Postscripts From The Catholic Spitfire Grill

UPDATE: If an internet search has brought you to this page and you are looking for a general idea about how to get started praying the Divine Office/Liturgy of the Hours, you might be interested in my post here. RNW

Since we have so thoroughly covered the topic of The Liturgy of the Hours/Divine Office/Opus Dei yesterday, I would like to add one more post about the general theme of each of the periods of prayer throughout the day. Our Creator made us with a need for change but yet with a craving for constancy. He created a world with seasons and cycles and patterns to sustain us. The Church has imitated our Creator in the Liturgy. Just as we remember the entire plan of salvation in each and every Mass, the Liturgical year does the same. It is marked out with times of Feast and Fasting and throughout the year but always with an eye to telling the story of God’s love and care for us and his provision for us in our weakness. The Liturgical Day has a similar overview and I would like to share it here.

I would like to take credit for this information but I cannot. The text that follows came from a now defunct website. I have no idea who the author is. Thankfully I made a copy of the contents of the website before it disappeared into the cyber-ether. I have used this text often to explain to others something of the Liturgy of the Hours and I wish I could thank the authors personally.

Opus Dei/The Liturgy of the Hours

 

The official prayer of the Roman Catholic Church is known variously as Liturgy of the Hours, Divine Office, Opus Dei (Work of God). Roman Catholics sometimes retain the older names but modified the Divine Office significantly in 1970, simplifying it to basically: Morning, Daytime, Evening, and Night Prayer. From the medieval names, and our common Latin heritage in the west, Lutherans and Anglicans often call the morning prayer matins (due to it being the first office of the day). The early writings of the Christian Church bear witness to a prayer tradition that is rich in eschatological symbols. Christians were to be always praying. They struggled was not against human agents but against spiritual, cosmic forces that never slept. They knew neither the hour nor the day on which the messiah would return. They owed the divine an unlimited measure of gratitude not only for creation but for the redemption of that creation. “Seven times a day do I praise thee” [Psalm 119: 164] The Jewish practice of saying prayers seven times a day was adopted by Christians as the basis for their own daily round of prayers. The system developed gradually, but had already achieved what was to become its definitive form by the mid-6th century, when it was incorporated into the rule of St. Benedict:

That sacred number of seven will be fulfilled by us if we perform the Offices of our service at the time of the Morning Office [Lauds], of Prime, of Terce, of Sext, of None, of Vespers and of Compline, since it was of these day Hours that [the Psalmist] said, “Seven times a day do I praise thee.” [Rule of St. Benedict, chapter 16].

The hours were completed by Matins, in accordance with verse 62 of the same Psalm: “At midnight I will rise to give thanks unto thee.” The resulting eight hours made up the liturgical, or devotional day. The bracketed time after the hour name is an approximation of when the hour was celebrated. This is meant only to be a brief look at the origins of the hours of prayer (although much of the information gathered here is referring to modern rites of the Roman Catholic Church.

 

Matins Midnight[sometimes referred to as "Night Office" or Vigils] was considered to be the first of the eight devotional hours; the medieval day, therefore, began in the middle of the night. We meditate on salvation history as it unfolded down through the ages. The office of Vigils consists of a hymn, psalms, readings, scriptural and patristic, and canticles suitable to the spirit of the midnight hour when one awaits the arrival of the Bridegroom (Mt 25:6; Mk 13:35). In monastic communities the concentration on vigilance begun with this office continues until lauds. Monastics spend this time enveloped in and supported by darkness and silence in lectio divina prayer and meditation.

 

 

Lauds 3:00am or Sunrise [sometimes referred to as "Morning Office"] is celebrated at daybreak when the sun is dispelling the night and the new day is born. In summer, when the nights were very short, Lauds might follow Matins very closely. St. Benedict advised only a short interval between the two, “during which the brethren may go out for the necessities of nature” [Rule of St. Benedict, chapter 8]. To allow for a longer period of sleep, Matins was sometimes postponed until daybreak, and said together with Lauds, or moved to the afternoon or evening of the previous day. The Church has always considered the sun to be a symbol of Christ rising from the dead. This prayer is called Lauds because it is a laudatory liturgy of praise in the early morning light. We thank God for the first light at the beginning of creation and for the second light of our redemption in Christ’s paschal victory. This prayer breathes the atmosphere of bright youth, of beginning, of innocence, of blossoming spring. It is a joyful, optimistic hour reflected by the hymn, psalms and canticles.

 

Prime 6:00 am A relatively recent innovation, being introduced after the other hours had already been established. The manner of its introduction was this: around the year 382, in one of the monasteries near Bethlehem , a problem arose, because after the night offices (Matins and Lauds), the monks could retire to rest. The lazier ones then stayed in bed until nine in the morning (the hour of Terce) instead of getting up to do their manual work or spiritual reading. The short office of Prime, inserted a couple of hours before Terce, solved the problem, by calling them together to pray and sending them out to their tasks.

 

 

Terce 9:00am A Latin term for third hour, is prayed at mid-morning. It is a shorter prayer referred to as one of the little hours. Traditionally it is dedicated to the coming of the Holy Spirit which took place at mid-morning in the account found in the Acts of the Apostles. One prays for light and strength as the day waxes strong and one’s work begins.

 

 

Sext Noon Another of the little hours, is Latin for the sixth hour. It takes place at midday when the sun is at its apex and one has become a bit weary and mindfulness is all but impossible. It is a time for earnest prayer to resist temptation, to keep from being overcome by the demands and pressures of life. We are reminded of Christ being crucified at the sixth hour and we unite ourselves with Him. One is aware of one’s failures and mistakes and prays for deep and abiding conversion even to the point of sacrifice.

 

None 3:00pm Referring to the ninth hour, roughly mid-afternoon, and is the third of the little hours. It is a time to pray for perseverance, to pray for the strength to continue bearing fruit as one reaches one’s prime and needs to keep going. It is a time when one becomes aware of the sun’s gradual descent and the strength one needs to cope with the demands and responsibilities of life.

 

Vespers 6:00pm or Sunset Celebrated at day’s end, takes on the character of evening. The day is almost over, our work is done. The golden evening light is like old, mature wine, and in some late summer and autumn days it is like gold, transfiguring our world and making it transparent for God. This is the hour of wise age, of resting in thanksgiving and humility after the struggles, successes and failures of the day of one’s productive life. There are appropriate hymns, psalms, readings and canticles for celebrating this vesper hour.

 

Compline 9:00pm or Dark Coming from the Latin which meaning to complete. It is the last common prayer before retiring for the night. It marks the completion of our day and heralds life’s end. It leads back into the darkness of the night, but a darkness different from that of vigils. It is not the darkness of waiting where all the possibilities of good and evil were still ahead. This is the darkness of God’s mysterious presence, the abyss of his mercy into which he let us fall. Compline may be understood as a daily exercise in the art of dying. For what is sleep if not a little rehearsal for death? But dying a death which will open the fullness of life and light. That is why the cantor sings the wonderful song of old Simeon on the threshold of death: “Now Lord, you will let your servant go in peace, according to your word, for my eyes have seen your saving deed which you have set before all: a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for the glory to your people Israel.” (Luke 2:29-32).

UPDATE: If an internet search has brought you to this page and you are looking for a general idea about how to get started praying the Divine Office/Liturgy of the Hours, you might be interested in my post here. RNW

This post cost me $200 to write so read it carefully.  (Yes, I was precisely THAT driven to say this and to make sure I did it as accurately and thoroughly as possible.)

I hear and see it repeatedly. It’s expressed in many different ways in the stories of those who have converted to Protestant traditions from the Catholic Church. “In 40 years of attending Catholic Churches, I never heard the Gospel preached…” from “Never Knew Jesus” (as an er….amusing?….aside, I couldn’t find the conversion story that I most recently saw that in and ended up Yahoo’ing the phrase and my choices were practically endless!) When an ex-Catholic clergyman is writing the conversion story it usually sounds more like this “I stopped saying the Breviary (the Roman Catholic Church’s official prayer for clergy) and the Rosary and began to pray using parts of the Bible itself.” From the “Testimony of a Former Irish Priest” First not every person who claims to be an ex-Catholic Priest is, in fact, an ex-Catholic Priest. In fact, in my diocese we have a problem with someone claiming to be an ex-priest who is marrying Catholics and causing all sorts of complications for Catholic couples in our area. Then, there is the case of a rather famous contributor to Jack Chick tracts Alberto Rivera who is not an ex-priest. (Chick publications continues to use his “testimony” on the grounds that his testimony is so damaging that the Vatican is involved in a conspiracy to discredit him.) Second, I think you should greet with deep skepticism anyone who says that they stopped reciting the Divine Office (also called Liturgy of the Hours) and started reading the Bible and/or says they never heard the Bible/Gospel in all of their many years attending a Catholic Church. Here’s why…. 

Priests and most other religious are required by canon law to recite the Divine Office (read from the Breviaries in a prescribed manner) and to fail to do so is a violation of the promises that they made to the church.  

Can. 1173 In fulfillment of the priestly office of Christ, the Church celebrates the liturgy of the hours, wherein it listens to God speaking to his people and recalls the mystery of salvation. In this way, the Church praises God without ceasing, in song and prayer, and it intercedes with him for the salvation of the whole world. 
 

Can. 1174 ß1 Clerics are obliged to recite the liturgy of the hours, in accordance with Can. 276, ß2, n. 3; members of institutes of consecrated life and of societies of apostolic life are obliged in accordance with their constitutions.

