We might find it strange that in Paschal time we would have several days of penance, but the Church has good reason for it.  We are approaching commemorating the final hours of Jesus walking this earth.  For those of us who have a hard time saying “goodbye”, we understand the grief the Apostles, disciples and Mary must have experienced.  So although we are in a time of rejoicing, we are also in a time of sorrow immediately preceding the Ascension.

St. Mamertus, engraving

The History of Rogation Days

Rogation Days (from Latin rogare, to beseech) are a wonderful example of what Vatican Council II meant when in the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy (Sacrosanctum concilium) it spoke of “organic growth.”  We owe these days to the churches of southern Gaul, specifically the church at Vienne.  This tradition dates back to the 400s under the great bishop St. Mamertus.

Just after the Burgundians had conquered the area of Vienne in the mid 400s, all sorts of calamities began to occur, not unlike today with earthquakes, floods, great winds, hail, sicknesses, starvation, etc. Crops were destroyed and many died.

The good bishop, unbeknownst to himself, began a practice in this time of trouble which has come to form a part of the sacred liturgy of the universal Church and which is Biblically based.  Remember that whenever the Israelites were suffering greatly, a good dose of penance and sacrifices accompanied by the psalms would bring them relief.

St. Mamertus prescribed three days of public expiation and supplication to God in which the faithful were to devote themselves to penance, walking in procession chanting appropriate psalms, and fasting.  The three days preceding the Ascension were chosen. Masters were required to dispense servants from work so that all could assist at the long functions that filled most of the three days.  In his time the procession lasted six hours as the people went from church to church throughout the countryside.  Before beginning, the people received ashes as on Ash Wednesday and were sprinkled with holy water.  Everyone walked barefoot, led by a cross of the principal church in charge of the observance.

A detail recorded by a monk of St. Gall’s tells us that Charlemagne would join the procession barefoot and walk from his palace to the stational church.  St. Elizabeth of Hungary did the same, for in 816 Pope Leo III brought this practice to Rome and from there it spread everywhere.  St. Charles Borromeo in the 1500s observed Rogation Days in his see of Milan, visiting over ten churches every day in procession.

Dom Prosper Guéranger, O.S.B. wrote in the 1800s in his great The Liturgical Year series:

If, then, we would have a correct idea of the Rogation days, we must consider them as Rome does – that is, as a holy institution which, without interrupting our paschal joy, tempers it. The purple vestments used during the procession and Mass do not signify that our Jesus has fled from us, but that the time for His departure is approaching. By prescribing abstinence for these three days, the Church would express how much she will feel the loss of her Spouse, who is so soon to be taken from her.

Abstinence is no longer an obligation for Rogation days, nor are they holy days of obligation. Ashes and sprinkling the faithful with holy water is not part of the ritual anymore.  Also, the diocesan Bishop may transfer these days to three other consecutive days which are more accommodating to local custom and need.

Purposes of Rogation Days

The Church observes the Rogation Days for two reasons:

1. To, in Biblical terms, appease the anger of God and avert the chastisements which the sins of the world justly deserve, and
2. To draw down the Divine blessing on the fruits of the earth.

Today the faithful chant the litany of the Saints during the procession as well as Psalm 69 (Deus in adjutorium meum intende or O God, come to my assistance).  When the procession is over, the Mass of Rogation is offered.

How to keep the Rogation Days if you can’t observe them at your parish

In all the 18 years of living in our diocese, never once have I heard “Rogation Days” mentioned even though we are a dominantly rural diocese.  Never once have I seen them observed and I am well informed of what is going on regarding the sacred liturgy here.  I suspect the same is true for others here and there.  But you can be sure they are observed in the 1962 liturgy and in various other dioceses around the world.

To join the universal Church in these celebrations you can pray the complete Litany of the Saints and Psalm 69 all three days. Simple, isn’t it?

Why we need to keep the Rogation Days

Let’s take a look at 2010 and 2011:

• Major earthquake and destruction in Haiti
• Major Gulf oil spill and loss of life
• Civil war and rebellion everywhere in the Middle East
• The Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami
• Terrible flooding up and down the Mississippi this spring
• Tornadoes throughout the South, the Midwest and eastern parts of the USA
• Slaughter of Christians everywhere in the Middle East, Africa, Pakistan, India, etc.
• Food shortages and extremely high food prices around the world
• Riots spreading across Europe and Greece falling apart
• Crop failures of all kinds the world over
  

I’m sure I’ve forgotten a few things that should be on the list.  Can anyone seriously say that we don’t need observance of the Rogation Days?  Are we not enduring great chastisements now? Do we not have troubles with planting and harvests the world over now because of many different calamities?

