What Does The Prayer Really Say?
W D T P R S

We continue to look at our prayers for Mass during Advent.

SUPER OBLATA (2002MR)
Suscipe, quaesumus, Domine, munera
quae de tuis offerimus collata beneficiis,
et, quod nostrae devotioni concedis effici temporali,
tuae nobis fiat praemium redemptionis aeternae.

This prayer is in the ancient Veronese Sacramentary amongst prayers for the month of July though that version shows a variation in devotionis … temporalis.  Also, and this is interesting, it ends with
_
P F E SP (with lines over the letters),

which I intially might have something to do with the Trinitarian ending having to do with Pater Filius Et SPiritus, but it actually means "Prex Facta Est SuPra" according to the apparatus criticus in the critical edition.

Some vocabulary.  That collata is from confero which is "to bring, bear, or carry together, to collect, gather".  The word devotio is "a devoting, consecrating" and in Christian authors, "piety, devotion, zeal".  There is an element of "duty" to it. 

SLAVISHLY LITERAL VERSION
Accept, we beg, O Lord, the gifts
which, gathered from Your favors, we are offering,
and, may that which You grant come to pass for our temporal devotion
become for us the reward of Your eternal redemption.

You can see what happens in English when you stick closely to the Latin structure and preserve the periodic sentence. 

What is going on in this tangled prayer?

Remember that the first part of Roman prayers will invoke God according to some characteristic and the, in light of that characteristic, will present a petition.  In this case we recognize God as the source of benefits and that what we have on the altar is from Him. In light of that, the prayer sets up a contrast between the eternal and the temporal, that which is bound to time now. In the temporal sphere, God responds to our devotio, and what is granted then becomes, eventually, an eternal reward.  Note the way the clauses end in "temporal" and "eternal"

Devotio was in ancient Roman terms a very interesting concept.   A devotio was the ritual dedication of an enemy, or self-dedication, to the gods of the Underworld.  The ancient Roman historian describes a devotio when the Romans were struggling for their existence against a coalition of Gauls and Samnites in 295 BC.  The consul Publius Decius Mus performed a devotio and then rode to the enemy with his toga drawn over his head, and the enemy killed him.  Romans didn’t want to die with their head or feet uncovered.  This transferred the wrath of the gods to the enemies whom the Romans then defeated.  The Roman pontifex maximus said a prayer, and the "devoted" general, in a toga, leaned on a spear and repeated it. With the toga over his head, like a priest, and worn "Gabine fashion" (thrown back the toga and winding it around the body when going into battle), he rode to the enemy.  If a "devoted" general survived, he was never again to perform a religious act.  If a regular solider soldier was "devoted" and then survived a statue had to be buried instead. One of these was found in near Capestrano in the Abruzzi.  Another kind of devotio is in the example during the sack of Rome by the Gauls in 390 BC, when some senators remained in their homes, in togas, waiting to be killed by the invaders.

In any event, the devotio was an act of self-sacrifice, ritually performed, to take upon oneself the salvation of others.  There was a spiritual dedication for a temporal effect.

In the Italian monthly 30 Giorni His Eminence Francis Card. Arinze, Prefect of the CDWDS, explains some changes made to the new printing of the 3rd, 2002 edition of the Missale Romanum.  You have all heard about some of them, for example, new "dismissal" formulas and the fact that the Eucharistic Prayers for Masses with children are no longer included.

