"Let us resolve to make this week holy"

Catholic News Service (CNS) published a brief story yesterday marking the twentieth anniversary of the death of Sr. Thea Bowman. She spent much of her life helping African-Americans through her ministry of education and music.

Weeks before her untimely death from cancer at age 52, she dictated a text about Holy Week for publication in the Jackson (MS) diocesan newspaper. Here is the text below as published by CNS.

Let us resolve to make this week holy by claiming Christ's redemptive grace and by living holy lives. The Word became flesh and redeemed us by his holy life and holy death. This week especially, let us accept redemption by living grateful, faithful, prayerful, generous, just and holy lives.

Let us resolve to make this week holy by reading and meditating (on) holy Scripture. So often, we get caught up in the hurry of daily living. As individuals and as families, reserve prime time to be with Jesus, to hear the cries of the children waving palm
branches, to see the Son of Man riding on an ass' colt, to feel the press of the crowd, to be caught up in the "Hosannas" and to realize how the cries of acclamation will yield to the garden of suffering, to be there and watch as Jesus is sentenced by Pilate to Calvary, to see him rejected, mocked, spat upon, beaten and forced to carry a heavy cross, to hear the echo of the hammer, to feel the agony of the torn flesh and strained muscles, to know Mary's anguish as he hung three hours before he died.

We recoil before the atrocities of war, gang crime, domestic violence and catastrophic illness. Unless we personally and immediately are touched by suffering, it is easy to read Scripture and to walk away without contacting the redemptive suffering that makes us holy. The reality of the Word falls on deaf ears.

Let us take time this week to be present to someone who suffers. Sharing the pain of a fellow human will enliven Scripture and help us enter into the holy mystery of the redemptive suffering of Christ.

Let us resolve to make this week holy by participating in the Holy Week services of the church, not just by attending, but also by preparing, by studying the readings, entering into the spirit, offering our services as ministers of the Word or Eucharist, decorating the church or preparing the environment for worship.

Let us sing, "Lord, have mercy," and "Hosanna." Let us praise the Lord with our whole heart and soul and mind and strength, uniting with the suffering church throughout the world -- in Rome and Northern Ireland, in Syria and Lebanon, in South Africa and Angola, India and China, Nicaragua and El Salvador, in Washington and Jackson.

Let us break bread together; let us relive the holy and redemptive mystery. Let us do it in memory of him, acknowledging in faith his real presence upon our altars.

Let us resolve to make this week holy by sharing holy peace and joy within our families, sharing family prayer on a regular basis, making every meal a holy meal where loving conversations bond family members in unity, sharing family work without grumbling, making love not war, asking forgiveness for past hurts and forgiving one another from the heart, seeking to go all the way for love as Jesus went all the way for love.

Let us resolve to make this week holy by sharing holy peace and joy with the needy, the alienated, the lonely, the sick and afflicted, the untouchable.

Let us unite our sufferings, inconveniences and annoyances with the suffering of Jesus. Let us stretch ourselves, going beyond our comfort zones to unite ourselves with Christ's redemptive work.

We unite ourselves with Christ's redemptive work when we reconcile, when we make peace, when we share the good news that God is in our lives, when we reflect to our brothers and sisters God's healing, God's forgiveness, God's unconditional love.

Let us be practical, reaching out across the boundaries of race and class and status to
help somebody, to encourage and affirm somebody, offering to the young an incentive to learn and grow, offering to the downtrodden resources to help themselves.

May our fasting be the kind that saves and shares with the poor, that actually contacts the needy, that gives heart to heart, that touches and nourishes and heals.

During this Holy Week when Jesus gave his life for love, let us truly love one another.

This is what the liturgy teaches us!

I was going to post this famous setting of Ubi caritas by French composer Maurice Durufle (1902-86) tomorrow, but since Sr. Thea signed off with those words, it seems fitting today. The English text is below the video.




Where charity and love are, there God is.

The love of Christ has gathered us into one flock.
Let us exult, and in Him be joyful.
Let us fear and let us love the living God.
And from a sincere heart let us love each other.

Therefore, whensoever we are gathered as one:
Lest we in mind be divided, let us beware.
Let cease malicious quarrels, let strife give way.
And in the midst of us be Christ our God.

Together also with the blessed may we see,
Gloriously, Thy countenance, O Christ our God:
A joy which is immense, and also approved:
Through infinite ages of ages.Amen.