The Church gives us a great opportunity for instruction in the Catholic faith and spirituality with the observance of Rogation Days. Everywhere we have Catholic schools we have an opportunity to celebrate these days with the parish children in procession even if parents have to be at work.  Pastors can encourage parishioners to come for the sacred liturgy if they can and explain the meaning and purpose of these days to all.

As in so many instances, our sacred liturgy offers us the chance to re-orient ourselves to God – to reinforce a right relationship with Him. The world needs these days observed with a humble and contrite heart.  Remember that God told Abraham if he could find only ten just men, He would spare Sodom.  Can we not be among those ten just men today, calling God’s mercy on this sickened world?

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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.)

This past Divine Mercy Sunday is a day I’ll remember for the rest of my life.  Not just because of the beatification of Pope John Paul II, either.

While we were pleading for God’s mercy on the whole world, Navy SEALS pulled a job as expertly as any Israeli force and as gutsy.  In forty minutes Osama bin Laden was dead in Pakistan and shortly thereafter buried at sea.

I am very, very proud of our SEALS. They train for this kind of work daily.  And all over the world jihadist leaders got a strong message: No matter who you are or where you try to hide, eventually we will get you if you attack this country.

As for bin Laden, I prayed for his soul even though I didn’t much want to.  I only did it because Jesus died for him, too, and it is sad that he never opened himself up to know Our Lord.

The mercy God showed us by allowing his death is an incentive to keep praying for the end of wars, the conversion of sinners – including ourselves, and to continue to plead for God’s mercy on the world.  What mercy God may have shown bin Laden we cannot know.  But his death is a lesson to us to live the Gospel and always be prepared to meet Jesus as we surely will the moment our soul leaves the body.

For myself, I felt relief and gratitude to God first, and second, to our fine military. For awhile Al Qaeda will be in confusion, making attacks by them more difficult.  In the never ending war between the Palestinians and Jews, the terrorists have lost an icon of militancy.  As for the United States, now is a time for increased vigilance by the ordinary man, living in ordinary neighborhoods.  Revenge is a key component of jihadists everywhere and no doubt jihadists are in our midst.  Just look at Ft. Hood.

For the Christians living in Muslim dominated lands, we must pray that they remain steadfast in the faith and if God wills it, to continue to suffer martyrdom for the sake of Jesus.  This, too, is a cause to plead for Divine Mercy, especially on them.

Islam is the enemy of all mankind and the enemy of God Himself.  It thrives on death, destruction, violence and lies.  For now, at least, let us rejoice and glorify God that one terrorist leader can do no more harm.  Let us also pray that the families who lost loved ones on 9-11 will find some measure of peace.  The architect of that day is dead.

With the victory over bin Laden fresh in my mind, as I prayed Lauds from the Divine Office Monday morning these psalm verses jumped out at me:

Psalm 46

All you peoples, clap your hands, shout to God with cries of gladness,

For the Lord, the Most High, the awesome is the great king over all the earth…

For king of all the earth is God; sing hymns of praise.

God reigns over the nations, God sits upon His holy throne…

For God’s are the guardians of the earth; He is supreme.

Psalm 28

Give to the Lord, you sons of God, give to the Lord glory and praise.

Give to the Lord the glory due His name; adore the Lord in holy attire.

The Lord is enthroned above the flood; the Lord is enthroned as king forever.

May the Lord give strength to His people; may the Lord bless His people with peace!

Canticle of David (1 Par. 29)

Blessed are You, O Lord God of Israel our Father, from eternity to eternity.

Yours, O Lord, are grandeur and power, majesty, splendor and glory.

For all in heaven and on earth is Yours; Yours, O Lord, is the kingdom; Yours the prince supreme over all.

Riches and honor are from You; You govern all things.

In Your hand are power and might; Yours it is to give everything grandeur and strength.

And now, our God, we give You thanks and we praise the majesty of Your name.

Psalm 116

Praise the Lord, all you nations; glorify Him, all you peoples!

For steadfast is His kindness toward us, and the fidelity of the Lord endures forever.

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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.)

