Happy Martian New Year

As readers will be aware, today, Saturday the 23rd of March 2019, the Northern Vernal Equinox occurs on Mars, which by definition marks the beginning of Mars Year 35 (such years being counted from the Martian year of the great dust storm that occurred during the year 1956 AD on Earth).

The moment at which this equinox will occur is about 11:18 UTC, or 10:18 pm Australian Eastern Daylight (Saving) Time: so ring in MY 35 then.

I do hope all will celebrate, at least by praying (if not actually working) for the success of all missions to Mars, and perhaps enjoying a Mars bar, watching a cartoon starring Marvin the Martian, reading Bradbury's The Martian Chronicles, or partaking of a suitable Mars-themed cocktail.

One hopes that, if SpaceX's promises come to pass, not too many years will elapse before Martian New Year can be celebrated on the Red Planet by humans from Earth.

******

A curiosity: while Martian days ("sols") and years are defined, it is as yet impossible to say what day of the week it is on Mars.

Christmas at St Anne's in Perth

My old parish priest, Fr Rowe, sent me this photograph of the sanctuary at St Anne's Church, Belmont, new headquarters of the Latin Mass in Perth, Western Australia. (It also features himself and the two workers who made the altar rail gates and restored the Marian altar, not shown.)

I remember what an ugly sanctuary it was back when it was arranged for the modern Mass: but the forward "Cranmer table" was ripped out, its low platform replaced with a high stepped affair, and a proper high altar put in, with altar rails installed.  Anything iconoclastic done to a church can be reversed.  

Here are the details about Christmas Masses at St Anne's (11 Hehir St, Belmont):

Christmas Eve Monday 24th December: 11.00pm Rosary & Carols, 12.00 Midnight Mass.

Christmas Day Tuesday 25th December 2012: 8.00am Dawn Mass; 10.00am Day Mass. 

Please note confessions are not able to be heard before these Christmas Masses unless arranged with the priest, except during Rosary & Carols at 11.00pm before Mass. (Normally, Fr Rowe hears confessions before all Masses, but at Christmas this is precluded by all the extra burdens.)

New Year’s Day, the Octave Day of Christmas, Tuesday 1st January 2013: Masses at 8.00am & 10.00am & 6.00pm - the plenary indulgence for the faithful who publicly recite the Veni Creator on New Year's Day may be gained on the usual conditions by joining in the singing of this hymn, which will be sung after each of these Masses.

Sunday Masses at St Anne's are as follows: 7.30am, 9.30am, & 11.30am.  (From memory, the 9.30am Mass is the Missa cantata.)

Happy New Year, Marvellous Melbourne!

Yes, very bright and early I'm off to Melbourne for five days.  Not being a fan of rising early, it makes for an... intense beginning to 2011.  God willing, it will be a good year for all.

Very conveniently, at St Aloysius, North Caulfield, there will be Solemn High Mass to-day at 11am, for to celebrate the Octave Day of Christmas, especially praising the Most Holy Mother of God, and most appropriately begin the New Year with the worship of God in the beauty of holiness.

Twenty Ten

Having grown up referring to the years as "nineteen" something (short for "nineteen hundred and" whatever), and then enduring for the past ten years this odd business of "two thousand and..." (since pronouncing 2009 as "twenty nine" would sound the same as 29, "twenty-nine"), I for one am heartily glad to welcome this new Year of Our Lord, Anno Domini Twenty (Hundred and) Ten: for that's how 2010 ought be pronounced.  I expect or at least hope that this sensible usage will be the one that people adopt: apart from anything else, "two thousand and ten" is such a mouthful, two syllables longer than "twenty ten".

Happy New Year, one and all!

Let us pray for a blessing on the New-year.

V/. Thou crownest the year with thy goodness;

R/. Prosper thou the work of our hands upon us.

O IMMORTAL Lord God, who inhabitest eternity, and hast brought us, thine unworthy servants, to the beginning [or close] of another year: Pardon, we most humbly beseech thee, our transgressions in the past, and graciously abide with us all the days of our life; guard and direct us in all trials and temptations, that by thy blessing we may grow in grace as we grow in years, and at the last may finish our course with joy; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

— 1929 Scottish B.C.P.

In Initio Anni

Since to-night is New Year's Eve, I thought to post this prayer relative to the coming year of Our Lord two thousand and nine, a so-called Alia Oratio, or prayer before the Diptychs, taken from the New Year's Mass according to the Mozarabic Rite:

Deus, qui idem ipse es cuiúsque anni non defícient; præbe nobis ita hunc annum cum plácita tibi servitútis devotióne transígere, quáliter et substántiis non privémur, et divínis obséquiis devotióne optábili obsequámur.

