Lent
Symbolism of the Washing of the Feet
April 21, 2011
Washing of the Feet, 1308-11, Buoninsegna (b. ca. 1255, Siena, d. 1319, Siena), Tempera on wood, Museo dell'Opera del Duomo, Siena
A significant part of the Holy Thursday liturgy is the washing of the feet. We’ve all read the Bible verses describing this, but St. Thomas Aquinas has given us insights into the deep symbolism of Christ’s acts that are not obvious at first. In all my 65 years I’ve not heard a sermon that goes where St. Thomas takes us.
Something as mundane as washing dirty feet, Who does the washing, and the meaning behind it take us on a journey into the wonder of redemption.
Here is St. Thomas’s explanation from Meditations for Lent which I reviewed here.
After that, he putteth water into a basin, and began to wash the feet of the disciples, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded (John 13:5).
There are three things which this can be taken to symbolize.
1. The pouring of the water into the basin is a symbol of the pouring out of His blood upon the earth. Since the blood of Jesus has a power of cleansing it may in a sense be called water. The reason why water, as well as blood, came out of His side, was to show that this blood could wash away sin.
Again we might take the water as a figure of Christ’s Passion. He putteth water into a basin, that is, by faith and devotion He stamped into the minds of faithful followers the memory of His passion. Remember my poverty, and transgression, the wormwood and the gall (Lam. 3:19).
2. By the words and began to wash it is human imperfection that is symbolized. For the Apostles, after their living with Christ, were certainly more perfect, and yet they needed to be washed; there were still stains upon them. We are here made to understand that no matter what is the degree of any man’s perfection he still needs to be made more perfect still; He is still contracting uncleanness of some kind to some extent. So in the Book of Proverbs we read, Who can say: My heart is clean, I am pure from sin (Prov. 20:9).
Nevertheless the Apostles and the just have this kind of uncleanness only in their feet.
There are however others who are infected, not only in their feet, but wholly and entirely. Those who make their bed upon the soiling attractions of the world are made wholly unclean thereby. Those who wholly, that is to say, with their senses and with their wills, cleave to their desire of earthly things, these are wholly unclean.
But they who do not thus lie down, they who stand, that is, they who, in the mind and in desire are tending towards heavenly things, contract this uncleanness in their feet. Whoever stands must, necessarily, touch the earth at least with his feet. And we, too, in this life, where we must, to maintain life, make use of earthly things, cannot but contract a certain uncleanness, at least as far as those desires and inclinations are concerned which begin in our senses.
Therefore Our Lord commanded His disciples to shake of the dust from their feet. The text says, He began to wash, because this washing away on earth of the affection for earthly things is only a beginning. It is only in the life to come that it will be really complete.
Thus by putting water into the basin, the pouring out of His blood is signified, and by His beginning to wash the feet of His disciples the washing away of our sins.
3. There is symbolized finally Our Lord’s taking upon Him the punishment due to our sins. Not only did He wash away our sins but He also took upon Himself the punishment that they had earned. For our pains and our penances would not suffice were they not founded in the merit and the power of the Passion of Christ. And this is shown in His wiping the feet of the disciples with the linen towel, that is the towel which is His body.
Want to subscribe to posts by email? Visit the third box in the sidebar.
R. Now and forever. Amen.
(Click on the link above to read why I am ending my posts with this.)
Sunday Snippets – A Catholic Carnival
April 17, 2011
Welcome to Sunday Snippets, hosted by RAnn at This That and the Other Thing. Every week Catholic bloggers gather in RAnn’s virtual living room to share posts. Join us, if you please, or visit everyone and leave comments.
At Litany of the Graces of the Cross I posted this private devotion to link spiritual progress to the cross.
At Praying the Psalms – Psalm 65 I wrote some reflections.
Vexilla Regis Prodeunt is about this Lenten hymn along with a little trivia.
Sabbath Moments is about a couple of very happy moments this past week.
May all my readers have a most blessed Holy Week. I may not post much in order to pay more attention to the sacred liturgy of the Triduum. God bless everyone!
Want to subscribe to posts by email? Visit the third box in the sidebar.
R. Now and forever. Amen.
(Click on the link above to read why I am ending my posts with this.)
Vexilla Regis Prodeunt
April 11, 2011
Resurrection, 1520, Marco Basaiti (active 1496-1530 in Venice), Oil on canvas, Accademia Carrara, Bergamo
Every liturgical season in the Church contains gems illustrating the story of salvation. In Lent, we focus on the Passion and its many aspects. One of the oldest and most beautiful hymns praising the Cross is Vexilla Regis Prodeunt. As the fall of man came about through a tree, so his salvation comes about through the wood of the Cross.
The Extraordinary Form of the Roman rite celebrates Passion Sunday two weeks before Easter. At first Vespers we begin using Vexilla Regis as the hymn and continue to do so every day until Holy Thursday. It is also sung at Vespers on all feasts of the Holy Cross.
From the Catholic Encyclopedia:
[Vexilla Regis] … was written by Venantius Fortunatus [530-609], and was first sung in the procession (19 Nov., 569) when a relic of the True Cross, sent by the Emperor Justin II from the East at the request of St. Radegunda, was carried in great pomp from Tours to her monastery of Saint-Croix at Poitiers. Its original processional use is commemorated in the Roman Missal on Good Friday, when the Blessed Sacrament is carried in procession from the Repository to the High Altar.
