Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence

The oldest Advent hymn we have dates from before 275 AD and was composed in Greek for the Divine Liturgy of St. James as a hymn of Eucharistic Devotion. Since the Eucharistic Presence of Jesus is a sacramental continuation of his Incarnation, this ancient Eucharistic hymn has become a Advent and Christmas carol that can be a moving meditation for believers all on its own. This three minute video below is worth every second.

Memories

Every time I hear this song, I think of George.  Thank you for the good memories, George.  
 

Communion lessons

Communion lessons: It is hard to believe that people once considered the Catholic press boring. At least when it comes to opinions, as opposed to news, it never lacks for controversy. Here is the money quote:  The necessity for such a revival underscores an ongoing failing of our Church, however, which is the lack of continuous Catholic faith formation. Most Catholics received formal education in their childhood. They may be devout or disengaged, but they are often thinking in childhood categories. As St. Paul advises, at a certain point we need to put away childish things.

Greg Erlandson hits the point squarely.  Often when talking to former Catholics they believe with their childhood's understanding and never advanced that comprehension.  No wonder they don't believe.  I don't either.  At least they read articles and hopefully listen to Bishop Barron or other Catholic apologists.  Let's pray for them.

Grandma's Skit for First Penance

First Confession            First Sacrament of Reconciliation                  First Penance

Setting:  Sitting in a church pew waiting for my turn to go see the priest.

Characters:           Child: (plays herself)
                                Big Brother: (priest)
                                Grandma :  Narrator

 

Narrator:  The first thing someone does is think what they are going to talk about to the priest.  This is called an Examination of Conscience. 

Child: I have to think.  Thinks Out Loud.

Do I pray?

Have I been obedient to my parents and others?

Am I kind to everyone?

Am I stubborn?

Am I selfish and not shared with others?

Have I made fun of any one?

Have I stolen anything?

Have I purposely destroyed someone’s property?

Do I do my chores?

Have I told lies?

Oh!  Now it’s my turn.

Narrator:  Child sits or kneels in front of the priest.

Priest:  Good Afternoon.

Child:  Good Afternoon.  While making the sign of the cross, the child says, “Bless me Father, for I have sinned.  This is my first confession.”

Narrator:  Then the child tells how she has been behaving and promises to  try to be better.  For example:

I am too shy and don’t always greet my teachers as I should.

I do not share all the time. 

I spend too much time on technical devices.

I don’t help my mother as much as I should.

Now it’s the child’s turn:

………………………………………………

…………………………………………………….

……………………………………………….

Narrator:  When we finish the priest may talk to the child to make sure they are finished and maybe they have some questions for the priest.  When the conversation is over, the priest will give the child a penance.
The penance is usually prayers.

Priest: Now say your Act of Contrition.

Child:  Prays Act of Contrition:

Oh My God, I am sorry to have offended You.  I promise never to hurt You again and to love everyone as You want me to.  Amen.

Priest:  Good.  God bless you.

Child:  Thank you, Father.

Narrator:  The child leaves and goes somewhere to say her penance before she forgets.

 

 

 

Baruch

 LECTIO:

Baruch 5: 1-9

Bar 5:1-9

Jerusalem, take off your robe of mourning and misery;
    put on the splendor of glory from God forever:
wrapped in the cloak of justice from God,
    bear on your head the mitre
    that displays the glory of the eternal name.
For God will show all the earth your splendor:
    you will be named by God forever
    the peace of justice, the glory of God’s worship.
    
Up, Jerusalem! stand upon the heights;
    look to the east and see your children
gathered from the east and the west
    at the word of the Holy One,
    rejoicing that they are remembered by God.
Led away on foot by their enemies they left you:
    but God will bring them back to you
    borne aloft in glory as on royal thrones.
For God has commanded
    that every lofty mountain be made low,
and that the age-old depths and gorges
    be filled to level ground,
    that Israel may advance secure in the glory of God.
The forests and every fragrant kind of tree
    have overshadowed Israel at God’s command;
for God is leading Israel in joy
    by the light of his glory,
    with his mercy and justice for company.

STUDIUM:

Whoever wrote these verses has been given the name, Baruch.  This book is not included in the Jewish canon or Protestant Bibles. But the message is similar to other postexilic prophets.  Baruch is addressing Jerusalem, which was destroyed by the Babylonians.  Everyone is filled with "sorrow."  So Baruch concludes with words of hope.  God will lead Israel with mercy and righteousness which is what God always intends--this is the right ordering of relationships, both among human beings and countries.

MEDITATIO:

This is God's vision of peace: mercy, righteousness and ever-lasting hope in the Lord.  When people wish you God's peace, this is what they are expressing.

On an individual level, a person can be exiled from God.  But don't lose hope that God can't bring them back.

ORATIO:

Lord, again I pray for my loved ones who are in exile, like Jerusalem. I have hope that you will secure them in Your arms.

CONTEMPLATIO:

I think of all the peoples who are in exile, migrants, Palestinians, Afghanistans, Sudanese, etc.  Come Lord Jesus, come.

RESOLUTIO:

I won't give up hope that God will restore all the way He meant it to be.

Good Response

 In the early days of Christianity, there lived a man called Simon.  This was a popular name.  Peter's former name was Simon, too.  But this Simon was a very good magician.  He was so good that some thought he was the messiah, due to his wondrous tricks.  There is even a statue along the Tiber River to the "holy god," which is attributed to the magician, Simon.

When Simon saw the success of Peter, curing the sick, healing the blind, etc., he wanted to do that, too.  So Simon asked Peter to give him the ability to lay on his hands and cure the sick.  Peter answered, "May your money perish with you because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money!..." Evidently, Simon tried to buy the healing charism.  By the way, this is where the term "simony" originates.  

I'm not certain that Simon converts.  He says he believes and what he says I think is an excellent response: "Pray to the Lord for me so that nothing you have said may happen to me."  I plan to use the "Pray for me" part, the next time I am corrected.

Friend:  "Faith, why didn't you come, last night."

Faith: "I just forgot.  Pray for me."

Should Children Be Believed?

As a child, I vividly remember toddling along the fence that marked the woods.  I saw something glistening and bent down and touched it.  Suddenly, the ground moved. I fell back and snakes crawled all over me. I was in a snake pit.

For years I believed it.  I used to tease my sister about it because being ten years older, she was my babysitter. At first, she said she didn't remember, but after years of my asking her, she finally said, "it was familiar."  

In my middle age to senior years, I googled the snakes.  Guess what.  They aren't in this area. Also, I remember my fat little legs and dimpled knees.  I was never a fat kid.  I was skinny.  Did I dream the incident?  I think I did.  And I even convinced my sister that it happened.  If you tell a lie often enough people will believe you.

This child certainty came to mind when I read Atonement, by Ian McEwan. A preteen found a note her older sister's lover wrote and in her childish mind she was shocked!  He described something he wanted to do to her sexually.  They were lovers.

But the tween had never heard, never mind read the words in the letter before.  All she could envision was her sweet, innocent sister was in danger of being raped.  Well, someone is raped and the tween shows the adults and the police the letter.  Worse, she says she saw her sister's lover running away from the crime.

All lies.

Yet, everyone believed the child.

The wrong man was convicted and sent to prison.

Decades later, the girl realizes her mistake--her lie.  She wants to apologize to her sister and her now husband and tell her parents the truth.  

Apologizing is not atonement.  The novel is mistitled, but it is still a riveting story.