Awareness of God

Welcome to the weekly meme hosted by Colleen at Thoughts on Grace. This habit of reflecting on moments touched by God is a great leveler of the highs and lows we all go through.  Finding God present with us, whether we go to Him or He comes to us, is a reason for thanksgiving – a wonderful motivation for participating in the great thanksgiving of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.

This is my only blog post this week.  A dear friend is going through the savage emotional turmoil of separating from her husband of many years. Devout Catholics don’t do this lightly and she is suffering greatly.  I’ve been devoting quite a bit of time over the past two weeks to listening and helping her sort through difficult issues so I haven’t been trying to blog. In my mind’s eye we are standing at the foot of the Cross offering these trials to Jesus.  He is the only one who can lighten her load. In my life I’ve seen that going through times like these is an opportunity to surrender to God, to let Him take the lead, to submit to His claim on us. When we step out into what appears to be darkness and uncertainty putting one foot in front of the other, we find His light and the generous blessings He is waiting to give us. Suffering can be a Sabbath Moment even though it doesn’t feel good.

Psalm 107

This morning’s Office of Prime contains Psalm 107, an expression of trust in God in the time of battle.  These verses stood out for me today:

Give us aid against the foe, for worthless is the help of men.

Under God we shall do valiantly; it is He who will tread down our foes.

I love these words because they acknowledge God as all powerful and ourselves in need of His help to overcome our foes: the world, the flesh, and the devil. Men cannot help us.  Only the grace of God can do this. Surrendering to Him and allowing the Holy Spirit to work in us enables us to overcome these three valiantly, that is, intrepidly.  We need have no fear, only confidence.  We can fight off any threat to our spiritual well-being and gain control over our unruly selfishness by simply asking God for aid and accepting it, then using it. Although we are co-operating, “it is He who will tread down our foes.”

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V. Praised be Jesus Christ!

R. Now and forever. Amen.

(Click on the link above to read why I am ending my posts with this.)

Awareness of God

Welcome to Sabbath Moments, a Saturday meme hosted by Colleen at Thoughts on Grace.  Visit her to read of moments other bloggers had when “being” with God rather than “doing” touched their lives, and when they found Him in the ordinary.

This week Roger and I judged the 4H photography entries for the county.  Although there were less than 20 entries, we found some real talent in those young people.  The top blue ribbon went to a young man who captured a moment of God’s majesty in a lightening storm.  On the left was half a rainbow.  From the right, reaching across a gloomy sky to the rainbow were two bolts of lightening. The young man who captured this moment on film was only 15.

I love to see how God blesses His children with talents and I loved writing suggestions for improvement to each of the kids who worked hard to submit images.  We don’t know what plans God has for these young people, but we do know that they will help others find Him in beauty.

This morning in the Divine Office of the Blessed Virgin on Saturday the lesson from Prime comes from Cant. 2:10-17.  For years I’ve pondered its meaning and today I finally understood at least a little of it.  This passage is the Church, the Bride of Christ speaking of the Savior who “feeds among the lilies” (the pure and chaste) until the day break (the 2^nd coming) and the shadows retire (no more death, suffering, demonic power against His bride).

My Beloved speaks to me: Arise, make haste, my love, my dove, my beautiful one, and come.  For winter is now past, the rains are over and gone.  The flowers have appeared in our land, the time of pruning is come: the voice of the turtle is heard in our land.  The fig tree has budded her green figs; the vines in flower yield their sweet scent.  Arise, my love, my beautiful one, and come.  My dove in the clefts of the rocks, in the hollow place of the wall, show me thy face, let thy  voice sound in my ears; for thy voice is sweet and thy face comely.  My beloved to me and I to him who feeds among the lilies, till the day break and the shadows retire.

I know there is much more symbolism to ponder in this passage, but I’m thrilled to have finally gotten a start in probing the depths.  My takeaway from this sudden burst of understanding is that we must spend time every day looking for scriptural understanding, whether it be in reputable blogs, books, or meditation.  If I had not stumbled upon a convert’s post about the psalms being the prayer of the Church, I would not have thought to look at this passage as the Bride of Christ speaking of Her relationship with our Savior.