…the vexillum is the cross which (instead of the eagle) surmounted, under Constantine, the old Roman cavalry standard. This standard became in Christian hands a square piece of cloth hanging from a bar placed across a gilt pole, and having embroidered on it Christian symbols instead of the old Roman devices.
Much sacred art depicting the Resurrection of Christ shows the vexillum (cross) on a banner in just the manner described.
Venantius Fortunatus was the holy bishop of Poitiers, France and an accomplished poet. Another well-known hymn he wrote is Quem terra, pontus, aethera (The God Whom Earth, and Sea, and Sky). Eleven volumes of his great Latin poetry remain, along with a few found in Paris in recent years.
After thirteen centuries the stirring stanzas of this hymn still evoke penitence, joy, and praise, reminding us, the Church Militant, that we are marching in the army of our Redeemer. In most parishes, oratories, and chapels adhering to the Extraordinary Form, Vexilla Regis is sung in chant form. However, a great priest composer, Guillaume Dufay (1397?-1474), following the practice of his time, wrote Vexilla Regis with chant interposed with polyphony. In some places we still use his work today.
Vexilla Regis Prodeunt
The royal banners forward go,
The Cross shines forth in mystic glow,
Where Life himself our death endured
And by His death our life procured.
Where deep for us the spear was dyed,
Life’s torrent rushing from His side,
To wash us in that precious flood,
Where mingled water flowed, and blood.
Fulfilled is all that David told
In true prophetic song of old
To all the nations: “God,” saith he,
Hath reigned and triumphed from the Tree.”
O Tree of beauty, Tree of light,
O Tree with royal purple dight,
Elect on whose triumphal breast
Those holy limbs should find their rest;
On whose dear arms, so widely flung
The weight of this world’s ransom hung;
The price of humankind to pay,
And spoil the spoiler of his prey.
O Cross, our one reliance, hail!
This holy Passiontide avail
To give new virtue to the saint
And pardon to the penitent.
To Thee, eternal Three in One,
Let homage meet by all be done;
As by the Cross Thou dost restore,
So rule and guide us evermore. Amen.
Translation from the 1962 Daily Missal published by Angelus Press.
This is Dufay’s composition recorded live during Mass on 9/14/08 and sung by Les Choristes, the vocal quartet in residence at the French National Church in San Francisco, CA (Steven Olbash, director). It does not have all the verses.
For an excellently sung Gregorian chant try Schola Gregoriana Mediolanensis, Giovanni Vianini, Milano, Italia.
Want to subscribe to posts by email? Visit the third box in the sidebar.
R. Now and forever. Amen.
(Click on the link above to read why I am ending my posts with this.)
Litany of the Graces of the Cross
April 10, 2010
Man of Sorrows, c. 1495, GEERTGEN tot Sint Jans (b. 1460/65, Leiden, d. 1490, Haarlem), Oil on panel, 26 x 25 cm Aartsbisschoppelijke Musea, Utrecht
As I was wandering in blogland following the meme of “Why I Love Jesus”, I found this Lenten litany. Unfortunately, after retracing my steps as best I could, I just couldn’t find the blogger who posted it so I can’t link back to him/her.
My bad – it’s that right brain problem I have when I get excited about something and details fly into the wind. It’s so beautiful and such a great pick-me-up for the final weeks of Lent that I’m posting it here for my readers. Please be free to share it on your blog, too.
Litany of the Graces of the Cross
Response: Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.
We adore you, O Christ, when we do not get our own way. Rs
We adore you, O Christ, in the midst of day-to-day aggravations, frustrations, and annoyances. Rs
We adore you, O Christ, when we live deprived of recognition or gratitude. Rs
We adore you, O Christ, when dealing with others who exalt themselves and demean us. Rs
We adore you, O Christ, in the face of worry, anxiety, and fear. Rs
We adore you, O Christ, when we forgive others and show them mercy, especially when it hurts. Rs
We adore you, O Christ, in the face of others’ thoughtlessness. Rs
We adore you, O Christ, in confronting our daily inner rebellion. Rs
We adore you, O Christ, in refusing to give in to vanity and self-importance. Rs
We adore you, O Christ, in always thinking about others first and putting them first. Rs
We adore you, O Christ, when others take us for granted. Rs
We adore you, O Christ, when suffering the agony of depression. Rs
We adore you, O Christ, in our inability to make sense out of life or to have things follow our plans, especially when we’re trying so hard to be good. Rs
We adore you, O Christ, in rejecting self-assertion and self satisfaction. Rs
We adore you, O Christ, in the midst of the oppressiveness of life – its futility, drudgery, pointlessness, and tedium. Rs
We adore you, O Christ, in letting go of the order and control we crave. Rs
We adore you, O Christ, when accosted by the unfairness of seeing the wicked succeed. Rs
We adore you, O Christ, despite the world’s contradiction, humiliation, and derision. Rs
We adore you, O Christ, by refusing to live according to our feelings. Rs
We adore you, O Christ, when we are under-appreciated. Rs
We adore you, O Christ, when our egoism and willfulness flare up. Rs
We adore you, O Christ, when we are persecuted for your sake. Rs
We adore you, O Christ, as we live by love and no lesser motive. Rs
We adore you, O Christ, in finding peace in the total surrender of self. Rs
We adore you, O Christ, in accepting that God works in the ways we least expect. Rs
We adore you, O Christ, as we search for self worth only in God’s love for us and nothing else. Rs
Our Father……
Compiled by Father Peter John Cameron, O.P.