King David Playing the Zither, Andrea Celesti (1637-1712 Venice), oil on canvas, private collection

Welcome to Praying the Psalms. Join Jenny at Just a Minute to participate in this meme and read others’ reflections.  The Psalms are the voice of Christ praying and praising, and the voice of everyman walking in His footsteps.

Father Paschal Botz, O.S.B. writes about this Psalm:

People should pray this Psalm not only in thanksgiving for a good harvest but also in anticipation of weather and rain that make hearts rejoice.  Spring and summer alike are festival times of happy song.  God’s goodness here pictures His bountiful salvation.  Things that give joy to the human heart are, after all, but feeble imitations of the glorious blessings God has in store for us. Our Psalm has special power to help realize the spiritual realities and harvest.  We hold a stewardship of this earth, and God’s staggering abundance in it is dwarfed by the invisible richness that flows from His Temple.  If all nature sings and shouts, then we should, too!  We lack the language and words to describe the Lord’s Coming, as we receive water and oil, bread and wine as the blessed carriers of that Coming.

Singing is an exalted form of praise. The ultimate reason for singing is Christ’s glorious presence and Coming.  If we could break through the veil of faith, we would break forth in song.  “All flesh” must come to Him singing because supernature demands it more even than nature.  The springtime and harvest of humanity in God is here.  The Cross of Christ brought joy into the whole world. The incarnation and resurrection have filled the Temple of His Body with uncounted gifts of the Spirit, fountains and showers of grace.  The Psalms prepare us to live in the world of Christ and God.  If only we could read the Signs.  Nothing has changed.  Christ still multiplies the Bread.  God has kept His promise.

vs. 2-5  To You we owe our hymn of praise, O God, in Sion; to You must vows be fulfilled, You who hear prayers.  To You all flesh must come because of wicked deeds.  We are overcome by our sins; it is You who pardon them.  Happy the man You choose, and bring to dwell in Your courts.  May we be filled with the good things of Your house, the holy things of Your temple. [We give God our hymn of praise especially when we "keep holy the Lord's day" by attending and participating at Mass.  No matter how humble the church building, it represents the heavenly courts of Sion.

Nothing unclean can enter heaven.  We will all come before the Just Judge because of our sins and if we are repentant, He pardons them.  The grace of repentance and our response to it is a sign of our will conforming to His will.  He chooses us to be with Him as repentant sinners praising Him for His mercy.  The good, holy things of God are the seven sacraments He so generously gave us to become holy and worthy, through Christ, of being with Him forever.

"To You must vows be fulfilled."  At our Baptism we made vows to God. He loves us so much that He always makes it possible through His grace to fulfill the vows we have made.  We can always be certain that our heavenly Father never sets us up for failure.  But He wants us to want Him so he can give us all that is good for us.]

vs. 6-9 With awe-inspiring deeds of justice you answer us, O God our savior, the hope of all the ends of the earth and of the distant seas.  You set the mountains in place by Your power, You who are girt with might; You still the roaring of the seas, the roaring of their waves and the tumult of the peoples.  And the dwellers at the earth’s ends are in fear at your marvels; the farthest east and west You make resound with joy. [We have enormous "tumult of the peoples" in today's world. We might have the tendency to throw our hands up in the air in helplessness because bringing about a Christ-centered world is so far beyond the capacity of any of us individually.  But it is God, through His calling of certain people to act and the rest of us to pray, who will still the violence and evil.

If we think change for the better will come about through our own power and cleverness, we are doomed to despair.  Our prayers and penances, our praise of God and calling our neighbor to be open to His saving power make us part of the team of Jesus. We lay our oblations in front of our Father.  He is the one with the solutions.

We don't have to know what those solutions are.  We only need to be faithful and patient, trusting in Him to bring good out of the terrible evil surrounding us. I pray for the fear of the Lord to come upon all that the whole world will resound with joy.]

vs. 10-14  You have visited the land and watered it; greatly have You enriched it.  God’s watercourses are filled; You have prepared the grain.  Thus have You prepared the land; drenching its furrows, breaking up its clods, softening it with showers, blessing its yield.  You have crowned the year with Your bounty, and Your paths overflow with a rich harvest; the untilled meadows overflow with it, and rejoicing clothes the hills.  The fields are garmented with flocks and the valleys blanketed with grain.  They shout and sing for joy. [Because of God's grace, even the untilled meadows overflow with His bounty.  The whole earth praises Him in the beauty of spring flowers dancing on the hills and abundant flocks of sheep feeding in the fields.   We are in the fields of the Lord, the sheep of His pasture here and in eternity.