Conversion

Today (January 25) is the Feast of the Conversion of Paul the Apostle. One of the optional readings for the day recalls the dramatic story of Paul's conversion, knocked from his horse by the Lord himself (depicted in the painting to the left by the Renaissance master Caravaggio). Saul's conversion, which took place even as he was going to Damascus to persecute Christians, is yet another example of God's generous mercy and his tireless patience with imperfect men and women.

Conversion is an interesting word. In Church-speak it involves more than just embracing a new life. It also involves turning away from the things that interfere with the new life as well. In ancient times those to be baptized would face the west (the place where the sun set and from where darkness comes) to reject satan; they would then turn to face the east (the place of the rising sun / Son) to profess their faith, turning their backs on their former lives. Today, our baptismal profession still requires us to reject satan and all his empty promises and to profess our belief in the Triune God (although we no longer physically turn).

I often speak with liturgists about conversion. When planning liturgies people often approach from the angle of "I don't like (or understand or appreciate) this aspect of the liturgy...how can it be changed?" Instead, I think that the question should be, "I don't like (or understand or appreciate) this aspect of the liturgy...how can I change?" We don't change things to suit our vision. We allow our hearts to be changed to live in Christ.

Resources for Lent

It's not too early to start thinking about resources to help parishioners fully celebrate Lent, Triduum and Easter.

I've listed some excellent Lenten resources below. Some are new, some are proven favorites from the past. Some are for everyone, some might just be for you. Feel free to suggest your own through the comments form.

From Liturgy Training Publications:

• Bible Stories for the Forty Days, by Melissa Musick Nussbaum. A story book for children.
• Forty Days and Forty Nights: A Lenten Ark, by Judy Jarrett and Peter Mazar. This is a Lenten version of an Advent calendar.
• Introduction to Lent and Eastertime, by Gabe Huck. A wonderful booklet at a low price that can be used with small groups.
• Keeping Lent, Triduum and Easter. A classic.
• Keeping the Seasons. Reproducible resources (English and Spanish) for Lent, Triduum and Easter 2010.
• What am I doing for Lent this year? (2nd edition), by Paul Turner. Also available in Spanish and in an edition for teens.

From the Federation of Diocesan Liturgical Commissions (FDLC):

• Bulletin Inserts for Lent, Triduum and Easter, by Thomas A. Dente.

From the Liturgical Press:

• A Crucified Christ in Holy Week, by Raymond Brown.
• Lent with Bishop Morneau.
• Living Liturgy Lent Bulletin Inserts.
• Not by Bread Alone: Daily Reflections for Lent 2010, by Jay Cormier. Also available as an e-book and in a large-print version.

Obviously, this list could go on and on. I hope that this is useful to you and, as I said above, share your own suggestions via the comment page.

The graphic is Jésus et la femme samaritaine ("Jesus and the Samaritan woman") from a series of works based upon the Gospel of Saint John by contemporary artist Corinne Vonaesch.

Many Have Seen the Star

While the liturgical celebration of Epiphany has been transferred to a Sunday in the Dioceses of the United States, it is celebrated on the traditional date of January 6 in the Vatican.

Pope Benedict XVI has eloquently preached and written about the personal encounter of individuals with God--an encounter that God himself desires. The pope stresses the Church's desire that the listener recognize himself or herself in the people and events of Scripture (see Liturgiam Authenticam, 42). Thus, the Scriptures are not just about something that has already happened many centuries ago, but rather they are about how God is acting in the world today.

The Holy Father's Epiphany homily at Saint Peter's Basilica yesterday broke open the Scriptures in this very way. The Magi, he said,

were not the last but the first of the great procession of people who, through all ages of history, were able to recognise the message of the star, to follow the paths indicated by Sacred Scripture, and thus to find Him Who is apparently weak and fragile but Who, in fact, has the power to bring the greatest and most profound joy to the human heart.

He went on to say,

Many have seen the star but only a few have understood its message.

We can, then, ask ourselves why is it that some seek and find, while others do not? What is it that opens their eyes and hearts? What is lacking in those who remain indifferent, in those who show the way but do not move themselves? And we may answer that too much self-confidence, the belief they possess a perfect knowledge of reality, and the presumption of having already formulated a definitive judgement about things makes their hearts closed and insensitive to the novelty of God. They are sure of the idea they have of the world and do not allow themselves to be intimately moved by the adventure of a God Who wants to meet them. They place their trust more in themselves than in Him, and do not believe it possible that God is so great that He can become small, that he can truly draw close to us.

