Postscripts From The Catholic Spitfire Grill

(Internet search brought you here? This post can be read on my new blog which conveniently does not randomly cut off the right hand side of the text.)

Today’s gospel reading for the Feast of St. Peter and St. Paul reminded me of this entry and I thought I would re-post it. I just love it when suddenly a scripture passage comes alive for me and this is one that really has since I became Catholic.
Quote:

John 20:19-23 was one of those passage of scripture that used to puzzle me as a Protestant. So get your Bibles, I’ll wait. Or you can read it here. In the end, I figured since nobody ever bothered to talk about the “breathing on them part” it wasn’t that important. I figured it was probably some obscure cultural reference that I would hear about some day.

And of course, despite the superficial support of those Catholics and their completely WRONG practice of confession, it really didn’t mean that. It was really more about the Holy Spirit don’t you know and the rest of that passage was just details that weren’t important. Certainly, they were never fleshed out in any sermon that I heard…except of course to assure me that the apparently plain support for Catholics and confession was completely off the mark.

But wouldn’t you know that some Christians….cough….think that those unimportant details might just be important. This is one of those passsages like the one in Matthew that when I heard it preached on in the Protestant church was usually a sermon that included why it didn’t say what it looked like on the surface. But just like the casual reference to Jonah in that passage in Matthew on Peter and the Keys, there’s a little bit more lurking below that tranquily looking surface. This is another passage where Jesus repeats and reinforces His hard-to-swallow-message…in this case the idea that He is giving authority to the Apostles (and those they designate) to act in HIS PLACE!

Listen….

On the evening of that first day of the week, when the doors were locked, where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be with you.”

Peace be with you. This calls to mind an angelic choir that sang on Bethlehem when He was born. “Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests!” The ability to grant peace with God in the Highest is a matter of reconiling a sinful humanity by the pending sacrifice by God’s divine Son. While we certainly attempt to mirror Our Lord in bringing peace on earth, only He can truly give us peace and that is by His Blood poured out for us in a worthy sacrifice paid for our redemption.

When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. 

Our Lord not only shows them that it really is Him, but His wounds are the basis for his ability to truly give them peace. They recognize and pay homage to Him….and Thomas will reinforce the Apostles’ collective opinion of Jesus divinity at the next meeting which is recorded right after this passage.

(Jesus) said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.”

Again Jesus, reiterates, PEACE which He has restored by His Sacrifice. You can sense His desire to tell the Apostles His Father’s good wishes! Now if what has gone before could just be a greeting and not carry any theological significance at all, He goes on to make an incredibly bold statement. “As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” Now just back. up. What was the mission that the Father sent Jesus on? To reconcile a sinful humanity to God in the Highest. To restore the spiritual life lost in Eden. Jesus came to bring us life and that we might have it abundantly? Sound familiar? Sure if you are a Christian, that’s all relatively easy to believe but look what He is saying in this passage. He’s not just saying that He has done it “Peace be with you.” and showing His Wounds….HE’S PASSING ON THAT MISSION!! He’s telling the disciples that it’s now their mission to reconcile sinful humanity and restore lost spiritual life now that He has paid the price.

Sure. You’re saying, “I don’t believe that.” I don’t blame you. That’s a pretty staggering concept. So just in case you didn’t get it the first time and just in case you think that you were hearing things, Jesus repeats and confirms what He has just said by expanding on it adding to it.

And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.”

He breathed on them? What a bizarre thing to do. But wait, get out your Bibles and read Genesis 2:7 “the LORD God formed man out of the clay of the ground and blew into his nostrils the breath of life, and so man became a living being.” God breathed on Adam, and He lived….he had LIFE! So Jesus, breathes on the Apostles tells them to receive the Holy Spirit….even though they are going to receive it in fullness later at Pentecost….and tells them that they are to pass on spiritual life by forgiving sins. Just like He said right before this….As the Father has sent me, so I send you….

No wonder I didn’t like to think too much about that passage of scripture…..