With us is plentiful redemption because of Christ's sacrifice.  Lord, I pray that all people say "yes" to You and submit to Your will.  May You convert those in error and forgive all of us sinners so we together, who have been so blessed by Your loving generosity, may sing your praises in heaven forever.]

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.)

Welcome to Sunday Snippets, a meme hosted by RAnn at This That and the Other Thing where bloggers get together to share posts from the past week.

This week I posted random thoughts on A Clean Heart Create in Me, O God.

Sabbath Moments mentions a few blessed moments of the past week.

Praying the Psalms – Psalm 64 is where I post reflections on that psalm.

Today is Laetare Sunday, one of the two Sundays of the year when celebrants may wear rose vestments.  Here is a true rose chasuble from the Saint Bede Studio in Australia.  Maybe you know a priest who would like to have a set made by this most able company.

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.)

King David Playing the Zither, Andrea Celesti (1637-1712 Venice), oil on canvas, private collection

Jenny at Just a Minute hosts this meme.  I invite you to visit her to read other reflections on this Psalm.

The prayer of Psalm 64 could easily have been the words of Christ to His Father as He went about His public life.  They are easily the words of the contemporary Christians who seek to live the Ten Commandments and the Beatitudes in daily life.  Nothing is more insidious than the sneaky, underhanded, malicious person who plots in secret to undermine the work of the Lord.

Father Paschal Botz, O.S.B. writes:

Couched in ancient images, the Psalm describes a modern situation: the ruthless intrigues of the wicked and God’s answer to the complaints of the righteous. In Old Testament times, the pattern of prayer includes cries for help, then details of the foes’ evil-doing, the self-defense of the sinner, God’s intervention for justice, and the joyful proclamation of the just man and assembly.  It seems that here the innocent man has to defend himself against planned evil, and in desperation he calls on God for protection.  Personal enemies attack him, not with real weapons, but with poisonous tongues that are worse than arrows and swords, with hidden malice more dangerous than open warfare.

God repays in kind.  He defeats the subtle plans and lays bare the stupidity of all evil plots for all men to see.  God’s work is so sudden that men must fear.  Divine wisdom is never at a loss against the deep thoughts of man. “Who can see us?”  This short-sighted question is for God to answer.  He tears away the mask of human cunning and deceit and makes an example of evil intent.  When “all men will fear,” His triumph puts to rest the concerns of the just.

vs. 2-7 Hear, O God, my voice in my lament; from the dread enemy preserve my life.  Shelter me against the council of malefactors, against the tumult of evildoers, who sharpen their tongues like swords, who aim like arrows their bitter words, shooting from ambush at the innocent man, suddenly shooting at him without fear.  They resolve on their wicked plan; they conspire to set snares, saying, “Who will see us?”  They devise a wicked scheme and conceal the scheme they have devised; deep are the thoughts of each heart. [As the pitched battle between good and evil accelerates in our times, we cannot help but see that nothing new is under the sun.  Man has not changed.  The greatest damage done to others has always been with the tongue to start, and today the only escape from the lies, half-truths, and deceit planned in darkness is to restrict our reception of television, internet and radio in our lives while devoting more time to prayer and praising God. Hearing and seeing the "bitter words" disturbs our peace of mind and can lead us into sin.  Unless we are called by vocation to enter the conflict, are we not better off praying for deliverance for all mankind from these evils and faithfully going about our daily duties?

Jesus said, "For from within out of the heart of men proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness.  All these evil things come from within, and defile a man" (Mark 7: 21-23).  God knows our hearts and will render to each of us our just desserts. ]

vs. 8-11 But God shoots his arrows at them; suddenly they are struck. He brings them down by their own tongues; all who see them nod their heads.  And all men fear and proclaim the work of God, and ponder what He has done.  The just man is glad in the Lord and takes refuge in Him; in Him glory all the upright of heart. [Sometimes we fall into thinking that we have to do something about the chaos and contention in this world by physically intervening.  For some that may be true, but for most of us, prayer and kindness to those we meet is what God is calling us to do. He will shoot the arrows of His choosing at the rabble rousers.  He is all-powerful and in His light their darkness will be revealed. The liars and deceivers convict themselves out of their own mouths.  We must always keep in mind that God and truth cannot be overcome.  We can rejoice in Him who cares for us, taking refuge under His powerful wings.

