Merry Christmas One and All

...the white stars fairly blaze / At midnight in the cold and frosty sky...

(Banjo Paterson, The Man from Snowy River)

These lines came into my head as I beheld the heavens, when I came home from Midnight Mass: Orion to the north, the Southern Cross and Pointers to the south, and the great band of the Milky Way overhead.  "The heavens are telling the glory of God..."

Mass at Carmel was a beautiful celebration of Christ's Birth, the modern rite at its best.  Fr Peter Lucas, O.P., a wise Dominican well-known to me, and an excellent preacher, gave us a firm message, taking as his text the Epistle (Titus ii, 11-15a), and the Apostle's words therein concerning Jesus Christ, that He "gave Himself for us".  Christ is the Gift, in memory of Whom all gifts are to be given and received - so what if things be commercial, so long as He be honoured therein.  Now, with any present, we accept it, unwrap it (not leaving it on the shelf), marvel at it, and - if it be clothing - put it on.  How much the more so with Christ: here and now, we must accept Him and all He is, the Incarnate Son of God; we must not leave off at this, leaving Him alone, but go on to take Him to ourselves; we must in sober truth marvel at Him, Who He is and why He is come - this is prayer - ; and we must "put on Christ", living henceforth a Christian life.

Light, light the darkness cannot overcome, this holy night lit up with light, the Eternal Light come down, Light from Light, true God from true God; beholding our God made visible, we are caught up in love of the God we cannot see - so sings Holy Church in the Christmas Preface.  We sang Adeste fideles - "O come, all ye faithful" - that hymn of adoration of Christ, written for Benediction; we sang "O little town of Bethlehem", singing of the coming of the everlasting Light, while mortals sleep and angels sing:

Gloria in excelsis Deo, et in terra pax hominibus bonæ voluntatis.

A wonderful Christmas, to you all, dear readers, whoever you be: God bless you, in Christ.

The Universal Call to Holiness

Following on my last posting, I note that, as Advent is not but a sentimental reliving of the long wait of Israel for her Messias to arrive, but a keeping vigil for the Lord to-day, coming every moment in secret grace, and coming soon to judge on the Day of the Lord; so too Christmas is not merely a schmaltzy, let alone kitsch recollection of the Baby Jesus, but a reminder that Christ ought be born in us here and now, and that we ought grow up in Him to full stature, now that the eternal Nuptials are begun in mystery on earth to be consummated at the end of our lives and at the end of time, now God the Word is Incarnate for us.

Christmastide (only four days' away) is and should be as much a season of expectation as Advent.

The universal call to holiness, that great underrated doctrine - neglected at our souls' peril! - is powerfully affirmed as a central theme not just of Advent, but of Christmastide, not least by the lessons Holy Church appoints for us to hear and heed, as a wise and loving Mother. Note and mark well the lesson given by the Epistle of the Midnight Mass (Titus ii, 11-15a), very Advent-sounding, looking to the present and the future, given the past event of Christ's Incarnation and Epiphany:

Brethren:

The grace of God our Saviour hath appeared to all men; instructing us, that, denying ungodliness and worldly desires, we should live soberly, and justly, and godly in this world, looking for the blessed hope and coming of the glory of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and might cleanse to himself a people acceptable, a pursuer of good works. These things speak, and exhort:

in Christ Jesus our Lord.

This passage is energetically pressed upon us, by the repetition of its first verses, reminding us of the whole, throughout Christmastide as the capitulum (little chapter) of Lauds and Vespers and Terce (which would be sung before High Mass in the ideal):

The grace of God our Saviour hath appeared to all men; instructing us, that, denying ungodliness and worldly desires, we should live soberly, and justly, and godly in this world.

Hear and heed the Apostle's urgent call. We must live as becomes saints, "as we wait in joyful hope for the coming of our Saviour, Jesus Christ" (ICEL's paraphrasing of the new end to the Libera nos at Ordinary Form Mass).