It’s been a crazy week around here. I feel like sometime on Monday the rocket sled I didn’t know I was standing on took off at warp speed and I have been hanging off the back trying to climb back on ever since. The big topic of the week on that homeschooling forum was Mary…again…and it ended up in a “discussion” about how Catholics were clearly in violation of scripture if they knelt and prayed with a statue in sight. It was such a productive conversation. “Do too.” “Do NOT!” You DO SO!!”….etc. I have suggested repeatedly that those who wish to see me leave the Catholic Church would make more headway if they didn’t waste their time trying to convince me that I am really doing something that I adamantly hold that I am not doing rather than just  starting with an area that I of acknowledged disagreement. Anyway…as the conversation was winding to a close I put up a summary of what I believe with respect to the bowing down to statues issue and it seemed like it fit here. Perhaps it will make up for the paucity of blogging for the rest of the week.

First let me start by sharing my personal experience. Today is Ash Wednesday (but who knows when I will finish this and post it) and because of a commitment that I made to my pastor, I had to be present (before and after) at all of the services where ashes where distributed and for the two Masses. My home is not terribly close to our church and at some times of the day it can take 30 minutes to drive that distance and there isn’t much point in driving home instead of waiting at the church for 60+ minutes for the next service. Anyway, I had considerable time to spend at church today without any assigned occupation.

In the early morning, it was very cold and windy outside (although Minnesota residents would beg to differ) and I do not do cold without a great deal of whining. As soon as I was able, I made a beeline for the church to pray.  I had just over an hour to pray in the quiet church…what a blessing! I went to my favorite prayer spot in the church (see the x on my diagram) and I knelt in prayer. Could I have prayed elsewhere? Sure. Would our Lord have heard me? Of course! Was it special to me because it was in the quiet of the church? Yes. The church itself was an aid to my devotion. Sitting in the church it was easier for me to meditate on our pastor and his needs, the needs of the congregation, and even to pray and mediate on the Sacrifice that Jesus made for me and for them. After praying for some time, being the mortal human that I am…or perhaps, just not advanced enough in prayer….I found my mind wandering. 

At this point it is necessary to describe the floor plan of my church. In the front and center of our Church is the tabernacle where the Eucharist is kept in order to be able to take Holy Communion to those who are unable to come to church. That is the central focus of the church and the architecture (early 20th century) supports that. You can see behind the Tabernacle though and there is a walkway that goes behind it that connects the vesting rooms (see diagram). In the wall behind the Tabernacle is a niche on each side and in those niches are statues. From the spot where I customarily sit, you can see a statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. In the really crummy pictures I scanned from our church directory, you can see a little arch of brown behind the ficus (yes really) on the left. That’s where the statue is. The other niche, which I cannot see from my favorite spot, is one of Mary.

X marks my favorite place to kneel and pray

1. Tabernacle

2. Sacred Heart of Jesus statue

3. Mary statue

4. Altar

5. Ambo (pulpit) 

6 Presider’s chair

(Sorry that it’s such a bad picture…it came from our church directory.)

Back to my mind wandering. Today there were no plants or flowers of any kind in the church because it is the start of Lent which is a “desert time” liturgically; thus, no flowers or plants. This had the effect of making the statue more visible that it is customarily. As I knelt in prayer and my mind wandered, I caught sight of the statue and I began to think about the origin of the image portrayed in the statue. I thought about St. Mary Margaret Alocoque and how she had been written off as insane and a kook for most of her life. She was horribly maligned by her fellow sisters in her convent. I thought about France at the time she was living and how the awesome holiness of the Lord had been emphasized almost to the exclusion of the Love and Mercy of Our Lord. I thought about how her perseverance in spreading the message of the Mercy of Our Lord was a gift to me. That without her, I might not have the privilege of praying in church in preparation for receiving Holy Communion as a lay person on an ordinary day. (Holy Communion was received only infrequently by the laity at the time because of their sense of unworthiness.) These and many other thoughts went through my mind as I knelt in prayer before that statue. And as a result of that meditation I returned again to my prayer to Our Lord in thanksgiving for those who persevered in obedience and for the Precious Gift of His Mercy that welcomes me even when I am unworthy. Was I praying TO the statue? No. Was I as unmistakably close to the statue as the people in the picture? No. But I was close enough that if someone had seen my gaze they might have snapped MY picture and put it on the internet as further proof of Catholic-statue-worshipping. It was an aid to my devotion. Period. It was an aid both to meditation and prayer. Could I have been closer and done the same thing and had it look more “incriminating”? Probably. Does the distance from the statue matter in this case? If I am 10 yards from the statue am I not bowing to it, but I am if I am 5 feet from it but using it in the SAME WAY as if I was 10 yards away? 50 yards?