Lord, when I am anxious about the state of the world and of our country, remind me that You are in charge.  Give me the right prayers to say.  Do not allow me to sin by returning evil for evil, but rather give me the strength to do the duties You have given me.  Let me find peace and joy in You, and trust in Your goodness, justice, and power.]

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.)

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.

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.)

Welcome to Sunday Snippets, a weekly meme hosted by RAnn at This That and the Other Thing. Please join us even if you’re not a blogger.  You’ll find some interesting reading.  Leave comments if you wish.  I’ve meet some very interesting people at this carnival.

This week I addressed the “why?” of suffering in Lent, the “Why?” of Suffering and the Japanese Tragedy.

At Liturgical Stations of the Cross I posted links to the fourteen stations I published last year.  These stations make great one-a-day short meditation with snippets from the Old and New Testaments plus prayers from the Extraordinary Form.  If you want to bookmark it, you can use it throughout the year.

Ancient Lenten Hymn, Parce Domine is a presentation of the hymn and a recording of it in polyphonic style by a 20th century Polish composer.

Praying the Psalms – Psalm 63 is a meditation on that Psalm.

Sabbath Moments relates blessings of this past week.

Another APOD photograph for your enjoyment:

Cooling Neutron Star

Credit: X-ray: NASA / CXC / UNAM / Ioffe / D.Page, P.Shternin et al; Optical: NASA / STScI;
Illustration: NASA/CXC/M.Weiss)

Explanation: Supernova remnant Cassiopeia A (Cas A) is a comfortable 11,000 light-years away. Light from the Cas A supernova, the death explosion of a massive star, first reached Earth just 330 years ago. The expanding debris cloud spans about 15 light-years in this composite X-ray/optical image, while the bright source near the center is a neutron star (inset illustration) the incredibly dense, collapsed remains of the stellar core. Still hot enough to emit X-rays, Cas A’s neutron star is cooling. In fact, 10 years of observations with the orbiting Chandra X-ray observatory find that the neutron star is cooling rapidly, so rapidly that researchers suspect a large part of the neutron star’s core is forming a frictionless neutron superfluid. The Chandra results represent the first observational evidence for this bizarre state of neutron matter.

King David Playing the Zither, Andrea Celesti (1637-1712 Venice), oil on canvas, private collection

Welcome to Praying the Psalms, hosted by Jenny at Just a Minute.  Visit her to read others’ thoughts on this psalm.

Sometimes we forget that Jesus, Mary, and Joseph as devout Jews prayed the psalms.  In this psalm we hear Christ’s longing for His Father and the clear condemnation of liars and murderers, particularly the deceitful demons who desire our souls. Father Paschal Botz, O.S.B. writes:

…He kept constant vigil for the Father, also during the watches of the night.  His humanity is also the hand that grips us tightly and leads us to the Father.  True God and man, He came to pick up mankind and bring us home.  Therefore, His heavenly longing was for our benefit.

vs. 1-4 O God, You are my God whom I seek; for you my flesh pines and my soul thirsts like the earth, parched, lifeless and without water.  Thus have I gazed toward You in the sanctuary to see Your power and Your glory, for Your kindness is a greater good than life; my lips shall glorify You. [True thirst is very painful.  Parched, thirsty earth like a parched, thirsty soul cannot bear life. The mad seeking of satisfaction on earth is the sign of a parched soul seeking God, even when she does not realize it - seeking to bear the life of grace and union with the Trinity.

When we are shriveled in sin, if we turn our gaze toward God, we will see His power and glory in His mercy. It is almost impossible, maybe really impossible, for us to comprehend the depth and breadth of God's love for each of us individually.  When we assist at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass we see Him with our spiritual eyes in the sanctuary and glorify Him with the voice of the Church. His kindness is a greater good than earthly life - it is our eternal inheritance for seeking and following Christ.]

vs. 5-9  Thus will I bless You while I live; lifting up my hands, I will call upon Your name.  As with the riches of a banquet shall my soul be satisfied, and with exultant lips my mouth shall praise You.  I will remember You upon my couch, and through the night watches I will meditate on You: that You are my help, and in the shadow of Your wings I shout for joy.  My soul clings fast to You; Your right hand upholds me. [If we praise God faithfully on earth, meditate on the mystery of His love day and night, we have, through our free will, placed ourselves under His protection.  We have every reason to shout for joy because no one and nothing can separate us from Him.  Our souls are satisfied in the reception of the Holy Eucharist, the richest banquet we have ever been invited to.