Today is the feast of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel.  I believe the Blessed Mother gave me this sudden gift of understanding today, even though I don’t deserve it.  But isn’t that what a loving mother does – gives her kids signs of affection just because?

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V. Praised be Jesus Christ!

R. Now and forever. Amen.

(Click on the link above to read why I am ending my posts with this.)

Yesterday I wrote about the Rogation Days and how, even if we can’t participate in the sacred liturgy these three days before the Ascension, we can pray the Litany of the Saints on our own as a way of uniting with the universal Church in this time of pleading for God’s mercy on the earth.

Christ in Glory, 1597-98, oil on canvas, Annibale Carracci (b.1560, Bologna, d. 1609, Roma), Galleria Palatina (Palazzo Pitti), Florence

The Church has only a few official litanies and the Litany of the Saints could be ranked as #1 because it is the only one that has a place in the sacred liturgy. If you’ve ever been to an Easter Vigil service, you prayed the Litany of the Saints.  It is also prayed as part of the rite of ordination for priests, and is a central part of the Rogation Days procession and liturgy.

When you see the Rogation procession, it is an outward sign of the communion of saints which is made all the more present to us through this great litany. With the eyes of faith we know that all the angels and saints of heaven are marching with us, a holy throng petitioning the Holy Trinity.

Whether chanted in Latin or in English, the Litany is beautiful in its simplicity and feeling.  It is the longest of all the official litanies, too.  This often results in the completion of the litany in the church itself because most parishes observing the Rogation Days don’t have that many people in procession.

Some of the petitions are poignant.  You will find some permanently enshrined as verse and response in the Divine Office.  Some are lifted and used as a single petition in a fitting circumstance.  Among them you will find petitions that fit all our various needs of the moment as well as those that address lifetime needs.

In one part of the litany we end each petition with libera nos, Domine - deliver us, O Lord.  I can still hear it in my head from when I was a child – an impressive sound from us on earth joined with the unsounded voices of the angels and saints.  Some petitions ending in libera nos, Domine:

From all sin,

From Thy wrath,

From sudden and unprovided death,

From the snares of the devil,

From anger, hatred, and all ill will,

From the spirit of uncleanness,

From lightning and tempest,

From the scourge of earthquake,

From plague, famine, and war,

From everlasting death.

In a subsequent part of the litany, the end of each petition is chanted: te rogamus audi nos – we beseech Thee, hear us.  Some of those petitions are:

That Thou wouldst humble the enemies of holy Church was prayed by the priests of the Dachau concentration camp after every Mass they were fortunate enough to celebrate in that awful camp.

That Thou wouldst give and preserve from harm the fruits of the earth – would that all the starving people of this world would cry this to the heavens.

That Thou wouldst lift up our minds to heavenly desires…

Then there are the final petitions, among which are:

In Thy clemency, O Lord, show Thine unspeakable mercy to us: that Thou mayest both loose us from all our sins, and deliver us from the punishments which we deserve for them.

O God, Who by sin art offended, and by penance pacified, mercifully regard the prayers of Thy people making supplication to Thee, and turn away the scourges of Thine anger, which we deserve for our sins.

O God, from Whom are all holy desires, right counsels, and just works, give unto Thy servants that peace which the world cannot give; that both our hearts, given over to Thy commands, and our times, the fear of our foes removed, may by Thy protection be peaceful.

Go before, we beseech Thee, O Lord, our actions by Thine inspirations, and further them by Thine assistance; that every word and work of ours may begin always from Thee, and by Thee be likewise ended.

With the condition our world is in, I can’t think of a more powerful petition to God, nor a more powerful reminder of our own weak state, than this litany.

St. Teresa of Avila always referred to God as “His Majesty.”  The Rogation Days and the Litany of the Saints remind us powerfully in words and bodily action that He indeed is His Majesty before whom all must bow, upon whom we are all dependent, and without whom we can do nothing good.

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V.  Praised be Jesus Christ!

R.  Now and forever.  Amen.

(Click on the link above to read why I am ending my posts with this.)

Awareness of God

Welcome to Sabbath Moments where Catholic bloggers join Colleen at Thoughts on Grace to share times during the week when we find God in the ordinary and when we rested in the Lord.