Want to subscribe to posts by email? Visit the third box in the sidebar.
R. Now and forever. Amen.
(Click on the link above to read why I am ending my posts with this.)
Ancient Lenten Hymn, Parce Domine
March 22, 2011
One of the most beautiful Lenten Gregorian chants is Parce Domine, the antiphon of which comes from Joel 2: 17. When I was growing up in Catholic schools, I remember clearly the Stations of the Cross every Friday at 3:00, and after the Stations, Benediction, during which we sang the Parce Domine. It is also appropriate to use this chant for any Mass or paraliturgical service involving the subject of penance. The verse referring to the “forty days” can be omitted outside of Lent.
I found a very useful site, The Cross Reference, which has the translation of the antiphon and all the verses, plus where the verses came from. I am presenting Jeffrey Pinyan’s translation from that site here because it is the best I found.
Delving into this hymn is an adventure that takes us down the tunnels of time all the way back to Pope St. Gregory the Great. Although I searched everywhere I could think of on the internet, I could find no place to tell me the history of this prayer, but its components can rightly be described as ancient.
The theology behind the Parce Domine antiphon is the Old Testament concept of a God angered by sin. The verses themselves speak of the penitent soul pleading for the Divine Mercy upon all. Even if you don’t sing it, meditating on the verses is very powerful.
Parce Domine Antiphon, Plain Chant
R. Parce Domine, parce populo tuo: ne in aeternum irascaris nobis.
R. Spare, O Lord, spare Your people: lest You be angry with us forever.
1. Flectamus iram vindicem, ploremus ante Judicem; clamemus ore supplici, dicamus omnes cernui.
1. Let us bow before the avenging wrath, let us weep before the Judge; let us cry out with words of supplication, let us all speak, falling prostrate.
2. Nostris malis offendimus tuam Deus clementiam; effunde nobis desuper remissor indulgentiam.
2. O God, by our wickedness we have offended Your clemency; pour forth on us from above, O forgiving One, Your pardon.
3. Dans tempus acceptabile, da lacrimarum rivulis lavare cordis victimam, quam laeta adurat caritas.
3. Giving us an acceptable time, grant to purify, in the rivers of our tears, the sacrifice of our hearts, enkindled by joyful charity.
4. Audi, benigne Conditor, nostras preces cum fletibus in hoc sacro jejunio fusas quadragenario.
4. Hear, O benign Creator, our prayers, with lamentations, poured forth during this holy fast of forty days.
5. Scrutator alme cordium, infirma tu scis virium; ad te reversis exhibe remissionis gratiam.
5. O beloved Searcher of Hearts, You know the weakness of mortal bodies; show to those returning to You the grace of forgiveness.
All the hours of the Divine Office have hymns proper to the feast or the time of the day. This hymn borrows verses from some of those. What we find here is a microcosm of the penitential theme of the Lenten liturgy as it developed over the centuries.
Verses one and two are from Ex more docti mystico, a hymn attributed to Pope St. Gregory the Great (540-620), verse one having been altered by Pope Urban VIII (1568-1644).
Verse three is from O Sol salutis initimis (Pope Urban VIII), who revised it from a hymn dating to the earliest, the 6th century and to the latest, the 10th century.
Verses four and five are from Audi, benigne Conditor (Pope St. Gregory the Great).
These are words sung by some of the holiest and greatest saints of the Church throughout her history. When we sing music like this, we join our voices to theirs in one long line of penitence and confidence in God’s mercy.
Felix Nowowiejski
Music directors who would like a print out of the plain chant of Parce Domine with all verses go here.
During the Renaissance, polyphonic composers like Jacob Obrecht (1457-1505) and Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (1525-1594) took the melody line of the antiphon and embellished the verses into exquisite lines of music. In the 20th century Polish composer, Felix Nowowiejski (1877–1946), composed a rendition that could easily take its place among later 20th century composers Arvo Pärt (1935-) and Henryk Górecki (1933–2010) in style and harmony.
Each one is so beautiful I can hardly pick one to present here, but given my love of choirs of young people, here is Nowowiejski’s composition sung by the great Singapore choir, Raffles.
There is only one verse in this recording, and it is a departure from the traditional hymn. Beautiful, nonetheless.
This is Obrecht’s antiphon Parce Domine with organ introduction, and the plain chant from Cante Gregoriano of Milan with verses 1-3. If I had a choice of which one I could listen to for the rest of my life, it would be the plain chant, perhaps because I grew up singing it.
Want to subscribe to posts by email? Visit the third box in the sidebar.
R. Now and forever. Amen.
(Click on the link above to read why I am ending my posts with this.)