R/. Amen.  

Per misericórdiam tuam, Deus noster, in cuius conspéctu sanctórum apostolórum et mártyrum, confessórum atque vírginum nómina recitántur.

R/. Amen.

(God, Who art always the same and Whose years never fail [Ps 101:28]; grant unto us so to pass through this year with that devotion of a service pleasing to Thee, that we may both be not deprived of due support, and be able to pay best devotion to the divine service.

(R/.  Amen.

(Through Thy mercy, Our God, in Whose sight the names of the holy apostles and martyrs, confessors and also virgins are recited.

(R/.  Amen.)

Another Year Over, A New One Begun

Today's Office contains most delightfully beautiful texts, especially the Lauds and Vesper antiphons drawn from the Greek Liturgy.  

In the older books it is known as the Feast of the Circumcision (when the Holy Name of Jesus was bestowed upon our Lord, in accordance with the angel's message; of course, there is a separate feast for this coming up very soon), while in the modern books it is styled the Feast of Mary the Mother of God (subsuming the fairly recent feast of the Maternity of Our Lady on the 11th of October); yet in reality there is not much difference, since even the old Breviary's texts for this feast are quite Marian (apparently the texts come in large part from the Christmas Office as chanted anciently at St Mary Major, where naturally the Feast had a Marian flavour).

The modern Martyrology best links up all aspects of today:

In octava Nativitatis Domini et die ejus Circumcisionis, sollemnitas sanctæ Dei Genetricis Mariæ, quam Patres in Concilio Ephesino Theotokon acclamaverunt, quia ex ea Verbum carnem assumpsit et inter homines habitavit Dei Filius, princeps pacis, cui Nomen super omne nomen datum est.

(The octave day of the Nativity of the Lord and the day of His Circumcision, the solemnity of holy Mary Mother of God, whom the Fathers at the Council of Ephesus acclaimed the Theotokos, for from her God's Son the Word took flesh and dwelt amongst men [cf. S. John i, 14], the prince of peace [Is ix, 6], to whom was given the Name above every name [cf. Phil. ii, 9].)

It is also the feast of St Fulgentius of Ruspe (462/7-527/33):

Ruspis in Byzacena, sancti Fulgentii, episcopi, qui, munere procuratoris Byzacenæ functus, monachus evasit; deinde episcopus effectus, tempore vandalicæ persecutionis, ab arianis multa perpessus est et in Sardiniam a rege Thrasamundo bis relegatus.  Tandem populo suo restitutus, eum per reliquos vitæ annos veritatis et gratiæ verbo fideliter nutrivit.

(At Ruspe in Byzacena, of Saint Fulgentius, bishop, who, suffering the burden of the office of procurator of Byzacena, escaped to become a monk; thereafter, being made bishop, in the time of the Vandal persecution, endured much from the Arians and was twice exiled to Sardinia by King Thrasamund.  At length restored to his people, he fed them faithfully for the remaining years of his life with words of truth and grace.)

On this day died also St Odilo, Abbot of Cluny (c.962-c.1048), who instituted the commemoration of All Souls on the 2nd of November; St Giuseppe Maria Tommasi (1649-1713; canonized in 1986), Theatine Cardinal and noted liturgical scholar; as well as many others who passed triumphant from this world to heaven – 

Et alibi aliorum plurimorum sanctorum Martyrum et Confessorum, atque sanctarum Virginum.  R/.  Deo gratias.

(And in divers places many other holy Martyrs and Confessors, and sainted Virgins.  R/.  Thanks be to God.)

– such a pity this formulaic conclusion, which just rolls off the tongue, is not included in the new Martyrology!

Curiously enough, the 2002 Roman Missal provides a Votive Mass for the beginning of the civil year, although this is of course not to be said on the 1st of January!  Here are the texts with my translations:

Aña ad introitum

Benedices coronæ anni benignitatis tuæ, et campi tui replebuntur ubertate.  Ps 64:12

[Thou shalt bless the crown of the year, of Thy goodness: and Thy fields shall be filled with plenty.]

vel

Ecce ego vobiscum sum omnibus diebus, dicit Dñs, usque ad consummationem sæculi, alleluja. Mt 28:20b

[Behold, I am with you all days, saith the Lord, even to the consummation of the world, alleluia.]

Collecta

Deus, qui, sine initio et sine fine, totius es principium creaturæ, da nobis ita hunc annum, cujus initia tibi dedicamus, transigere, ut et substantiis abundemus, et sanctitatis operibus fulgeamus.  Per...  