In times of temptation, if we retreat evermore into His shadow, the Enemy cannot come close.  We are borne above evil by His powerful wings.

The more attached we are to Christ, the right hand of the Father, the more He upholds us, for surely we have not the power to uphold ourselves.]

vs. 10-12 But they shall be destroyed who seek my life, they shall go into the depths of the earth; they shall be delivered over to the sword, and shall be the prey of jackals.  The king, however, shall rejoice in God; everyone who swears by Him shall glory, but the mouths of those who speak falsely shall be stopped. [Jackals live in dry, open country, hunt at night, and prey upon small creatures.  Like predatory demons, they seek the weak and darkened intellects and wills.  If we kill the life of Christ in ourselves or facilitate the killing and drying up of grace in others, we will be torn apart spiritually - darkened and disintegrated. Christ our King rejoices in our Father.  All who swear by Him ("I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life" - Jn. 14:6) will share His glory.  Meanwhile, those who align themselves with Lucifer, who was a liar and a murderer from the beginning (Jn. 8:44), will be in eternal pitch blackness - destroyed with no hope.  Lord, let me seek You and look toward You and swear by Your Truth always.]

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.)

King David Playing the Zither, Andrea Celesti (1637-1712 Venice), oil on canvas, private collection

Welcome to “Praying the Psalms,” a meme hosted by Jenny at Just a Minute. Visit her to see thoughts on this psalm from other bloggers.

“Abandonment to Divine Providence” is rightly the theme of this psalm. No matter how bitter our experiences, God is our refuge. Power, prestige, esteem of others, and wealth are nothing.  They do not last.  We are balanced only when we trust in God and pour out our hearts before Him.

King David teaches us wisdom from hard-learned lessons; his words remind us of the persecution of Christ by the Pharisees throughout His public ministry.  From Christ we learn to cling to the Father – to keep our eyes on heaven – to pray and praise God in all our sufferings.

vs. 2-3  Only in God is my soul at rest; from Him comes my salvation.  He only is my rock and my salvation, my stronghold; I shall not be disturbed at all. [In these times as we experience chaos and evil the world over, we do well to imitate the contemplative religious communities who devote their lives to Christ behind the cloister, the stronghold of God.  In the heart of Christ they show us how to avoid being disturbed.  It is in front of the Blessed Sacrament we find peace.]

vs. 4-5 How long will you set upon a man and all together beat him down as though he was a sagging fence, a battered wall?  Truly from my place on high they plan to dislodge me; they delight in lies; they bless with their mouths but inwardly they curse. [Satan strives against us - we who have been exalted by the grace of Baptism and belong on high with the Lord.  As he tempted Christ in the desert, he lies to us, whispering falsehoods in our ears.  He hypocritically presents evil to us as good.  All the while, like the Pharisees who sidled up to Christ and with honeyed words and evil intentions tried to entrap Him, Satan curses us in his black heart.]

vs. 6-9  Only in God be at rest, my soul, for from Him comes my hope.  He only is my rock and my salvation, my stronghold; I shall not be disturbed.  With God is my safety and my glory, He is the rock of my strength; my refuge is in God.  Trust in Him at all times, O my people!  Pour out your hearts before Him; God is our refuge! [Jesus alone is the answer. "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life." He clung to His Father through His Passion.  These are His words to us.  Clinging to Him is the only way we can withstand the evil surrounding us and enter into eternal safety and glory.]

vs. 10-13 Only a breath are mortal men; an illusion are men of rank; in a balance they prove lighter, all together, than a breath.  Trust not in extortion; in plunder take no empty pride; through wealth abound set not your heart upon it.  One thing God said; these two things which I heard: that power belongs to God, and Yours, O Lord, is kindness; and that You render to everyone according to his deeds. [The things of this world are vanity.  We cannot extort heaven from God with earthly wealth and power.  All that we have comes from Him and belongs to Him.  We are fools if we think we achieve anything by our wealth and position on earth.

The Hebrew poetic device "One thing God said; these two things which I heard" is a beautiful way of confessing that God alone is both powerful and just. We will benefit from His loving kindness at our particular judgment when we die, and before then from the many actual graces He grants us in this life to witness to the Gospel.  Lord, when I am tempted to panic at the evils in this world and fear for my well-being, remind me to praise You and surrender all my anxiety to You in perfect trust.]

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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.)

