Showing posts with label Catholic Celebrations. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Catholic Celebrations. Show all posts

AUGUST 15 -- FEAST OF THE ASSUMPTION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

 Today we celebrate one of the oldest Christian feasts, the very fact that the the Blessed Virgin's body was taken into heaven to be united with her soul and to reign in heaven with her king, Jesus Christ.

In 1950 this was declared to be a DOGMA, a belief that is required of everyone.  If you do not believe it you are outside of Christ's Body, the Catholic Church.

Your can read it here:  Pius XII (1950 MUNIFICENTISSIMUS DEUS)

or your can hear it by watching this video:



ADVENT IS HERE. HAPPY (LITURGICAL) NEW YEAR!!





The first Sunday of Advent, November 30th, 2014, marks the beginning of our new liturgical year.

Advent is NOT part of the Christmas season.

Advent is when priests wear the colour purple because Advent is primarily a penitential season that precedes the Christmas season.
It always begins four Sundays before Christmas Day.

Our Christmas celebrations actually begin on Christmas Day.  THAT'S when we BEGIN to listen to Christmas carols (the religious hymns, not Christmas/winter songs).
Let's not put our Christmas trees up until a day or two before Christmas.  Then leave the tree up until Epiphany (January 6th).

Priests don robes of white.  From December 25th to January 5th the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church celebrates the season of Christmas.

Advent is a time of fasting and abstinence.  We have lost much by ignoring this.  How can we truly feast if we don't first fast?


Those Were the Days of Giants! A Brief Reflection on the Fasting and Abstinence that were once common in Advent and Lent

Of course, in recent decades Advent has almost wholly lost any real penitential practices. There is no fasting or abstinence  required. Confession is encouraged and the readings still retain a kind of  focus on repentance.
But long gone are the days of a forty day fast beginning on Nov 12. The observances were every bit as strict as Lent.

There are many Advent customs to follow.  The whole point of celebrating Advent before celebrating Christmas is to prepare our souls for Christ's coming.  
  • We need to be prepared for His coming into the world as a new born baby at Christmas.
  • We also must be prepared for His second coming which could be any day or sometime in the distant future.  
  • We must be prepared for whenever He comes to us personally.  Jesus comes to each of us in a very personal way when we receive His Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.  He also comes to us when we hel someone in need, correct someone who is believing false teachings, or when we simply befriend the friendless.
  • Most importantly we must be prepared for our own "end time" when we breath our last.  That could happen before you wake up tomorrow ... or long after you celebrate your 100th birthday.  Advent helps us to be prepared.


Some Advent Activities

But who can wait that long to celebrate the birth of God-made-Man?
Traditionally the celebrations really begin on the 24th (if not a few days earlier for many of us).


Saint Andrew Christmas Novena

(This is from Scott P. Richert's blog.)

While a novena is normally a nine-day prayer, the term is sometimes used for any prayer that is repeated over a series of days. The Saint Andrew Christmas Novena is often called simply the "Christmas Novena" or the "Christmas Anticipation Prayer," because it is prayed 15 times every day from the Feast of Saint Andrew the Apostle (November 30) until Christmas. The First Sunday of Advent is the Sunday closest to the Feast of Saint Andrew.
 
"Hail and blessed be the hour and moment in which the Son of God was born of the most pure Virgin Mary, at midnight, in Bethlehem, in piercing cold. In that hour, vouchsafe, O my God! to hear my prayer and grant my desires, through the merits of Our Saviour Jesus Christ, and of His Blessed Mother.
Amen."

The Advent wreath

The Advent wreath has three violet or purple candles and one rose or pink candle.  The rose candle is lit on the third Sunday of Advent in anticipation of our rejoicing at Christmas --  this is "Gaudete Sunday," when the priest also wears rose vestments at Mass.  We change from purple in anticipation of the joy of the season of Christmas.

Here's a typical Advent wreath using coloured candles:



 Or


In our family we've usually used the large candles as they can burn safely for a long time.  We always have a white candle for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

See also

The History of the Advent Wreath


 The four candles represent the four weeks of Advent. A tradition is that each week represents one thousand years, to sum to the 4,000 years from Adam and Eve until the Birth of the Savior.



"The Creche that Grows"

Here's an activity that I discovered in a secular magazine many years ago.  My children enjoyed this almost as much as I still do.

Choose a location -- a convenient table top that can hopefully be the focus (or near the focus) of your celebrations.

Week One -
There are two events that happen on week one.
- Firstly, find some rounded rocks.  These are used to represent the earth.  Arrange the rocks as a boundary or frame for the display.  I like a C-shaped arrangement.  I have a piece or two of green felt that I use for a base on an end table.  
- Secondly, the Three Wise Men begin their journey.  In my house the men from the east first appear atop the refrigerator in the kitchen.


Week Two -
On week two we put greenery around the nativity scene to represent the vegetation the God has provided us with.
I have used both artificial and natural greenery over the years but artificial generally wins out since it doesn't dry out.