Later that day while I was waiting for a service to finish, I occupied myself by pulling weeds in the church’s landscaping. At one point, I was down on my knees in front of a statue of St. Francis looking for weeds. I looked up and realized where I was and almost looked around to see if anyone had a camera. Fortunately, I was all by myself and there were no Jesus-is-Lord spies there. I also took a few minutes to think about the life of St. Francis, the joy with which he served Our Lord and what He taught us about appreciating God’s creation. Again, a statue served as a visual reminder that drew me into meditation about God’s gifts to us.

Now contrast this aid to devotion to my behavior at another time. Our church has an Adoration chapel. What that means is that the Eucharist is exposed in a monstrance 24 hours/day. People at our church take turns spending an hour before the Eucharist in prayer and Adoration. We do this in response to the scripture in which Jesus asks His disciples, “Could you spend an hour with me in prayer?” On Tuesday mornings, I rise in the wee hours of the morning and head to church. As soon as the person I relieve leaves, I veil myself, remove my shoes, and I prostrate myself in Adoration and Worship before the Blessed Sacrament. (I wait until the other person leaves because I really don’t want anyone thinking that I do this for show.) There is no question in my mind what I am doing. This isn’t an aid to Worship. This isn’t to help me think about Our Lord.  This is Worship. It isn’t the primary act of worship which is the Mass but in a spiritual way, I unite this time that I spend in Adoration with the Mass.

Now I am not a Hebrew scholar but I do know that there is more than one word for “bow” used in the OT and since I DO bow in worship and it looks different both in my heart and in my body, I can’t help but think that the Hebrews were lucky enough to have a word for “bow” that looks like what my “bow” does in Adoration and one that also translates “bow” that looks like what happened in the church and in the garden. I have had people that I trust tell me that my understanding is correct.

That’s just my experience and indicative of nothing except how my understanding of scripture plays out in my devotional life. If that leaves me open to the charge of intellectual duplicity because it “looks like worship but isn’t” well then I stand convicted. It is my opinion that it “looks like worship” because of the very different understanding of worship that exists outside of the Catholic Church.  For the Catholic the central and most important act of worship is what Jesus declared it to be in the New Covenant at the Last Supper. Catholics believe that during the Mass we enter into the eternal worship of heaven itself.  It is not hyperbole when a Catholic compares marital intimacy to receiving Holy Communion. Holy Communion is the Sacrament that renews the New Covenant just as marital intimacy renews the marital covenant.

That leads me to my next part. There has been a lot of discussion [on that forum] about this picture:

This picture was originally found on The Sacred Immaculate Heart of Satan page on the Jesus-is-Lord website.

In conjunction with these verses:

Exodus 20:4-5 “You shall not carve idols for yourselves in the shape of anything in the sky above or on the earth below or in the waters beneath the earth; you shall not bow down before them or worship them. For I, the LORD, your God, am a jealous God, inflicting punishment for their fathers’ wickedness on the children of those who hate me, down to the third and fourth generation”

Deuteronomy 5: 8-10  “You shall not carve idols for yourselves in the shape of anything in the sky above or on the earth below or in the waters beneath the earth; you shall not bow down before them or worship them. For I, the LORD, your God, am a jealous God, inflicting punishments for their fathers’ wickedness on the children of those who hate me, down to the third and fourth generation but bestowing mercy, down to the thousandth generation, on the children of those who love me and keep my commandments.”

So first, I would like to ask the reader if they pray in their closet? Well why not? Sacred Scripture says CLEARLY….in no uncertain terms, from the words of our Savior himself….