Someone who simply ceases to comply with a lawful obligation that they freely assumed has by their actions indicated that their word is possibly not worth as much as it could be. It might also be noted that before Martin Luther attempted to reform the entire Roman Catholic Church by rending it asunder, he might well have done to remedy his own observance of the obligations he freely assumed:   

“I do hardly anything all day but write letters. I am at the same time preacher to the monastery, have to preach in the refectory and am even expected to preach daily in the parish church. I have to provide for the delivery of fish from Leitzkau pond, I am lecturing on Paul, compiling an exposition of the Psalter… It is seldom that I have time for the recitation of the Divine Office or to celebrate Mass, and then, too, I have my peculiar temptations from the flesh, the world and the devil.”  (This particular quote from Martin Luther was taken from this site for similar biographical information I suggest The Facts About Luther)

It sounds good doesn’t it? “I gave up that man-made Divine Office stuff (or I didn’t have time for it) and I discovered the BIBLE!” The implication being that somehow despite specific exhortation on the part of the Catholic Church for ALL of the faithful to engage in regular and systematic Bible reading (This is going to be a long double post so in an effort to shorten it where I can I will not repeat the sources I cited in this post and this one.) this person who failed to meet their freely assumed obligations was KEPT from the Bible. That is, it only sounds good until you look at what the Divine Office really is. It’s Sacred Scripture and a LOT of it too. It’s Sacred Scripture that is systematically laid out so that the readings correspond to the liturgical season and that no part of Sacred Scripture is ignored. Since I am darkly suspicious that some of you will skim lightly over the Divine Office for April 26, 2007 since it’s so long and contains so much scripture, I will put it all in another post here.  If you are not familiar with the beviary/Divine Office/ Liturgy of the Hours then I am begging you, please at least skim over the material. And then you decide if it is a credible thing to say “I stopped saying the breviary and started reading the Bible.”  Let me also say that the Catholic Church is all for reading more than this. This just comprises the bare minimum that is expected of Catholic clergy and is highly, highly recommended for all of the Catholic faithful. Now I normally say the Liturgy of the Hours with my children using The Magnificat. It’s in an form that easy for me to use with my children and has some additional editorial content that I really like; however, in order to make sure I had all of the content required for the Divine Office I went out and bought the full four volume set  plus The Divine Office for Dodos and paid for one-day shipping from Amazon. OK, OK….those of you who know me know that it was only a matter of time before I bought them anyway. The point here is that I made a substantial financial investment in making sure I could accurately and thoroughly portray the whole picture. So read what it’s all about in this post here, would you?

How about the accusation so commonly leveled by those who have left the Catholic Church (and variations of if) “I never really heard the Gospel…”? No matter how you define it, the Gospel is an essential and required part of Mass. The Gospel must be read at each and every Mass…must…plus other Sacred Scripture as well, but how much and from which parts of the Bible is a little complicated and can wait for another post. Except for grave cause, a homily (explanation of the Gospel reading) must be given by a priest or deacon at all Sunday and Holyday Masses and is strongly recommended for all weekday Masses. We Catholics stand in respect at Mass when the Gospel is read because we believe that it is literally Jesus himself speaking to us through the words of the Gospels and in the course of three years, Catholics hear all four Gospels read aloud to them at Sunday Masses and slightly more often if you attend daily Mass as well. More often than that if you participate in the Liturgy of the Hours. Here is a challenge for any non-Catholic who might happen to be reading this, particularly ones who claim that the gospel isn’t preached in the Catholic Church. Buy a brand new Bible and take it with you to church every Sunday for the next three years. Underline in that Bible each and every passage in the four gospels that is read aloud. At the end of the three years see how much of the four gospels you have underlined. How much of the gospel is your church proclaiming? All of it? Or just your pastor’s favorite parts? Now if you define proclaiming the gospel as  proclaiming the plan of salvation, we do that too. We proclaim our sinfulness, our sorrow for it, God’s mercy in sending Jesus, and we accept Jesus as God’s remedy for that sin. Here is what I have written regarding Jesus in the Catholic Mass and Cor Ad Cor Loquitor’s excellent post regarding “I never heard the Gospel in the Catholic Church.”   

Now with great effort of will I have refrained from characterizing the motive of someone who says ”I went to Catholic Church all those years….Daily Mass even….and never heard the gospel.” or “I quit saying the Divine Office and picked up my Bible.” by refraining from the use of a three-letter word beginning with ‘L.’ It is technically true that priests/deacons/religious often read Sacred Scripture from a book with The Liturgy of the Hours printed on the spine. Is it somehow not Sacred Scripture if the word Bible isn’t printed on the cover? Is God’s word less powerful (I shuddered just TYPING that) if it is read from a book with Lectionary or Missalette  or Book of Gospels  printed on the cover? Does it suddenly stop becoming the word of God if we call Luke 1:46-55 “The Canticle of Mary”? I am suddenly feeling like St. Paul here and feel the need to exclaim loudly, “May it NEVER be!!” I personally think that is a ridiculous notion and yet, I see it propagated as truth repeatedly. I saw someone say the other day something like “Yes, I have been to a Catholic Mass and I WEPT because nobody had a BIBLE!” Even if someone was regrettably in a Catholic Church with a priest who “wouldn’t let them read the Bible” (and if that is true the priest is in contravention of official church teaching) if they went to Mass regularly, they heard the Bible read. The WHOLE Bible. That’s not optional and even priests who impose their personal agendas by telling people they can’t read the Bible, MUST read it (or have it read) OUT LOUD in church. How can it be that someone who by their own testimony went to church regularly can claim ”they never heard the Gospel?” There are really only two options here. One, they are not telling the truth. Or two, they were not paying attention. In either case, is their testimony against the Catholic Church reliable? Is their portrayal of Catholic Doctrine and Dogma and practice to be accepted without careful and serious questioning?  

UPDATE: If an internet search has brought you to this page and you are looking for a general idea about how to get started praying the Divine Office/Liturgy of the Hours, you might be interested in my post here. RNW

Imagine if you will that all of the members of your family stopped at roughly the same points in their day and took time to read the same passages of Sacred Scripture together. Imagine if they were using the same passages of Sacred Scripture to guide their prayers. Would it bind you together? Would you be blessed by being able to share together your insights for the day? Would it be comforting to know that even if your brother in San Francisco couldn’t talk to you because you couldn’t get your satellite phone to work in the Amazon you were literally on the same page of Sacred Scripture. Of course you wouldn’t be limited to the schedule, you could always pray more and read more, but in the devotional life of your family there was always a common foundation what kind of spiritual life would that breathe into your family? That’s what the Divine Office is. Only the family is the Body of Christ…the Church. I blogged about Unity the other day and the Divine Office (also called Liturgy of the Hours) is another expression of that unity. Praying together, across the world, in this “prayer of the Church” Catholics not only express this common bond but our common prayer also builds it.

I have heard it dismissed as man-made. Perhaps. In that readings are selected and organized by members of the Church, it is man-made. It is however, hard for me to call something with so much scripture merely man-made. The observance of the Divine Office consitutes a literal fulfillment of the Psalm 119:164 “Seven times a day will I praise you.” Even the times of these seven prayers are set using scripture references and ancient Jewish culture as follows:

1. In Bible times Jewish people prayed upon rising every morning at about 6 am. The traditional name for this prayer is Lauds and is currently known as The Office of Morning Prayer.

2. In Act 1:14 and Acts 2:1-15 we read that the disciples came together for prayer at the third hour which is about 9 a.m. The traditional name for this time of prayer was Terce and is now called The Office of Midmorning Prayer.

3. In Acts 10:9 we read that Peter went to the housetop to pray at about the sixth hour (noon). Traditionally known as Sext this is now known as The Office of Midday Prayer.

4. In Acts 3:1 Peter and John were going up to the temple for prayer at the ninth hour (3 p.m.) The traditional name for this time of prayer is None and is now known as The Office of Midafternoon Prayer.

5. In Jewish culture prayers were said when the lamps were lit in the evening. Vespers is the traditional name for what is now known as The Office of Evening Prayer.

6. Compline is the prayers said at bedtime and is known Night Prayer.

7. Jesus prayed between 3 and 6 am before walking across the Sea of Galilee to rescue the Apostles from the storm. Traditionally known as Vigils or Matins which took place at midnight is now called Office of the Readings and can take place at any time during the day. Also Psalm 119:62 “At midnight I rise to praise you because your edicts are just.” is a lovely exhortation to prayer at this hour.

My source for the above was The Divine Office for Dodos. You can read some more about the hours here. So if you were to pray the entire Divine Office for Thursday, April 26, 2007, what would it look like?

This is what one day’s worth of the Divine Office looks like. Remember this is what the Roman Catholic Church considers to be the MINIMUM daily requirement of Sacred Scripture and prayer for clergy and most religious. You are always free to add more.

If you must skim through what follows I do understand. I just wanted you to know I have just a couple more notes at the end.

First. Before praying the first office of the day you would make the sign of the cross and remind yourself of the Trinity, and the terrible price paid for your sins, and God’s loving provision for you. Then you would pray an Invitatory Psalm which is one of the following: Psalm 95, Psalm 100, Psalm 67 or Psalm 24. Today I pick Psalm 100.