In the end what they lack is the authentic humility capable of submitting itself to that which is greater, but also the authentic courage which brings us to believe in that which is truly great, even if it shows itself in a defenceless Child. What they lack is the evangelical capacity to become children at heart, to be amazed and to abandon the self so as to start down the path indicated by the star, the path of God. (Translation from the Vatican News Service)

Humility is a word not often used--and even less often understood--in our culture. The word itself comes from Latin (humus, meaning earth). My personal definition, for what it is worth, comes from Saint Paul's letter to the Philippians (2:3-4).

humbly regard others as more important than yourselves,
each looking out not for his own interests, but (also) everyone for those of others.

Humility isn't groveling and it doesn't mean you are invisible. In fact, most of the time being humble is hard work, sacrificing one's own interests for the good of others because of love. As the Holy Father was suggesting, if we are humble enough to dim our own light so that we may see the star and approach it as children, in wonder, awe and joy, we will see the face of God not simply lying in a manger, but in the faces of all whom he has created and redeemed.

On a lighter note, take a minute to enjoy the wonderful Epiphany hymn, "As with gladness men of old." You'll notice that, like the Holy Father's homily, it reminds us that we too are hurrying to the manger.

The History of the Christmas Feast

The Church, since it is a living organism (the Body of Christ) continually evolves. This is sometimes most noticeable in the celebrations of the liturgical year. We sometimes forget that the Holy Spirit left no liturgical calendar with the Apostles on that First Pentecost!

Prior to the fourth century, Sunday was the primary feast in the Church. A yearly commemoration of the Pasch (Easter) was celebrated from an early time and from that came related liturgical days (Palm Sunday, Holy Thursday, Good Friday leading to the Easter Vigil, for example).

The origins of the Christmas feast are not entirely clear. According to Adolf Adam's book, The Liturgical Year, there is concrete evidence that the celebration of the birth of Christ was occurring on December 25 in Rome in 336.

But scholars are divided as to the reason for the selection of December 25 for this feast. Some believe it was to "baptize" a pagan festival of "the Unconquered Sun-God" to the the Syrian sun-god Emesa established throughout the Roman Empire in 274 (to be celebrated each year on December 25, the day of the winter solstice). After all, Jesus Christ is the Sun of Righteousness, the Light of the World, never to be conquered.

Other scholars believe that third-century Christians wished to calculate the exact date of Jesus' birth.

The Christ-as-sun symbolism that was so deep-rooted in the Christian consciousness caused them to pay special attention to the equinoxes and solstices. One opinion was that John the Baptist was conceived at the autumn equinox and born at the summer solstice. But since according to Luke 1:26 Christ was conceived six months after John, he was conceived at the spring equinox (March 25) and was therefore born on December 25. (Adolf Adam, The Liturgical Year, p. 123)

Regardless of how or why, the date of December 25th took root in the west. In the fourth century the Church was neither as centralized as it is today nor did it have the ability to communicate quickly. Still, this feast spread rapidly even to those places in the east that celebrated January 6 as the date of the manifestation of God in flesh. In fact, many calendars had both celebrations.

Today in the western Church December 25th marks the date of Christ's birth into the world. God put on human flesh and became like us in all things but sin. In the west January 6 (Epiphany) celebrates the revelation of God in Christ to all the nations.

Midnight Mass also has ancient roots, dating back to the fifth century when the pope would celebrate Mass in a chapel (designed to be a replica of the cave of Christ's birth in Bethlehem) deep beneath the basilica of Saint Mary Major.

Making Time

Christians used to express their relationship with Jesus. ... The meaning of the expression advent also includes that of 'vistatio', ... a visit, which in this case means a visit from God: He enters my life and wishes to address Himself to me...

In daily life we all know the experience of having little time for the Lord, and little time for ourselves. We end up becoming absorbed by 'doing'. Is it not often true that it is activity itself that possesses us, society with its multiple distractions that monopolises our attention? Is it not true that we dedicate a lot of time to entertainment and leisure activities of various kinds?

Advent, this potent liturgical period we are entering, invites us to remain silent as we come to appreciate a presence. It is an invitation to understand that the individual events of the day are signs God addresses to us, signs of the care He has for each of us. How often does God make us aware of some aspect of His love! To maintain what we might call an 'inner diary' of this love would be a beautiful and rewarding task in our lives. Advent invites us and encourages us to contemplate the living Lord. Should not the certainty of His presence help us to see the world with different eyes?

