I had this memorized way back in 1978. It’s good to memorize such things. They come back to “haunt” you (in the best way). I can sing this at the most unusual times in the most unusual places if I don’t bother anyone. For the lyrics in Latin and English, click the continue / read more button. Continue reading
Daily Archives: 2012/04/08
Flowers of pure Easter joy for the Immaculate Conception
When’s the last time you picked some flowers and gave them to your mother? When’s the last time you picked some flowers and brought them (with permission) to place before a statue or image of our Lady in your local parish, chapel, oratory?
This week, during the Octave of Easter, would be a good time. Our Lady suffered terribly during the torture and death of her Son, the more so because of her purity of heart, her clear vision.
The joy brought to her heart by Jesus, the Prince of the Most Profound Peace upon His resurrection from the dead… I wonder if He did something so outrageously simple and wonderful, as her little Son, as to bring her a handful of wildflowers…
Filed under florae, Immaculate Conception
19 Rosary Rant – Glorious Mysteries – 1 – The Resurrection of Jesus
[The "Noli me tangere!" sculpture above is one of my all time favorites. Antonio Raggi did the work under the direction of Gian Lorenzo Bernini. You can find it at the chapel of San Domenico e San Sisto attached to the Angelicum University in Rome. There's a little chair around the back corner of this back corner side altar This was one of my wanting-to-be-a-hermit hide-aways for many decades, starting way back in 1980! Time flies!]
Please God, more Scriptural and Patristic sources will be added to the present “rant style” meditations when circumstances at Holy Souls Hermitage aren’t quite so utterly barbaric.
The purpose of this first run through these mysteries is to note especially the goodness and kindness of Jesus amidst the violence and chaos back in the day… and today. Hang on, it might be a bit of a rough ride, as rough and tumble as we focus on, in this post, the resurrection of Jesus.The violence here won’t be with the plottings of the a few concerning the “stealing the body of Jesus”, but rather with a certain kind of touching.
There is so very much material. I will only comment on this round through the mysteries on just one aspect of this first glorious mystery, that which refers to the “Noli me tangere!” command: Do not touch me! Let’s take a look at just three verses, at Jesus commanding the doubting Thomas, in fact, to touch Him:
John 20,27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands, and bring your hand and put it into my side, and do not be unbelieving, but believe.” 28 Thomas answered and said to him, “My Lord and my God!” 29 Jesus said to him, “Have you come to believe because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.” [nab]
Mary, the Mother of Jeus, who sat with Mary of Magdala at the tomb while the great stone was rolled into place. She didn’t return to take care of Jesus’ body because she knew He would not be there. She had learned something from the time Jesus had previously disappeared for three days and knight after His Bar-Mitzvah experience in the Temple.
Mary of Magdala did return, but all she needed to believe was for Jesus to say, “Mary!” And she immediately believed. As Mary, His mother, this Mary did not need to touch Jesus to believe. She merely wanted to express her joy. Jesus directed this to her evangelization of the Apostles.
Women are always, generally speaking, more faithful than men. They can suffer more, endure more. Men, however brave in battle, are, in the end, pretty weak when it comes to an even fiercer reality of who we are before the Lord, who bears the wounds of the most epic battle upon His risen Body. The apostles were skeptical, until the saw the state of the empty tomb. The holiness of the place must have overwhelmed them. The angels, unseen by them, must have nevertheless been whooping them upside the head to have them believe. And they did. Except Thomas. He’s a hard case.
Of all of them, only Thomas needed not only to see with his eyes, but also to touch with his hands. Jesus, ever so good and so kind, permits just this, with a bit of ferocity. I, for one, can only imagine that Thomas is overwhelmed, and cannot for a second bring himself to touch Jesus and those gaping wounds of His, Jesus being so majestic in His resurrection. Thomas is crushed with shame and repentance and joy and… and… shame once again…
Surely Jesus had to take Thomas’ finger and shove it through the holes in His hands. Surely Jesus had to take his hand, his hand mind you, and shove that right into His side, right into His still pierced open Sacred Heart, which, though pierced open, was beating with life, with love for us, despite the worst violence that we could vomit upon Him. He now had the right in justice to have mercy on us, having taken on what we deserve, the worst we can give out, death. He had and has the right to give us life.
Thomas had to feel this life with his hands, beating, again and again…
Thomas then — how could He not drop to His knees in thankful adoration of Him who was now the object of his belief: “My Lord and my God!” he exclaims, unable to say more of his regret, repentance, joy…
The Irish were given an indult for the Novus Ordo to exclaim “My Lord and my God!” after the consecrations at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. How fitting: blessed are they who have not seen and yet have believed.