Alas, I am pressed for time right now, and thus cannot translate the whole thing for you.  Here is the Italian:

MESSALE. Intervista con il cardinale Francis Arinze

Andate nella pace

Il prefetto della Congregazione per il Culto divino spiega i piccoli cambiamenti introdotti nella messa, con la ristampa della terza editio typica emendata del Messale latino del 2002: la formula “ite, missa est” sarà integrata con altre tre che indicano i frutti del sacramento

Intervista con il cardinale Francis Arinze di Gianni Cardinale

Dal 1° novembre di quest’anno la Chiesa cattolica ha una nuova ristampa della terza editio typica del Messale latino pubblicato nel 2002. Questa “tertia editio typica emendata”, le cui prime copie sono state stampate a ottobre, è stata annunciata dal bollettino ufficiale della Congregazione per il Culto divino e la disciplina dei sacramenti, Notitiae (numero 501-502, maggio-giugno 2008, pp. 175-176), che ha reso noto un decreto firmato dal cardinale prefetto Francis Arinze e dall’arcivescovo segretario Albert Malcolm Ranjith l’8 giugno 2008. Nel decreto in questione, che è stato approvato da Benedetto XVI in una udienza concessa al cardinale Arinze lo scorso 2 febbraio, vengono sommariamente indicate le novità della ristampa del Messale rispetto alla prima versione di sei anni fa.

Per illustrare queste variazioni 30Giorni ha posto alcune domande al cardinale Arinze, che dal 2002 guida il dicastero vaticano che si occupa della liturgia.

Eminenza, come da lei già affermato in un’intervista al L’Osservatore Romano dello scorso 17 ottobre, il cambiamento più grande che si trova in questa ristampa della terza editio typica del Messale latino si trova alla pagina 605 e riguarda l’ultima frase pronunciata dal celebrante, l’“Ite, missa est”.

FRANCIS ARINZE: La formula “Ite, missa est” non è abolita, rimane in vigore, ma viene integrata con altre tre possibilità.
Quali?

ARINZE: “Ite ad Evangelium Domini annuntiandum”; oppure “Ite in pace, glorificando vita vestra Dominum”; oppure «Ite in pace».

Perché questa variazione?

ARINZE: È un frutto del Sinodo sull’Eucaristia celebrato nel 2005. Nel numero 51 dell’esortazione postsinodale Sacramentum Caritatis Benedetto XVI ha voluto ricordare che il saluto al termine della celebrazione eucaristica, con cui il diacono o il sacerdote congedano il popolo, permette di cogliere il rapporto tra messa celebrata e missione cristiana nel mondo. «Nell’antichità», ricorda il Papa, «missa significava semplicemente “dimissione”». Tuttavia l’espressione ha trovato nell’uso cristiano un significato più profondo trasformandosi in “missione”. Il saluto così esprime la natura missionaria della Chiesa e, di conseguenza, è opportuno aiutare il popolo di Dio ad approfondire tale dimensione costitutiva della vita ecclesiale, traendone spunto dalla liturgia. In tale prospettiva il Papa ha ritenuto utile «disporre di testi, opportunamente approvati, per l’orazione sul popolo e la benedizione finale che esplicitino tale legame». Anche perché ormai per tanti cattolici la formula “Ite, missa est” sembra significare semplicemente: «Ora la messa è finita, andate a riposarvi».

Come si è arrivati a scegliere le tre nuove formule?

ARINZE: Già al Sinodo molti padri, auspicando espressioni alternative per esprimere la dimensione missionaria del saluto finale, avevano suggerito, ad esempio, la seguente idea: «La celebrazione eucaristica è finita. Andate adesso a vivere ciò che abbiamo sentito, ricevuto, cantato, pregato e meditato». Interpellata dal Papa la nostra Congregazione ha avviato uno studio cui è seguita una vasta consultazione dalla quale sono emerse ben 72 formule alternative. Prima di presentarle a Benedetto XVI abbiamo ridotto il loro numero a nove e tra queste il Pontefice ha scelto le suddette tre.

La ristampa del Messale presenta anche altre variazioni…

ARINZE: Non molte. Non c’era infatti la volontà di emanare una nuova edizione vera e propria del Messale, ma di correggere alcuni piccoli refusi e imperfezioni – che solo gli addetti ai lavori hanno percepito – riguardanti gli accenti, la punteggiatura, l’uso del colore nero-rosso. Oppure anche di migliorare la disposizione grafica dei testi, al fine di facilitare il sacerdote nel proferire una preghiera senza l’incomodo di dover voltare pagina.

