Venite, Missa Est!

Post #300

2016-01-23T17:32:00.001-06:00

Topics: Second Part of the Ecclesiastical Year: Season of Septuagesima...Septuagesima Sunday: Double 2nd Class, Purple...Introit for Septuagesima Sunday: Psalm 17,5.6.7.

There's more news on the website: http://venite-missa-est.blogspot.com and video you cannot see from the email newsletter. If you receive by email be sure and check out the site to get every bit of the information from Venite, including pictures, video, links and more. Here's the link: http://venite-missa-est.blogspot.com/

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The Necessaries.

I am a member of the Latin Mass Community of St. Anthony Parish,Wichita, Ks. I also assist at low mass at, St. Mary Parish, Newton, Ks. While this blog may at times comment on, or allude to, a community or parish, Venite Missa Est! is by no means, in any way an official voice of any particular parish or the Diocese of Wichita. Venite Missa Est! is strictly a private layman's endeavor.

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Season of Septuagesima

With Septuagesima begins the Pre-Lenten season which comprises Septuagesima, Sexagesima and Quinquagesima Sundays These three weeks form a transition from the joy of Christmastide to the austerity of the Penitential Season of Lent. this is the Season when the Church most earnestly invites her children to prepare properly for the Feast of Christ's glorious Resurrection. She urges them to expiate their sins; to practice prayer and charity and to become new men through God's grace.

Septuagesima Sunday

Double 2nd Class, Purple, Station: St. Lawrence-outside-the-Walls

When viewed in the light of Adam's fall, the Mass celebrated today contains a solemn note of sorrow. God holds out a great reward to us, but we must work to receive it. Unfortunately, we are by nature more inclined to endure hardships for the perishable goods of this life than we are for the Kingdom of God.

Introit for Septuagesima Sunday Psalm 17,5.6.7.

The sorrows of death surrounded me, the sorrows of hell encompassed me: and in my affliction I called upon the Lord, and He heard my voice from His holy temple. Ps. 17,2.3. I will love Thee, O Lord, my strength: the Lord is my firmament, and my refuge, and my deliverer.

Poast #299

2015-12-24T08:25:00.001-06:00

Topics: Midnight Mass: Traditional Latin Mass at St. Anthony...St. Francis De Sales: Starting Your Day Right

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The Necessaries.

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Traditional Latin Midnight Mass at St. Anthony

The first mass of Christmas, a traditional latin mass , will be celebrated, tonight at midnight at St. Anthony Parish, 258 Ohio, Wichita, Ks. 2nd St. & Ohio, two blocks east of Old Town. If you are on I-135 (Canal Route) exit on Second Street and go West (it is a one way street) approximately 6 blocks. St. Anthony's spire is very unique...you can't miss it.

Christmas carols begin at 11:30 p.m. (Christmas eve), with mass starting at midnight.

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St. Francis De Sales Guide to Starting Your Day Right

The Catholic Gentleman

http://www.catholicgentleman.net/2015/12/st-francis-de-saless-guide-to-starting-your-day-right/

In his everyday spirituality, St. Francis de Sales counsels us to begin at the beginning. Making God a part of that first consciousness of the new day starts things out on the right footing. Thus, St Francis’ Spiritual Directory opens with this exhortation:

First of all on awakening, we are to direct our minds completely to God by some holy thought such as the following: Sleep is the image of death and awakening that of the resurrection.

Not merely as the first among many things to do each day, but first of all the devout person thinks of God, whose graceful action makes awakening possible (with the aid of an alarm clock to make it timely!). That we are alive for another day is the gift each morning brings. Recognizing the source of that gift by directing our mind to do so is the appropriate response to such a gracious gift. It may take some practice, but it will prove beneficial to make this the first thought of the day, instead of awakened.reacting with annoyance or reluctance at having been

Beyond an existential awareness, the practice of directing our minds to God corresponds to and facilitates a positive psychology. Experience shows that the mood with which we begin the day tends to color the entire day. What Francis de Sales understood is that starting the day with God in mind leads to keeping God in mind throughout the day.

We may think of that voice that will ring out on the last day:To fashion that mindfulness of the divine gift of our awakening each day, Francis suggests we adopt biblical images and thoughts. In this, he moves us beyond sound psychology to the adoption of a spiritual or theological understanding of the new day. Although a seemingly benign beginning to the day, the act of getting out of bed represents for St. Francis de Sales the profound reality of the resurrection and that gift of life beyond death to which we are ultimately called. To get into the habit of seeing each day as a mini resurrection is to cultivate a thoroughly Christian attitude toward our earthly existence. Thus, he suggests that when we awake:

O dead, arise and come to judgment. (cf. Eph. 5:14)

Or we may say with Job:

I know that my Redeemer lives, and that on the last day I will rise again. My God, grant that this be to eternal glory; this hope rests in my inmost being. (cf. Job 19:25-26)

At other times we may say with him:

On that day, O God, you will call me, and I will answer you; you will stretch forth your right arm to the work of your hands; you have counted all my steps. (cf. Job 14:15-16)

The Christian attitude with which we greet each morning is founded on faith in the Redemption and our vocation to eternal life. To cultivate this consciousness, we could recall the book of Job, that classic story of the wise man who longs to make sense of human existence amid the innocent suffering of his personal life, and who does so thanks to a divine intervention. Like Job, we can reaffirm faith in the living God and entrust ourselves to the call and care of divine providence. To do so at the beginning of the day creates a bulwark against which the travails we may encounter during the day will hold no sway.

