Today's Feast

Today is the feast day of the Archangels Michael, Raphael, and Gabriel. I highly reccommend reading the second reading from today's Office of Readings in the Liturgy of the Hours. It is from a sermon by Pope St. Gregory, which I have copied below (from universalis). It's a wonderful way to think about and understand more about the angels.


"You should be aware that the word “angel” denotes a function rather than a nature. Those holy spirits of heaven have indeed always been spirits. They can only be called angels when they deliver some message. Moreover, those who deliver messages of lesser importance are called angels; and those who proclaim messages of supreme importance are called archangels. And so it was that not merely an angel but the archangel Gabriel was sent to the Virgin Mary. It was only fitting that the highest angel should come to announce the greatest of all messages.Some angels are given proper names to denote the service they are empowered to perform. In that holy city, where perfect knowledge flows from the vision of almighty God, those who have no names may easily be known. But personal names are assigned to some, not because they could not be known without them, but rather to denote their ministry when they came among us. Thus, Michael means “Who is like God”; Gabriel is “The Strength of God”; and Raphael is “God’s Remedy.”Whenever some act of wondrous power must be performed, Michael is sent, so that his action and his name may make it clear that no one can do what God does by his superior power. So also our ancient foe desired in his pride to be like God, saying: I will ascend into heaven; I will exalt my throne above the stars of heaven; I will be like the Most High. He will be allowed to remain in power until the end of the world when he will be destroyed in the final punishment. Then, he will fight with the archangel Michael, as we are told by John: A battle was fought with Michael the archangel.So too Gabriel, who is called God’s strength, was sent to Mary. He came to announce the One who appeared as a humble man to quell the cosmic powers. Thus God’s strength announced the coming of the Lord of the heavenly powers, mighty in battle. Raphael means, as I have said, God’s remedy, for when he touched Tobit’s eyes in order to cure him, he banished the darkness of his blindness. Thus, since he is to heal, he is rightly called God’s remedy."

RCIA

I had the chance to revisit RCIA last Thursday - this time as a guest speaker. Man was it weird to me. Since RCIA is in our chapel/library of the Newman Center, it is in the same place each year. Sitting there with all those candidates and catechumens (this was the first class and we already had over 15 - about half of which had never been baptized! That means we're on target to break last year's 24 candidates and catechumens!) flooded back vivid memories of my first day in RCIA last November; the nervousness, the paranoia of not knowing what you are doing. All that passed very quickly in the hands of our Deacon and the Catechism.

I almost broke down in tears thinking about how badly I wanted to get finished with the process last year and start taking the Eucharist. And now I'm here, and can even share experiences with others! There was another former Sunday School teacher (like me) in the class. I got to talk to him quite a bit after I shared my experiences and background.

Anyway, please pray for candidates and catechumens everywhere.

The Journey Home

I was watching the latest episode of The Journey Home (and for you Protestants who read my blog, there are episodes out there for just about every denomination under the sun, including several former CoC ministers who have been on) and Marcus Grodi, the host, did a special where he shared 10 verses that he came across during his Spiritual Journey that just stuck out in his mind and made him think deeply about himself as an evangelical Presbyterian. I encourage you to listen to the whole program, but I just wanted to share the verses, encourage you to read them, and maybe share a reflection or two of my own. I'll use the NAB version. My comments in red.

Prov. 3:5,6: Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your path.

This passage struck both he and I because as "sola scriptura" Christians, we had both relied on our own understanding and knowledge of scriptures and our personal interpretations (informed of course by our own traditions, but we wouldn't admit that).


I Tim 3:15: But if I should be delayed, you should know how to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of truth. .

Again, what is the pillar and foundation of truth? Not the Bible alone, but rather the Church, the guardian of sacred scripture. This also ties in a lot with my discoveries concerning the Canon of scripture and its development when I was in my "conversion" process.

II Tim 3:14-17: But you, remain faithful to what you have learned and believed, because you know from whom you learned it, and that from infancy you have known (the) sacred scriptures, which are capable of giving you wisdom for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for refutation, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that one who belongs to God may be competent, equipped for every good work.

The fact that Paul is talking about the Old Testament scriptures is kind of mind blowing when you think of the context this scripture is generally used in.

II Thes 2:15: Therefore, brothers, stand firm and hold fast to the traditions that you were taught, either by an oral statement or by a letter of ours.

The two parts of Sacred Tradition stand here in this verse side by side - Oral Tradition and Sacred Scripture, both intrusted to the Church as the Pillar and Foundation of Truth.

Matt 16:13-19: Jesus said to him in reply, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah. For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father. And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."

I always wondered later why I fought so hard against Jesus saying this was Peter he was founding the Church on since 1) He names him Rock and says he will build his Church on the rock (in his native tongue there is no masculine/feminine distinction btw, and the Greek would be proper to use both in that sentence structure even when talking about the same person) 2) Other scriptures show us the Church is founded on the Apostles and Prophets with Christ being the chief cornerstone, and 3) Ever wonder what he could bind and loose and why it happened on Earth before it happened in Heaven?