Homily of Pope Benedict XVI
First Vespers for the First
Sunday of Advent
November 28, 2009
Translation from Vatican News Service

Advent Online

The U. S. Bishops have a nice page devoted to Advent, including an online Advent Calendar. Check it out at www.usccb.org/advent.

Giving Thanks

Tomorrow our nation celebrates Thanksgiving, a day that, unfortunately, is in danger of being overshadowed by the shopping frenzy of "Black Friday." In the United States most consider the celebration of pilgrims together with native Americans as the origin. It seems that our ancestors had a real sense gratitude to God for the blessings received.

Giving thanks to God lies at the heart of prayer in the Judeo-Christian tradition. In fact, our word Eucharist comes from a Greek word, eucharistein, which means "to give thanks and praise." It grew out of the Jewish prayer of blessing, often used during meals, recounting God's great works of creation, redemption and sanctification. (see Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1328).

When people speak to me about their participation in the Mass, they often speak of in terms of the many graces that they receive from God--spiritual refreshment, peace, forgiveness, etc. These are excellent things, but I think what we receive is only part of the story. The other part is what we give back to God.

The Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy says,

the liturgy is the summit toward which the activity of the Church is directed; at the same time it is the font from which all her power flows. (paragraph 10)

Font and summit.

This, to me, is a reminder that we are not simply there to receive, but to give back to God the things we have (that he has given us). We give back our lives, our hearts, our work and our joys with the realization that everything that is good comes from him because he loves us (not because we deserve it!). We also give back our pain, suffering, sadness, and troubles. It was through pain, suffering and humility that God saved the world through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. If we give the challenges of our lives back to God, he can transform them into something magnificent as well (if not in this world, in the next).

Gratitude also needs to be part of our daily prayer. In my own prayer life I feel much more centered when I am able to thank God for creation, life, family, work, Church and the countless blessings seen every day. When I do so, I find that there seems to be less for which to ask.

I often find myself focusing on what I "need" rather than the great blessings God has bestowed on me. I have a wonderful wife and children, loving and generous parents, a nice home, meaningful work, and plenty of food (to name a few of the most important blessings). Many, many fathers go to sleep every night wondering if their children will have a meal the next day or if they will be safe from community or ethnic violence. Many women and children are abused and don't know where to turn. Many elderly are abandoned. Many children are starving. My "needs" certainly are insignificant in comparison.

My wife--the real liturgist in the family--began a practice in our family as part of our dinnertime prayer. Each person needs to say something for which they are thankful. When I am being terrorized by my children or am disappointed with my work, it's always good to give thanks for these things. The terror or disappointment will pass, but God's great gifts remain for ever!

It is good to give thanks to the LORD,
to sing praise to your name, Most High,
To proclaim your love in the morning,
your faithfulness in the night,
With the ten-stringed harp, with melody upon the lyre.
For you make me jubilant, LORD, by your deeds;
at the works of your hands I shout for joy.
How great are your works, LORD!
How profound your purpose!

The just shall flourish like the palm tree,
shall grow like a cedar of Lebanon.
Planted in the house of the LORD,
they shall flourish in the courts of our God.
They shall bear fruit even in old age,
always vigorous and sturdy,
As they proclaim:
"The LORD is just; our rock,
in whom there is no wrong."

Psalm 92:2-6, 13-16 (NAB)

Appear and Inspire

Blessed Cecilia, appear in visions
To all musicians, appear and inspire:
Translated Daughter, come down and startle
Composing mortals with immortal fire. W. H. Auden (1907-73)

November 22 is the annual day to honor Saint Cecilia, patron saint of musicians and sacred music. Unfortunately, this will not be celebrated liturgically this year, but we can still remember and feast in honor of this holy saint!

Saint Cecilia lived in the second or third century in Rome. As with many early Christian saints there is relatively little known about her life. It is thought that she came from a noble Roman family and that she was given in marriage, against her will, to a non-Christian named Valerian. After evangelizing Valerian and his brother, the two were baptized and were soon martyred. While trying to bury their bodies, Cecilia was captured and condemned to death. According to legend, her persecutors first tried to kill her by suffocating her with steam, but that failed. They eventually cut her throat with an axe. Legends say that she still sang a hymn of praise to God as she lingered on for three days.

Devotion to St. Cecilia began quickly thereafter (she is one of the women mentioned in the Roman Canon). She had founded a house-church, and Pope Paschal I erected a church above her house in the Trastevere region of Rome in the ninth century. Her body, along with her husband and his brother and another man martyred with them were exhumed from the catecombs and were buried in the church.