Lent, the “Why?” of Suffering, and the Japanese Tragedy
March 21, 2011
My Lent this year is more focused that ever because of the disaster in Japan. The lessons of detachment from things, from life, from my own will are gripping. The responsibility to pray for the conversion of sinners looms before me as never before. Something about tens of thousands of people dying in minutes is overwhelming. I ask myself, how many might not have made it to heaven because I did not sacrifice and pray enough?
Weeping Woman of Natori, Reuters/Asahi Shimbun
In a way, this photo is a metaphor for the soul, grief-stricken in its emptiness, and overcome with sin as Natori is weighed down with jumbled rubble. Is this what our sinful souls look like to God?
The people of Japan will clear the leavings of the tsunami. The chaos will subside. Will we clear our souls of sin through the mercy of Confession? Will we detach ourselves from the things of this earth, using them only as necessary on our journey to heaven? These are the lessons this picture brings to mind.
I want to wipe away the woman’s tears, but I can’t. Only God can do that through other people who follow the Beatitudes and the Commandments and who will personally touch her.
We ask, if He loves us, why does He allow such tragedies? Yet the greatest tragedy of all is that the majority of Japanese people are not Christian. They do not know Jesus. They do not know God. They do not know they are loved as a priceless treasure with a home in heaven just for them.
This natural disaster occurred as a natural event in a fallen world. God’s permissive will does not interfere with the creation He set in motion and that creation has been affected by the sin of Adam. Yet God in His goodness always uses the evil that befalls us for our good. What looks like a curse is really a blessing – a way that God says, “Look at Me. See my love for you. Pay attention. I want you with Me forever. The things of this world are as nothing before Me. But you are my beloved children and I died for you. In earthly terms, your value is incalculable.”
We may not understand it at the time we are enduring grave suffering. Maybe we will never see the why of an event in this life, but we will see and understand all in the next. God can do only good. Doing evil is not part of His nature. It is supernatural Faith from Baptism that tells us in our hearts that God allows tragedy to bring us to Himself.
Many Christians are coming to the aid of the Japanese people. They are like Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta, seeing Christ in the suffering survivors and bringing the love of Christ to them. Many more of us who can do nothing materially are praying for the conversion of Japan. A life-changing event like the tsunami is a door to Baptism, but only grace can bring someone through it.
God alone knows the multitude of prayers that have been said for them that would not otherwise have been said. The aftermath of the quake and tsunami remind us once again that we are all members of the human family and we are all creatures of God, loved by Him with an unimaginable strength. Now, I must be about making this Lent really count for the salvation of my own soul and that of my brothers and sisters everywhere in the world.
Want to subscribe to posts by email? Visit the third box in the sidebar.
R. Now and forever. Amen.
(Click on the link above to read why I am ending my posts with this.)
Sunday Snippets – A Catholic Carnival
March 20, 2011
Welcome to Sunday Snippets – A Catholic Carnival, hosted by RAnn at This, That and the Other Thing. Visit her to see posts of the past week by other Catholic bloggers.
This week I admit to being distracted by the events in Japan, so I spent extra time praying for the Japanese and contemplating a post I will be writing based on some of the images coming out of that ravaged country. Meanwhile, I wrote:
St. Thomas Inspired by the Dove of the Holy Ghost – a commentary on Sassetta’s great work for a Carmelite convent in Sienna.
Sabbath Moments – a few ways God touched my life this week.
Praying the Psalms – Psalm 62 – a reflection on this great psalm of abandonment to Divine Providence.
The North American Nebula in Infrared
Heaven and earth shall pass away, but My word shall not pass away (Mark 13:31, Lk. 21:33). Gazing at the wonders of the universe with the help of NASA Spitzer is always a meditation on the greatness and beauty of God. Yet we know that what we see and experience today will one day no longer be.
And I saw a new heaven and a new earth. For the first heaven and the first earth was gone, and the sea is now no more (Rev. 21:1)
Seeing then that all these things are to be dissolved, what manner of people ought you to be in holy conversation and godliness? Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of the Lord, by which the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with the burning heat? But we look for new heavens and a new earth according to his promises, in which justice dwelleth. ( 2 Peter 3:11-13).
If what Spitzer and Hubble show us now, glorious as it is, will dissolve, how beautiful will the new heaven and earth be? Lent is about preparing ourselves for the beauty, peace, and justice that is to come. It is about hope.
Want to subscribe to posts by email? Visit the third box in the sidebar.
R. Now and forever. Amen.
(Click on the link above to read why I am ending my posts with this.)
St. Thomas Inspired by the Dove of the Holy Ghost
March 16, 2011
Since I am spending time with St. Thomas Aquinas this Lent I rounded up a couple of paintings of him by Stefano di Giovanni ((b. 1394, Siena, d. 1450, Siena), also known as Sassetta, to share with readers. Sacred art from the 12th – 14th centuries attracts me because, while not “realistic” as later art is, it’s simplicity and symbolism is easily accessible.
St. Thomas Inspired by the Dove of the Holy Ghost astonished me the first time I saw it a few years ago. Painted in 1423, it clearly shows how the sacred liturgy was celebrated then – and the liturgy is my first love. Seeing evidence from six centuries ago that the manner of celebrating the Extraordinary Form remains unchanged puts to rest many false claims made of this Mass, such as, “It’s only 500 years old”, “Pius V’s Mass”, etc. Moreover, the saint kneeling reinforces that never is man so holy that he does not need to kneel before God.