John 14:15,16: And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate to be with you always, the Spirit of truth, which the world cannot accept, because it neither sees nor knows it. But you know it, because it remains with you, and will be in you.

Interesting that the Holy Spirit would be with the Church always! It didn't leave after the first century and stop guiding the Church.

Rev 14:13: I heard a voice from heaven say, "Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on." "Yes," said the Spirit, "let them find rest from their labors, for their works accompany them.

Our works accompany us to Heaven?! BTW, Marcus points out that this is part of the Presbyterian Funeral liturgy. I had no idea but that is interesting.

John 15:4: Remain in me, as I remain in you. Just as a branch cannot bear fruit on its own unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in me.

The same word remain is sometimes translated "abide". This same word is used in John 6:56 where he tells us how to abide in him: Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him.


Col 1:24: Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ on behalf of his body, which is the church,

I'm still meditating on this one myself. Not sure what I have comprehended so far.

Luke 1:46-49: And Mary said: "My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my savior. For he has looked upon his handmaid's lowliness; behold, from now on will all ages call me blessed.

On a more personal level, I've sometimes thought about how in the CoC Mary was so disregarded and ignored. I wonder if that might be why so many women feel disrespected who have left or are still in the CoC. I think a relationship with our Blessed Mother is a key step towards understanding the wonders of women and a true love for their suffering and work for God.


Now go listen to the whole show because he's a lot better than I am !

Cultural Commentary

I ran into this story and was once again thinking that this is what we relegate our babies too in a culture of abortion, trash.

Pray for us

Mel writes: "Still trying to work through the "pray for us" part of the Hail Mary. I've read quite a bit and have even started another blog as a place for "book reports." Any suggestions? It may all boil down to a matter of faith in the Marian doctrines, which I do not have." in the comments of the post below this one. Thought I would just try to answer this a tiny bit.

First, I think you can separate this idea of praying for us from other Marian teachings like her perpetual virginity, immaculate conception, assumption, coronation, etc. This one really has little to do with that, although those might all be reasons why we might choose to ask Mary for her intercessions. This idea revolves directly around the idea of "communion of the Saints".

We believe that those who are Saints are with God. That being said, we ask them for their prayers on our behalf. The best example that I think helps someone understand is how we ask our friends and neighbors to pray for us. I might ask Mel to pray for me, and likewise she might ask me. But, because of their being in Heaven with God and the nature of their lives, they are especially close to us all (being in communion with the whole Church includes those saints who have passed out of this life and into the next) and because of that special relationship we ask them for their prayers on our behalf. All this, of course, works through God's grace. Our Lady, as the Mother of Christ, has a special position where of course he would want to listen to her requests - we can see this in the wedding feast at Cana. That makes her often beseeched by those in need.

During the Easter Vigil (and hopefully as individuals we pray this more often), we pray the Litany of the Saints (responses in black, and this can differ a tiny bit):

Lord, have mercy.

Christ, have mercy.

Lord, have mercy.

Christ, hear us.

Christ, graciously hear us.

God the Father of Heaven,

have mercy on us.

God the Son, Redeemer of the world,

have mercy on us.

God the Holy Spirit,

have mercy on us.

Holy Trinity, one God,

have mercy on us.

Holy Mary,

pray for us.

Holy Mother of God,

pray for us.

Holy Virgin of virgins,

pray for us.

St. Michael,

pray for us.

St. Gabriel,

pray for us.

St. Raphael,

pray for us.

All you holy Angels and Archangels,

pray for us.

All you holy orders of blessed Spirits,

pray for us.

St. John the Baptist,

pray for us.

St. Joseph,

pray for us.

All you holy Patriarchs and Prophets,

pray for us.

St. Peter,

pray for us.

St. Paul,

pray for us.

St. Andrew,

pray for us.

St. James,

pray for us.

St. John,

pray for us. .

St. Thomas,

pray for us.

St. James,

pray for us.

St. Philip,

pray for us. .

St. Bartholomew,

pray for us.

St. Matthew,

pray for us.

St. Simon,

pray for us.

St. Thaddeus,

pray for us.

St. Matthias,

pray for us.

St. Barnabas,

pray for us.

St. Luke,

pray for us.

St. Mark,

pray for us.

All you holy Apostles and Evangelists,

pray for us.

All you holy Disciples of the Lord,

pray for us.

All you holy Innocents,

pray for us.

St. Stephen,

pray for us.

St. Lawrence,

pray for us.

St. Vincent,

pray for us.

Sts. Fabian and Sebastian,

pray for us. .

Sts. John and Paul,

pray for us. .

Sts. Cosmas and Damian,

pray for us.

Sts. Gervase and Protase,

pray for us.

All you holy Martyrs,

pray for us.

St. Sylvester,

pray for us.