The photo above is of one of my favorite pieces of art. Stefano Maderno (1576-1636) carved this emotional portrayal of the saint after her body was moved in 1599 to its current place under the main altar. This is how her incorrupt body was found lying before it was moved. The axe marks were visible in her neck and her arm was outstretched with three fingers extended (which was, of course, explained as a testimony to her faith in the Triune God). While at first glance the statue is graceful and flowing, a longer examination reveals the awkwardness of her position. Carved into the floor in front of the altar is this statement:

Behold the body of the most holy virgin Cecilia,
whom I myself saw lying incorrupt in the tomb.
I have in this marble expressed for you the same saint
in the very same posture.

A nice description of the church is available by clicking here.

While there is absolutely no evidence supporting it, legend claims that St. Cecilia invented the organ. In honor of the Saint I thought that you might appreciate the clip below--the last two movements of Handel's Ode for Saint Cecilia's Day, HWV 76, led by the great Baroque interpreter Ton Koopman.

But bright Cecilia raised the wonder higher:
When to her Organ vocal breath was given
An Angel heard, and straight appeared
–Mistaking Earth for Heaven.

Preparing Children for Advent & Christmas

It seems to me that children's books dealing with faith and church have been getting better. Perhaps more than any other season, the Advent-Christmas cycle provides fertile ground to capture the imaginations of children with some quality books. I asked an expert--my wife--to put together a very short list of her favorites. I have added links to Amazon.com so that you can learn more.

The Donkey's Dream by Barbara Helen Berger (especially good for Advent)

How Jesus Came by Thomas Wahl, OSB (especially good for Advent)

B is for Bethlehem by Elisa Kleven

Jesus The Word by Mark Francisco Bozzuti-Jones, illustrated by Shelly Hehenberger

What Star Is This? by Joseph Slate, illustrated by Alison Jay

The Animals' First Christmas Adapted by Gaby Goldsack, illustrated by Linda Clearwater (especially good for toddlers and preschoolers)

Who Is Coming to our House? by Joseph Slate, illustrated by Ashley Wolff (especially good for toddlers and preschoolers)

Enjoy!

Solemnity of Christ the King

We are approaching the end of our liturgical year, the Solemnity of Christ the King. Its position on the liturgical calendar helps remind us that all that we do as Christians leads us into the Kingdom of Christ, one with God the Father.

The feast was established only 84 years ago by Pope Pius XI, partially in response to the ongoing celebration of the sixteenth centenary of the Council of Nicea (325) which defined the dogma of the Son and the Father "of one being," (consubstantial) and added the words "whose kingdom shall have no end" to the Profession of Faith (still known as the Nicene Creed).

In the years following the First World War, Pope Pius XI was concerned that the great devastation brought by modern warfare had taught nothing to nations and peoples. In his encyclical Quas Primas (December 11, 1925) he began:

Men must look for the peace of Christ in the Kingdom of Christ; and that We promised to do as far as lay in Our power. In the Kingdom of Christ, that is, it seemed to Us that peace could not be more effectually restored nor fixed upon a firmer basis than through the restoration of the Empire of Our Lord. (Quas primas, 1)

Rather than commissioning studies or convening a conference, Pope Pius XI determined that the best way to help people understand the concept of Christ's sovereignty was by commemorating it in the liturgy.

For people are instructed in the truths of faith, and brought to appreciate the inner joys of religion far more effectually by the annual celebration of our sacred mysteries than by any official pronouncement of the teaching of the Church. Such pronouncements usually reach only a few and the more learned among the faithful; feasts reach them all; the former speak but once, the latter speak every year - in fact, forever. The church's teaching affects the mind primarily; her feasts affect both mind and heart... (Quas primas, 21)

He declared the final Sunday of October to be the date of this feast's observance. He believed that it would provide a fitting introduction to the Feast of All Saints, who considered Christ their glory. He also felt that this date, late in the Church year, vividly expressed "the crowning glory upon the mysteries of the life of Christ already commemorated during the year." (Quas primas, 29)

With the reform of the liturgical calendar after the Second Vatican Council, the solemnity was moved to the last Sunday of the Church year.

Primary source: The Liturgical Year: Its History and Its Meaning After the Reform of the Liturgy (Adolf Adam, tr. Matthew J. O'Connell), Liturgical Press.