Nel decreto pubblicato su Notitiae si fa riferimento anche a variazioni nel numero 149 dell’Institutio generalis…

ARINZE: È un cambiamento che non riguarda i fedeli, ma il modo con cui un vescovo deve menzionare sé stesso nel Canone romano e nelle altre preghiere eucaristiche.

Sempre nel decreto si stabilisce che nella ristampa del Messale non ci siano più le preghiere eucaristiche per le messe con i bambini…   [Still about the decree, in it it is established that in the reprint of the Missal there should not be the Eucharistic prayers for Masses with children…]

ARINZE: In effetti si è preferito che queste due preghiere eucaristiche non siano considerate obbligatorie per tutta la Chiesa. Forse non è poi così necessario avere delle preghiere eucaristiche apposite per i bambini. Detto questo, se ci sono degli episcopati che le vorranno mantenere, potranno farlo nei messali nazionali.  ["Effectively, it was preferred that these two Eucharistic prayers not be considered obligatory for the whole Church.  Perhaps it is not then so necessary to have Eucharistic prayers just for children.  This said, if there are conferences of bishops who want to maintain them, they can do so in national missals."]

Al contrario, invece, alla fine della tertia editio typica emendata, è stato aggiunto un Supplementum con i testi propri di altre messe…

ARINZE: È così. Si tratta dei testi per la messa nella vigilia di Pentecoste – che, pur essendo stati pubblicati nel 1988, per un errore materiale non erano stati inseriti nella tertia editio typica del 2002 – e delle orazioni delle celebrazioni recentemente iscritte nel Calendario romano generale, e cioè: san Pio da Pietrelcina il 23 settembre; san Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin il 9 dicembre e la Beata Vergine Maria di Guadalupe il 12 dicembre. Saranno molto contenti quindi i devoti di padre Pio e del celebre santuario messicano. C’è infine un’antica “Oratio super oblata” aggiunta nella festa della Natività della Beata Vergine Maria, l’8 settembre, e nel comune “per annum” della Beata Vergine Maria.

Sometimes when we who watch the Holy See closely are looking for clues about what might happen in the near future, we watch the audience lists.

Consider that His Eminence Francis Card. Arinze, Prefect of the CDWDS, has recently celebrated his 50th Jubilee as a priest, congratulations!, and that it is strongly rumored that the new Prefect will soon be the present Cardinal Archbishop of Toledo, Antonio Card. Cañizares Llovera.  At the same time there has been talk the the present Secretary of the CDWDS, the great Archbishop Malcolm Ranjith, might move to become the new Archbishop of Colombo in Sri Lanka.  Rumor has it, actually, or so my spies tell me, that some folks in the curia have made it known that the Sri Lankan government would like to have Archbishop Ranjith.  There is a lot of civil unrest in the Tamil regions and Sri Lanka and he could be a great help.

It is unlikely that both Card. Arinze and Archbp. Ranjith would "go" at the same time.  They would want one or the other there for a period of transition before the other is replaced. 

Be that as it may, I saw this in the VIS bolletino today:

Today, 1st December 2008, the Holy Father Benedict XVI received in Audience the President of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, His Excellency Mahinda Rajapaksa, who subsequently met His Eminence Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, Secretary of State, accompanied by His Excellency Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, Secretary for Relations with States.

The cordial discussions took into consideration the present situation in Sri Lanka in order to underline the necessity of meeting the basic needs of the deeply affected civilian population and consolidating the path of dialogue and negotiation, which is the only way to reach a just and lasting political solution to the ongoing conflict.

The hope was also expressed that the Catholic Church would continue to enjoy the full right to religious freedom, thus enabling her to make a significant contribution to the life of the country through her religious witness, her educational, health-care and charitable initiatives, and her commitment to work for the common good, reconciliation and peace.