Invitatory: Psalm 100

Shout joyfully to the LORD, all you lands;
worship the LORD with cries of gladness;
come before him with joyful song.
Know that the LORD is God,
our maker to whom we belong,
whose people we are, God’s well-tended flock.
Enter the temple gates with praise,
its courts with thanksgiving.
Give thanks to God, bless his name
good indeed is the LORD,
Whose love endures forever,
whose faithfulness lasts through every age.

Office of the Readings

Sign of the Cross

Scriptural Prayer: If this is not the first office of the day and the invitatory Psalm has not been recited then the following scriptural prayer (Psalm 69:2; Psalm 70:1; Psalm 40:13) is said:

[God come to my assistance.
Lord, make haste to help me.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen.]

Hymn: (may be substituted with another appropriate hymn, this one is the one that is printed in my breviary):

Eternal Father, through your Word
You gave new life to Adams’ race,
Transformed them into sons of light,
New creatures by your saving grace.
To you who stooped to sinful man
We render homage and all praise:
To Father, Son and Spirit blest
Whose gift to man is endless days.

Antiphon: Look on us, Lord, and see how we are despised (alleluia)

Psalm 88:39-46

But now you have rejected and spurned,
been enraged at your anointed.
You renounced the covenant with your servant,
defiled his crown in the dust.
You broke down all his defenses,
left his strongholds in ruins.
All who pass through seize plunder;
his neighbors deride him.
You have exalted the right hand of his foes,
have gladdened all his enemies.
You turned back his sharp sword,
did not support him in battle.
You brought to an end his splendor,
hurled his throne to the ground.
You cut short the days of his youth,
covered him with shame.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen

Antiphon: Look on us, Lord, and see how we are despised (alleluia)

Antiphon 2: I am the root and stock of David; I am the morning star (alleluia)

Psalm 88: 47-53 But now you have rejected and spurned,
been enraged at your anointed.
You renounced the covenant with your servant,
defiled his crown in the dust.
You broke down all his defenses,
left his strongholds in ruins.
All who pass through seize plunder;
his neighbors deride him.
You have exalted the right hand of his foes,
have gladdened all his enemies.
You turned back his sharp sword,
did not support him in battle.
You brought to an end his splendor, hurled his throne to the ground.
You cut short the days of his youth,
covered him with shame. Selah
How long, LORD?
Will you stay hidden forever?
Must your wrath smolder like fire?
Remember how brief is my life,
how frail the race you created!
What mortal can live and not see death?
Who can escape the power of Sheol? Selah
Where are your promises of old, Lord,
the loyalty sworn to David?
Remember, Lord, the insults to your servants,
how I bear all the slanders of the nations.
Your enemies, LORD, insult your anointed;
they insult my every endeavor.
Blessed be the LORD forever! Amen and amen!

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen

Antiphon 2: I am the root and stock of David; I am the morning star (alleluia)

Psalm Prayer:

Lord, God of mercy and fidelity, you made a new and lasting pact with men and sealed it in the blood of your Son. Forgive the folly of our disloyalty and make us keep your commandments, so that in our new covenant we may be witnesses and heralds of your faithfulness and love on earth, and sharers of your glory in heaven.

Antiphon 2: I am the root and stock of David; I am the morning star (alleluia)

Antiphon 3: Our years wither away like grass, but you, Lord God, are eternal (alleluia)

Psalm 90

There is not with God: a thousand years, a single day: it is all one. 2 Peter 3:8

A prayer of Moses, the man of God.
I Lord, you have been our refuge
through all generations.
Before the mountains were born,
the earth and the world brought forth,
from eternity to eternity you are God.
A thousand years in your eyes
are merely a yesterday,
But humans you return to dust,
saying, “Return, you mortals!”
Before a watch passes in the night,
you have brought them to their end;
They disappear like sleep at dawn;
they are like grass that dies.
It sprouts green in the morning;
by evening it is dry and withered.
Truly we are consumed by your anger,
filled with terror by your wrath.
You have kept our faults before you,
our hidden sins exposed to your sight.
Our life ebbs away under your wrath;
our years end like a sigh.
Seventy is the sum of our years,
or eighty, if we are strong;
Most of them are sorrow and toil;
they pass quickly, we are all but gone.
Who comprehends your terrible anger?
Your wrath matches the fear it inspires.
Teach us to count our days aright,
that we may gain wisdom of heart.
Relent, O LORD! How long?
Have pity on your servants!
Fill us at daybreak with your love,
that all our days we may sing for joy.
Make us glad as many days as you humbled us,
for as many years as we have seen trouble.
Show your deeds to your servants,
your glory to their children.
May the favor of the Lord our God be ours.
Prosper the work of our hands!
Prosper the work of our hands!

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen

Psalm-prayer:

Eternal Father, you give us life despite our guilt and even add days and years to our lives in order to bring us wisdom. Make us love and obey you, that the work of our hands may always display what your hands have done, until the day we gaze upon the beauty of your face.

Antiphon 3: Our years wither away like grass, but you, Lord God, are eternal (alleluia) God has raised the Lord to life, alleluia.

–Through his power he will also raise us up, alleluia.

First Reading: Revelation 9:13 - 21

The sixth angel blew his trumpet, and I heard a voice come out of the four horns of the golden altar in front of God. It spoke to the sixth angel with the trumpet, and said, ‘Release the four angels that are chained up at the great river Euphrates’. These four angels had been put there ready for this hour of this day of this month of this year, and now they were released to destroy a third of the human race. I learnt how many there were in their army: twice ten thousand times ten thousand mounted men. In my vision I saw the horses, and the riders with their breastplates of flame color, hyacinth-blue and sulphur-yellow; the horses had lions’ heads, and fire, smoke and sulphur were coming out of their mouths. It was by these three plagues, the fire, the smoke and the sulphur coming out of their mouths, that the one third of the human race was killed. All the horses’ power was in their mouths and their tails: their tails were like snakes, and had heads that were able to wound. But the rest of the human race, who escaped these plagues, refused either to abandon the things they had made with their own hands – the idols made of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood that can neither see nor hear nor move – or to stop worshipping devils. Nor did they give up their murdering, or witchcraft, or fornication or stealing.

Responsory: Acts 17:30, 31; Joel 1:13, 14

God calls upon all men to repent,
–for he has fixed the day on which he will judge the world with justice, alleluia.

Ministers of God, gather together all the inhabitants of the land and cry out to the Lord.
–for he has fixed the day on which he will judge the world with justice, alleluia.

Second Reading: Treatise Against Heresies by Saint Irenaeus, bishop

The Eucharist, pledge of our resurrection

If our flesh is not saved, then the Lord has not redeemed us with his blood, the eucharistic chalice does not make us sharers in his blood, and the bread we break does not make us sharers in his body. There can be no blood without veins, flesh and the rest of the human substance, and this the Word of God actually became: it was with his own blood that he redeemed us. As the Apostle says: In him, through his blood, we have been redeemed, our sins have been forgiven. We are his members and we are nourished by creatures, which is his gift to us, for it is he who causes the sun to rise and the rain to fall. He declared that the chalice, which comes from his creation, was his blood, and he makes it the nourishment of our blood. He affirmed that the bread, which comes from his creation, was his body, and he makes it the nourishment of our body. When the chalice we mix and the bread we bake receive the word of God, the eucharistic elements become the body and blood of Christ, by which our bodies live and grow. How then can it be said that flesh belonging to the Lord’s own body and nourished by his body and blood is incapable of receiving God’s gift of eternal life? Saint Paul says in his letter to the Ephesians that we are members of his body, of his flesh and bones. He is not speaking of some spiritual and incorporeal kind of man, for spirits do not have flesh and bones. He is speaking of a real human body composed of flesh, sinews and bones, nourished by the chalice of Christ’s blood and receiving growth from the bread which is his body.

The slip of a vine planted in the ground bears fruit at the proper time. The grain of wheat falls into the ground and decays only to be raised up again and multiplied by the Spirit of God who sustains all things. The Wisdom of God places these things at the service of man and when they receive God’s word they become the eucharist, which is the body and blood of Christ. In the same way our bodies, which have been nourished by the eucharist, will be buried in the earth and will decay, but they will rise again at the appointed time, for the Word of God will raise them up to the glory of God the Father. Then the Father will clothe our mortal nature in immortality and freely endow our corruptible nature with incorruptibility, for God’s power is shown most perfectly in weakness. Concluding Prayer Almighty and ever-living God, make us more readily receive your kindness at this time when you have given us deeper knowledge of you. You have rescued us from the murk of error and falsehood: make us stick more closely to the teachings of your truth. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God for ever and ever. Amen.

Responsory: John 6:48-52

I am the bread of life. Your forefathers ate manna in the desert, and they died.
–This is the bread that comes down from heaven; anyone who eats this bread will never die, alleluia.

I am the living bread come down from heaven. Anyone who eats this bread will live forever.
–This is the bread that comes down from heaven; anyone who eats this bread will never die, alleluia.

Te Deum

You are God: we praise you;
You are the Lord: we acclaim you;
You are the eternal Father:
All creation worships you.
To you all angels, all the powers of heaven
Cherubim and Seraphim, sing in endless praise:
Holy, holy, holy, Lord, God of power and might,
Heaven and earth are full of your glory.
The glorious company of apostles praise you.
The noble fellowship of prophets praise you.
The white-robed army of martyrs praise you.
Throughout the world the holy Church acclaims you:
Father, of majesty unbounded,
Your true and only Son, worthy of worship,
And the Holy Spirit, advocate and guide.
You, Christ, are the king of glory,
The eternal Son of the Father.
When you became man to set us free
You did not spurn the Virgin’s womb.
You overcame the sting of death,
and opened the kingdom of heaven to all believers.
You are seated at God’s right hand in glory.
We believe that you will come, and be our judge.
Come then, Lord, and help your people,
Bought with the price of your own blood,
And bring us with your saints to glory everlasting.