King David Playing the Zither, Andrea Celesti (1637-1712 Venice), oil on canvas, private collection

Welcome to “Praying the Psalms”.  Jenny at Just a Minute hosts this meme and I invite you to visit her to see what other bloggers have written about this Psalm.

This Psalm is the call of the soul feeling intense separation from our heavenly Father.  Whether it is the dark night of the soul which Blessed Teresa of Calcutta endured for years, or the anguish of the sinner who has willfully separated himself from God and realizes his devastation, the feeling of a desperate soul rings out.

vs. 1-5 Hear, O God, my cry; listen to my prayer!  From the earth’s end I call to You as my heart grows faint.  You will set me high upon a rock; You will give me rest, for You are my refuge, a tower of strength against the enemy. Oh, that I might lodge in Your tent forever, take refuge in the shelter of Your wings! [Sin takes me from Your presence.  If I try to live without You I am barren and desolate in my soul.  Your tent (tabernacle) is set upon the heights of Mount Sion (heaven) and on every altar.  Grant that I may ever take refuge in the shelter of Your sacraments and Your grace, especially in the Sacrament of Penance where I am each time made anew by Your mercy. In the Sacred Heart of Your Son I find rest and safety.]

vs. 6-9  You indeed, O God, have accepted my vows; You granted me the heritage of those who fear Your name.  Add to the days of the king’s life’ let his years be many generations; let him sit enthroned before God forever; bid kindness and faithfulness preserve him.  So will I sing the praises of Your name forever, fulfilling my vows day by day. [At Baptism God accepts our vows to renounce Satan and all his works.  Through this sacrament we inherit eternal life.  Lord, I wish for all mankind to know You as Christ the King, whose Heart takes the shape of our hearts and lives in glory at the right hand of our Father, the place where we belong. Protect, defend, and purify us all in this world of mayhem and violence so that we may, rejoicing, sing Your praises forever in peace and joy].

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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.)

Here we are again with another fun party at RAnn’s This That and the Other Thing.  Visit her to read posts from other Catholic bloggers they put up this week.

St. John of Matha and the Captives brings the heroic virtue of this 12th century saint into the 21st century.

At Sabbath Moments I tell how I got through a bad day with help from Father Lovasik’s book, “Kindness”.

For a short meditation on Psalm 57, visit Praying the Psalms – Psalm 57.

If you’re tired of the snow and cold, you might enjoy a visit to Mt. Fuji in the spring with all the beautiful flowers.  I love the koto music along with the Japanese flute in the background.  Thought you might like it, too.

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.)

King David Playing the Zither, Andrea Celesti (1637-1712 Venice), oil on canvas, private collection

Jenny at Just a Minute hosts this meme on Saturdays.  Visit her for more reflections on this psalm.

This psalm has two parts. In the first, we pray and exalt God right in the midst of persecution and danger of death. No matter how awfully we are threatened by earthly evil or the powers of darkness, we sing our growing trust in God.

The second part shows how we awaken from darkness and call the dawn awake. After great suffering we praise God, exalting Him above the heavens and declaring His glory over all the earth.

vs. 6 They set a net for my steps; my soul was bowed down.  They dug a pit in my way, but they have fallen into it themselves. [The devils consistently seek to set occasions of sin before us. They prepare situations that if we fall into them, will cause us to enter intense darkness - mortal sin.  But they fall into the pit themselves because they walk not in the light, but in profound darkness.  At the end of the world, that darkness will envelop them forever. 

Lord, deliver my fellow man from the grip of these demons so they don't fall into the pits set for them.  Deliver me with your truth.]

vs. 7-11 My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast!  I will sing and chant praise.  Awake, O my soul!  Awake, lyre and harp!  I will wake the dawn!  I will give thanks to Thee, O Lord, among the peoples; I will sing praises to thee among the nations.  For Thy steadfast love is great to the heavens, Thy faithfulness to the clouds.  Be exalted above the heavens, O God!  Let Thy glory be over all the earth! [Lord, I can never praise You enough. Everywhere I go I will thank You in the midst of all peoples.  The universe cannot hold the steadfastness of Your love nor your faithfulness.

As I see what You have done for me, opening the gates of heaven and offering me a share in Your life for all eternity, I want everyone on earth to see Your glory and be saved. I want all to know Your love in a most personal way.  May all praise and glorify You from whom all goodness comes.]

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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 another edition of Sunday Snippets, hosted by our ever faithful RAnn at This, That and the Other Thing. Visit her to see what other Catholic bloggers have had on their minds this week.