 

This might mean something.  It might mean nothing at all. 

We shall see in good time what works out.

Today in the newer calendar, it is Monday of the 1st Week of Advent.

The Collect today is ancient.  You can find it in the Gelasian Sacramentary in the Orationes de aduentu Domini.  It is also in the Liber sacramentorum or LS Augustodunensis, LS Engolismensis, and the LS Romanae ecclesiae ordine exscarpsus.  It was not in the "Tridentine" edition of the Missale Romanum or its progeny up until the Novus Ordo in 1970.

COLLECT (2002MR)
Fac nos, quaesumus, Domine Deus noster,
adventum Christi filii tui sollicitos expectare,
ut, dum venerit pulsans,
orationibus uigilantes et in suis inveniat laudibus exultantes.

LITERAL VERSION:
Cause us, we beg, O Lord our God,
full of concern to await the coming of Christ Your Son,
so that, when He will have come knocking,
He may find us vigilant in prayers and exulting in His praises.

The redactors of the prayers who pasted together the Novus Ordo cut some concepts out of the ancient version and tidied it up a bit.   Shall we look at the original?  

Remember: The way people pray both reflects and shapes what they believe.

COLLECT (GELASIAN SACRAMENTARY)
Fac nos, quaesumus, domine deus noster,
peruigiles atque sollicitos aduentum expectare Christi filii tui domini nostri,
ut dum uenerit pulsans,
non dormientis peccatis sed uigilantes et in suis inueniat laudibus exultantes. (GeV 1128) 

LITERAL VERSION:
Cause us, we beg, O Lord our God,
wakeful through the night and full of concern to await the coming of Christ Your Son,
so that, when He will have come knocking,
He may find us not sleeping in sins but vigilant and exulting in His praises.

Obviously the imagery here is that of the Lord’s parable about the lord of the house who goes away leaving the servants in charge.  They have to keep things ready because they don’t know the hour of their master’s return.  It will go well for them if, when he comes and knocks at his own door, the doorkeeper opens immediately and all is ready.  It will not go so well if he finds that things are not going smoothly and that they are ready for him, whom they live to serve in that house.

The word sollicitus is interesting.  In Latin this means primarily, "thoroughly moved, agitated, disturbed; full of anxiety, excitement, distracted by cares, engaged, troubled, disturbed; full of anxiety, agitated, alarmed, solicitous, anxious; troubled, disturbed, afflicted, grieved; solicitous, mournful, full of or connected with cares and anxiety, anxious, disturbed".  Get the idea?   It isn’t just "anxious" in the sense of "Golly, we can hardly wait, hurray!".  It’s more like, "For the love of God, He could be here any minutes: we had better have everything ready or there will be hell to pay!"   There’s anxious… and then there’s anxious.

In the modern version the priest prays that the Lord will find us "vigilant in prayers".  Vigilo means to be wakeful and/or watchful.  In the older version the word is strengthened as pervigilo, which is to be wakeful straight through the night.  They essentially aim at the same idea, but the pervigilo is more emphatic, more urgent, in the attitude of one who is anxious in the sense of being a bit worried.  

In the modern version we are to be awake and praying.  In the ancient version we are to be not sleeping in sins.  The concept of sin is prominent and striking in the ancient version.  It is absent, or at best implicit in the modern.  After all, if you are praying while you are awake at night, you probably aren’t sinning, or you are trying not to.  The idea here, however, is that those who are "wakeful" are truly aware of their state in life and their state of soul.  Being thus awake to their situation they try to live a good and virtuous life to fulfill their state.  Otherwise, people who are asleep, think nothing of their sins.  They are numb and torpid, in a state resembling death.  Think of Ephesians 5:14 "For this reason it says, ‘Awake, sleeper, And arise from the dead, And Christ will shine on you.’" 