Concluding Prayers: (Intercessions and Lord’s Prayer as desired)

Prayer: Father, in this holy season we come to know the full depth of your love.
You have free us from the darkness of error and sin.
Help us to cling to your truths with fidelity.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
Who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, on God, for ever and ever.

Let us pray to the Lord and give him thanks.

Sign of the cross

Office of Morning Prayer

Sign of the Cross

Scriptural Prayer: If this is not the first office of the day and the invitatory Psalm has not been recited then the following scriptural prayer (Psalm 69:2; Psalm 70:1; Psalm 40:13) is said:

[God come to my assistance.
Lord, make haste to help me.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen.]

Hymn (may be substituted with another appropriate hymn)

When morning fills the sky,
Our hearts awaking cry:
May Jesus Christ be praised.
In all our works and prayer
His Sacrifice we share:
May Jesus Christ be praised.
The night becomes as day,
When from our hearts we say:
May Jesus Christ be praised.
The powers of darkness fear
When this glad song they hear:
May Jesus Christ be praised.
In heav’n our joy will be
To sing eternally:
May Jesus Christ be praised.
Let earth and sea and sky
From depth to height reply:
May Jesus Christ be praised.
Let all the earth now sing
To our eternal King:
May Jesus Christ be praised.
By this the eternal song,
Through ages all along:
May Jesus Christ be praised.

Antiphon (Easter): City of God, you are the source of our life; with music and dance we shall rejoice in you, alleluia. The heavenly Jerusalem is a free woman; she is our mother.

Psalm 87

Jerusalem, mother of all nations. Galatians 4:26

Its foundations are set on the sacred mountains –
the Lord loves the gates of Sion
more than all the tents of Jacob.
Glorious things are said of you, city of God!
I shall count Rahab and Babylon among those who acknowledge me.
The Philistines, Tyrians, Ethiopians –
all have their birthplace here.
Of Sion it will be said “Here is the birthplace of all people:
the Most High himself has set it firm”.
The Lord shall write in the book of the nations:
“Here is their birthplace”.
They will sing as in joyful processions:
“All my being springs from you”.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen.

Psalm-prayer

Lord God, your only Son wept over ancient Jerusalem, soon to be destroyed for its lack of faith. He established the new Jerusalem firmly upon the rock and made it the mother of the faithful. Make us rejoice in your Church, and grant that all people may be reborn into the freedom of your Spirit.

Antiphon (Easter): City of God, you are the source of our life; with music and dance we shall rejoice in you, alleluia.

Antiphon 2 (Easter): Like a shepherd he will gather the lambs in his arms and carry them to his heart, alleluia.

Canticle: Isaiah 40:10-17

See, I come quickly; I have my reward in hand. Revelation 22:12

The good shepherd is God, the Most High
Behold, the Lord God comes in strength, and his right arm triumphs.
Behold, his reward is with him, his prize is before him.
Like a shepherd he feeds his flock,
he gathers the lambs in his arms and lifts them to his breast;
he carries the pregnant ewes.
Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand
and arranged the heavens with his palms?
Who has measured the dust of the earth,
weighed out the mountains,
weighed the hills on the balance?
Who directed the spirit of the Lord?
Who gave him advice in his task?
With whom did he consult? Who taught him?
Who led him in the paths of justice,
gave him knowledge,
showed him the way of understanding?
Behold, the Gentiles are like a drop in a bucket,
a piece of fluff on the scales.
All the islands are a handful of dust.
What burnt-offering could be worthy of the Lord?
The forests of Lebanon could not feed that fire;
all the animals of Lebanon would not be enough for that sacrifice.
All the nations count for nothing before him:
for him, they are nothingness and emptiness.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen.

Antiphon 2 (Easter): City of God, you are the source of our life; with music and dance we shall rejoice in you, alleluia.

Antiphon 3 (Easter): Great is the Lord in Zion; he is exalted above all the peoples, alleluia.

Psalm 99

Christ, higher than the Cherubim, when you took our lowly nature you transformed our sinful world. St. Athanasius

The Lord our God is holy
The Lord reigns! let the peoples tremble.
He is enthroned on the cherubim: let the earth shake.
The Lord is great in Sion,
he is high above all the peoples.
Let them proclaim his name – great and terrible it is,
let them proclaim his holy name,
the powerful king, who loves justice.
The laws you establish are just:
you have given Jacob uprightness and right judgement.
Praise the Lord, our God,
worship at his footstool,
for he is holy.
Moses and Aaron were among his prophets,
Samuel one of those who called on him.
They called on the Lord and he listened,
and from the pillar of cloud he spoke to them.
They kept his decrees
and the commands he gave them.
Lord our God, you listened to them;
O God, you were gracious to them,
but you punished their wrongdoing.
Praise the Lord, our God,
worship on his holy mountain,
for the Lord our God is holy.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen.

Psalm-prayer

God, you are the source of all holiness. Through no one can see you and live, you give life most generously, and in an even greater way restore it. Sanctify your priests through your life-giving Word, and consecrate your people in his blood until our eyes see your face.

Antiphon 3 (Easter): Great is the Lord in Zion; he is exalted above all the peoples, alleluia.

Short reading: Romans 8:10 - 11

Though your body may be dead it is because of sin, but if Christ is in you then your spirit is life itself because you have been justified; and if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, then he who raised Jesus from the dead will give life to your own mortal bodies through his Spirit living in you.

Responsory:

The Lord is risen from the tomb, alleluia, alleluia.
–The Lord is risen from the tomb, alleluia, alleluia.

He hung on the cross for us,
–Alleluia, alleluia

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.

– The Lord is risen from the tomb, alleluia, alleluia.

Canticle of Zechariah: Luke 1:68-79 (said every Morning Prayer)

Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel;
He has come to his people and set them free.
He has raised up for us a mighty savior,
Born of the house of his servant David.

Through his holy prophets he promised of old
That he would save us from out enemies,
From the hand of all who hate us.

He promised to show mercy to our fathers
And to remember his holy covenant.

This was the oath he swore to our father Abraham:
To set us free from the hands of our enemies,
Free to worship him without fear,
Holy and righteous in his sight
All the days of our life.

You, my child, shall be called the prophet
Of the Most High;
For you will go before the Lord to prepare his way,
To give his people knowledge of salvation
By forgiveness of their sins.

In the tender compassion of our God
The dawn from on high shall break upon us,
To shine on those who dwell in darkness
And the shadow of death,
And to guide our feet into the way of peace.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son,
And to the Holy Spirit,
As it was in the beginning, it is now
And ever shall be, world without end.
Amen.

Antiphon: Amen, Amen, I say to you, Whoever believes in me will live for ever, alleluia.

Prayers and Intercessions (additional prayers and intercessions are always appropriate remember this is the bare minimum)

Christ has risen from the dead and is always present in his Church.
Let us adore him, and say:
-Stay with us Lord.
Lord, Jesus, triumphant victor over sin and death,
glorious and immortal,
-Be always in our midst.
Come to us in the power of your victory,
-And show our hearts the loving kindness of your Father.
Come to heal a world wounded by division,
-For you alone can transform our hearts and make them one.
Strengthen our faith in final victory,
-And renew our hope in your second coming.

Lord’s Prayer: Matthew 6:9-13; Luke 11:2-4.

Our Father, who art in Heaven,
hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come,
thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our trespasses
as we forgive those that trespass against us,
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.

Concluding Prayer: Father, in this holy season we come to know the full depth of your love. You have freed us from the darkness of error and sin. Help us to cling to your truths with fidelity. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, you Son, who lives and reigns with you and the holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

Sign of the Cross

RNW’s note: There is some flexibility in the recitation of the Psalms associated with midday prayers. I have broken the Psalms from the Psalmody and assigned them to particular middays prayers for the sake of this presentation.

Office of Midmorning Prayer

Sign of the Cross

Scriptural Prayer (Psalm 69:2; Psalm 70:1; Psalm 40:13):

God come to my assistance. Lord, make haste to help me. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Hymn

Antiphon (Easter): Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.

Psalm 119:113-120

I hate every hypocrite;
your teaching I love.
You are my refuge and shield;
in your word I hope.
Depart from me, you wicked,
that I may observe the commands of my God.
Sustain me by your promise that I may live;
do not disappoint me in my hope.
Strengthen me that I may be safe,
ever to contemplate your laws.
You reject all who stray from your laws,
for vain is their deceit.
Like dross you regard all the wicked on earth;
therefore I love your decrees.
My flesh shudders with dread of you;
I hold your edicts in awe.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Psalm-prayer

Help us and we shall be saved, Lord God; leave us and we are doomed. May you remain with us always so that the fullness of life may be ours.

Antiphon (Easter): Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.

Reading (1 Corinthians 12:13)

It was in one Spirit that all of us, whether Jew of Greek, slave or free, were baptized into one Body. All of us have been given to drink of the one Spirit.

The Lord is risen, alleluia –He has appeared to Simon, alleluia.