Week Three
Animal life arrives on the scene.  All the animals, with the possible exception of camels, traveling with the Three Wise Men, are put on display.


Week Four
Finally all the human figurines are put in place.  The only exception is the baby Jesus.


Christmas Eve -
On Christmas eve Jesus is put in the manger.  Christ is born!
We also have an angel who is determined to hang at an odd angle from the nearest lamp pole.  He also appears on Christmas eve.
All this time the Wise Men are making their way around the house.


Epiphany (January 6th) -
 The scene is finally "complete" on January the 6th when the Magi come to bring their gifts to the King of the Universe.

The nativity scene is the last of the Christmas/Advent decorations that I put away each year.

I encourage everyone to give this method a try.  Kids certainly love it and it becomes a cherished tradition.  Youngsters or not it is still rewarding.

You can also make up your own special prayers and blessings for each addition to the creche.

For more ideas, including fasting, a Christmas Novena, etc. please see:

Celebrating Advent

 Advent, the season of preparation for the coming of Christ at Christmas, should be a time for families to come together in prayer and devotion.


The Jesse Tree

There is a tradition I've only read about, The Jesse Tree.
THE STORY OF THE JESSE TREE
Jesse was the father of the great King David of the Old Testament. He is often looked upon as the first person in the genealogy of Jesus.  
  






















The Christmas Tree

Let us remember not to give in to worldly pressures.  Save the Christmas tree for a few days before Christmas Day.  We always leave ours up until January 7th, the day after The Epiphany of Our Lord.





Have a blessed Advent!

THE FOUR LAST THINGS: DEATH, JUDGEMENT, HEAVEN or HELL. These come to mind as we celebrate HALOWEEN, THE FEAST OF ALL SAINTS, THE COMMEMORTATION OF ALL SOULS





Our culture loves to celebrate Halloween, the Catholic Christian commemoration of All Hallows Eve  --  the eve of the Feast of All Souls.

»  As I write this I come to feel as though I am directing much of this towards those, like myself, with a protestant background, or those who are not yet part of the Catholic Church.  Please bear with me and take out of these thoughts the things that you yourself can best meditate on (or investigate further) for your own spiritual growth. «

At this time the Church draws our attention especially to the Four Last Things:  Death, Judgement, Heaven or Hell. 

We all have to face death.  That is the end of our chance to be part of the Church Militant.
Death could come any time for any one of us.  Are we ready?
  • Am I in a state of mortal sin?
  • Do I intend to examine my conscience and go to confession, especially if I THINK I may have committed a mortal sin?
  • Have I made good use of the time, talents and material things that God has given me to use?
  • Have I been faithful to Christ and His Church?
  • etc. ...


As part of Christ's Body we each need to realize that we are part of the entire body of Christ  --  not only the Church Militant (the Church here on earth), but also the Church Suffering (the Holy Souls in Purgatory) and the Church Triumphant (the Saints in Heaven).

ALL HALLOWS EVE or Halloween  --
As we discussed in the post about the Christian origins of Halloween it is important in this day and age to recall that Satan is real.  Evil is real.  We are fighting a spiritual battle against forces beyond our ken.  The good news is that we already know the outcome.  Satan and his minions will loose.  Unfortunately he will convince as many people as he can to choose Hell over eternity with God.
 
In our final moment we are judged.  Many or most will choose the horror of spending eternity apart from God.  Others will choose to love Our Lord above all else.  Even if we choose God there is no guarantee that we will enter heaven right away.  Some people die for our Lord or live such pious and selfless lives that they go (almost?) directly to heaven.  Will that be you?  Will that be me?  That's my goal, but ...





The Feast of ALL SAINTS commemorates the Church Triumphant  --
We belong to a vast family.  Many holy men and women have lived lives so holy that in the end they were judged pure enough to enter into Heaven.  These people are not dead, only their bodies are dead as they await to have their souls reunited with their bodies on "the last day".  These friends are there to intercede for us with Our Lord.
Jesus Himself has gone before us with His Body and Soul and is seated at the right hand of God the Father.
Mother Mary, too, has been assumed body and soul into heaven.  God has crowned Mary, another human like ourselves, as Queen of Heaven.
We can pray and follow what Jesus commands us to do.  We can also ask our family and friends to pray for us.
But there are those who are closer to Our Lord than anyone here on earth  --  those holy souls in heaven.  They too can intercede for us.  Jesus especially listens to Mary's requests as he did at the Cana wedding (John 2:1-11).  We are to honour our father and mother.  Jesus honours Mary in the same way.

The Commemoration of ALL SOULS is when we remember those who have gone before us.  --
 God alone knows what cleansing a soul needs before being pure enough to enter Heaven.  If we die in a state of grace we may require "a bath", so to speak.
Our brothers and sisters who cannot bear the thought of being in the glory of God and worshiping Him forever are sent immediately where they choose: Hell.
The poor, holy souls in Purgatory, however, are guaranteed to enter heaven.  Bathing is the best analogy that I've been able to think of.  Some of us need a long, hot scrub in lots of very hot water in order to remove the stain of our sins.  Others will only need to rinse their hands to remove such stain.