The older version has a tone of the penitential spirit which informed the ancient Church’s advent preparation, together with the strong desire the reward due to the faithful servant.  The newer version does not have that penitential tone.  Rather, it stresses the hopeful attitude of the Christian who looks to the fulfillment of the Lord’s promises.

Remember: The way people pray both reflects and shapes what they believe.

In Rome there was a Pontifical TLM sung by the President of the Pont. Comm. Ecclesia Dei, His Eminence Dario Card. Castrillon Hoyos in the Roman Basilia of St. Mary of the Angels and the Martyrs in the Chapel of San Bruno, a side chapel of the Basilica.

The Mass was hosted by members of the parish Archconfraternity of Mercy on the occasion of their annual celebration.

Our friend John Sonnen of Orbis Catholicus has lots of good photos.   Here are a couple





Remember…. this is a side chapel of the Basilica!

From a reader:

 

I am happy to inform you that for the first time after liturgical reform in Poland, polish ordinary celebrated Traditional Latin Mass. Bishop Wac?aw Depo (55), ordinary of Zamo?? – Lubaczów diocese, celebrated the Mass on the first Sunday of Advent in St. Catherine Church in Zamo??. The pontifical Mass gathered traditional catholics from polish TLM communities as well as local faithfuls who actually just started building their TLM community. Bishop Wac?aw managed to learn the Mass and celebrate the pontiifical Mass without mistakes, although it was his absolutely first time. After the Mass bishop was given as a gift usus antiquior hand missal and special edition of Ratzinger’s "The Spirit of Liturgy" with pictures from Fontgombault Abbey. 

 

Brick by brick! 

 

From a priest reader:

I [recently] presided at a wedding in my parish. I also attended the reception at which the Best Man gave the customary speech/toast.

The Best Man was the Groom’s nephew and in the course of a lengthy speech he related what a privilege and honor it was to be in the sanctuary and witness at such close range the look on the couples’ faces as they exchanged their vows.

He said, "...the love that they share was so clearly visible in their eyes as they said their vows. I was so moved at how much these two beautiful people are in love. The power of what they share was INEFFABLE".

I almost laughed out loud when he said that.

Once again, here is proof that your average run-o-the-mill American not only understands the word ineffable but he was able to use it in a sentence correctly!  Poor Bishop Trautman. He may indeed be a great intellect and he may also truly believe that he is serving the Church. That’s why he’s so sad because he is also just SO wrong, especially on this point. Yet, he insists that Americans don’t use words like ineffable. He just doesn’t get it. The ship has already sailed and yet he stands on the dock angrily demanding that the tide turn back again in his direction. Very sad, really.

Thanks for that excellent anecdote.

Yes… alas the problem is that many of our shepherds who embrace(d) the progressivist trends in liturgy, theology and catechesis think people aren’t very smart.

We think the opposite.

These days people might lack the formation they deserved over the decades and there will always be some people who are lazy or who truly have a hard time understanding things, but for the most part people are smart and have good will.  If you give them good and challenging things about their faith they will stretch to grasp them.

And words like "ineffable" just aren’t that hard.

Here is a snapshot from the last few mintues of the locations where many of you are when you log in to WDTPRS.   These locations are not necessarily exact.

