in so far as a person is hunting, chasing, pursuing his own happiness and pleasure, he is doomed to failure … The more you give yourself, the more you forget yourself, in love or in work, for the sake of a cause to serve or a person to love, you will become happy precisely by not caring for happiness, by overlooking and forget-ting whether you are happy or not.’

This is what self-transcendence is about, according to Frankl — not being primarily concerned with yourself, but something — or better yet — someone other than yourself. "Man becomes himself, man actualizes his self, man is human precisely to the extent to which he is not concerned with himself …"
 
(aleteia.org/2017/05/05)

 

***********************************