PASSIONTIDE ~ REFLECTIONS OF SUFFERING
http://luke2-14.blogspot.ca/2014/04/passiontide-and-my-lenten-moment.html
Passiontide -
Two weeks to consider suffering, both Christ's suffering and our own.
Wikipedia has a good summary:
Passiontide (in the Christian liturgical year) is a name for the last two weeks of Lent, beginning on the Fifth Sunday of Lent, long celebrated as Passion Sunday, and ending on Holy Saturday.
In the Roman Catholic Church, and in Anglo-Catholic churches, all crucifixes and images may be covered in veils (usually violet, the color of vestments in Lent) starting on Passion Sunday: "The practice of covering crosses and images in the church may be observed, if the episcopal conference decides. The crosses are to be covered until the end of the celebration of the Lord's passion on Good Friday. Statues and images are to remain covered until the beginning of the Easter Vigil."[1] (Specifically, those veils are removed during the singing of the Gloria.) The veiling was associated with Passion Sunday's Gospel (John 8:46-59), in which Jesus "hid himself" from the people.[2]
From Gloria in Excelsis Deo
This veiling of the statues and icons stems from the Gospel reading of Passion Sunday (John 8:46-59), at the end of which the accusers take up stones to cast at Jesus, Who hides Himself away. The veiling also symbolizes the fact that Christ's Divinity was hidden at the time of His Passion and death, the very essence of Passiontide.I usually follow the traditional calendar even though my local parish follows the modern calendar and celebrates the "Novus Ordo"/ "Ordinary Form" Mass only. When possible I make the trek the the city to assist in a Tridentine Mass.
Since 1969 Passion Sunday and Palm Sunday have been combined into one, making Holy Week also Passiontide.
Mass readings beginning on the fifth Sunday of Lent concentrate on the idea of suffering, particularly Christ's suffering for us.
How do we suffer?
We have to willingly accept ALL THE LITTLE things that cause us any irritation or suffering, be it physical, mental, or spiritual.
We are not animals. An animal does not possess an immortal soul nor the ability to reflect on life. When an animal suffers it is living in the moment. Humans however can reflect back on how things used to be or how we though things were going to be. We can also be afraid of how our suffering may change our future.
Think of Our Lord's suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane. He struggled but willingly accepted the Father's will for Him:
- He accepted the physical suffering to come.
- He accepted the horrifying idea that He was to take our sins upon His sinless Self.
- He accepted being abandoned by his friends and followers ... even to being abandoned by God the Father as he suffered and died a tortuous death on the cross.
- He did all this with the full knowledge that people would mock his sacrifice then and down through the centuries.
http://www.zazzle.ca/jesus_christ_agony_in_the_garden_of_gethsemane_photosculpture-153335356698085618
How can we refuse to willingly accept this cold spring?
The toe we just stubbed?
Our inability to meet a deadline?
Our headaches? Our occasional moodiness? Monotony? Fatigue?
I know I have trouble accepting these and more. I much prefer to grumble rather than quietly and willingly accept these small sufferings.
But that is what we are called to do, especially in the coming two weeks.
Suffer with Our Lord. Offer up a prayer that your suffering may be combined with Jesus' for the salvation of souls.
Dear Lord, I offer you (whatever your concern or problem here) For the conversion of sinners For the forgiveness of sins In reparation for sins and For the salvation of souls. Amen.
From http://christhecomrade.blogspot.ca/2012/08/first-friday-of-august-pope-benedict.html
MARCH 19th, THE FEAST of SAINT JOSEPH ought not be overshadowed by St. Patrick's Day ... for most.
I always find it a shame that the feast day of Our Lord's foster father is overshadowed by the St. Patrick's Day festivities of two days before.
March is the Month of St. Joseph March 19th is the Feast Day of St. Joseph.
St. Joseph was chosen by God the Father to be the 'foster father' of the Second Person of the Holy Trinity Incarnate. God's servant Joseph was charged with bringing up God-Made-Man from a baby into manhood. Joseph is a mighty saint ... the one I picked as my patron after converting to the Catholic Church many years ago.
http://www.catholiccompany.com/
http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/
http://images.monstermarketplace.com
http://www.saintanneshelper.com/
Lenten meditations
This Lent I find music to be of help.
The Way of the Cross is a wonderful meditation, along with the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Most Holy Rosary.
The Way of the Cross is a wonderful meditation, along with the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Most Holy Rosary.
O SACRED HEAD(By St. Bernard Of Clairvaux)
O Sacred Head surrounded By crown of piercing thorn! O bleeding Head, so wounded, Reviled and put to scorn! Death's pallid hue comes o'er Thee, The glow of life decays, Yet angel hosts adore Thee And tremble as they gaze. I see Thy strength and vigor All fading in the strife, And death, with cruel vigor, Bereaving Thee of life; O agony and dying! O love to sinners free! Jesus, all grace supplying, O turn Thy face on me! In this Thy bitter Passion, Good Shepherd, think. of me, With Thy most sweet compassion, Unworthy though I be; Beneath Thy Cross abiding, 'Forever would I rest, In Thy dear love confiding, And wilth Thy presence blest.
THE WAY OF THE CROSS
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!
PRAY FOR THE POOR, HOLY SOULS IN PURGATORY!
Image: http://icdacanadasection.wordpress.com/discover/
The Four Last Things: Death, Judgement, Heaven or Hell.
If we choose heaven we must first be pure ... ENTIRELY PURE.
In addition, even though Jesus died for our sins we are still to be held responsible for our crimes. We won't be out "until we've paid the last farthing" (Matthew 5:26) as Jesus says in the parable about anger and reconciliation.
Before we enter heaven virtually everyone has to be purified. That purification is known as purgatory. Some need to rinse their hands to remove the stain of sin while others require a very long bath in VERY hot water (along with lots of scrubbing) in order to be pure enough to meet Our Lord.
The blog post below from The Catholic Company covers the importance of praying for the poor, holy souls in purgatory. As the title says, this will guide you in ways of praying for these poor souls that cannot help themselves.
20 Ways to Pray for the Holy Souls in Purgatory
"Those in purgatory cannot pray for themselves, this is why they are called “poor” souls. They can no longer merit anything for themselves and rely entirely on others to pray and make sacrifices on their behalf. As they are nevertheless part of the communion of saints, they depend upon us to help ease their suffering and quickly advance them through their purification so that they can join the saints in heaven."
Image: http://www.solemncharge.com/pics/purgatory4.jpg
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)