San Diego, California
Staples, Minnesota
Buffalo, New York
London, London, City of
Powell, Ohio
Villanova, Pennsylvania
York
Saint Paul, Minnesota
Schenectady, New York
Brighton, East Sussex
Milan, Lombardia
Stoke-on-Trent
Culianin, Bulacan
Washington, District of…
Worth, Illinois
Powhatan, Louisiana
Columbus, Ohio
Sakura, Chiba
Beaverton, Oregon
Toronto, Ontario
Singapore
Ponce
Brussels, Brussels Hoof…
Alexandria, Virginia
So Paulo, Sao Paulo
New Haven, Connecticut
Latina, Lazio
Le Roy, Illinois
Mississauga, Ontario
Bronxville, New York
Dallas, Texas
Gavirate, Lombardia
Cincinnati, Ohio
Alloa, Clackmannanshire
Sugar Land, Texas
Falls Church, Virginia
Shakopee, Minnesota
Upperville, Virginia
Vienna, Wien
Sacramento, California
Greenville, South Carol…
Clementon, New Jersey
Austin, Texas
Moncton, New Brunswick
Columbus, Ohio
Baltimore, Maryland
Eaton Socon, Cambridges…
Youngstown, Ohio
Arlington, Virginia
South Orange, New Jersey
Leominster, Massachusetts
Rome, Lazio
Dublin
London, Ohio
Saint Albans, West Virg…
Abingdon, Oxfordshire
Woodstock, Georgia
Borehamwood, Hertford
Sharon, Massachusetts
Erie, Pennsylvania
Deurne, Antwerpen
Saint Meinrad, Indiana
Deurne, Antwerpen
Saint Meinrad, Indiana
Columbus, Ohio
Southampton
Columbus, Ohio
Vught, Noord-Brabant
Graz, Steiermark
Villa Ottone, Trentino-...
Marietta, Georgia
Newton, New Jersey
Saint Marys, Ohio
Whitehaven
Montreal, Quebec
Port Orange, Florida
Rome, Lazio
Johnson City, Tennessee
Oak Park, Illinois
So Paulo, Sao Paulo
Waterford, Michigan
Toronto, Ontario
Bowie, Maryland
Bethpage, Tennessee
Rome, Lazio
Denver, Colorado
Bloemfontein, Free State
Crons, Aquitaine
Parlin, New Jersey
Brandon, Mississippi
Providence, Rhode Island
Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Emmitsburg, Maryland
London, London, City of
Hatfield, Pennsylvania
Fairhaven, Massachusetts
Trostberg, Bayern
Briarcliff Manor, New Y…
Huntington, West Virginia
Newport News, Virginia
Cromwell, Connecticut
Brownsdale, Minnesota
Charlotte, North Carolina
Singapore
Weirton, West Virginia
Paris, Arkansas
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Notre Dame, Indiana
Boulder, Colorado
Maidstone, Kent
Manchaug, Massachusetts
Polska, Wloclawek
Bury
Worth, Illinois

From a reader. Does anyone know anything about this?

"The Post Office is to issue both secular stamps and Religious stamps but like last year, you have to stipulate if you want religious!! Apparently each PO has been asked to send in to HQ totals for each (possibly to say there is no demand for the latter!)  Please make everyone you know aware of this and the Christians amongst us should ask for religious stamps in order to keep Jesus at the centre of the event."

From a reader:

Dear Fr. Z,
At St. Margaret’s Church in Oceanside, CA, our pastor, Fr. Cavanna Wallace has been using the "Benedictine arrangement" of candles and crucifix since August (when it was introduced with a catechetical homily). 

This morning, we walked into church to find the arrangement at the far side of the altar, facing us.  Father’s homily spoke of Advent as "looking towards the east" to the new day of Christ’s birth, explaining that this was expressed in the direction of our prayer.  He then prayed the Roman Canon ad orientem (well, "liturgical" east, anyway, since our apse is actually to the west!). 

To wit (excerpt):

...

This watching and waiting, anticipating the Lord’s return, has historically been articulated throughout the Christian centuries in the language of sacred architecture. Since the fourth century which initiated Christian building projects all across the Roman Empire, churches were built so that, when Christians assembled in prayer, both priest and people prayed together facing the common direction of east. The priest and people did not look towards each other (except during a sermon or homily), but when they prayed, they did so with the priest, like a shepherd, leading his flock in the direction of the rising sun, turning around to assure his flock that they were on the right path and the Lord was with them.

The connection between the light of the rising sun and the glory of the returning Lord are themes which run through the whole season of Advent as well as instinctively during our early morning prayers throughout the whole year.