Matthew 6:6 “But when you pray, go to your inner room, close the door, and pray to your Father in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will repay you.”

But you say….the context of the passage in Matthew is that we aren’t supposed to do things for show! It didn’t mean that you should literally go into a closet.

Yes I say, and the context of the passages in Exodus and Deuteronomy is that we should not worship things that are not the Creator of the Universe. And bowing in and of itself, is not worship.

And so we are left with a debate like all the other debates that have split Christianity into countless and counting denominations. Each Christian reserving unto him or herself the right to interpret Sacred Scripture as seems best to that individual. Is that what Jesus intended? Should scripture be interpreted by an individual or within a community? Which community? By whose authority? How does a new Christian determine which church is the correct church if they have not developed appropriate spiritual maturity?

And where did this book that we call the Bible come from? It did not drop from Mount Sinai leather bound with gilt edges. The first books of the New Testament were not even written for decades after Pentecost…..the Apostles guided the first Christians you say….well that’s true. But were there more than 12 communities of Christians? What did the communities without Apostles do? Did the Apostles lay hands on some and bestow them with the same kind of authority? If they did, why doesn’t that authority continue to this day? And who has it? Who picked the books of the Bible? When? The New Testament canon was not finalized until almost 400 AD. That’s over 300 years without a Bible. Some churches before that preach as scripture from books that did not make the New Testament canon, and some churches refused to teach as scripture from some books that did not make it into the canon. Most churches were able to afford only a few of the books anyway. How did Christians pass on the faith in the centuries that followed the adoption of the canon without their own copies of the Bible (that they couldn’t read since most were illiterate)? And why is it that the same people who had the authority to set the canon that is accepted by so many Protestants without question, not have the authority to explain what it means?

The canon set at the Councils of Hippo (393 AD) and Carthage (397 AD) was set by the authority of the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church and the men that were so full of the Holy Spirit that they were able to establish the canon that remains to this day not only believed that using visual aids to devotion was acceptable, they also believed that same Church rightly reserved to herself the authority to provide a definitive interpretation of those same scriptures.

This is an exchange that took place on the Protestant homeschooling forum I hang out on. I wanted it for my files and well…this blog is pretty much it. ~ RNW

I would be very interested in seeing where this was the case. I do know that there were some priests who said things like this to the faithful in their care. Just like I know that some priests TODAY tell their faithful that abortion is ok. That some priests are not faithful to the magisterium. Some on purpose. Some through a misguided zealousness. Is not relevant to the official teaching of the church. In fact, church history and current church practice shows a deep reverance for Sacred Scripture.

That Catholics kept the Bible chained in churches is often thrown about as an accusation. As proof that the RCC did, with malice (after all why the chain!?) conspire to keep the Bible from the lay people. In fact, the chain was to keep the Bible for the lay people. Books, all books, before the invention of the printing press were expensive. Bibles, often adorned with costly artwork and precious gems, were even more so. Even the plainest of manuscripts were outrageously expensive. They were chained in the church to make them available to the laity, not to keep it from them. Pious wealthy men and women would frequently leave funds in their wills in order to make copies of the Sacred Scripture available in such a manner.

Contrary to what is popularly asserted, the RCC authorized many translations of Sacred Scripture in many lanugages including English before Wycliffe and Tyndale and the faithful were encouraged to read them. What the RCC objected to in the translations of Wycliffe and Tyndale and others was not that the translations were in the vernacular but rather the accuracy of those translations. And it was the private interpretation of scripture that caused so much difficulty both in France with respect to the Waldenses and Albigenses and again with respect to the various Protestants factions, that so alarmed the RCC.