Prayers and Intercessions (additional prayers and intercessions are always appropriate)

Christ has risen from the dead and is always present in his Church.
Let us adore him, and say:
-Stay with us Lord.
Lord, Jesus, triumphant victor over sin and death,
glorious and immortal,
-Be always in our midst.
Come to us in the power of your victory,
-And show our hearts the loving kindness of your Father.
Come to heal a world wounded by division,
-For you alone can transform our hearts and make them one.
Strengthen our faith in final victory,
-And renew our hope in your second coming.

Lord’s Prayer: Matthew 6:9-13; Luke 11:2-4.

Our Father, who art in Heaven,
hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come,
thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our trespasses
as we forgive those that trespass against us,
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.

Concluding Prayer:

Father, in this holy season we come to know the full depth of your love. You have freed us from the darkness of error and sin. Help us to cling to your truths with fidelity. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, you Son, who lives and reigns with you and the holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

Let us praise the Lord. And give him thanks.

Sign of the Cross

Office of Midday Prayer

Sign of the Cross

Scriptural Prayer (Psalm 69:2; Psalm 70:1; Psalm 40:13):

God come to my assistance.
Lord, make haste to help me.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen.

Hymn

Antiphon: Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.

Psalm 79:1-5, 8-11, 13 (Lament for Jerusalem)

If only you had known what would bring you peace. (Luke 19:42) 

O God, the nations have invaded your heritage;
they have defiled your holy temple,
have laid Jerusalem in ruins.
They have left the corpses of your servants
as food for the birds of the heavens,
the flesh of your faithful for the beasts of the earth.
They have spilled their blood like water
all around Jerusalem,
and no one is left to bury them.
We have become the reproach of our neighbors,
the scorn and derision of those around us.
How long, LORD? Will you be angry forever?
Will your rage keep burning like fire?
Do not hold past iniquities against us;
may your compassion come quickly,
for we have been brought very low.
Help us, God our savior,
for the glory of your name.
Deliver us, pardon our sins
for your name’s sake.
Why should the nations say,
“Where is their God?”
Before our eyes make clear to the nations
that you avenge the blood of your servants.
Let the groans of prisoners come before you;
by your great power free those doomed to death.
Then we, your people, the sheep of your pasture,
will give thanks to you forever;
through all ages we will declare your praise.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end.
Amen.

Psalm-Prayer

Lord Jesus Christ, shepherd of your Church, in order to strengthen our faith and lead us to the kingdom, you renewed and far surpassed the marvels of the old law. Through the uncertainties of this earthly journey, lead us home to the everlasting pastures.

Antiphon: Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.

Reading (Titus 3:5-7)

God Saved us through the baptism of the new birth and renewal by the holy Spirit. This Spirit he lavished on us through Jesus Christ our Savior, that we might be justified by his grace and become heris, in hope, of eternal life.

The Disciples rejoice, alleluia.
–When they saw the risen Lord, alleluia.

Prayers and Intercessions (additional prayers and intercessions are always appropriate)

Christ has risen from the dead and is always present in his Church.
Let us adore him, and say:
-Stay with us Lord.
Lord, Jesus, triumphant victor over sin and death,
glorious and immortal,
-Be always in our midst.
Come to us in the power of your victory,
-And show our hearts the loving kindness of your Father.
Come to heal a world wounded by division,
-For you alone can transform our hearts and make them one.
Strengthen our faith in final victory,
-And renew our hope in your second coming.

Lord’s Prayer: Matthew 6:9-13; Luke 11:2-4.

Our Father, who art in Heaven,
hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come,
thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our trespasses
as we forgive those that trespass against us,
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.

Concluding Prayer: Father, in this holy season we come to know the full depth of your love. You have freed us from the darkness of error and sin. Help us to cling to your truths with fidelity. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, you Son, who lives and reigns with you and the holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

Let us praise the Lord. And give him thanks.

Sign of the Cross

Office of Midafternoon Prayer

Sign of the Cross

Scriptural Prayer (Psalm 69:2; Psalm 70:1; Psalm 40:13):

God come to my assistance.
Lord, make haste to help me.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen.

Hymn

Antiphon: Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.

Psalm 80

Come Lord Jesus. Revelation 22:20

Shepherd of Israel, listen,
guide of the flock of Joseph!
From your throne upon the cherubim reveal yourself
to Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh.
Stir up your power, come to save us.
O LORD of hosts, restore us;
Let your face shine upon us,
that we may be saved.
LORD of hosts,
how long will you burn with anger
while your people pray?
You have fed them the bread of tears,
made them drink tears in abundance.
You have left us to be fought over by our neighbors;
our enemies deride us.
O LORD of hosts, restore us;
let your face shine upon us,
that we may be saved.
You brought a vine out of Egypt;
you drove away the nations and planted it.
You cleared the ground;
it took root and filled the land.
The mountains were covered by its shadow,
the cedars of God by its branches.
It sent out boughs as far as the sea,
shoots as far as the river.
Why have you broken down the walls,
so that all who pass by pluck its fruit?
The boar from the forest strips the vine;
the beast of the field feeds upon it.
Turn again, LORD of hosts;
look down from heaven and see;
Attend to this vine,
the shoot your right hand has planted.
Those who would burn or cut it down–
may they perish at your rebuke.
May your help be with the man at your right hand,
with the one whom you once made strong.
Then we will not withdraw from you;
revive us, and we will call on your name.
LORD of hosts, restore us;
let your face shine upon us,
that we may be saved.

Psalm Prayer

Lord God, eternal Shepherd, you so then the vineyard you planted that now it extends its branches even to the farthest coast. Look down on your Church and come to us. Help us to remain in your Son as branches on the vine that, planted firmly in you love, we may testify before the whole world to your great power working everywhere.

Antiphon: Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.

Reading (Colossians 1:12-14)

We Give thanks to the Father, who has made you fit to share in the inheritance of the holy ones in light. He delivered us from the power of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Stay with us, Lord, alleluia.
–For evening draws near, alleluia.

Prayers and Intercessions (additional prayers and intercessions)

Christ has risen from the dead and is always present in his Church.
Let us adore him, and say:
-Stay with us Lord.
Lord, Jesus, triumphant victor over sin and death,
glorious and immortal,
-Be always in our midst.
Come to us in the power of your victory,
-And show our hearts the loving kindness of your Father.
Come to heal a world wounded by division,
-For you alone can transform our hearts and make them one.
Strengthen our faith in final victory,
-And renew our hope in your second coming.

Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13; or Luke 11:2-4)

Our Father, who art in Heaven,
hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come,
thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our trespasses
as we forgive those that trespass against us,
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.

Concluding Prayer:

Father, in this holy season we come to know the full depth of your love. You have freed us from the darkness of error and sin. Help us to cling to your truths with fidelity. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, you Son, who lives and reigns with you and the holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

Let us praise the Lord. And give him thanks.

Sign of the Cross

Sacred Scripture Readings from Mass for April 26, 2007

Reading (Acts of the Apostles 8:26-40)

The angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, “Get up and head south on the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza, the desert route.” So he got up and set out. Now there was an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official of the Candace, that is, the queen of the Ethiopians, in charge of her entire treasury, who had come to Jerusalem to worship, and was returning home. Seated in his chariot, he was reading the prophet Isaiah. The Spirit said to Philip, “Go and join up with that chariot.” Philip ran up and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and said, “Do you understand what you are reading?” He replied, “How can I, unless someone instructs me?” So he invited Philip to get in and sit with him. This was the Scripture passage he was reading:

Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter,
and as a lamb before its shearer is silent,
so he opened not his mouth.
In his humiliation justice was denied him.
Who will tell of his posterity?
For his life is taken from the earth.

Then the eunuch said to Philip in reply, “I beg you, about whom is the prophet saying this? About himself, or about someone else?” Then Philip opened his mouth and, beginning with this scripture passage, he proclaimed Jesus to him. As they traveled along the road they came to some water, and the eunuch said, “Look, there is water. What is to prevent my being baptized?” Then he ordered the chariot to stop, and Philip and the eunuch both went down into the water, and he baptized him. When they came out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away, and the eunuch saw him no more, but continued on his way rejoicing. Philip came to Azotus, and went about proclaiming the good news to all the towns until he reached Caesarea.

Responsorial Psalm (Psalm 66:8-9, 16-17, 20)

R. (1) Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
or: R. Alleluia.

Bless our God, you peoples,
loudly sound his praise;
He has given life to our souls,
and has not let our feet slip.

R. Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.

Hear now, all you who fear God,
while I declare
what he has done for me.
When I appealed to him in words,
praise was on the tip of my tongue.

R. Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.

Blessed be God who refused me not
my prayer or his kindness!

R. Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.

Gospel (John 6:44-51)

Jesus said to the crowds: “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draw him, and I will raise him on the last day. It is written in the prophets: They shall all be taught by God. Everyone who listens to my Father and learns from him comes to me. Not that anyone has seen the Father except the one who is from God; he has seen the Father. Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate the manna in the desert, but they died; this is the bread that comes down from heaven so that one may eat it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my Flesh for the life of the world.”

Office of Evening Prayer

Sign of the Cross

Scriptural Prayer (Psalm 69:2; Psalm 70:1; Psalm 40:13):

God come to my assistance.
Lord, make haste to help me.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen.

Antiphon: Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.

Hymn

For the fruits of his creation,
Thanks be to God;
For the gifts to every nation,
Thanks be to God;
For the ploughing, sowing, reaping,
Silent growth while men are sleeping,
Future needs in earth’s safekeeping,
Thanks be to God.