(Scriptural mediations of the importance of “looking East” can be found in Wisdom 16:28, Zechariah 14:4, Malachi 3:2, Matthew 24:27 and 30, Luke 1:78, and Revelation 7:2). St Justin Martyr reflected about the manner of Christian worship in beginning of the second century and wrote, “For the word of His truth and wisdom is more ardent and more light-giving than the rays of the sun, and sinks down into the depths of heart and mind. Hence also the Scripture said, ‘His name shall rise up above the sun.’ And again, Zechariah says, ‘His name is the East.’” St. Clement of Alexandria contrasts pagan temples which faced west with the attitude of Christian prayer which looked towards the east, writing, “And since the dawn is an image of the day of birth, and from that point the light which has shone forth at first from the darkness increases, there has also dawned on those involved in darkness a day of the knowledge of truth. In correspondence with the manner of the sun’s rising, prayers are made looking towards the sunrise in the east. Whence also the most ancient temples looked towards the west, that people might be taught to turn to the east when facing the images.” Stromata Book iv)

And even though our local geography does not allow us literally to face east together in prayer, we use the Cross as our compass, restoring this ancient practice of the priest, like a shepherd, leading his people in the direction of the glory of heaven – which is, of course our common goal, our prayers directed to God.

Of course, this must be translated into our lives every day in order that we might be compatible with Christ so that we can see him, when he returns, face to face. When will that day come? We do not know. Will it come? Yes – for Christ has said he will return. “We watch in joyful hope for the coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ”.

CCC 1040 El Juicio final sucederá cuando vuelva Cristo glorioso. Sólo el Padre conoce el día y la hora en que tendrá lugar; sólo El decidirá su advenimiento. Entonces, El pronunciará por medio de su Hijo Jesucristo, su palabra definitiva sobre toda la historia. Nosotros conoceremos el sentido último de toda la obra de la creación y de toda la economía de la salvación, y comprenderemos los caminos admirables por los que Su Providencia habrá conducido todas las cosas a su fin último. El juicio final revelará que la justicia de Dios triunfa de todas las injusticias cometidas por sus criaturas y que su amor es más fuerte que la muerte (cf. Ct 8, 6).

When we entered through the doors of this church, the narthex pointed us through the darkness, in the direction of where we first encountered Christ, in baptism. Before this Altar we will turn to face the Lord together, and through Holy Communion we will literally “put on Christ”. At the end of Mass, with the dismissal, we will journey onward from here and pass under the “gallery”, depicting above us on the way out, the Lord’s Second Coming and the Final Judgment. And this we should not be afraid of. Our Advent journey does not take us into the night, but towards the morning. As St. Paul has reminded us in the Epistle, “The night is far gone; the day is drawing near. Let us cast aside deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light”. Ven Senor Jesus!

From a reader:

Hi Father,
 
There was a horrific car accident in Vancouver, BC this weekend involving some friends of some fellow parishoners. One son is OK (1 yr old), one is in serious condition (8 yrs old), and two have died (6 and 9). The family is asking the public for prayers for the recovery of the 8 year old. Would it be possible to ask that we pray for this intention and for the souls of these two boys?

From a priest reader:

Dear Father,

When I have lived in Italy for extended periods of time I noticed that virtually all the hosts there are the conventional white variety and the priests’ hosts are stamped with religious symbols such as the Agnus Dei.

 These are like the hosts I remember from back in the 1960s.

Here in the U.S. I can only find those pressed appearance hosts that have a texture something like chewable styroform.  They come in brown ("whole
wheat") and white.

Do you know of any monastery or religious goods store in the U.S. where I can order the kind of hosts used in Italy.

I suggest you contact John in the church goods section of Leaflet Missal Company based in St. Paul. (651) 487-2818   They have some nice priest’s hosts with good religious symbols.  I used them.