Thomas was the one to exclaim: Let us go! We will die with you!He let bitterness of feeling sorry for himself overtake him. Jesus knows how to cure this. In this way and that, He can do the same with us, also through each other, shoving our hands spiritually, as it were, right into His Heart. If Jesus wants us to believe, even though we do not see Him or touch Him, He will have us believe. We must cooperate with His grace, keeping us with the sacraments, persevering in our poor attempts to pray… but He will work with that and provide everything for us, Himself, actually. We receive Him in the Most Blessed Sacrament and speak with Him, heart with Sacred Heart, not so much cor ad Cor loquitur (heart speaking to Heart) but cor cum Cordis loquitur (heart speaking with Heart).
Jesus, risen from the dead, joyous to show us His goodness and kindness. (Ten Hail Marys!)
Filed under Rosary Rants
Dozens more added to the autism novena! Double-Yikes!
Email/WordPress followers of the blog won’t realize that dozens of names have been added to the autism novena, since that’s all in a widget on the side bar. There are so many things you miss out on by not just visiting the blog itself! I must have a light version of aspergers on the lighter end of the autism spectrum to insist like this…
Anyway, visit dear Mary Ann at MissionBell to learn more about the novena and enrolling anyone you know. This is an extremely trying challenge to families. One woman killed her autistic son in an insane “losing-it” moment. The pressure can be incredible. Perhaps the worst thing is the incomprehension of those who don’t know about autism and… and… are too selfish to find out. Anyway, the novena is for all involved. Austism is a family affair.
I post this on Easter precisely because so many continue to suffer regardless of the Liturgical cycle. Our Lord is very aware. Those who have learned to turn to our Lord in utter simplicity in the midst of their trials know all about this and are, I think, much more able to appreciate the love our Lord, risen from the dead, has for all of us.
Currents run deep with those who have autism and in autism families. Many of those families, thank God, have learned that autism in the family is, in fact, a gift, an occasion for us to get over ourselves to such a degree that we can embrace not only all the awful consequences of original sin (weakness of mind and will, emotions all over the place, sickness, including autism, and death) but also — how to say it? – all of the wretched condition of sinful mankind, and this by way of intercession looking forward to eternal life, when we will freed from this body of sin and death and rejoice in the resurrection. But we have to cooperate with our Lord’s grace, by His grace. And this needs training. Austism is a great training ground for charity! Yikes!
Filed under autism
Masses offered for benefactors and those joining me in praying the Saint Michael prayer
A glance over the Mass intentions at Holy Souls Hermitage for this past Holy Week is indicative of the thankfulness I have for those of you who are benefactors in any way, especially by way of the prayer to Saint Michael. I am very aware through notes and conversations that very many of you have suffered the onslaught of the minions of the Evil One because of your participation in these prayers to Saint Michael for my intentions and then for yourselves and each other. I can only guess that that means that your prayers are very precious to our Lord (even if you haven’t been harassed!). If you haven’t already, please join us! Just make sure that you are keeping up with the Sacraments, Confession and Holy Communion. Thanks!
[[Sunday, 1 April, 2012, Palm Sunday, Holy Mass is offered in thanksgiving for the intentions of the wonderful benefactors of Holy Souls Hermitage!]]
Monday of Holy Week I offered Mass for all those reciting the Saint Michael Prayer for my intentions and for each other.
Tuesday of Holy Week Chrism Mass! I offered Mass for all those reciting the Saint Michael Prayer for my intentions and for each other.
Wednesday of Holy Week I offered Mass for all those reciting the Saint Michael Prayer for my intentions and for each other.
Holy Thursday 5 April, 2012, Mass is offered for all the priests, living and deceased, of the Diocese of Charlotte and the Fathers of Mercy, and all priests and bishops in purgatory. Motu proprio.
Good Friday, 6 April, 2012 – Mass of the pre-Sanctified – the Good Friday service. No Mass intentions for Good Friday. Prayer for ye all!
Holy Saturday Easter Vigil, 7 April, 2012 – (1) Holy Mass is offered for the J.L.K. family, living and deceased (great supporters of priests and seminarians). Motu Proprio.
Easter Sunday, 8 April, 2012 – (2) Holy Mass is offered for the J.L.K. family, living and deceased (great supporters of priests and seminarians). Motu Proprio.