But the tale of Job offers only one example among many possible aspirations. For this reason, the saint says:

We should make these holy aspirations or others which the Holy Spirit may suggest, for we have the freedom to follow his inspirations.

The biblical thoughts St. Francis de Sales suggests are worthwhile words to remember and to recall, with practice, each morning. But, as he cautions here and throughout his spiritual direction, the words matter less than the affections. If we are inspired to think or speak differently by the Holy Spirit, so be it. As long as we somehow direct our mind to the Divine at day’s dawning, we have begun to live today well.

But there’s more with which to start our day.

PRAYING THE ANGELUS IN THE MORNING

After the Angelus we will make the morning exercise, adoring our Lord from the depths of our being and thanking him for all his benefits. In union with the loving offering that the Savior made of himself to his eternal Father on the tree of the Cross, we will offer him our heart, its affections and resolutions, and our whole being, and beg for his help and blessing. We will greet our Lady and ask for her blessing, as well as that of our guardian angel and holy patrons. If we wish, we may say the Our Father. All this should be done quickly and briefly.

That may seem a lot to do quickly and briefly! But it can be done in the time it takes to shower or to make the morning coffee.

The brevity that the saint counsels here is an indication that, again, the saying of multiple prayers is not the primary emphasis. Rather, he recommends them here as something customary, hence, simple to do. The prayers he mentions — the Angelus, the Hail Mary, the Our Father — refer to the traditional prayers with which we grew up, prayers that are easy to remember and easy to say. Although elsewhere St. Francis de Sales emphasizes the mindfulness that makes prayer effective, here his point is simply to sanctify these early moments of the day by means of thoughts and words already familiar to us. These are the basic elements of the morning exercise that in other spiritual traditions takes on a more definitive and lengthier form with fixed wording.

In Salesian spirituality, the more important point, as always, lies in the cultivation of our heart and soul. Notice the affections the saint calls forth here: adoring, thanking,offering, even begging help and blessing. These shape the posture of the humble believer before the all-powerful God, the God who has power over life and death and who, by divine providence, has willed that this day we be alive. It is not likely that we will think such heady or heavy thoughts in the early hours of the morning, but by following the saint’s suggestions we will attune ourselves to the divine gift that beckons us to begin the day.

In cultivating these affections, he urges us to recall the example of Mary (our Lady), the angels, and the saints (holy patrons), whom we can greet, or call on, with a simple “pray for us.” Again, it does not seem like much, but this simple litany creates the mental reminder that we are not alone in this life, that others who lived well have gone before us, and that help for the day stands nearby.

All of this is intended to turn our morning routine into a sacred one. Routines play a key role in human life. Able to be done without our giving them much thought, they are comfortable, and often comforting, acts. Psychologically, even if not consciously, they represent a way of exercising a modicum of control over the chaos of our surroundings. Our habits lead us to do the same thing over and over again each morning; were we to deviate from this habitual routine, we would probably think something was “off ” or just not right.

So, too, with the routine of praying. The words we use and the actions we perform (e.g., making the Sign of the Cross when seeing a crucifix) constitute rituals. When that routine or ritual becomes a habit — as is intended by the exercise suggested here — it creates a comfort zone in which to steady ourselves before we take on the duties of the day. Hence, even the next step in the morning routine can be made sacred:

As we begin to dress, we will make the Sign of the Cross and say:

Cover me, Lord, with the cloak of innocence and the robe of love. My God, do not let me appear before you stripped of good works.

Here the practicality of Salesian spirituality becomes obvious. Everyone gets dressed! Everyone does so automatically, without even thinking much about it (except to decide what to wear). And everyone does it every day, even when the attire is casual. Why not, then, take this daily routine and turn it into a daily prayer?

By the aspiration suggested here, we seek to “clothe” or cover ourselves with a theological sensibility. What is our Christian mission this day and every day? To live well. To live in conformity with God’s will (innocence). To appear to others in the attire (a regal robe) by which a Christian is recognized and known — namely, love (orcharity), without which we would be stripped of the good works or moral deeds that distinguish human action from that of animals.

Thus clothed with the intention to live the Faith we believe, we are ready to start our day in a grace-filled way. Now it is time to prepare for what is going to happen on this particular day.

Editor’s note: This article is adapted from a chapter in Fr. Dailey’s Live Today Well which is available from Sophia Institute Press. Fr. Thomas Dailey, O.S.F.S. is founder and director of the Salesian Center for Faith and Culture at DeSales University, and also holds the University’s St. Louis Brisson Chair in Salesian Spirituality.