The iris started blooming this week and they are truly gorgeous.  They seem to be more prolific than ever before.  Here is a digital painting I did of one of the many colors we have.

The “Will Goodwin” clematis we planted around the light pole in the front yard is also blooming.  Every year it has more blooms and is a color my dad (RIP) really loved.  This digital painting of it is one he especially enjoyed.

On Monday early in the morning a cardinal sat just outside my open window and sang for all he was worth.  It was exciting to hear him that close.  When I got up to peek at him he took off.  A case of meant to be heard and not seen!

In the hour of Lauds from the Divine Office this Easter season, we have the short reading from St. Paul’s epistle to the Collosians, 3:1-2.

If you have risen with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.  Mind the things that are above, not the things that are on earth.

I spent time meditating on this scripture throughout the week and will continue to do so throughout the Easter season.  To me it’s about detachment from worldly things and worldly pursuits for their own sake.  So I am considering the following:

• What are the “things that are above”?
• How attached am I to things which will pass away?
• Am I a good steward of the things God has loaned to me – my body, mind, soul?  My home, my garden, my dog, the car?  My family, friends, and other relationships?
• Are worldly events, national events, local events distracting me from my relationship with God?

This Bible verse can provoke more questions than these, but for now, this is plenty to consider.  And now, I must be about grocery shopping where I will thank the Lord for the food He is giving us.

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V.  Praised be Jesus Christ!

R.  Now and forever.  Amen.

(Click on the link above to read why I am ending my posts with this.)

Immaculate and Sorrowful Heart of Mary

Every now and then, a scripture passage grabs ahold of me and won’t let go.  All during Lent the Magnificat antiphon for weekdays, absent a particular feast, haunts my mind.  I find myself contemplating it at odd times and places.  It seems a perfect fit to introduce Mary’s beautiful prayer at Vespers – she was the most clean of heart of all God’s creatures.

A clean heart create in me, O God, and a steadfast spirit renew within me.

Found in Psalm 51:10, these words summarize what we are doing in Lent – repenting, letting God clean up our hearts, and resolving to remain on the upright path of the Lord.

Random thoughts on the first part:

• A clean heart is a pure heart.
• The pure of heart shall see God (Matt. 5: 8).
• The pure heart is undivided.  It is focused on God and godly pursuits.
• The pure heart is detached from the things of this world, using them only in service of the greater work of getting to heaven.
• The pure heart rejoices in doing the will of God.
• The pure heart is full of charity which bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things (1 Cor. 13: 7).
• The pure heart reflects the face of Christ to all.
• When we ask God to create a clean heart in us, we admit we cannot do it of our own volition.  Only He can give us the grace to be so.
• To ask for a clean heart implies that we know we have sinned.  God gave us the grace to see our sinfulness and to ask Him for forgiveness.  Compunction accompanies purity of heart.
• God creating a clean heart in us is a sign of His divine mercy, compassion, and love.

Simon of Cyrene Helps Jesus Carry the Cross, c. 1565, Titian (Tiziano) (b. 1490, Pieve di Cadore, d. 1576, Venezia), Oil on canvas, Museo del Prado, Madrid

Random thoughts on the second part:

• A steadfast spirit is an upright spirit that holds to God’s will.  It cannot be swayed by power or wealth or promise of any earthly reward.
• To ask God to renew a steadfast spirit in us implies that we have given in to temptation, waffling where we should have planted our feet firmly and refused to budge from “the Way, the Truth, and the Life” (John 14: 6).
• God renews a steadfast spirit within us by grace.  Again, we must ask for it.  In asking, we admit our helplessness to do it on our own.
• A steadfast spirit is upheld by the power of God and cannot be torn down regardless of the persecution it faces.
• The steadfast spirit walks the Way of the Cross with Jesus, imitating Him in faithfulness to the Father.
• The steadfast spirit is yoked to Christ, Who makes the burden light (Matt. 11: 30).
• The steadfast spirit bears the burden of souls with Christ, praying for deliverance and salvation of sinners.
• The steadfast spirit shines with the light of Christ (John 8: 12; Matt. 5: 14).
• The steadfast spirit combined with a pure heart bestows moral authority on our actions.