All Saints Evening Prayer

On Sunday, November 1 at 5 p.m. the Madison Diocesan Choir will join musicians from the Luther Memorial Choirs for an ecumenical celebration of Evening Prayer.

Luther Memorial celebrates Evening Prayer on All Saints Day each year and this year the director of music, Bruce Bengston, invited our Diocesan Choir to join them. The combined choirs will sing two anthems together. Both the Youth Choir and Bell Choir of Luther Memorial also will provide music.

The liturgy will be celebrated in the beautiful Luther Memorial Church on University Avenue and starts at 5 p.m. It will last less than an hour. All are welcome.

They Follow the Lamb Wherever He Goes

Sunday is All Saints Day, one of the great solemnities of the Church. When solemnities of the Lord fall on an Ordinary Time Sunday, they normally take precedence over that Sunday (as All Saints does this year).

As early as the fourth-century, there is evidence that there was a feast of all martyrs. Contemporary accounts show that this feast was celebrated on May 13 in some locations. In others it was celebrated on the Sunday after Pentecost and still others on the Friday after Easter.

Around the year 609 Pope Boniface IV dedicated the Pantheon (a former pagan temple given to him by the emperor) to the Blessed Mother and all of the martyrs. May 13 was the date of the consecration and reports show that 28 wagonloads of bones were brought to the Pantheon from the catacombs. The Pantheon, of course, still stands today with altars to the saints encircling the rotunda.

In the eighth century Pope Gregory III dedicated a chapel in Old Saint Peter's Basilica to All Saints. At some point (perhaps because of this), All Saints began to be celebrated on November 1. [The source for all this info is The Liturgical Year: Its history and its meaning after the reform of the Liturgy by Adolf Adam (tr. Matthew J. O'Connell).]

One of my favorite Latin motets is O quam gloriosum est by the Spanish priest-composer Tomas Luis de Victoria (1548-1611). The text continues to be part of our liturgy, as the Magnificat antiphon for Evening Prayer II for All Saints Day.

How glorious is that kingdom where all the Saints rejoice with Christ
clothed in white robes, they follow the Lamb wherever he goes.

I hope that you enjoy this rendition!

Preparing to Prepare

Believe it or not, there are only four more Sundays left before the beginning of Advent! Now is the time to consider how best to help the people of your parish celebrate Advent in a way that really helps them prepare a place in their heart for the Word Incarnate.

Liturgy Training Publications (LTP) has a booklet, available in English and Spanish, called "What Am I Doing for Advent This Year?" This affordable booklet ($1 each, with significant discounts available for 25 or more copies) would be a wonderful gift for parishioners. Rather than adding one more thing to people's hectic schedules, this allows them an opportunity (on their own schedule) to reflect upon how they will use the days of Advent to prepare for Christmas.

LTP also recently released "Keeping the Seasons / Celebremos los tiempos litúrgicos: Reproducibles for Advent-Christmas 2009 - 2010." This seems to be the heir of their popular Welcome Yule series of bygone days. As the title states, this resource provides handouts with text and graphics that can be used in parish bulletins, newsletters, or in any number of interesting ways. Since it is available on a CD-ROM, the material can be manipulated to the specific needs that you have.

For children, "Build Your Own Bethlehem" is an activity book to help the Gospels come alive. Two new publications, "Advent Calendar Activity Sheet" and "Create Your Own Christmas Season Booklet Activity Sheet," provide an opportunity for families to come together during the season and talk about faith.

LTP has other resources for Advent and Christmas at www.ltp.org. Advent comes upon us like a thief in the night!

Glory in the Cross

In the midst of gearing up for school and choir, the additional meetings and training sessions, as well as trying to squeeze the last bits of summer out of September, two important dates of the liturgical calendar often sneak by without much notice: the Exaltation of the Holy Cross (September 14) and Our Lady of Sorrows (September 15).

The date for the feast of the Holy Cross dates back to fourth-century Jerusalem. The Church of the Holy Sepulchre was dedicated on September 13 and the next day the True Cross was brought outside the newly-dedicated church for all of the faithful to venerate. Today we still venerate that cross every time we make the sign of the cross or pray before the cross. In fact, we glory in the cross (Galatians 6:14).

The next day (September 15) we celebrate the memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows. Mary stood at the foot of the cross next to her son and this day stands immediately next to the feast of the cross.