Post #298

2015-12-11T11:10:00.001-06:00

Topics: Feast Day December 12: Our Lady of Guadalupe

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The Necessaries.

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Mass Schedules for December

For St. Mary Parish, Newton, Ks. there is no Latin Mass this Saturday, December 12th. No mass this coming Saturday. Saturday mass will resume.

The first mass of Christmas will be: Midnight Mass December 25 . Christmas carols will be sung at 11:30 p.m. (Christmas Eve) with mass starting at midnight. This mass is at St. Anthony Parish, Second and Ohio, approximately 6 blocks west of the canal route, two blocks East of Old town.

My Catholic brothers. Come worship as the Saints did. Come worship as your parents, grandparents and their ancestors did stretching back into history. It is your heritage.

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Feast Day of Our Lady of Guadalupe

December 12

Catholic Culture

http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?id=347

"Hear me and understand well, my son the least, that nothing should frighten or grieve you. Let not your heart be disturbed. Do not fear that sickness, nor any other sickness or anguish. Am I not here, who is your Mother? Are you not under my protection? Am I not your health? Are you not happily within my fold? What else do you wish? Do not grieve nor be disturbed by anything."
— Our Lady to Juan Diego

In the winter of 1531, a poor, 57-year-old Aztec Indian living five miles outside of Mexico City encountered a miraculous happening on his way to morning Mass. First he heard strange music coming from Tepeyac Hill, and then he heard a woman's voice calling his name. Juan Diego climbed the hill and encountered a young woman, appearing to be of his own people in physical appearance and dress. The woman identified herself as the Virgin Mary, and told Juan Diego to ask the bishop of Mexico City to build a church on the hill to assist in the conversion of the nation and be a source of consolation to the people.

Juan Diego obeyed the request, but the bishop was skeptical regarding the message, even though he perceived that Juan was a humble, and well meaning Catholic. Juan reported the bishop's doubt to Our Lady at Tepeyac Hill, and she asked him to return to the bishop once again, bearing the same message. The bishop once again heard the story, and told Juan Diego to ask Our Lady for a sign that it was indeed herself that wished for the church to be built.

When he returned to the hill, Mary gave Juan Diego such a sign. Miraculously, roses appeared on the hill in the middle of winter, and Juan gathered them in his tilma, or cloak. Our Lady arranged the roses in his tilma with her own hands, and Juan returned to the bishop's presence. When Juan released the tilma, allowing the flowers to fall to the floor, it was revealed that a miraculous image of Our Lady had imprinted itself on his tilma (see above).

The bishop immediately fell to his knees, and came to believe in Juan Diego's message. A church was built on the spot of the apparition, as Mary had requested, and 8 million people converted to Catholicism in a short period of time upon hearing of or viewing the miraculous image of Our Lady.

The tilma of Juan Diego has been the subject of much modern research. The tilma, woven out of coarse cactus fiber, should have disintegrated after 20 years, but although over 500 years have passed the tilma is still in perfect condition. The pupils of Mary in the picture reflect the Indians and clergy present at the time of the first revelation of the image. No paint was used, and chemical analysis has not been able to identify the color imprint. Additionally, studies have revealed that the stars on Mary's mantle match exactly what a Mexican would have seen in the sky in December of 1531.

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Our Lady of Guadalupe Appears to Juan Diego

"Listen and let it penetrate your heart…do not be troubled or weighed down with grief. Do not fear any illness or vexation, anxiety or pain. Am I not here who am your Mother? Are you not under my shadow and protection? Am I not your fountain of life? Are you not in the folds of my mantle? In the crossing of my arms? Is there anything else you need?” (Our Lady’s words to her servant Juan Diego.)

This picture hung on the wall in my parent's home since I could ever remember. Having been born in Mexico (coming to the States as children), my parents had a special devotion to Blessed Mother and the Miracle of Tepeyac.

On Dec. 9, 1531, the Virgin appeared on a hill named Tepeyac to a Chichimec neophyte named Juan Diego, born with the name Cuauhtlatoatzin, which means “the talking eagle.”

According to traditional Catholic accounts of the Guadalupan apparitions, during a walk from his village to the city on the early morning of December 9, 1531, Juan Diego saw a vision of the Virgin - a young girl of fourteen to sixteen, dark skinned and black haired, surrounded by light- at the Hill of Tepeyac.

Speaking in Nahuatl, imploring him in the diminutive case, the Lady asked for a church to be built at that site in her honor. After much hand wringing and imploring for release of such a responsibility, Juan Diego spoke to the Spanish bishop, Fray Juan de Zumárraga, the bishop asked him for a miraculous sign to prove his claim.

The Virgin asked Juan Diego to gather some flowers at the top of the hill, even though it was winter when no flowers bloomed. He found there Castilian roses, gathered them, and the Virgin herself re-arranged them in his tilma. When Juan Diego presented the roses to Zumárraga, the image of the Virgin of Guadalupe miraculously appeared imprinted on the cloth of Diego's tilma.