I walk the Way of the Cross in Mary’s company whose clean heart and steadfast spirit loved without reserve.  May I be granted a similar faithfulness and attachment to the will of God.

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V.  Praised be Jesus Christ!

R.  Now and forever.  Amen.

(Click on the link above to read why I am ending my posts with this.)

Welcome to Sabbath Moments, those times during the week when we are quiet with God or aware of Him acting in our lives.  Please join us with a post of your own by visiting Colleen at Thoughts on Grace and signing up on Mr. Linky.

Every morning when I pray the Divine Office, our part Boxer girl joins me on the bed and snuggles up tight.  She is absolutely quiet.  I thank God for this rescue dog who is ever an example of what my trust in God and devotion to Him should be.  She is a joy, great for laughs, and a wonderful companion.

My relationship with Francie reminds me of Proverbs 8: 30-31: I was with him forming all things: and was delighted every day, playing before him at all times; Playing in the world: and my delights were to be with the children of men.

It was Christ’s delight to be with us, the children of men, playing before the Father.  Sometimes I forget that Jesus wishes us to delight in Him the way He delights in us. Francie brings that message home to me.

Want to subscribe to posts by email? Visit the third box in the sidebar.

V.  Praised be Jesus Christ!

R.  Now and forever.  Amen.

(Click on the link above to read why I am ending my posts with this.)

Tomorrow we begin the wonderful O Antiphons, chanted before and after the Magnificat at Vespers. Last Advent I posted the antiphon for each day with a short commentary.  Please join me in using these links every day to pray the O Antiphons again this year.

December 17: O Sapientia – O Wisdom

December 18: O Adonai

December 19: O Radix Jesse – O Root of Jesse

December 20: O Clavis David – O Key of David

December 21: O Rising Dawn – O Oriens

December 22: O Rex Gentium – O King of the Gentiles

December 23: O Emmanuel

Most Catholics are familiar with the Advent hymn “O come, O come Emmanuel”.  The O Antiphons are the source of this hymn.  Here is the great Hungarian composer, Zoltan Kodaly’s rendering of the Gregorian chant with polyphony by L’Accorche-Choeur, Ensemble vocal Fribourg. Wouldn’t you love to hear this at your parish?

Thank you for stopping by and God bless you.

V.  Praised be Jesus Christ!

R.  Now and forever.  Amen.

(Click on the link above to read why I am ending my posts with this.)

Immaculate Conception c.1626, Peter Pauwel Reubens, oil on canvas, Museo del Prado, Madrid

This is my all time favorite painting of the Immaculate Conception. Perhaps it is because of the gold Reubens used to paint the rays and the stars.  Surely the biblical symbolism is wonderfully executed.

From today’s liturgy:

Introit: Is. 61:10

I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, and my soul shall be joyful in my God: for He hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, and with the robe of justice He hath covered me, as a bride adorned with her jewels.

Collect:

O God, Who, by the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin, didst prepare for Thy Son a worthy habitation, we beseech Thee, that as Thou didst preserve her from every stain by the foreseen death of this Thy Son, so Thou wouldst grant that we also being cleansed from the guilt by her intercession, may come to Thee.  Through the same our Lord Jesus Christ, Who lives and reigns with Thee in the unity of the Holy Spirit, world without end.  Amen.

Gradual: Jud. 13:23; 15:10

Blessed art thou, O Virgin Mary, by the Lord the most high God, above all women upon the earth.  Thou art the glory of Jerusalem, thou art the joy of Israel, thou art the honor of our people.

Alleluia: Cant. 4:7

Alleluia, alleluia.  Thou art all fair, O Mary, and the original stain was never in thee.  Alleluia.

Offertory: Lk. 1:28

Hail, Mary, full of grace; the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women, alleluia.

Vespers of the Divine Office:

V.  Today is the Immaculate Conception of the holy Virgin Mary.

R.  Who with her virginal foot crushed the head of the serpent.

Today at Mass I found myself pondering: Imagine a life without concupiscence. Then I was reading Father Lovasik’s book on Kindness and found this quote from St. John Vianney: “We must ask for the love of crosses, and then they become sweet.”