Sassetta created this painting for the predella of the Altar of the Eucharist, known as the Arte della Lana Altarpiece and is his first known work. It was commissioned by the woolmerchants’ (Arte della Lana) guild for the church of the Carmelite Order in Siena in 1423. The Carmelites most likely developed the schema for the various paintings in this project. The altarpiece as a whole, was moveable yet elaborate, a gothic triptych that the guild used for its outdoor celebration on the feast of Corpus Christi and otherwise remained in its place in the chapel.
St. Thomas Aquinas is known for his devotion to the Holy Eucharist, for his many hours of prayer in front of the Blessed Sacrament. Because of his clear theology and his Eucharistic-driven piety, he was asked by Pope Urban IV to write the entire liturgy for the feast of Corpus Christi – both Divine Office and Mass Propers. Thus we have the link between the portrayal of St. Thomas as a subject and the purpose for which the altarpiece was commissioned.
This painting, then, shows St. Thomas deep in prayer in front of a marble altar in his monastery. Above the altar are a series of panels, the center of which is a Madonna and Child. Above that is God the Father surrounded by angels sending the Holy Spirit to the saint. You can’t see it very well here because of the smallness of the image, but the Holy Spirit is painted on the door to the right of St. Thomas, with lines leading to the Father.
St. Thomas is rapt in prayer, oblivious to the monastery courtyard with fountain and the monastic library nearby which symbolizes his learning. The use of gold in the painting symbolizes heaven and holiness – the transcendent reality toward which we are all drawn. A person kneeling at the predella before this painting would be inspired to have the same orientation towards God that St. Thomas had, the same sentiments of piety and love, the same desire to devote all his being to the Being who created us and sent His only Son to die for us.
I love Sassetta’s work because of the vivid colors, the use of flowing graceful lines, and the ability to convey deep things simply. Although his later work became more decorative under Gothic influence, he kept the gift of transporting the viewer from earth to heaven without distraction. This painting is tempura on wood and resides at the Szépmûvészeti Múzeum, Budapest.
If you want to learn more about Sassetta, visit Art in Tuscany. If you would like to see a much larger image, visit The Web Gallery of Art and type in “St. Thomas Inspired by the Dove of the Holy Ghost” in the search box. (I can’t get a more direct link for you.) Then click on the painting.
Want to subscribe to posts by email? Visit the third box in the sidebar.
R. Now and forever. Amen.
(Click on the link above to read why I am ending my posts with this.)
Lenten Fasting – St. Thomas Aquinas
March 10, 2011
St. Thomas Aquinas (detail), 1489-91, fresco, Fra Filippino Lippi (b. ca. 1457, Prato, d. 1504, Firenze), Santa Maria Sopra Minerva
Since I’m 65 I’m not bound to fast, especially because of physical issues, but I am doing a somewhat less rigorous program to help with self-discipline. In addition since a new 40 days for life just began yesterday, fasting seems a good action to contribute to that effort. Also, we need to plead before God for our nation to be delivered from the powers of evil afflicting us. They appear to be escalating and destroying peace of mind on many fronts.
Enter St. Thomas who always has clear and true teaching:
We fast for three reasons.
(i) To check the desires of the flesh. So St. Paul says in fastings, in chastity (2Cor. 6:5), meaning that fasting is a safeguard for chastity. As St. Jerome says, “Without Ceres and Bacchus, Venus would freeze,” as much as to say that lust loses its heat through sparseness of food and drink.
(ii) That the mind may more freely raise itself to contemplation of the heights. We read in the book of Daniel that it was after a fast of three weeks that he received the revelation from God. (Dan. 10: 2-4).
(iii) To make satisfaction for sin. This is the reason given by the prophet Joel, Be converted to me with all your heart, in fasting and in weeping and in mourning (Joel 2: 12). And here is what St. Augustine writes on the matter. “Fasting purifies the soul. It lifts up the mind, and it brings the body into subjection to the spirit. It makes the heart contrite and humble, scatters the clouds of desire, puts out the flames of lust and enkindles the true light of chastity.”
He goes on:
For fasting helps to destroy sin, and to raise the mind to thoughts of the spiritual world.
The connection to Easter:
The times self-indicated for fasting are then those in which men are especially bound to free themselves from sin and to raise their minds to God in devotion. Such a time especially is that which precedes that solemnity of Easter in which baptism is administered and sin thereby destroyed, and when the burial of Our Lord is recalled, for we are buried together with Christ by baptism into death (Rom. 6:4). Then, too, at Easter most of all, men’s minds should be lifted, through devotion to the glory of that eternity which Christ in his resurrection inaugurated.
Want to subscribe to posts by email? Visit the third box in the sidebar.
R. Now and forever. Amen.
(Click on the link above to read why I am ending my posts with this.)
A Virtual Tour of the Sistine Chapel
March 7, 2010
As we officially enter Lent this week, most practicing Catholics are making lists of resolutions of things they will give up in the spirit of fasting. But what about adding something? Carving out a few moments every day to ponder the mysteries of salvation?