The RC Mass is from beginning to end, almost a continuous recitation of Sacred Scripture. I believe someone else has posted a link which shows this, so I will not repeat it here. The pulpit from which Sacred Scripture is read is reserved for ONLY the reading of Scripture and homilies related to it. Announcements and the like are made from another part of the church out of respect for Sacred Scripture. In the processional at the beginning of Mass, the cross leads. This is to show that the sacrifice of Jesus is the most important thing. Then comes someone holding a copy of Sacred Scripture high for all to see…to show….that we must always be led by Sacred Scripture. Sunday Massed have at least four passages of scripture read aloud….so that we can be in a very literal sense “hearers of the Word”. The readings usually consist of a reading from the Old Testament which connects directly to the Gospel reading. A reading from the New Testament. One from the Psalms. Finally, a gospel reading. The congregation stands during the reading of the Gospel because it contains the words of Our Lord himself and the events of His life.

Well I guess we will have to disagree here. To assert on one hand (by your editorial comment) that a particular passage says that only Popes and Bishops etc. can read the Sacred Scripture but fail to note that the CCC specifically exhorts the faithful to read scripture regularly seems a bit out of context to me.

The quote the beginning of one paragraph of the CCC but fail to not that the rest of the paragraph adds significantly to the overall meaning seems “out of context.”

I wonder why it ok for you to assert that when I quote Our Lord in Matthew 19:17 “If you wish to enter into life,
keep the commandments.” as evidence that there is more to salvation than sola fide. You say “it’s out of context.” (Even though we also quote many other passages of scripture to show that in the broad context of scripture (James 2:24; James 2:26; Galatians 5:6; 1 Corinthians 13:2; John 14:15; we DO think it is in context.)

So yes. Your interpretation is “out of context” just as you have repeated asserted the RC interpretation is “out of context.” Saying “it is not” will not make it true for me any more than me saying “No it’s not.” will make it true for you. I contend that perhaps we will have to leave it in the hands of those who read what you quote from the CCC and the response by those like [x] who say you left out the REST of the paragraph/passage which says….to decide whether or not you were truly as faithful to the spirit of the CCC as you contend you were attempting to be.

Did you have a question? Did you perhaps mean to say something like this “Red Neck Woman, I am sorry but I have never seen that in scripture. Could you please show me from scripture why you make this assertion?”

“Why yes [John], I would be happy to show you why I believe that. I am sorry that I assumed that the context of my argument would make that clear, but on reflection I see that some of what I meant to say remained in my head.”

What I was referring to here was 1 Corinthians 12 in which St. Paul refers to the church as a body with different parts that are all dependent on each other. I believe that while he did not specifically mention Biblical interpretation as something that one part of the body would do for the other that it is not stretching to think that the gift of teaching would include that.

Yes the HS lives within the Believer. But as St. Paul shows that the HS does not gift each of us equally. I think both of us have seen examples where sin or pride or arrogance stop the ears of someone to the action of the HS.

I have highlighted the particular passage that I am referring to.

That is simply without historical foundation. The early church had only pieces of the Sacred Scripture and the canon of the NT was not set until sometime in the 390’s (I saw [another forum poster] disputed the date I used earlier whichh was 398, I believe she said 392. ) Most scholars put the writing of the gospels within the the years of the survival of the witnesses of the events but nonetheless many years after the death of Jesus. Yet the church grew without the Bible. It grew and such a threat that it was persecuted by the Roman authorities and the Jewish ones alike. Ironically, it was to establish which documents were actually sacred scripture (and thus were so important that it was incumbant upon the believer to die rather than hand them over to authorities) and which were not (and so could be handed over without peril to one’s immortal soul.) than the canon was established. Yet, to that time. Few if any churches would have had every part of the NT canon. Most had only a few.

Yep. We call this Apostolic Authority. Because the Apostles called out leaders, who handed off authority to the next, who prayfully considered the next……

Again…did you have a question? We perhaps you trying to ask me “RNW, I do not see why you believe from scripture that God works through the Sacraments? Would you please show me where, in your understanding, you see evidence for that?”

“Why certainly [John], I am sorry. I thought our previous scriptural references had addressed this question. Nevertheless, I will be happy to do it again for you now.”

The Sacrament of Baptism: John 3:5; Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38; Romans 6:4; Titus 3:5; 1 Peter 3:20-21

Mark 16:16 16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved; whoever does not believe will be condemned.

These are the words of Jesus and clearly He doesn’t make it an option.

Acts 2:38 Peter (said) to them, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the holy Spirit.