Epistle for the Third Sunday in Lent

I don't know why, but on feasts the short chapters read at Lauds, the Little Hours and Vespers are snippets from the Epistle; and this is the case also on the Sundays of Lent. To-day's Epistle is from Ephesians v, 1-9: its start (v, 1-2) is read as the capitulum at both Vespers, at Lauds and at Terce - which would be ideally before Mass; its middle (v, 5) is read at Sext - which ought naturally follow Mass; and its end (v, 8-9) is appointed for use at None.

Herewith, the Epistle (in translation of course), with these parts highlighted:

Brethren:

Be ye therefore followers of God, as most dear children; and walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath delivered himself for us, an oblation and a sacrifice to God for an odour of sweetness. But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not so much as be named among you, as becometh saints: or obscenity, or foolish talking, or scurrility, which is to no purpose; but rather giving of thanks. For know you this and understand, that no fornicator, or unclean, or covetous person (which is a serving of idols), hath inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the anger of God upon the children of unbelief. Be ye not therefore partakers with them. For you were heretofore darkness, but now light in the Lord. Walk then as children of the light: for the fruit of the light is in all goodness, and justice, and truth.

Now, even the just falls seven times a day (Proverbs xxiv, 16), but that is not to say that we should wallow in sin - no, for such have no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.  Rather, we ought ever repent, ever be converted and turned again to the Lord, responding to His grace and not by a hard impenitent heart grieving the Spirit, sinning against Him, and becoming entirely captive to evil.  In this regard, the Gospel of this Sunday (St Luke xi, 14-28) contains a most awful warning: if an evil spirit be driven out of one by Christ's power, it roams in desert wastes, joins with seven other worse devils, then returns to inhabit its former abode - one's very soul (cf. St Luke xi, 24-26a)!  "And the last state of that man becomes worse than the first." (St Luke xi, 26b)  Hence our bounden duty to both hear and keep the word of God, lest we be not blessed, but cursed (cf. St Luke xi, 28).

Whitmonday

I'm disgusted with the modern English edition of the Divine Office - for, though in the OF today is the 1st day of Ordinary Time, albeit with two possible optional memorials, volume III thrice-stupidly only includes the sanctoral cycle from the 14th of May onwards, meaning that one would need to juggle volumes II and III if the saints were to be commemorated this year or any year when Easter falls so early!

Since I was going to attend Low Mass tonight, I decided to say the Breviary instead, and keep in the Trad. spirit of keeping the Octave of Pentecost, that most holy feast.

However, before work I didn't get around to saying any Office, so when I arrived at the Pro. at 5.45pm I had to plunge into Matins (only one Nocturn of three splendid apposite psalms, 47, 67 and 103, as a special treat as in Easter Week), Lauds (with its worthy psalms and canticles), Prime and Terce - which was as far as I got before I had to tog up for serving the 6.30pm Mass.

Whitmonday Mass appears to be a carefully arranged mirror for neophytes, all its texts providing a thoroughgoing mystagogical catechesis. Today's Mass is notable for the Introit, Cibavit, which was recycled as the Introit for Corpus Christi when that feast was instituted in the Middle Ages, no less than for the Collect and Postcommunion, which, praying for peace and deliverance from the raging of enemies, clearly bespeak their great antiquity because reflecting the concerns of the days of the end of the Western Empire and the invasions of barbarians. The Eucharistic theme of the Introit is paralleled by the Baptismal character of the Offertory Intonuit... et apparuerunt fontes aquarum, alleluja.

As for the Epistle and Gospel, from Acts x, 34. 42-48a and St John iii, 16-21, what may not be said of their sacred message of salvation? They repay much rumination:

In those days:
Peter opening his mouth, said:
Men brethren, the Lord
commanded us to preach to the people, and to testify that it is he who was appointed by God, to be judge of the living and of the dead. To him all the prophets give testimony, that by his name all receive remission of sins, who believe in him. While Peter was yet speaking these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them that heard the word. And the faithful of the circumcision, who came with Peter, were astonished, for that the grace of the Holy Ghost was poured out upon the Gentiles also. For they heard them speaking with tongues, and magnifying God. Then Peter answered: Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, who have received the Holy Ghost, as well as we? And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.