This week I found a link to the Vatican’s virtual tour of the Sistine Chapel and was blown away by Michelangelo’s great work. Interns from Villanova University assisted the Vatican in creating this tour, so kudos to them.
A click of the mouse takes you up close to every inch of the walls, floor and ceiling without craning your neck or getting dizzy – an exciting 360° view. And you don’t have to get on a plane and fly to Rome – you can visit any time at no cost.
Having this Catholic world treasure to view stimulates my Lenten devotion, but I can also see this as a great opportunity for homeschoolers to teach both art and religion. Click on the photo and you will be transported immediately to the Sistine.
Sistine Chapel
This link, http://mv.vatican.va/3_EN/pages/CSN/CSN_Main.html lets you access explanations of the paintings.
You can also find virtual tours of St. John Lateran and St. Paul outside the walls.
Want to subscribe to posts by email? Visit the third box in the sidebar.
R. Now and forever. Amen.
(Click on the link above to read why I am ending my posts with this.)
Sabbath Moments
February 26, 2011
Awareness of God
Welcome to Sabbath Moments, a meme hosted by Colleen at Thoughts on Grace. Visit her to see the “God times” other bloggers experienced this week.
(1)This week I’ve started my daily Lenten reading/meditation program with Meditations and Readings for Lent from St. Thomas Aquinas
Every man shall receive his own reward, according to his labor (1 Cor. 3:8).
I. This reward is at once common to all men and particular to each.
(1) It is common to all because that which all see and enjoy is the same, that is to say, God. Then shalt thou abound in delights in the almighty (Job 22:26). In that day the Lord of hosts shall be a crown of glory, and a garland of joy to the residue of his people (Isa. 28:5) and therefore St. Matthew says (20:9) that to every laborer in the vineyard there is given one penny.
(2) The reward is yet special for each individual. One man shall see more clearly than another, and shall enjoy more fully, according to the measure allotted him….
These short meditations afford much food for thought throughout the day and night and are a constant inspiration toward living a better life. I especially like how St. Thomas presents so many quotes from sacred Scripture to make his points.
(2) A huge storm front came through Wednesday night with a lot of thunder and rain that continued for half the day Thursday. Since my sleep was gravely disturbed I spent many hours repeating the wonderful words from the Good Friday Reproaches and the end of the Chaplet of Divine Mercy – Holy God, Holy mighty One, Holy immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
With the revolutions and killings in the Middle East, a Canadian hospital and death panel sentencing a little baby to death before his time (over money, not compassion), and elected officials in Midwestern states going AWOL, I really felt called to acknowledge God as supreme and plead for His mercy.
These words struck me for the first time as very Hebrew – very Old Testament. Each phrase increases in greatness the attributes of our Father, heaping declaration upon declaration. His holiness is inseparable from His might and immortality. Lots to meditate on here.
Next to the prayer I use to end my posts, this prayer is special to me. It has become one of my favorites to pray in the dark or in heavy pain – a great reminder of who I am and Who He is.
Want to subscribe to posts by email? Visit the third box in the sidebar.
R. Now and forever. Amen.
(Click on the link above to read why I am ending my posts with this.)
Eugenio Zolli’s Conversion
February 22, 2011
Lately I’ve been working on The Nazarene : Studies in New Testament Exegesis, a scholarly work by the former chief Rabbi of Rome, Israel Zolli, who became Catholic after World War II and took the baptismal name “Eugenio” after Pope Pius XII. Zolli was one of the most learned Jews of his time, and his conversion resulted in his being declared anathema and cast out of the Synogogue.
We can never have a deep enough understanding of the Old Testament and the meaning of Christ’s words and actions. Who better than a former rabbi steeped in its four thousand year old teachings can unlock the sublime, supreme mysteries? My faith has been greatly enriched by Roy Shoeman’s works, and Zolli’s bear similar promise.
A snippet from his conversion story, Before the Dawn
“I was a Catholic at heart before the war broke out; and I promised God in 1943 that I should become a Christian if I should survive the war. No one in the world ever tried to convert me. My conversion was a slow evolution, altogether internal. Years ago, unknown to myself, I gave such an intimately Christian form and character to my writings that an Archbishop of Rome said of my book, The Nazarene, ‘Everyone is susceptible to errors, but so far as I can see, as a bishop, I could sign my name to this book.’ I am beginning to understand that for many years I was a natural Christian. If I had noticed that fact 20 years ago, what has happened now would have happened then.”
“…I shall never stop loving the Jews. I did not abandon the Jews by becoming a Catholic.”
“Once a Jew, always a Jew” is a shibboleth too often quoted by well-meaning Jews as a sort of proof that a Jew cannot in his heart of hearts ever become a Christian. When Israel Zolli was asked whether he still considered himself a Jew he answered it with the same expression, but explained it in its deeply expressive significance. “Did Peter, James, John, Matthew, Paul, and hundreds of Hebrews like them cease to be Jews when they followed the Messias, and became Christians? Emphatically, no.”