Somehow, some way baptism is tied up in the forgiveness of sins.

The Sacrament of Confirmation: Acts 19:5-6; Acts 8:14-17; 2 Corinthians 1:21-22; Ephesians 1:13; Hebrews 6:2

For example in Acts 19:5-6 Paul, having received his Apostolic authority, laid hands on the believers and they received the HS. The RCC textbook definition of a sacrament is that it is an outward or physical sign of God’s grace. God worked THROUGH the laying on of hands. Bingo. Sacrament.

The Sacrament of Reconciliation (aka Confession): Matthew 9:2-8; John 20:19-23; 2 Corinthians 5:17-20; James 5:13-17; Matthew 18:18

I find this passage to be particularly clear. John 19: 20-23 “On the evening of that first day of the week, when
the doors were locked, where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be with you.” 20 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. 21 (Jesus) said to them again, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.’”

Again Jesus power of forgiveness exercised THROUGH the Apostles and through the apostolic authority passed down through them. Jesus sent the Apostles “As the Father sent him”….Jesus primary mission was the forgiveness of sins.

Look at the power of the prayers of the Presbysters (priests) in James 5:13-16….”If he has committed any sins, he will be forgiven.”

The Sacrament of Healing: Mark 6:12-13; James 5:14-15

The Sarament of Holy Orders: Acts 20:28; Luke 22:19; John 20:22; Acts 6:6; Acts 13:3; Acts 14:22; 1 Timothy 4:14: 2 Timothy 1:6; Titus 1:5

The Sacrament of Marriage: Matthew 19:5-6; Mk 10:7-12; Ephesians 5:22-32; Hebrews 13:4

In particular Matthew 19:6 6 So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together, no human being must separate.” God works through the sacrament of marriage to create a bond.

The Sacrament of the Eucharist: all of John 6; Mark 14:22-24; 1 Corinthians 10:14-17; 1 Corinthians 11:23-29; Matthew 26:26-28; Luke 22: 17-20: Luke 24:30-35.

In particular: John 6:53-57 Jesus said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you. 54 Whoever eats * my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day. 55 For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. 56 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him.57 Just as the living Father sent me and I have life because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me.

Which points out Jesus working through the Eucharist as FOOD.

Would you please show me the scripture reference that contains the table of contents. The NT canon is itself a Tradition. The same men that were so inspired by God as to determine what was and what was not Holy Scripture also taught that the Body and Blood were not symbolic, that there was Apostolic Authority, etc. Why do you accept their “Table of Contents” but not what they said it meant?

And as [another Catholic poster] said in response, I say that the scriptural footnotes are an integral part of the CCC. That you have decided that the CCC must speak for itself without scripture is your conclusion.

1 Corinthians 11:2 ….hold fast to the traditions I handed on to you

2 Thessalonians 2:25 ….hold fast to the traditions, whethe oral or by letter….

2 Thessalonians 3:6….shun those acting not according to tradition….

John 21:25 …there is MUCH more that is not recorded (paraphrased by me)

2 Peter 19-20 Moreover, we possess the prophetic message that is altogether reliable. You will do well to be attentive to it, as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. Know this first of all, that there is no prophecy of scripture that is a matter of personal interpretation,

Please note that “we” in verse 19 says to me that Peter is speaking with Apostolic authority and verse 20 clearly warns again private interpretation.

We don’t force it to say anything other than we believe Jesus expressed His love and care for the children.

And that we are to imitate the love and care by caring for the souls of these wee ones and batizing them. And that we are confident to trust those who are not to Our Lord’s loving care.

No they did not. The mark of the OT covenant was circumcision. I believe that baptism replaces circumcision in the NT.

This is precisely why Tradition is important. Even though the Bible specifically says there is more that isn’t recorded in the Bible, you deny that historical record outside of Scripture could be helpful in a deeper clearer understanding of Scripture. Scripture says that Baptism is important….we disagree on how important. It specifically records Baptism of households (Acts 16) but doesn’t specifically record whether or not infants were baptised at the same time. Scripture doesn’t explicitly say infants were or were baptised. But if we look at the historical record we can see that St. Augustine specifically teaches that infants are to be baptised. Those close in time and teaching to the Apostles themselves illuminate those places where Sacred Scripture wasn’t specific.