In the just reward of labor,
God’s will is done;
In the help we give our neighbor,
God’s will is done;
In our world-wide task of caring
For the hungry and despairing,
In the harvests men are sharing,
God’s will is done.

For the harvest of his spirit,
Thanks be to God;
For the good all men inherit,
Thanks be to God;
For the wonders that astound us,
For the truths that still confound us,
Most of all, that love has found us,
Thanks be to God.

Antiphon (Easter): The Lord God has given him the throne of David his father, alleluia

Psalm 132

The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. (Luke 1:32)

LORD, remember David
and all his anxious care; How he swore an oath to the LORD,
vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob:
“I will not enter the house where I live,
nor lie on the couch where I sleep;
I will give my eyes no sleep,
my eyelids no rest,
Till I find a home for the LORD,
a dwelling for the Mighty One of Jacob.”
“We have heard of it in Ephrathah;
we have found it in the fields of Jaar.
Let us enter God’s dwelling;
let us worship at God’s footstool.”
“Arise, LORD, come to your resting place,
you and your majestic ark.
Your priests will be clothed with justice;
your faithful will shout for joy.”
For the sake of David your servant,
do not reject your anointed.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen.

Antiphon (Easter): The Lord God has given him the throne of David his father, alleluia

Antiphon 2 (Easter): Jesus Christ is supreme in his power. He is King of kings and Lord of lords, alleluia.

The LORD swore an oath to David,
a pledge never to be broken:
“Your own offspring I will set upon your throne.

If your sons observe my covenant,
the laws I shall teach them,
Their sons, in turn,
shall sit forever on your throne.”

Yes, the LORD has chosen Zion,
desired it for a dwelling:

“This is my resting place forever;
here I will dwell, for I desire it.

I will bless Zion with meat;
its poor I will fill with bread.
I will clothe its priests with blessing;
its faithful shall shout for joy.

There I will make a horn sprout for David’s line;
I will set a lamp for my anointed.
His foes I will clothe with shame,
but on him my crown shall gleam.”

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen.

Psalm-prayer

Lord Jesus Christ, you chose to suffer and be overwhelmed by death in order to open the gates of death in triumph. Stay with us to help us on our pilgrimage; free us from all evil by the power of your resurrection. In the company of saints, and constantly remembering our love for us, may we sing of your wonders in our Father’s house

Antiphon 2 (Easter): Jesus Christ is supreme in his power. He is King of kings and Lord of lords, alleluia.

Antiphon 3 (Easter): Lord, who is your equal in power? Who is like you, majestic in holiness? Alleluia.

Canticle (Revelation 11:17-18; 12:10b-12a):

The Judgment of God

We praise you, the Lord God Almighty,
Who is and who was.
You have assumed your great power,
You have begun your reign.
The nations have raged in anger,
But then came your day of wrath
And the moment to judge the dead:
The time to reward your servants the prophets
And the holy one who revere you,
The great and the small alike.
Now have salvation and power come,
The reign of our God and the authority
Of his Anointed One,
For the accuser of our brothers is cast out,
Who night and day accused them before God.
They defeated him by the blood of the Lamb
And by the word of their testimony;
Love for life did not deter them from death.
So rejoice, you heavens,
And you that dwell therein!

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen.

Antiphon 3 (Easter): Lord, who is your equal in power? Who is like you, majestic in holiness? Alleluia.

Reading (1Peter 3:18, 22)

The reason why Christ died for sins once for all, the just man for the sake of the unjust, was that he might lead to God. He was put to death insofar as fleshly existence goes, but was given life in the realm of the spirit. He went to heaven and is at God’s right hand, with angelic rulers and powers subjected to him.

Responsory

The disciples rejoiced, alleluia, alleluia.
–The disciples rejoiced, alleluia, alleluia.
When they saw they risen Lord,
–alleluia, alleluia.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen.

The disciples rejoiced, alleluia, alleluia.
–The disciples rejoiced, alleluia, alleluia.

Canticle of Mary (Luke 1:46-55)

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
My spirit rejoices in God my Savior
For he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.

From this all generations will call me blessed:
The Almighty has done great things for me,
And holy is his Name.

He has mercy on those who fear him
In every generation.

He has shown the strength of his arm,
He has scattered the proud in their conceit.

He has cast down the mighty for their thrones,
And has lifted up the lowly.

He has filled the hungry with good things,
And the rich he has sent away empty.

He has come to the help of his servant Israel
For he has remembered his promise of mercy,
The promise he made to our fathers,
To Abraham and his children for ever.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son,
And to the Holy Spirit,
As it was in the beginning, is now,
And ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Antiphon: I am the living bread come down from heaven; anyone who eats this bread will live for ever; the bread that I will give is my flesh, for the life of the world, alleluia.

Intercessions

Christ rose from the dead as the firstfruits of those who sleep. In our joy let us praise him, and say:
–Firstborn from the dead, hear our prayer.
Lord Jesus, remember your holy Church, built on the apostles and reaching to the ends of the earth,
–and let your blessing rest on all who believe in you.
You are the healer of soul and body,
–come to our aid, and save us in your love.
Raise up the sick and give them strength,
–free them from their infirmities.
Help those in distress of mind and body,
–and in you compassion lift up those in need.
Through your cross and resurrection you opened for all they way to immortality,
–grant to our deceased brothers and sisters the joys of your kingdom.

Lord’s Prayer: Matthew 6:9-13; Luke 11:2-4.

Our Father, who art in Heaven,
hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come,
thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our trespasses
as we forgive those that trespass against us,
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.

Concluding Prayer:

Father in this holy season we come to know the full depth of your love. You have freed us from the darkness of error and sin. Help us to cling to your truths with fidelity. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, you Son, who lives and reigns with you and the holy Spirit, oneGod, for ever and ever. May the Lord bless us and keep us from all harm; and may he lead us to eternal life.

Night Prayer

Sign of the Cross

Scriptural Prayer (Psalm 69:2; Psalm 70:1; Psalm 40:13):

God come to my assistance.
Lord, make haste to help me.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen.

Examination of Conscience (Or penitential rite if being recited in a group)

Hymn (may be substituted)

We praise you, Father, for your gifts
Of dusk and nightfall over earth,
Foreshadowing the mystery
Of death that leads to endless day.
Within your hands we rest secure;
In quiet sleep our strength renew;
Yet give your people hearts that wake
In love to you, unsleeping Lord.
Your glory may we ever seek
In rest, as in activity,
Until its fullness is revealed,
O source of life, O Trinity.

Antiphon (Easter): Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.

Psalm 16

The Father raised up Jesus from the dead and broke the bonds of death. (Acts 2:24)

Keep me safe, O God;
in you I take refuge
I say to the Lord,
you are my Lord,
you are my only good.
Worthless are all the false gods of the land.
Accursed are all who delight in them.
They multiply their sorrows
who court other gods.
Blood libations to them I will not pour out,
nor will I take their names upon my lips.
LORD, my allotted portion and my cup,
you have made my destiny secure.
Pleasant places were measured out for me;
fair to me indeed is my inheritance.
I bless the LORD who counsels me;
even at night my heart exhorts me.
I keep the LORD always before me;
with the Lord at my right, I shall never be shaken.
Therefore my heart is glad, my soul rejoices;
my body also dwells secure,
For you will not abandon me to Sheol,
nor let your faithful servant see the pit.
You will show me the path to life,
abounding joy in your presence,
the delights at your right hand forever.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen.

Antiphon (Easter): Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.

Reading (1Thessalonians 5:23):

May the God of peace make you perfect in holiness. May he preserve you whole and entire, spirit, soul, and body, irreproachable at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Responsory (Easter)

Into your hands, Lord, I commend my spirit, alleluia, alleluia.
–Into your hands, Lord, I commend my spirit, alleluia, alleluia.
You have redeemed us, Lord God of truth,
–alleluia, alleluia.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen.
–Into your hands, Lord, I commend my spirit, alleluia, alleluia.

Antiphon: Protect us, Lord, as we stay awake; watch over us as we sleep, that awake, we may keep watch with Christ, and asleep, rest in his peace. Alleluia.

Canticle of Simeon (Luke 2:29-32)

Christ is the light of the nations and the glory of Israel
Lord, now you let your servant go in peace;
You word has been fulfilled:
My own eyes have seen the salvation
Which you have prepared in the sight of
Every people.

A light to reveal you to the nations
And the glory of you people Israel.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son,
And to the Holy Spirit, as it was
In the beginning, it is now and ever
Shall be, world without end. Amen.

Antiphon: Protect us, Lord, as we stay awake; watch over us as we sleep, that awake, we may keep watch with Christ, and asleep, rest in his peace. Alleluia.

Prayer

Lord God
Send peaceful sleep
to refresh our tired bodies.
May your help always renew us
And keep us strong in your service.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
May the all-powerful Lord grant us a restful night and a peaceful death. Amen

Hail Mary, full of grace,
The Lord is with you!
Blessed are you among women,
And blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary Mother of God,
Pray for us sinners,
Now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

It’s RNW again, if you are still with me I have just a few more things to say.

All this scripture and prayer is meant both to be savored and shared! The Divine Office is ideally sung in it’s entireity with a group. Monks and nuns in monasteries have been doing this for centuries. Priests in rectories have been saying this together right along with them. Across time, across the world the Body of Christ prays together in AGREEMENT (remember that verse about praying in agreement?) for the Glory of the Lord. Husband and wife, parents and children, prayer groups…it’s always best in a group. If it isn’t sung, it is supposed to be spoken, and if you can’t speak it aloud….you’re supposed to move your lips!