A Jew who accepts a Messias today remains just as much a Jew as he would expect to remain if he were to accept a Messias at some distant future coming. In other words, a Jew who accepts Jesus as his Messias accepts a Jew and himself remains a Jew. Has any Messias ever done the like: could any Jew do anything greater to put the seal of God on His teachings? This may sound strange and even heterodox to Catholics who have only a surface knowledge of Jewish prophetic history and Catholic teaching concerning it. A Jewish-convert takes as his Messias the Jew-Jesus who traces his ancestry back to King David without a break: can anyone be more Jewish than that? The convert accepts the Jewish Messias who proved His mission was from God by doing the hundreds of things the prophet said He would do; chief among them His unquestionable and numerous miracles and His resurrection from the dead. His miracles are continued and multiplied in His Church even up to the present moment.
…If there is any notion that must be stressed both for Christians and Jews it is that Jesus did not give to the world a new religion, but only a new covenant or testament concerning the Old Religion which He Himself had given to the Jews. God’s very nature forbids Him giving to the world, at any time, more than one religion or more than one way of life and worship.
Christ in Glory, 1597-98, oil on canvas, Annibale Carracci (b.1560, Bologna, d. 1609, Roma), Galleria Palatina (Palazzo Pitti), Florence
Zolli’s story is a lesson in the workings of God in the soul – of how deeply exploring the word of God in Sacred Scripture with a pure heart leads unerringly to the Word Himself. (“Blessed are the pure of heart for they shall see God.”)
As I read The Nazarene, I am gaining a much greater understanding of the sacred liturgy we have today. We often speak of certain parts of the Mass as dating from apostolic times. In reality, I am seeing that important parts of our Holy Mass and Divine Office came to us from the Old Testament Jews – from the Hebrew Bible itself. I don’t mean just the Psalms and various readings, but more about how the liturgy is celebrated and why in both the Eastern and Roman rites certain things are desirable.. I will be writing more about this later.
In the meantime, I recommend reading RAnn’s review of a contemporary book, Jesus and the Jewish Roots of the Eucharist, at This That and the Other Thing. This book could be excellent for Lent.
Want to subscribe to posts by email? Visit the third box in the sidebar.
R. Now and forever. Amen.
(Click on the link above to read why I am ending my posts with this.)
Through Resentment to Forgiveness
February 21, 2011
Father Lovasik’s book, The Hidden Power of Kindness: A Practical Handbook for Souls Who Dare to Transform the World, One Deed at a Time
If you desire to obtain from God the pardon of the sins you have committed against Him, you must forgive from your heart those who have offended you. What is more, you must pray for them even as Jesus did. This is the greatest act of charity.
For me, this is a tall order. The more I have sunk my time, energy, and commitment to something or someone, the harder it is to forgive people who have done their best to obstruct my work or attacked me personally. Also, as I look at people like certain of our political leaders who so arrogantly advance the culture of death, I really struggle with the act of praying for them. I know that to them I am disposable, and so are others like me. I resent how they strip me of my human dignity, just as they do to every aborted child and every euthanized adult or child. How difficult it is to pray for someone we are angry with!
Father Lovasik reduces overcoming this problem to simple steps we can actually accomplish. It doesn’t mean that conquering our resentment will be an easy fight; we can work something over for years. The important thing is that regardless of our feelings, we do the right thing. That’s what heroic virtue is made of.
Here are his suggestions for developing virtue when we most want to retaliate.
Bear injustice patiently. [This is one of the seven spiritual works of mercy.] When it pleases God to permit you to labor under the cloud of false suspicion, false judgment, calumny, or detraction, try to remember the following suggestions:
Try to see God’s permission of the happening. St. Francis de Sales gives this advice: “We must have patience not only to be ill, but to be ill with the illness which God wills, in the place where He wills, and among such persons as He wills; and so of our tribulations.” Try to avoid thinking of the grievance. “Love is patient.” (1 Cor. 13:14) Concentrating on wrongs done to you generally impresses the undesirable facts more deeply on your memory and does not obviate the evil. Complete abandonment to God and trust in His Providence form the most worthy procedure for your soul.
St. Francis de Sales in His Study, 1760, Peter Anton Lorenzoni, Saint Sigismund parish church in Strobl, Salzburg, Austria, Wikimedia
Do not talk the matter over with others [This is extraordinarily difficult for some of us. I want to blab the injustice to everybody I know.] except for the purpose of getting direction to make virtue out of necessity. Other persons seldom understand adequately…. Learn to bear snubs, setbacks, and sharp tongues nobly with Christ at Herod’s court. Justice will prevail. God will right all wrongs, if not in this life, then surely at the Last Judgment.
Pray for the grace of conversion for failing ones. Unless the erring ones are incorrigibly obstinate or hopelessly blind [Planned Parenthood?] they will, by the grace of God [Abby Johnson] be brought to a salutary realization of their wrongdoing through patience on your part.
Let this cross be a source of self-sanctification rather than torture for your soul. Offer the pain you must suffer in expiation for sin — your own as well as those of others — and also for blessings upon those who have been unfair to you.
Find strength and consolation in prayer. You need God’s grace to make any difficulty a means of greater personal holiness. Prayer secures that grace. You can conquer anything with God’s grace, but nothing without it. Your prayer need not be long, but brief and definite…. Pray for the checking of the moral evils so prevalent even among Catholics.