St. Gregory,

pray for us. .

St. Ambrose,

pray for us.

St. Augustine,

pray for us.

St. Jerome,

pray for us.

St. Martin,

pray for us.

St. Nicholas,

pray for us.

All you holy Bishops and Confessors,

pray for us.

All you holy Doctors,

pray for us.

St. Anthony,

pray for us.

St. Benedict,

pray for us.

St. Bernard,

pray for us.

St. Dominic,

pray for us.

St. Francis,

pray for us.

All you holy Priests and Levites,

pray for us.

All you holy Monks and Hermits,

pray for us.

St. Mary Magdalen,

pray for us.

St. Agatha,

pray for us.

St. Lucy,

pray for us.

St. Agnes,

pray for us.

St. Cecilia,

pray for us.

St. Catherine,

pray for us.

St. Anastasia,

pray for us.

All you holy Virgins and Widows,

pray for us.

All you Holy Men and Women, Saints of God,

make intercession for us.

Be merciful,

spare us, O Lord. .

Be merciful,

graciously hear us, O Lord. .

From all evil, O Lord,

deliver us.

From all sin,

deliver us.

From your wrath,

deliver us.

From sudden and unprovided death,

deliver us.

From the snares of the devil,

deliver us.

From anger, and hatred, and all ill-will,

deliver us.

From the spirit of fornication,

deliver us.

From lightning and tempest,

deliver us.

From the scourge of earthquake,

deliver us.

From plague, famine and war,

deliver us.

From everlasting death,

deliver us.

Through the mystery of your holy Incarnation,

deliver us.

Through your Coming,

deliver us.

Through your Nativity,

deliver us.

Through your Baptism and holy Fasting,

deliver us.

Through your Cross and Passion,

deliver us.

Through your Death and Burial,

deliver us.

Through your holy Resurrection,

deliver us.

Through your admirable Ascension,

deliver us.

Through the coming of the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete,

In the day of judgment,

deliver us.

We sinners,

we beseech you, hear us.

That you would spare us,

we beseech you, hear us.

That you would pardon us,

we beseech you, hear us.

That you would bring us to true penance,

we beseech you, hear us.

That you would deign to govern and preserve your holy Church,

we beseech you, hear us.

That you would deign to preserve our Apostolic Prelate, and all orders of the Church in holy religion,

we beseech you, hear us.

That you would deign to humble the enemies of Holy Church,

we beseech you, hear us.

That you would deign to give peace and true concord to Christian kings and princes,

we beseech you, hear us.

That you would deign to grant peace and unity to all Christian people,

we beseech you, hear us.

That you would deign to call back to the unity of the Church all who have strayed from the truth and lead all unbelievers to the light of the Gospel,

we beseech you, hear us.

That you would deign to confirm and preserve us in your holy service,

we beseech you, hear us.

That you would lift up our minds to heavenly desires,

we beseech you, hear us.

That you would render eternal blessings to all our benefactors,

we beseech you, hear us.

That you would deliver our souls and the souls of our brethren, relations and benefactors, from eternal damnation,

we beseech you, hear us.

That you would deign to give and preserve the fruits of the earth,

we beseech you, hear us.

That you would deign to grant eternal rest to all the faithful departed,

we beseech you, hear us.

That you would deign graciously to hear us,

we beseech you, hear us.

Son of God,

we beseech you, hear us.

Lamb of God, who take away the sins of the world,

spare us, O Lord. .

Lamb of God, who take away the sins of the world,

graciously hear us, O Lord. .

Lamb of God, who take away the sins of the world,

have mercy on us. .

Christ, hear us.

Christ, graciously hear us.

Lord, have mercy.

Christ, have mercy.

Lord, have mercy.

Mary, Mother of God

How much do you love your mother? Very much assuming she is a wonderful Mother like most are. That being said, what would you do for her? Everything in the world.

That got me to thinking about Mary. I had a mother who left when I was 2 years old. I have only seen her 3-4 times since then. A terrible mother. Christ's mother loved him and cared for him his entire life, even until the cross where she sat at the foot and mourned him. How much does he love her? How hard would he try to do whatever she asks? Obviously from the Wedding Feast at Cana and thereafter, we see that he tried his hardest to do everything for her, something natural to a son who loves his mother. When we ask for her intercession, who better could we go to to ask her son for a favor? No one. And the entire prayer focuses on her son, who allows her to be sinless.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.

Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

Holy Mary, Mother of God,

Pray for us Sinners, Now and at the Hour of Our Death.

Amen.

The Holy Father's Prayer Intentions

Pope Benedict's prayer intentions for September:

General That those who are forced to leave home and country because of war or oppression may be supported by Christians in the defense and protection of their rights.

Mission That faithful to the sacrament of matrimony, every Christian family may cultivate the values of love and communion in order to be a small evangelizing community, sensitive and open to the material and spiritual needs of others.

Please pray for these things.