Again, this is a minimum daily requirement for all Catholic clergy and it is highly recommend for all of the Catholic faithful to the maximum extent that they are able. This is not the only scripture a Catholic is allowed to read; nor are these the only prayers a Catholic is allowed to recite.  This represents the starting point you are welcome to do more.

The next time you hear someone claiming to be an ex-Catholic clergyman tell you that they  gave up that man-made Divine Office stuff and just started reading the Bible, please consider EXACTLY what giving up reciting the Divine Office means and discern accordingly.

Lastly, if some roaming Catholic clergyman or expert of some other sort should happen upon this and I have messed up important technical detail…please be gentle. 

Well worth watching. Thank You Kindly to Shellie at Profound Gratitude.

Why Am I Catholic

Big….BIG posts coming…tomorrow I think.  See you then.

In The Great Heresies Hilaire Belloc wrote this about heresy in general.

“The word [heresy] is derived from the Greek verb Haireo, which first mean “I grasp” or “I seize,” and then came to mean “I take away.” (pg. 2)

“The denial of a scheme wholesale is not heresy, and has not the creative power of heresy. It is of the essence of heresy that it leaves standing a great part of the structure it attacks. On this account it can appeal to believers andn continues to affect their lives through deflecting them from their original characters. Wherefore it is said of heresies they ‘they survive by the truths they retain.’” (pp. 3-4) 

And about Protestantism in particular he wrote:

The Protestant attack differed from the rest especially in this characteristic, that its attack did not consist in the promulgation of a new doctrine or of a new authority, that it made no concerted attempt at creating a counter-Church, but had for its principle the denial of unity. It was an effort to promote that state of mind in which a Church in the old sense of the word — that is, an infallible, united, teaching body, a Person speaking with Divine Authority–should be denied; not the doctrines it might happen to advance, but its very claim to advance them with unique authority. Thus, one Protestant may affirm, as do the English Puseyites, the truth of all the doctrines underlying the Mass — the Real Presence, the Sacrifice, the sacerdotal power of consecration, etc. another Protestant may affirm that all such conceptions are false, yet both Protestants are Protestant because they communicate in the fundamental conception that the Chruch is not a visible, definable and united personality, that there is no central infallible authority, and that therefore each is free to choose his own set of doctrines. (pg. 12)

So what if the Body of Christ isn’t ONE? If we aren’t united in a “visible, definable, andn united personality”? Well first and probably most important we are going to be unable to effectively fulfill the Great Commission. Jesus said “I pray not only for them, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, so that they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be in us, that the world may believe that you sent me.” John 17: 20-21

What else does it mean? I talk to a lot of Protestants in my life and I find that no matter who I am talking to or even if I am simply reading one of those anti-Catholic websites, there are some recurring themes. Mary, the Saints, and the Real Presence. There are others but for some reason these really set fire to the hair of our separated brothers and sisters. “BUT WHAT ABOUT MARY!?” they shriek.  I hear a lot about how we are worshipping Mary and the Saints and…I can hardly say it but I have heard it so often recently…the cracker. [sob] And no matter how often we Catholics say “We don’t worship Mary and the Saints.” They come back to it with a discussion the ten commandments and graven images and they might even tell you how we ELIMINATED one of the ten commandments. (Ho Kai Paulos did a very nice rebuttal of this common argument here. Thank you kindly.) Now part of the reason for these often vitriolic attacks on the Catholic faith is that when you take real worship, what Jesus said “Do this in memory of Me.” out of the picture, and begin to substitute other things and call it worship; then what Catholics do looks mighty suspect.

The lack of worship as Jesus commanded it, is certainly part of the problem and perhaps even a majority of the problem, but I think unity is a crucial piece of the puzzle and we must look for ways to bring it into the conversations we have with our separated brothers and sisters. Here’s why I think that is. I believe that if you do not believe in an actual, not-at-all-symbolic Unity in the Body of Christ that you must reject asking the Saints (both those with a little ’s’ and the ones with a capital ’s’) to pray for us. The same people who lambaste Catholics for asking members of the ONE body of Christ (Eph 4:4; Rom 12:5; for starters) who are alive with Jesus (Rom 8:35-39; Rev 20:4; for starters) in heaven and surround us as a cloud of witnesses (Hebrews 12:1) do not hesistate to ask members of their little separate congregations to pray for each other. Most Protestants I know don’t hesistate to ask other Protestants from other individual congregations to pray for them either. They’ll happily quote James 5:16 (for starters). But they stop short of really believing in what the Bible says and acting on it in faith. We are ONE Body. United. Death only changes what we see with our earthly eyes. “Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.” John 20:29 It is the absence of True Sacrifical Worship as Jesus commanded in their faith life that sets them up, but it is their lack of belief in the unity of the Body of Christ that put up that wall.

We are One Body of Christ. We are His Family. Jesus’ Father is Our Father. He adopted us in. Literally. When you believe that in a literal way then where is the problem with saying His Mother is Our Mother too? Even if there wasn’t an explicit statement in Sacred Scripture? But there IS an explicit statement. Jesus on the cross He gave His Mother into the keeping of his Beloved Disciple (go read John 19:26-27…it doesn’t say “John”) Are you a beloved disciple? I tell you right now, I would rather be a beloved disciple standing at the foot of the cross with the mother of my Savior than in the crowd mocking. But if we aren’t really One Body. If the unity that Jesus prayed for in John 17 was just some insipid symbolic sort; then so is the part about being Jesus family and then so is calling His Mother our Mother.

And then there is the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. The Eucharist makes us ONE because Jesus is ONE. Not in a symbolic way. Not in an invisible, intangible way. In a real way. The risen, victorious Jesus that is eternally present as Perfect Victim and High Priest as the Lamb of God at the altar in heaven is the same Jesus that is made really and truly present in the miracle of the Eucharist at Mass. He makes us one across those same boundaries.

As I made my way across the Tiber, I realized that it was finding true worship in the Mass as Jesus commanded that made me see that asking the Saints or Mary to pray for me wasn’t worship. When pretty much anything can be worship, unfortunately everything can be. But as I go deeper into my faith, I see that a Catholic understanding of ONE Body is just as significant and it all flows from the Eucharist. In my own conversations with our separated brothers and sisters, I find that saying “We don’t worship Mary and the Saints.” is simply not believed, or listened to, I don’t know. Even people who have BEEN to Mass and held the missal in their hands and heard Sacred Scripture proclaimed, heard the words and the prayers (that come almost word-for-word from Sacred Scripture), will say in their next breathe “But no one brought a Bible and you worship Mary!” (For the record, when we genuflect it’s to JESUS in the Tabernacle and not to any statues or windows that might be present in the church. And we don’t customarily bring Bibles because the texts for the day are printed in our missalettes.) If you attempt to explain that the reason they think that they easily confuse worship with veneration because they do not have True Worship, it seldom goes over well. Perhaps a good middle ground might be to engage them in a discussion of unity and work from there. It’s certainly something I am going to try.

Catholic Carnival #116 is up at Cause of Our Joy.  Congratulations to Edward at Marian Devotion who has been accepted into the seminary! Be sure to keep him in your prayers and stop by his blog to leave a congratulatory message. I recommend both a weekly Holy Hour (I find it essential to my spiritual life) and reading Holy Hour or Supermarket Sweep not necessarily with the same forcefulness but hopefully the more you read about the value of Adoration in the lives of your brothers and sisters, the more tempted you will be to adopt this practice yourself. Those were my two favorites go read the rest and see if I am right. Happy reading!

And read this one too by Ask Sister Mary Martha who reminds us all that it is a faith journey and that one of the marks of humility is noting for ourselves and others where we were wrong and how.  

Here are some of the remarks I heard today on the subject of purgatory.

1. The catholics invented it to discourage people from thinking “Ah well, I’m going to hell anyway, might as well give up on trying to do the right thing”.

2. it is nothing - doesnt exist - manmade concept of a middle heaven. some Catholic BS. its not in the Bible. I challenge any catholic to show me where it can be found in the Bible!!

3. Purgatory is An invention. The Bible tells us that there are only two places: heaven and hell. You will go into eternity into either one of these places. No one will ever be able to get out of hell.

You will notice that someone used some of my favorite words in the English language, “I challenge any Catholic to show me where it can be found in the Bible!!” It should be illegal to have so much fun so early in the week (it’s Monday when I’m typing this up but I have no idea when this will post.) Mr. I Challenge Any Catholic will win if he declares that I must produce the word ‘purgatory’ in the Bible; however, the concept like that of the Trinity, the Ascension, and the Incarnation which also do not have the exact word in the Bible is clearly outlined.

OK first let me outline how I will be using a couple of significant concepts and where, biblically, I come up with these ideas.

Guilt…which is forgiven by the Lord because of the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross and our faith in Him…is not the same as punishment. Sin has consequences. And just as I provide CONSEQUENCES for the transgressions of my children because I love them, and want to help them become better, God in his infinite wisdom and love provides punishment for our sins. (The Lord disciplines those He loves, as a Father the son he delights in. Proverbs 3:11-12)

In 2 Sam 12:13-14 we see an example of God drawing a distinction between guilt and punishment. “Then David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” Nathan answered David: “The Lord on his part has forgiven your sin: you shall not die. But since you have spurned the Lord by this deed, the child born to you must surely die.” God forgave David, but there was still suffering to be borne.