Cultivate the devotion of reparation to the Sacred Heart. Ask Jesus, the forbearing and long-suffering Savior, for a tolerant frame of mind regarding the actions of others. Ask Him for the power to influence others, especially through your example, to put aside their undesirable habits. Ask for the grace to remember that others exercise much patience with you. [My husband comes to mind here. He is very patient with me!] Especially, ask Jesus crucified for a practical and more perfect understanding of His great example in forgiving, so that you may learn to bear with others.
Father Lovasik’s words make me think that maybe this Lent would best be spent by me concentrating on this one spiritual work of mercy. We have been given the seven gifts of the Holy Ghost at Confirmation. Two of the twelve fruits of this indwelling are “long-suffering” and “mildness.” It isn’t easy to harvest these fruits, but striving to do so creates great adventures on the road to perfection.
Want to subscribe to posts by email? Visit the third box in the sidebar.
R. Now and forever. Amen.
(Click on the link above to read why I am ending my posts with this.)
Lenten Reading Recommendations
February 17, 2011
This coming Sunday is Septuagesima Sunday, the day that alerts us in the 1962 calendar that Lent is on its way. Last year I wrote Top Ten Books for a Profitable Lent where I listed ten spiritually useful books for the season. This year our parish bookstore is carrying a book I’m adding to the list - Meditations for Lent From St. Thomas Aquinas
I’ve always found St. Thomas’ writings to be clear and logical and very helpful to my spiritual life. We know that he spent many hours in meditation in front of the Blessed Sacrament, so I figured, who better to guide me through this time of the liturgical year? Here are some of the topics he gives practical advice on:
- On reforming ourselves
- The need to be watchful
- Five evils we incur through sin
- The two purposes of fasting
- Why Our Lord went down to Limbo
- How to weed out vices and cultivate virtues
- How to detach ourselves from the things of this world
- Six ways in which the Blood of Christ is “precious”
Lent is a great time to improve our prayer life and our relationships with others. I’m looking forward to daily lessons from St. Thomas. Perhaps this book might appeal to you, too.
You can order it through Barb’s Custom Shop here. Just click on the “Store” tab at the top of the page and you’ll find it in the Blessed Virgin Mary category.
Want to subscribe to posts by email? Visit the third box in the sidebar.
R. Now and forever. Amen.
(Click on the link above to read why I am ending my posts with this.)
Top Ten Books for a Profitable Lent
February 13, 2010
Ash Wednesday is coming. Are you agonizing over what to do for your soul during Lent? Every year I struggle with this, but today I read Father Tom Euteneuer’s Don’t Waste Lent post over at Human Life International and the Gordion Knot untangled. He said:
…stay simple; that is, don’t load yourself down with too many spiritual exercises or intentions that may discourage you if you run too fast out into the desert.
Good advice for a perfectionist like me! For people under stress and struggling with various mental or physical health issues, simplification of life is essential. If we focus on one new good habit to acquire during Lent we will have done more for our soul than if we had five or six penances we failed to do well.
I have 10 books to recommend for those who want to spend some minutes each day doing spiritual reading for Lent. They are great for a journey with the Lord into the desert – books for renewing the soul and enlarging the Christian heart. Any of them would make a good Lenten companion.
1. 
2. The Passion of Jesus and Its Hidden Meaning
3. 
4. The Plaints of the Passion,: Meditations on the Reproaches of the Good Friday Liturgy
5. 
The Sadness of Christ (Yale University Press Translation)
6. 
The School of Jesus Crucified: The Lessons of Calvary in Daily Catholic Life
7. Sermons of The Cure of Ars
8. Spiritual Combat: How to Win Your Spiritual Battles and Attain Peace
9. What Jesus Saw from the Cross
10. Praying With Icons
You can use these books for yourself or as part of family prayer. Home schoolers may find them a springboard to activities or projects when covering religious subjects. Besides the links here, all are available in my Amazon store. Have a joyful Lent in the peace of Christ in the desert.
Search
Want posts by email?
Community of Catholic Bloggers
Barb's Custom Shop
Donate
I am grateful for even small donations to help keep this site going. All donors will be kept in my prayers.
Catholic Bloggers Network
Archives
Blogroll
- Amazing Grays Ministry
- American Life League
- Catholic Bloggers Network
- Catholic Morality
- Cause of Our Joy
- Dr. Brownstein
- Dr. David Williams
- Dr. Joseph Mercola
- Flechas Family Practice
- He Gently Calls Us
- Human Life International
- Into Stillness
- Kansas Catholic
- Latin Prayers
- Life Extension
- LifeSite News
- Lynn Baber
- New Liturgical Movement
- Pray It Off!
- Rorate Caeli
- Savior.org
- Secret Harbor
- St. Louis Archdiocese Missions
- St. Louis Catholic
- The Beautiful Gate
- The Hermeneutic of Continuity
- The Holy See Press Services
- The Remnant
- Thou Art Jules
- Thoughts on Grace
- Time for Reflections
- Una Voce Ark. Ozarks Newsletters
- Vitamin Research Products
- Vultus Christi
- What Does the Prayer Really Say