[O God, Who, without beginning and without end, art the foundation of all creatures, grant unto us so to pass this year, whose beginning we dedicate unto Thee, that we may both abound in good things, and shine forth in works of holiness.  Through...]

Super oblata

Sacrificia quæ tibi offerimus ita tuis oculis, Dñe, sint accepta, ut omnes, qui initia hujus anni cum lætitia celebramus, reliquum excursum ejus in tua mereamur transigere caritate.  Per...

[May the sacrifices which we offer, Lord, be so acceptable in Thine eyes, that all we, who celebrate the beginning of this year with joy, may deserve to pass the rest of its length in Thy love.  Through...]

Aña ad communionem

Jesus Christus heri et hodie, ipse et in sæcula.  Heb 13:8

[Jesus Christ, yesterday, and today: and the same for ever.]

Post communionem

Adesto, Dñe, populis, qui sacra mysteria contigerunt, ut in toto decursu hujus anni nullis periculis affligantur, qui in tua semper protectione confidunt.

[Be present, Lord, to the people who have received the sacred mysteries, that in the whole course of this year they may be afflicted by no perils, who ever trust in Thy protection.]

Benedictio solemnis

Deus, fons et origo totius benedictionis, gratiam vobis concedat, benedictionis suæ largitatem infundat, atque per totum annum vos salvos et incolumes protegat.

Custodiat fidei vobis integritatem, tribuat spei longanimitatem, perseverantem usque ad finem cum sancta patientia caritatem.

Dies et actus vestros in sua pace disponat, preces hic et ubique exaudiat, et ad vitam æternam feliciter vos perducat.

[God, fount and origin of all blessing, grant grace to you, pour into you the gift of his blessing, and protect you safe and secure through the whole year.

He guard for you the integrity of faith, grant long-suffering of hope, charity persevering until the end with holy patience.

He dispose your days and actions in His peace, here and everywhere hear your prayers, and felicitously bring you to life everlasting.]

The relevant Lectionary supplies the following choice of pericopes:

• Genesis i, 14 -18 (the fourth day of creation – sun, moon, stars, day, and night, marking seasons, days and years) or
• Numbers vi, 22-27 (the Aaronic blessing; how on earth is this relevant?!);
• I Corinthians vii, 29-31 (the form of this world is passing away) or
• James iv, 13-15 (life is as a passing mist);
• Psalm 8, 0r 48, or 89 (the elegaic last being my favourite);
• St Matthew vi, 31-34 (do not be anxious about tomorrow) or
• St Luke xii, 35-40 ( be ready for the Master's return).

I must say, I miss in this list what the Revised Common Lectionary supplies: surely Ecclesiastes iii, 1-13 is the best of all choices?

Omnia tempus habent,

et suis spatiis transeunt universa sub cælo.

Tempus nascendi, et tempus moriendi;

tempus plantandi, et tempus evellendi quod plantatum est.

Tempus occidendi, et tempus sanandi;

tempus destruendi, et tempus ædificandi.

Tempus flendi, et tempus ridendi;

tempus plangendi, et tempus saltandi.

Tempus spargendi lapides, et tempus colligendi,

tempus amplexandi, et tempus longe fieri ab amplexibus.

Tempus acquirendi, et tempus perdendi;

tempus custodiendi, et tempus abjiciendi.

Tempus scindendi, et tempus consuendi;

tempus tacendi, et tempus loquendi.

Tempus dilectionis, et tempus odii;

tempus belli, et tempus pacis.

Quid habet amplius homo de labore suo?

Vidi afflictionem quam dedit Deus filiis hominum,

ut distendantur in ea.

Cuncta fecit bona in tempore suo,

et mundum tradidit disputationi eorum,

ut non inveniat homo opus

quod operatus est Deus ab initio usque ad finem.

Et cognovi quod non esset melius nisi lætari,

et facere bene in vita sua;

omnis enim homo qui comedit et bibit,

et videt bonum de labore suo, 

hoc donum Dei est.

 

Here is The Byrds' version!  

The RCL also gives Psalm 8, Rev. xxi, 1-6a (I make all things new) and S. Matthew xxv, 31-46 (the general Judgement).

While I didn't get around to singing a Te Deum in thanksgiving last night (very tired and out of sorts, please pray for me!), I will be offering up a Veni Creator Spiritus to supplicate God's blessings on this new Year of Our Lord, 2008.  As the modern Easter Vigil puts it:

Α

2 | o

—+—

0 | 8

Ω

Christ yesterday and today 

the beginning and the end 

Alpha 

and Omega 

all time belongs to Him 

and all the ages 

to Him be glory and power 

through every age for ever.  

Amen.