Easter Monday, 9 April, 2012 – (3) Holy Mass is offered for the J.L.K. family, living and deceased (great supporters of priests and seminarians). Motu Proprio.
* * *
Sancte Michael Archangele,
defende nos in proelio;
contra nequitiam et insidias diaboli esto praesidium.
Imperet illi Deus, supplices deprecamur:
tuque, Princeps militiae Caelestis,
satanam aliosque spiritus malignos,
qui ad perditionem animarum pervagantur in mundo,
divina virtute in infernum detrude.
Amen.
Saint Michael the Archangel,
defend us in battle; be our protection
against the wickedness and snares of the devil.
May God rebuke him, we humbly pray:
and do thou, O Prince of the heavenly host,
by the power of God, thrust into hell Satan
and all the evil spirits who prowl about the world
seeking the ruin of souls.
Amen.
Filed under Benefactors
Ad orientem on Easter. Teasers from the thesis on Genesis. Yikes!
Just a couple of teasers from the thesis about ad orientem! Yikes! Click to enlarge. Sorry for the red hash marks. I forgot to turn off the spell check before getting these screens shots.
Download the entire thesis from this page on the top menu.
If I ever am able to write a popular version of the thesis, I’ll try to incorporate what I said in this post on ad orientem, as well as some other points on the extent and “location” and “direction” of Eden, spiritually speaking. The “spiritually speaking” bit does not have anything to do what is forced on the text, but is about that which is described by the text itself. The incisive, ironic, in-your-face nature of the text on what is spiritually ad orientem is awesome, instructive, killing off of the old man, an occasion to rejoice in the New Adam as members of His Mystical Body. We find ourselves with Him, in the East. A seven-fold Yikes! for that one… Surrexit Dominus vere! Alleluia!
Filed under Genesis
An Easter explanation of ad orientem. Adam watched in awe
This ad orientem picture, above the tabernacle, to the side of the crucifix, was taken immediately after Holy Mass offered, of course, ad orientem. The sun worshippers (much of fallen humanity in any given age) and those who offer the Holy Sacrifice ad orientem but with no lived understanding as to why — get it all wrong. Let’s do a little refresher course. From a glance at Genesis 3,24 one can easily get the idea that the ferocious cherubim with their fiery swords were stationed at the East of Eden guarding the way of the Tree of the Living Ones, meaning that Adam and his wife are being expelled from the East to that which was Easterly…
For the sake of this post, let’s call that a given, and see if any of that which is Easterly has anything to do with Easter! Let’s get some directions!
As Adam and his wife head East, do they not leave Eden and the Tree of the Living Ones in the West?
(1) They are forbidden to return to Eden so as to make their way to the Tree of the Living Ones so as to reach out their hands and take from it and eat with the idea that this would make them live forever. You would think such futile attempts at lifting themselves up under their own power apart from grace would make them the greatest of great grandparents to the heretic Pelagius. Come to think of it, they are. The Cherubim are there to protect not the Tree nor the way of the Tree itself, but the way Adam and his wife would take to the Tree, thus protecting them from the worst of their stupidity. Adam’s and his wife’s grasping and clawing (see the prologue of John’s Gospel) won’t get them anywhere.
(2) Adam and his wife are not forbidden, however, to receive humbly from the Tree of the Living Ones and so live forever. They can’t go to the Tree of the Living Ones and take the fruit of the grace of enmity provided by the Son of the Mother of the Redeemer in Genesis 3,15, but the Son of that Mother of the Redeemer can go to them. And He does. Born of the Immaculate Virgin, He races as far Eastward as they have gone, so that all of humanity is to the West, looking Eastward. And there He is, risen, with the marks of slaughter still upon Him, our Savior, like the sun rising, but so much more, being the very dear Son of the Father rising from the dead for us, to bring us also to life, to have us taste of the grace of redemption in the salvation He brings, the life of God within us, the Most Holy Trinity, and this by way of that fruit of the Tree of Life, of the Living Ones, the Cross, namely, the Most Holy Eucharist, which we are not to grasp after, but we are to receive with humble thanksgiving.
Ad orientem. I like that.
Filed under Mass
Accompany me, Father George David Byers, S.S.L., S.T.D., as I begin life as a Catholic Priest-Hermit by choice. Holy Souls Hermitage is dedicated to the sanctification of my fellow priests, bishops, deacons & seminarians going through the purgatory of this life or the next. Prayer and sacrifice go up, of course, for both Benedict XVI and the next Successor of Saint Peter. 