Second, all sin separates us from God in one way or another. Period. But there is more than one kind of sin.

1 John 5:16-17 “If anyone sees his brother sinning, if the sin is not deadly, he should pray to God and he will give him life. This is only for those whose sin is not deadly. There is such a think as deadly sin about which I do not say you should pray. All wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin that is not deadly.”

James 1:14-15 “Rather, each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire conceives and brings forth sin, and when sin reaches maturity it gives birth to death.”

The Catholic Church calls deadly sins mortal sins and those which only wound and disfigure the soul venial sins. (See the Catechism of the Catholic Church paragraphs 1852-1864 for a more detailed explanation of what the Catholic Church teaches about the different kinds of sin.) A deadly sin, would be a serious breech of God’s law which was fully consented to and unrepented of. Deadly sins would be a deliberate turning away from God. And Catholics believe that while you may not be snatched from the Hand of God, you always retain your fee will and may willingly walk away from salvation. Mortal sins of which you have not repented mean eternal separation from God.

Venial sins wound and disfigure our soul. They detract from the perfect holiness that we are called to. 1 Peter 1:15-16 “But as HE who called you is holy, be holy yourselves in every aspect of your conduct, for it is written “Be holy because I am holy.”* and without perfect holiness, we cannot see God in heaven. Revelations 21:27 “nothing unclean will enter it [heaven].

*Leviticus 11:44

So mortal sins cause death, and those with mortal sin (a willful and serious turning away from God and His Love) are bound for hell. Those of us with venial sins who haven’t managed perfect holiness but who love the Lord and strive for obedience, who are headed to heaven eventually….but have some work left to do. That is who purgatory is for. Purgatory is not about forgiveness. I have already been forgiven. It is about cleansing, and reparation….finishing the work of sanctification. It is only a temporary process. And in case you think that I am in bondage to this idea, I assure you I see it as abundant evidence of God’s compassion. I WANT to be holy when I come into his presence. Yes, Jesus’ (unmerited, unearned) sacrifice makes it possible, but I see abundant evidence in scripture that I have work to do too. Work that does not EARN me salvation. Work which is not possible without the help of the Holy Spirit but work nonetheless. (Romans 2:28, Philippians 2:12, James 2:14-24, etc.)

So where do Catholics see evidence of Purgatory in scripture? Well I will be honest. The BIGGIE is in a portion of scripture that Protestants consider non-canonical….I’ll get to that one last. There are still plenty of verses that suggest Purgatory (and like the ‘Trinity’ and the ‘Incarnation’….this is the name that theologians have come up with to describe what they believe is evidenced in scripture) in the books of the Bible that we do agree on.

Matthew 12:32 “And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.” Catholics believe that Jesus is saying that there are some sins that will be forgiven in the next world. And since we know that nothing unclean can enter heaven, where would that happen?

1 Corinthians 3:15 “But if someone’s work is burned up, that one will suffer loss; the person will be saved, but only as through fire.” Hell is permanent. This passage refers to a trial endured by someone destined for salvation; therefore, this person cannot be in hell. Where is that trial endured? Revelations says that heaven is a place of perfect happiness so it wouldn’t be there.

1 Peter 3:18-20 “For Christ also suffered for sins once, the righteous for the sake of the unrighteous, that He might lead you to God. Put to death in the flesh, He was brought to life in the spirit. In it He also went to preach to the spirits in prison, who had once been disobedient while God patiently waited in the days of Noah during the building of the ark, in which a few persons, eight in all, were saved through water.

1 Peter 4:6 “For this is why the gospel was preached even to the dead that, though condemned in the flesh in human estimation, they might live in the spirit in the estimation of God.”

What is this prison for disobedient spirits? We don’t believe it is hell because hell has no hope of salvation. It seems as though St. Peter is describing a temporary place where disobedient souls are eventually saved.

Lastly, this one probably won’t be in your Protestant Bibles but that’s ok. It still has some cultural significance. 2 Maccabees 12:44-46 “For if he were not expecting the fallen to rise again, it would have been useless and foolish to pray for them in death. But if he did this with a view to the splendid reward that awaits those who had gone to rest in godliness, it was a holy and pious thought. Thus, he made atonement for the dead that they might be freed from sin.

Please note that the account of the Maccabees is where we learn of the miracles that led to the establishment of Feast of the Purification (Dedication) mentioned in John 10:22…..we know it as Channukah. It is significant to me that Jesus celebrated this Feast and that John mentioned it. Even if you do not accept the canonical status of this book, it is clear that culturally it accurately reflects the religious character of Jews very close in time to that of Jesus. Jews, prayed for their dead, and there is NO indication that Jesus or the Apostles ever preached against it. The passages in the NT indicate that the Apostles believed in a place of cleansing after death and in fact, St. Paul offers a prayer for the deceased Onesiphorus in 2 Timothy 1:16-18 “May the Lord grant mercy to the family of Onesiphorus because he often gave me new heart and was not ashamed of my chains. But when he came to Rome, he promptly searched for me and found me. May the Lord grant him to find mercy from the Lord on that day. And you know very well the services he rendered in Ephesus.” What sense does the part which I have put in bold type make, unless St. Paul believes that Onesiphorus can be helped by prayer? In 1 Corinthians 15:29-30 St. Paul mentions the practice of church members having themselves baptized for the dead without condemnation or approval, what sense would there have been if the dead were beyond our prayers? If it was nonsense, wouldn’t Paul have soundly condemned it? St. Paul was not noted for his gentle approach when it came to correction.

Beyond the evidence of scripture we find confirmation in practices of the early church. Again, I would hasten to point out that these practices confirm the Apostle’s understanding of Sacred Scripture as evidenced in the practices of the churches that were closest in time to them. It is not a tradition that stands without scriptural evidence. Many of the early liturgies include prayers for the dead and inscriptions from ancient Christian tombs often contained an appeal for prayers.

Tertullian wrote in 211 “Indeed, she [the wife] prays for his soul [her husband's], and requests refreshment for him meanwhile, and fellowship [with him] in the first resurrection; and she offers [her sacrifice] on the anniversary of his falling asleep.”

St. Augustine “For some of the dead, indeed, the prayer of the Church or of pious individuals is heard; but it is for those who, having been regenerated in Christ, did not spend their life so wickedly that they can be judged unworthy of such compassion, nor so well that they can be considered to have no need of it.”

Judas wanted the yoke of Roman slavery lifted. I’m sure he believed that freed from the oppression of the Romans, his life and the lives of his countrymen would be immeasurably improved. And why wouldn’t He think that’s what Jesus was going to do, after all what’s a Messiah for but to make your life better? I wonder if the Apostles ever sat in prison and played a 1st century version of David Letterman’s Top Ten titled “Our Top Ten Misconceptions of What We Thought the Messiah Was Gonna Do”? I am reasonably certain that before the crucifixion they were not thinking that prison time and repeated floggings were going to be in their future. Toss is running from the authorities and eventually martyrdom for most of them and I wonder if in their human moments they didn’t find some humor in it all.  I think Judas betrayed Jesus because he [Judas] was frustrated at Jesus slowness in moving to boot the Romans and take the throne. Of course Jesus had every intention of freeing Judas from slavery.  A slavery far worse than that of the Romans which was sin.

The Israelites had a different idea of being released from slavery than God did when they were called out from the land of Death (Egypt).  Once out of Egypt they lost no time in whining about the route. “What do you mean we are at the edge of the Red Sea and the entire Egyptian army is on our heels? Hello? Moses? What kind of opium are you smoking? Did you think this through?” They didn’t care for desert fare either. “What do you mean we are having manna again?” They complained about the leadership, they whined about not having water. In short their idea of being liberated from slavery was very different than God’s. God wanted to strip them of the vestiges of their old life to prepare them for life in the Promised Land.

And I’m not any different. Whenever we demand that God remove the earthly irritants instead of focusing on our liberation from slavery, we step right into the shoes of Judas.  Too often I hear preachers (link is just one example of a “prosperity gospel”-type message) and believers claim scriptures and demand that the Lord prosper their earthly kingdom.

“Whatever he does shall prosper” (Ps. 1:3). This includes everything: your family, your children, your marriage, your business, your ministry, your job, and your health. It means God intends what He says: everything shall prosper.

I am just like Judas each time, I focus on my earthly kingdom instead of God’s heavenly one. Lord, help me to pick up my cross and follow you. If my sickness, or humiliation, or bankruptcy or any other earthly difficulty will further the kingdom, give me Your Grace to bear it. Let it be done to me according to thy word.

In 1584 Anthony Page, of Harrow-on-the-Hill, England, began his studies for the priesthood in Reims, France. A fellow seminarian describes him as a pious and learned man of extraordinary meekness, modesty, purity, and candor. Following his ordination in Reims in 1591, Father Page set out for England to begin his priestly labors. Immediately upon arriving, he was apprehended by the Elizabethan authorities. He was summarily condemned to death by drawing and quartering for being a priest.

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Following studies at Oxford, Richard Sergeant, of Gloucestshire, England, enrolled as a seminarian at the English College of Reims, France. In 1583, he was ordained to the priesthood in Laon and returned to England to serve the country’s persecuted Catholics. Within three years of arriving, he would be arrested, sentenced to death, and hung, drawn, and quartered at Tyburn, London, dying together with another priest, Blessed William Thomson.