A life without concupiscence is a life without sin.  To be without sin is to be modeled after Jesus and Mary.  To be without sin happens when we truly love the cross.

V.  Praised be Jesus Christ!

R.  Now and forever.  Amen.

(Click on the link above to read why I am ending my posts with this.)

Welcome to Sabbath Moments, hosted by Colleen at Thoughts on Grace, where we share those special moments we’ve had from and with God during the week.

1.  This week a dear neighbor died.  He was 56 years old and had given the past 17 years of his life to caring for his diabetic mother who died in June.  Russ was a special person who was shy and retiring but a great conversationalist frequently joining his mom and me at their kitchen table to shoot the breeze.  He fixed our lawn mower more than once and the snowblower, too.

I was grateful to be able to pray the Divine Office for the Dead for him this week as a Sabbath Moment.  We never know when God’s job for us is finished on this earth.  It made me ask myself, am I ready to go?

2.  Although the fall colors are not very good this year, driving to the fitness center we saw a few really gorgeous red maples.  The wonders of nature are the wonders of God.

3.  I got some extra prayer time this week thinking about the life of Mary and Joseph – what they might have said and how they might have prepared for the trip to Bethlehem – a teen aged girl over 8 months pregnant riding on a donkey part of the time and walking the rest of the time for three days, only to have great difficulty finding a private place to have the baby.   God’s plan for the human race is made up of plans for each and every person, just as He had plans for Mary and Joseph.

V.  Praised be Jesus Christ!

R.  Now and forever.  Amen.

(Click on the link above to read why I am ending my posts with this.)

Cometary knots in the Helix Nebula

Another prayer from the Hour of Prime prayed daily by those keeping the 1962 liturgical books…

I manipulated the Hubble image at the left by saturating the colors, rotating it, and rendering it as an oil painting with none of the detail of the original.  Then I laid down the script to make another prayer card which you may copy if you wish.  I love the colors and wish this photo would inspire a textile designer to create a woven or print fabric for a long dress!  (Sorry, guys – maybe a shirt?)

The following information from APOD tells the context of the cometary knots.  If you click on “Helix Nebula” you will see the very famous telescope photo called “The Eye of God”.

The Helix Nebula is the closest example of a planetary nebula created at the end of the life of a Sun-like star. The Helix Nebula, given a technical designation of NGC 7293, lies about 700 light-years away towards the constellation of Aquarius.

Praise the Lord from the heavens, praise Him in the heights;

Praise Him, all you His angels, praise him, all you His hosts.

Praise Him, sun and moon; praise Him, all you shining stars. (Psalm 148: 1-3)

Welcome to Sunday Snippets where Catholic bloggers link to their favorite posts of the week.  Anyone is welcome to join in the fun.

This week I didn’t post much, even though I had good intentions.  I just got overtaken with duties and only so much energy to accomplish them. Nevertheless, I’ve managed to keep to my 1/2 hour of spiritual reading every day but one.  This Lent my book is Romano Guardini’s The Art of Praying: The Principles and Methods of Christian Prayer which I started a few years ago and never finished.  It’s one of my top 10 recommended for Lent.

This week I was determined to conquer one aspect of the digital art program I use.  It resulted in my post on a prayer from the Divine Office of Prime superimposed on a Hubble photograph of Pismus 24.  I hope to create more of these as time goes on.

I researched and wrote an article on the history of Ash Wednesday which is here.  The clip art was black and white, but I used my digital art program to add color.

This week I read The Last Train from Hiroshima: The Survivors Look Back (John MacRae Books)by Charles Pellegrino and will be reviewing the book soon.  The survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki saw the heart of hell and endured as eye witnesses of the greatest evil created by man.  A great and holy man, Dr. Paul Takashi Nagai, born into Shintoism, turned atheist and finally Catholic is revered by all Japanese for his wisdom and approach to healing from the wounds of the bombs.  Today I checked a book out from the church library about him: A Song for Nagasaki: The Story of Takashi Nagai-Scientist, Convert, and Survivor of the Atomic Bomb.  If you like Asian history or world history, these books provide valuable insight into the dynamics of the War in the Pacific.  The first should be required reading for all high schoolers and the second for Catholics from teens on up.