So your quibble with us is that we referenced the wrong Scripture?!

From that Protestant homeschooling forum I hang out on:  

I was just wondering how the Scriptures, that you agree are all God-breathed, can be equalled in any way by the traditions of man.

Because God breathed into man too.

Genesis 2:7 the LORD God formed man out of the clay of the ground and blew into his nostrils the breath of life, and so man became a living being.

John 20:21-22 (Jesus) said to them [the apostles] again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the holy Spirit.

What an odd thing to be recorded in the Gospel. Jesus breathed on the apostles. But if you look at that passage carefully and understand that the same Divine action that God performed in Genesis to bring forth human life, is the same action God perfomed on the Apostles with some very interesting words. As the Father sent me (on a mission to provide for the forgiveness of sins and bring forth life) SO I SEND YOU. (Wow) And then to confirm what He is saying, He spells it out in so many words. YOU HAVE THE POWER TO FORGIVE SINS. (Double wow)

Sacred Scripture isn’t the only thing God-breathed.

One day a group of scientists got together and decided that man had come a long way and no longer needed God. So they picked one scientist to go and tell Him that they were done with Him.

The scientist walked up to God and said, “God, we’ve decided that we no longer need you. We’re to the point that we can clone people and do many miraculous things, so why don’t you just go on and get lost.”

God listened very patiently and kindly to the man and after the scientist was done talking, God said, “Very well, how about this, let’s say we have a man-making contest.” To which the scientist replied, “OK, great!”

But God added, “Now, we’re going to do this just like I did back in the old days with Adam.”The scientist said, “Sure, no problem” and bent down and grabbed himself a handful of dirt.

God just looked at him and said, “No, no, no. You go get your own dirt!”

Funny joke, right? Bet you’ve heard it before. But in my mind it applies to more than dirt. How many of us once embraced (or know someone who embraces) the “Me, Jesus, and my Bible” philosphy of Christianity and never considered where “the dirt” came from. If you want a “Jesus, Me and my Bible” lifestyle then by golly get your own dirt! First get a set of untranslated ancient manuscripts. Decide which ones are Scripture. Figure out where the transciption errors are. The scribal errors. Without the 2,000 years of Christian scholarship and the thousands of more years of Judaic scholarsip discern the meaning. Ridiculous you say? Well the fact that there was a declaration of the scriptural canon means that it wasn’t self-evident and that just like there needed to be a council called to determine whether or not the Jewish dietary laws and the law regarding circumcision was to be binding on gentile Christians, there needed to be an official ruling regarding the canon. There was disagreement. How is it possible to accept the canon set by the men of the 4th century but reject their interpretation of those very scriptures? To me that is every bit as puzzling as claiming to be as powerful as God because you can manipulate what was done before you but not actually start from scratch.

What if we had to get our own dirt?

Jesus quoted from writings inspired by God, but his quoting from them was not what then nor is it now, what raises the opinion of Church to grant canonical status to that writing? Of course, He could not quote from the New Testament because it wasn’t written. He quoted from some, but not all, of the books of the present OT canon so we can’t say that His simply quoting from something made it canonical. In fact one of the strongest evidences I find against sola scriptura is the action of Jesus himself and the actions of the Apostles themselves following Jesus’ Ascension.

If Jesus meant for the church to be sola scriptura, why did He not explicitly say so? Why did He not write a book? Why did He say He was going to found a Church on Peter instead of a book? Why is there not explicit instruction from Jesus with regard to the place of Sacred Scripture as the sole rule of faith? Sacred Scripture itself says scripture is beneficial for teaching, reproof etc but it never says that ONLY scripture is appropriate for those things.