(On this second day of the Octave, St Peter is called to bring forth his magnificent testimony to the saving power of Our Lord unto all who believe in His Name, as proved by the miraculous illapse of the Holy Ghost, manifesting that the waters of baptism were open to all.)

At that time: Jesus said to Nicodemus:
For God so loved the world, as to give his only begotten Son; that whosoever believeth in him, may not perish, but may have life everlasting. For God sent not his Son into the world, to judge the world, but that the world may be saved by him. He that believeth in him is not judged. But he that doth not believe, is already judged: because he believeth not in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the judgment: because the light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than the light: for their works were evil. For every one that doth evil hateth the light, and cometh not to the light, that his works may not be reproved. But he that doth truth, cometh to the light, that his works may be made manifest, because they are done in God.

The Breviary offers St Augustine's commentary on this ineffable text, which I reproduce in translation here from the website to which I've just linked:

A Homily by St. Augustine the Bishop
(Tract. 12 in Joann., sub finem)

The Physician cometh to do all he can towards the healing of the sick. And the sick person who will not attend to the advice of the Physician bringeth on his own death. This Physician is come, as a Saviour, to the world. Why is he called the Saviour of the world, except that he came, not to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved? Hast thou no desire to be saved through him? by thine act be thou condemned. Any why do I say, Be thou condemned? Because it is written: He that believeth on him is not condemned. What then dost thou expect will be said to him that believeth not? This shall be said: He is condemned. Indeed he hath already said more than that, to wit: He that believeth not is condemned already. Though the condemnation be not yet openly pronounced, it hath nonetheless already taken place.

The Lord knoweth them that are his. He knoweth them that will continue unto the crown, and likewise he knoweth them that will continue unto the fire. He knoweth the wheat on his threshing floor, and the chaff. He knoweth the field (which is the world) with its good grain, and its tares. He that believeth not is condemned already. Why? Because he hath not believed in the Name of the only-begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation: That light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. Whose deeds, my brethren, doth the Lord find to be good? None. He findeth the works of all men to be in themselves bad. How then do we hear that some there be who do the truth, and come to the light? For it is written: He that doeth truth, cometh to the light.

But he saith: Men loved darkness rather than light. And here he maketh the great point of difference between such as love darkness, and such as come to the light. There be many who have loved their sins. Also there be many who have confessed their sins. He that confesseth, thereby denounceth his sin, and is working already with God. God denounceth thy sins, and if thou denounce them likewise, then dost thou join thyself with God in his act. The man and the sinner are, as it were, two different things. God made the man; man made the sinner. Destroy what thou hast worked in thyself, and God will save what he hath already made. Thou art behoven to hate in thyself thine own works, and to love God's work. When thine own works begin to displease thee, then is it that thou beginnest to do well, because thou denouncest thine own evil works. The first thing to do, if thou wouldest do good works, is to acknowledge thine evil ones.

Fearful words! What the mystery of our hoped-for election, or yet of dreadful reprobation!

After Mass, as my thanksgiving, I said Sext and None (why is Psalm 118 so long?), and read the texts of the impeded Mass of SS Nereus, Achilleus, Domitilla and Pancras to redouble my worship of God, and therewith to duly commemorate them and ask their aid, as in the postcommunion of their feast:

We beseech Thee, O Lord, that by the prayers of Thy blessed martyrs Nereus, Achilleus, Domitilla and Pancras, the holy sacraments which we have received may profit unto the enhancement of Thy appeasement concerning us. Through...

After Mass, and consulting with Fr Rowe, etc., over a pot of tea and a snack, regarding new security arrangements for St Anne's, now it is officially "ours", I finally made it home, and again have prayed Trad. Vespers in our home chapel, singing out the great Veni Creator Spiritus, just as Fr Rowe had us all do at Low Mass earlier tonight, after the Leonine Prayers.