Today I add one more Kseniya Simonova sand art piece.  Although I can’t read Russian, I got it that she had a friend whose baby died.  What a memorial!  God bless everyone, stay safe, and pray for the conversion of hearts to God.

The hour of Prime from the Divine Office is my favorite.  It was suppressed after Vatican II when a totally new breviary came out, but those who stay with the 1962 liturgical books pray it every day. This is one of two beautiful prayers which I superimposed over a star shot from NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day.  I adjusted the color intensity and made some changes to accommodate the need for script visibility.  You can print it out and use it for a prayer card.

Pismus 24 is one of my favorite images taken by the Hubble telescope.   Originally astronomers thought it was one star, but the excellent pictures taken by Hubble show that Pismus derives its luminosity from not one but at least 3 stars. Toward the bottom of the image, stars are still forming in the associated emission nebula NGC 6357.

“The heavens are telling the glory of God…” (Ps 19: 1)

Hoar frost on viburnam

This morning when I woke up, what did my wondering eyes behold but spectacular hoar frost on everything.  This phenomena occurs every now and then in the Ozarks and thanks to my very nice husband, I have some photos to share with you.

On clear, frosty nights, God works His wonders, readying winter beauty to greet the dawn.  If vegetation or objects have been chilled below freezing by radiation cooling, ice crystals form and the fragile pointy thorns create a fantasy world we glimpse only until the sun melts them with its warmth.  Radiation cooling is the process by which a body loses its heat by radiation and that’s enough science for today.

Gods gift this morning reminded me of the canticle of Daniel in the Divine Office hour of Sunday Lauds (praise).  The third chapter, verse 69 calls out:

Frost and cold, bless the Lord; praise and exalt Him above all forever.

Through Daniel we find ourselves realizing that our poor efforts at praise need the help of all creation. Beginning with verse 57 through verse 90 we call upon the heavens, the earth, the angels, spirits of the just and men to praise and bless the Lord, ending with joyful thanks for deliverance from the powers of hell and death through the salvation Jesus brings.

The fence post is cropped from a larger photo and colored sepia.  the hoary tentacles reminded me of the head of Medusa, hence the title of the picture.

Hoar frost on fence with honeysuckle behind.

This image makes a brilliant graphic statement.  Roger has a real eye for this kind of thing.

Greenbridge

Frosty trees  set off a country bridge near home.  Locals call it “Greenbridge”.  You can see the river underneath on the right.

Forming a perfect background for the hoary branches, still water mirrors the trees on the river bank at the city park.  Cropped from a larger image.

Branch over the river

Lastly, a view from the bridge upriver.  The trees appear to be embracing all the sky.  Cropped image from a larger composition.

On the river bank

These images are copyrighted, but if you want to use them  you may as long as you credit Barb Schoeneberger and Roger Prai and if you would, please donate a little to this site.

Today the Church celebrates with joy the advent of our Savior, Jesus Christ, through the Immaculate Conception of His mother, Mary, in the womb of her mother, St. Anne.  We celebrate the sublime privilege by which Mary was preserved from Original Sin from the beginning of her conception by the power of God.

Immaculate Conception c.1626, Peter Pauwel Reubens, oil on canvas, Museo del Prado, Madrid

 A Painting for this Feast 

This beautiful painting of Our Lady under the title of “Immaculate Conception” portrays Mary as the woman of Revelations 12:1.  She is the one promised by God in Genesis 3:15.  It is one of my favorites because of the rendition of colors and technique and because of the rich symbolism Reubens included.  Great religious art is always meant to convey the truth of the revealed Word of God, and can be a great aid to prayer.  Reubens accomplished this for me as it fills my heart with joy to contemplate what God has done for us in the Blessed Virgin.

Mary in Today’s Liturgy

Mary was not only the daughter of God, she was Mother of the Son and bride of the Holy Spirit.  For this reason she could not be permitted to suffer the impurity of Original Sin, but was instead filled with grace (Lk. 1:28) from the very beginning of her conception (Cant. 4: 7). Without Original Sin, she lacked the concupiscence we all inherit from Adam and Eve and thus remained sinless throughout her life. 