This is not to say that Jesus's sacrifice was not sufficient.  I always think of what Jesus said about making things right before going on:
"Make friends quickly with your opponent at law while you are with him on the way, so that your opponent may not hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the officer, and you be thrown into prison.   "Truly I say to you, you will not come out of there until you have paid up the last cent."  (Matthew 5:25-26)
Purgatory also exists because we are responsible for our sins.  Can we really expect to go through life, even a very pious life, but never to be responsable in any way for our sinfulness?  Jesus paid the price we cannot pay.  Out of Love He suffered and died for our salvation.  Does this mean we no longer accept any blame for what we have done?  If this were the case then we could go ahead and commit any sin we felt like, just so long as we said "sorry" afterwards.  I have difficulty in understanding the protestant rejection of this.  Purgatory is not a man-made idea.  We would not even know about it if it weren't for the intervention of the Holy Spirit.

This brings me to my final point in this post on the last things.
As the Church Militant one of our jobs is to pray and make sacrifices for the holy souls in Purgatory.  They cannot do anything to help themselves.  They can no longer receive Our Lord in Holy Communion, and they are also being denied the Beatific Vision for the time being.
We do not know what Purgatory is like.  (I certainly haven't been there.  I hope to bypass it entirely.)  It is a place of temporal suffering however.  These souls are being refined into gold by passing through fire.  (1 Peter 1:7)   We know that fire hurts.  Paying a traffic fine hurts in one way.  A year in jail hurts. 
So let us always remember to pray for the souls in Purgatory.  Pray, do good works, offer up sacrifices for them.

God be with you!
Dominus vobiscum!

    Halloween: The eve of the Feast of All Saints. A CHRISTIAN CELEBRATION and NOT PAGAN IN ORIGIN.



    Halloween is an important Christian day  --  the eve of the Feast of All Saints.

    Every year though I read people asking whether or not it is "OK" for a Christian to celebrate Halloween.
    The answer is a resounding YES!

    Our modern world is being strongly influenced by the enemy.  Satin is convincing people that he simply does not exist and that hell does not exist.
    Halloween reminds us of our own mortality and of the FACT that evil exists.
    We are fighting a battle.  One that is more important than a simple "life or death" war.  This war is for our immortal souls.  If we begin to forget evil, when we stop thinking about the four last things (Death, Judgement, Heaven and Hell) we put more than our mortal lives in danger.  We risk our own immortal lives and the lives of everyone else.  This is a battle we cannot fight alone.  For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood; but against principalities and power, against the rulers of the world of this darkness, against the spirits of wickedness in the high places.Ephesians 6:12

    Not only that but the very celebration is a Catholic (and therefore Christian) day.
    My major beef with the way we celebrate Halloween is two-fold:  1) That we tone down evil and turn it into a fun time with no actual admission that evil exists.  2)  That society celebrates the eve of All Saints Day but not the Feast itself.  That is like celebrating Christmas Eve rather than Christmas.


    Others have done research into the myths surrounding Halloween and its origins, so I'll give you links to those sources:


    The Reality of Evil Points Us Toward the Good

     

    Much of the modern aversion to Halloween, I think, stems from the same unwillingness to acknowledge the reality of evil. But there's a reason why we dress up as ghouls and goblins on the night before we celebrate the feast of All Saints Day, and, despite the claims of supposed satanists and Wiccans and anti-Halloween Christians like Jack Chick, it's actually a Christian reason: We believe in a world that extends beyond the one that we can see, a world in which angels and demons do contest for the souls of men, and the Prince of Lies grows in power by convincing people that he does not exist.
    If for no reason other than the fact that it reminds us that, as Hamlet tells his friend, "There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, / Than are dreamt of in your philosophy," Halloween is worth celebrating.



    The Christian Origins of All Hallows Eve

     

    The Christian Origins of Halloween

    "Halloween" is a name that means nothing by itself. It is a contraction of "All Hallows Eve," and it designates the vigil of All Hallows Day, more commonly known today as All Saints Day. ("Hallow," as a noun, is an old English word for saint. As a verb, it means to make something holy or to honor it as holy.) All Saints Day, November 1, is a Holy Day of Obligation, and both the feast and the vigil have been celebrated since the early eighth century, when they were instituted by Pope Gregory III in Rome. (A century later, they were extended to the Church at large by Pope Gregory IV.)


    Finally there's another good resource again addressing the false pagan origins of Halloween:

     The belief that Halloween is pagan in origin is a myth. Many neo-pagan websites claim that it was an attempt by early Christians to “baptize” the Gaelic harvest festival of Samhain. Because of this persistent myth, some Christians are hesitant to participate in anything associated with Halloween.




    Holy Michael Archangel, defend us in the day of battle; be our safeguard against the wickedness and snares of the devil. -- May God rebuke him, we humbly pray: and do thou, Prince of the heavenly host, by the power of God thrust down to hell Satin and all the wicked spirits, who wander through the world for the ruin of souls.
    Amen.