These two days allow us to contemplate one of the great mysteries of God's plan, that of the role of suffering. Most of us spend our lives trying to avoid suffering, but suffering and sorrow are integral to the whole plan of salvation:

The one who desires to avoid suffering, to keep it at bay, keeps life itself and its greatness at bay...There is no love without suffering - without the suffering of renouncing oneself, of the transformation and purification of self for true freedom. Where there is nothing worth suffering for, even life loses its value. The Eucharist - the centre of our Christian being - is founded on Jesus' sacrifice for us; it is born from the suffering of love which culminated in the Cross. We live by this love that gives itself. It gives us the courage and strength to suffer with Christ and for him in this world, knowing that in this very way our life becomes great and mature and true. (Pope Benedict XVI, June 28, 2008).

The Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows also is one of the few days on the calendar that still has a sequence, "Stabat mater dolorosa." One the most beautiful (and sorrowful) musical settings of this is by Giovanni Battista Pergolesi (1710-36) who himself died at a young age due to tuberculosis. Below is the first movement, for soprano and alto soloists (sung in this video by a countertenor).

In the Hope of Everlasting Life

August 31, 2009, marks the 17th anniversary of the death of Bishop Cletus F. O'Donnell.

Bishop O'Donnell served as second Bishop of Madison for 25 years (1967-1992) steering our local Church through the many changes of the Second Vatican Council. Our records show that he ordained more than 80 priests of the Diocese, many of whom are still active. Most of these priests still have great affection for Bishop O'Donnell and Bishop O'Donnell's influence lives to this day.

He attended the Second Vatican Council as an auxiliary bishop of Chicago. His episcopal motto was In Spem Vitae Aeternae (In the hope of life everlasting). The chapel of the Bishop O'Connor Catholic Pastoral Center bears his name--the Bishop O'Donnell Holy Name Memorial Chapel. He is buried at Resurrection Cemetery in Madison.

Almighty and merciful God,
eternal Shepherd of your people,
listen to our prayers
and grant that your servant, Cletus, our bishop,
to whom you entrusted the care of this Church,
may enter the joy of his eternal Master,
there to receive the rich reward of his labors.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
From the Order of Christian Funerals

Photo courtesy of the Madison Catholic Herald

Lectionary-based Music Resource

The National Association of Pastoral Musicians (NPM) has two wonderful resources to help musicians plan music which flows from the Sunday readings. They are definitely worth a look!

The NPM Music Planning Calendar includes suggestions of Psalms and hymns appropriate for each Sunday and holy day of obligation in the Church year. Each suggestion notes the hymnal(s) or other publication(s) in which the music is found.

The stated purpose of the Choral Anthem Project is

to list repertory suggestions for parish choir directors, independent of publishing industry interests, so that those responsible for selecting and preparing choral anthems may have a rich store of selections of high quality choral music related to the Sunday scriptures from which to choose.

Once again, each Sunday and holy day of obligation of the Church year is listed, although some days have few or no suggestions. Most of the music suggested is accessible to the average Catholic parish choir and embraces a wide-range of repertoire from historic music to compositions of today.

Both of these resources are one tool to help musicians plan. They should not be the sole resource for planning in your parish, nor should you feel bound to do something from these lists. Such lists are an excellent place to turn for ideas and I often find that when consulting them, new ideas pop into my mind.

The rest of NPM's website has a great deal of information for pastors, liturgists and musicians. There are catechetical resources, materials for liturgy preparation, and guidelines regarding professional concerns. It's a good place to bookmark and visit now and then.

A Cheerful Giver

Today (August 10) is the feast of one of the Church's most well-known martyrs, Saint Lawrence.

Lawrence was a deacon of the Church in Rome serving Pope Sixtus II. As with many early saints, the circumstances of his life and martyrdom contain few details which can be proven, but what has been passed down through the tradition is truly legendary!

The legend contends that in August of the year 258, during the persecution of the emperor Valerian, Pope Sixtus II was beheaded. His young deacon, Lawrence, met Sixtus on the way to his execution and asked to accompany him, to which Sixtus replied that he would...in three days.

As a deacon, Lawrence maintained many of the temporal goods of the Church, including vessels of precious metals and other riches. The Roman prefect demanded that Lawrence surrender these riches to the emperor. The deacon slyly asked for a few days to gather the vast riches. During that time, he sold the Church's goods and gave the money to those in need. At the appointed time he appeared before the prefect with the poor, the sick, widows and orphans, proclaiming these as the "treasures of the Church."