At Vespers of the Divine Office today the Church chants the Magnificat antiphon:

All generations shall call me blessed, because He that is mighty hath done great things for me, alleluia.

The prayer at Mass and at the end of each hour of the Divine Office is:

O God, Who by the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin didst prepare a worthy dwelling-place for Thy divine Son; grant, we beseech thee, that, as by the foreseen merits of the death of this, Thy Son, Thou didst preserve her from every stain of sin, we also may, through her intercession, be cleansed from our sins and united with Thee.  Through the same Our Lord Jesus Christ, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, world without end.  Amen.

History of the Celebration

The early Fathers of the Church taught this dogma which they inherited from the Apostles.  Dom Prosper Guerenger, the great Benedictine monastic and liturgical reformer of the 19th century, tells us in his first volume on the Liturgical Year that  

1. by the 500s, the feast was celebrated in the Eastern Church,
2. by the 700s in Spain,
3. by the 800s in Naples,
4. by the time of Charlemagne in France,
5. by 1066 in England,
6. by 1049 in Germany,
7. by 1142 in Belgium.

History shows that it was Pope Sixtus IV who published the decree for the celebration of  Our Lady’s Conception in Rome in 1476.  Pope St. Pius V included the feast in the universal edition of the Roman breviary in 1568. 

A Celebration of God’s Omnipotence and Mercy

This great and joyful feast is a celebration of God’s love and glory, His omnipotence and mercy towards man.  He knows how weak we are, and has taken pity on us.  Not only did the Father send us His Son to free us from our slavery to sin through the Immaculate Virgin, He gave us in her a loving Mother (Jn 19: 26-27) whose example of purity and fidelity to God’s will shows us the way to turn our feet. 

We who were not conceived without sin have a Brother who is God and a Mother who was without any stain of sin and is perfectly united to Him.  She is, moreover, a human being who experienced the same kinds of pain and suffering we suffer as human beings, save sin.  She knows our plight.  Whatever God the Father asks of us, no matter how difficult it seems, we can find joy and peace following the example of Mary, the human being who most closely imitated His Son, Jesus.  It pleases Him that we honor this most beautiful of His creations.  We are truly blessed.

Behold, I, John, saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun, having the seal of the living God; and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, who had it in their power to harm the earth and the sea, saying: do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads.

The prayer for the day, said at Mass and after each hour of the Divine Office is:

Almighty and everlasting God, who hast given us in one feast to venerate the merits of all Thy saints; we beseech Thee through the multitude of intercessors to grant us the desired abundance of Thy mercy.  Through our Lord Jesus Christ Who lives and reigns with Thee in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, world without end. Amen.

The Gospel of the day is Matthew 5: 1-12, the Beatitudes.People behind the pro-death agenda have given themselves over to the Prince of Darkness, whose kingdom is the world.  Our offering of pain and suffering of persecution for justice’ sake guarantees us a share in the heavenly kingdom and bears more fruit for those living in darkness than we can know in this life.

Finally, the Gospel of the Beatitudes teaches us how we will get to heaven to join our family of saints.  Which beatitude are you most attracted to?  Mine is “Blesed are they that suffer persecution for justice’ sake; for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”  The world hates God and the natural law.  No doubt the babies targeted for abortion are persecuted, and soon the disabled and the elderly will also be persecuted overtly if things continue on their current trajectory. 

The prayer reminds us that we have countless people in heaven who want to see us join them some day.  They are interceding to God for us.  We are not forgotten.  Just as God was merciful to them, He also extends His mercy to us when we ask with a sincere heart.

This day celebrates every person who is in heaven, whether known and officially named in the Church’s liturgy or not.  It is interesting to me that the seal of the angels is on the forehead and not the heart.  Our heart represents our feelings, our forehead represents our mind and will.  We may not feel like doing what God wants, but by an act of will, we do it anyway, and, if we are really humble, we do it joyfully rather than begrudgingly.  Just the thing for people who are suffering to keep in mind!

Be sealed with the mark of Christ, the Cross.  Rejoice in seeking God’s mercy for others by suffering with joy.

Paradise,1375-76, Giusto de' Menabuoi, fresco, baptistry, Padua