I was busy with two writing projects this week.  The Una Voce February Newsletter is ready for download with some good stuff in it from Pope Benedict on Catholics and how we should use the internet.  There’s also a great article by the late Father Austin Milner, O.P., on the history and meaning of “and with your spirit.”  Since the English translation for the Novus Ordo will begin using this phrase in Advent this year, I though people would like to know more about the phrase.  Hint: it links to the sacred priesthood.  Catholics attending the Extraordinary Form can learn from this article, too.

The second project was tuning up, laying out, and publishing Tips for Participating in the Traditional Latin Mass. It’s in pdf format and Acrobat is the best pdf reader to use for this.

Sub Tuum Praesidium honors Our Lady’s Feast of the Purification.  I have a gorgeous composition by Dmitri Bortniansky that he wrote for the Russian liturgy using this prayer.  Listen, it will take you to heaven.

At Sabbath Moments I posted a link to music of the Sarum Rite from Trinity Church in New York.  Composer William Byrd and his contemporaries will also take you to heaven.  Isn’t that what the sacred liturgy is supposed to do?

Praying the Psalms – Psalm 56 is my contribution to Jenny’s meme.

We’re recovering from a lot of snow and will be getting more this coming week.  Hope all my readers are warm and safe.

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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.)

King David Playing the Zither, Andrea Celesti (1637-1712 Venice), oil on canvas, private collection

Jenny at Just a Minute hosts this meme, so join her for other comments on this psalm.

Poor King David!  The Philistines were holding him in Geth and things were not going well.  David as a prefigure of Christ laments his situation.  We can hear Christ sighing through him in the Garden of Gethsemane, and the Church, the Body of Christ repeating these same prayers today.

vs. 1-7 Have pity on me, O God, for men trample upon me; all the day they press their attack against me.  My adversaries trample upon me all the day; yes, many fight against me. O Most High, when I begin to fear, in You will I trust.  In God, in whose promise I glory, in God I trust without fear; what can flesh do against me? All the day they molest me in my efforts; their every thought is of evil against me. They gather together in hiding, they watch my steps.  As they have waited for my life , because of their wickedness keep them in view; in Your wrath bring down the peoples, O God . [What can flesh do against anyone of us?  We Christians are attacked day and night by the fallen angels and by our fellow man, but the only thing we must fear is the one who can cast us into hell (Lk. 12: 4).  We were made for heaven.  Although the demons of hell seek to triumph over us, if we trust in God He will bring them down.

Blessed are those who suffer persecution for justice' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven (Matt. 5:10). Lord, watch over our fellow Christians in the lands where they are murdered daily because of their faith.  Give me the strength to stand up to persecution and witness faithfully to You no matter how strongly the Adversary attacks under whatever guise he assumes.  Let me be willing to die for You.]

vs. 8-14 My wanderings You have counted; my tears are stored in Your flask; are they not recorded in Your book?  Then do my enemies turn back when I call upon you; now I know that God is with me.  In God, in whose promise I glory, in God I trust without fear; what can flesh do against me?  I am bound, O God, by vows to You; Your thank offerings I will fulfill.  For You have rescued me from death, my feet, too, from stumbling; that I may walk before God in the light of the living. [We plead for Divine pity with the confidence that our Father in heaven hears us.  As He knows when each hair of our head falls, He sees every tear we, His little ones shed. Few of us can stand up to defamation without fighting back, but David and Christ submit it to the Father in the dark of night, glorifying Him.

I am bound to You, O Lord, through my Baptismal vows.  Like King David, I am Your anointed one through the merits of Christ. In thanksgiving to You I assist at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.  In the sacrament of Confession you have rescued me from death, from every stumble.  Keep watch over me that I may walk before You in Your light with the angels and saints.  Lord, I am weak.  I can glory only in Your promise.]

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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 and please join us at RAnn’s This That and the Other Thing for some Catholic blogger enjoyment where we share our posts for the week.

This was a big pro-life week for our nation.  To join in I wrote A Hidden Cost of Abortion and The Quiet Duel – A Pro-life Film.

For simple enjoyment I posted a video a friend sent me: The Beauty of Mathematics.

For my reflections on Psalm 55, visit Praying the Psalms – Psalm 55.

Sabbath Moments is an enjoyable meme hosted by one of our fellow bloggers, Colleen.

And here’s another striking image from our Hubble telescope.  How can there not be a God?

The Rippled Red Ribbons of SNR 0509

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.)