If Jesus meant for Sacred Scripture to be the sole rule of faith, why did He not instruct the Apostles to immediately begin recording the gospels and establishing a canon? If if He did instruct them that way, why did they not do it? Why weren’t the gospels written right away to provide that rule of faith for the earliest Christian? If sola scriptura was meant to be the sole rule of faith how did the early Christians do it with neither a complete copy of Sacred Scriptures or an undisputed canon? Sola Scriptura was simply NOT POSSIBLE until at least the 4th century.

If the canon was self-evident why didn’t the early church agree completely? Why have councils to settle the question? And if these men were so full of the Holy Spirit that they could recognize what was and was not Sacred Scripture, why not accept their interpretation of those Sacred Scriptures? They explicitly did NOT believe in sola scriptura. They did believe in apostolic succession. The Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. In the authority of Bishops, and priests, and Baptism for the remission of sin, and…..

Why does Sacred Scripture explicitly teach that both oral and written teachings of the Apostles were binding? And that the church (not Sacred Scripture) is the pillar and foundation of our Truth?

http://www.catholic.com/thisrock/2005/0503sbs.asp

http://www.infpage.com/concordance/dtbooks.htm

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. 

James H left this in the comments section as additional evidence that Catholics are not only allowed read the Bible but are indeed encouraged to do so. Here are his remarks….with a little tinkering for emphasis and typos (You’re welcome James. [grin]):

I hear “Well the Catholic Church before Vatican II really didn’t encourage Bible reading.” Really?:

Pope Leo XIII (1878-1903 AD)

“The solicitude of the apostolic office naturally urges and even compels us…to desire that this grand source of Catholic revelation (the Bible) should be made safely and abundantly accessible to the flock of Jesus Christ”
Providentissimus Deus ( Nov. 18, 1893)]

He also encouraged the reading of Holy Scripture by granting an indulgence to those who read it for at least 25 minutes.

Pope St. Pius X (1903-1914 AD)

“Nothing would please us more than to see our beloved children form the habit of reading the Gospels - not merely from time to time, but every day.”

Pope Benedict XV (1914-1922 AD)
He repeated St. Jerome’s statement:

“Ignorance of Scriptures is ignorance of Christ.”

He expressed his desire that, “… all the children of the Church, especially clerics, to reverence the Holy Scriptures, to read it piously and meditate on it constantly.” He reminded them that, “…in these pages is to be sought that food, by which the spiritual life is nourished unto perfection…”

Pope Pius XII 1943 AD

“Our predecessors, when the opportunity occurred, recommended the study or preaching or in fine the pious reading and meditation of the sacred Scriptures.

“…This author of salvation, Christ, will men more fully know, more ardently love and more faithfully imitate in proportion as they are more assiduously urged to know and meditate the Sacred Letters, especially the New Testament…”
[Divino Afflante Spiritu]

He also granted indulgences (a blessing of God’s grace) to those who read Scripture. (1 Cor. 4:1.)

Also, I am huge Used Bookstore Hound. I go in there and see tons of old Catholic Bibles. Many cheap and done by lay Catholic organizations. I have seen small Catholic Bibles that were for our Grandfathers to use in WWII.

I sometimes meet Catholics that have left the faith and they say “Well I was never encouraged to the read the Bible etc etc” To be honest I find that hard to believe. There always seems to be Bible Studies and people and Priests encouraging people to the read the Bible. I lived in several Parishes and that was always the case. Plus, there is a ton of stuff on the net. I also don’t understand why some of these people that tell me this didn’t do what your average Baptist does for instance. The average Baptist or Evanglical doesn’t exactly have free commentarries and books on scriptures just given to them. If so I missed out on that book club. They go down to the local store or Baptist Book Store (I think the SBC stores were bought out by Lifeway) and go buy them. Heavens, I go into a Catholic Book Store and there are TONS on the Bible to help a person grow. Also Catholics like Baptist can order book catalogs. There are a ton of those.

Thank you James!!

Edited to add: James would like me to shout out a “Thank you kindly!” to the gentleman who originally provided the Papal quotes above. There’s more. So swing on by his website to take a look.

Also, if you’re bookworm enough to read this blog, you’re likely bookworm enough to get really excited about the prospect of a free e-book. Check out the rest of what James has to say in the comments section to find out about that little tidbit.