That, of course, was not well received so Lawrence was executed. They placed him on a gridiron (which he is holding in the picture above) and placed him over hot coals. He is said to have joked at one point, "This side is done. Turn me over." Thus, he became a cheerful giver.

Whether or not every (or any) detail of the legend is true, it is clear that St. Lawrence embodied the Lord's call to follow him, even through suffering and death. In an excerpt from one of St. Augustine's sermons (from today's Office of Readings), he says, "We too must imitate Christ if we truly love him. We shall not be able to render better return on that love than by modeling our lives on his."

The legend also causes one to reflect on how we view the Church's treasures today. We still lock up our gold and silver chalices in the sacristy safe even while we lock the church doors from unwanted visitors. One of the "Fruits of Holy Communion" named in the Catechism of the Catholic Church (no. 1391 and following) is a commitment to the poor: "To receive in truth the Body and Blood of Christ given up for us, we must recognize Christ in the poorest, his brethren" (no. 1397).

Perhaps the best way to celebrate this feast is to ask ourselves how we recognize Christ in his treasured poor.

Father,
you called Saint Lawrence to serve you by love
and crowned his life with glorious martyrdom.
Help us to be like him
in loving you and doing your work.
Grant this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
--Roman Missal, Prayer of the Day

Apostle of the Apostles

Tomorrow (July 22) we celebrate the memorial of one of the great saints, Mary Magdalene. She was honored to be the first witness of the resurrection and the first to announce the Good News to the other disciples--thus she often is called "The Apostle of the Apostles."

Confusion and legend obscure the facts of her life. We know that she was a faithful follower of Jesus and we think that Jesus drove seven demons from her (Lk 8:2). She, along with other women, supported the ministry of Jesus "out of their resources" (Lk 8:3). With others she went to Jerusalem with Jesus where she remained at the foot of the cross with Jesus' mother and Mary, the wife of Clopas (Jn 19:25).

Early in the morning on the first Easter Sunday, Mary Magdalene discovered that Jesus' tomb was empty. She eventually encountered a man that she thought was a gardener, but when he said her name she recognized him as the Lord. Embracing Jesus, he said "Stop holding on to me...go to my brothers" (Jn 20:17, New American Bible). Scholars are uncertain as to what happened to Mary Magdalene after the Lord ascended, but there is a tradition that she moved to Ephesus where she lived with Jesus' mother Mary.

There are so many things that I find interesting and inspiring about Saint Mary Magdalene. First, she is one of the few saints that doesn't have a word or two describing her in the calendar (one often sees, for example, "priest and martyr," "virgin," etc. after the name of a saint in the calendar). Perhaps she doesn't need any further clarification. Perhaps we just don't know what to call her!

Secondly, she saw the Risen Lord but did not recognize him until he said her name. Once again, a mystery of Communion is revealed. You'd think she would have recognized him immediately and fallen down to worship in silence...but his voice, inflection, or the familiarity with which he spoke was how the Lord revealed himself to her. And then she went to hug him. Her love was personal, real, intimate. He wasn't a far-off God, but one who knew her name. He was one whom she and others had probably hugged before.

The Risen Lord's response to the hug? The Gospel of John says that he told her to go and tell people about what she saw. This reminds us of the unique relationship Christians have with the Lord...we want to stay and worship, but he calls us to go and proclaim. While Mary Magdalene saw the glorified Lord and proclaimed the Good News, our job is just the opposite: We proclaim with confidence that, as faithful servants, we will see the glorified Lord in his heavenly kingdom.

Father,
your Son first entrusted to Mary Magdalene
the joyful news of his resurrection.
By her prayers and example
may we proclaim Christ as our living Lord
and one day see him in glory.
(Opening Prayer, Memorial of Saint Mary Magdalene)

Assumption 2009

Saturday, August 15, 2009 (The Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary) is a not a holy day of obligation in 2009 since it falls on a Saturday.

In 1992, the Holy See approved a general decree by the United States Bishops declaring days to be observed as holy days of obligation in the Latin Rite dioceses of the United States in conformity with canon 1246. It was also determined that whenever January 1 (the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God), August 15 (the Solemnity of the Assumption) or November 1 (the Solemnity of All Saints) fall on a Saturday or on a Monday, the precept to attend Mass is abrogated (the faithful are not obliged to attend and participate in the Mass).

The day retains the rank of solemnity and is best celebrated in a festive way.

For those who love to plan ahead, next year the Assumption will fall on a Sunday and will be celebrated instead of the Ordinary Time Sunday.