Our 10 year old started this last summer, it has really grown.
Month: March 2024 (Page 2 of 3)
Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ on my right, Christ on my left, Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down, Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me, Christ in the mouth of every man who speaks of me, Christ in the eye that sees me, Christ in the ear that hears me.
- “May the best day of your past be the worst day of your future.”
- “May green be the grass you walk on, may blue be the skies above you, may pure be the joys that surround you, may true be the hearts that love you.”
- “May you have the hindsight to know where you’ve been, the foresight to know where you’re going, and the insight to know when you’re going too far.”
- “May peace and plenty be the first to lift the latch to your door and Happiness be your guest today and evermore.”
…“All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy”
Last night we went out for a walk and a couple hundred geese flew over us approximately 50 ft above our heads, it was an incredible experience! The marsh at this time of year is really neat with all the different avian activity!
Sacred Music in the Life of the Church: Latin MusicThis past Sunday, with our parish mission, about twenty young men from the University of Mary, on retreat at Assumption Abbey with Fr. Dominic Bouck, joined us for the Holy Mass at 10:30 at Sacred Heart Church. I knew for certain that they were within the walls of our church because when we began to sing the Ordinary of the Mass in Latin, their response was bold! They indeed knew the parts of the Mass in Latin, meaning they learned them at their parish church or at the University of Mary. When I spoke with them after Mass, I commended them for their beautiful voices and they told me that they loved the use of Latin in the Mass. They disprove the tired and worn argument against Latin in the liturgy: young people do not like Latin and it jeopardizes the future of the Church. In my own experience, the faithful up and coming Catholics in the Church love tradition, including the use of Latin in the liturgy. Then why do many Catholics go into convulsions when they hear Latin within the Mass? There are several reasons for this peculiar condition. First, it’s simply a matter of obedience to the teaching authority of the Church. The common understanding is that Vatican II got rid of Latin in the Mass. If you ever hear this come from someone’s mouth, simply tell them that they are mistaken. When you go to the actual documents of Vatican II, you will find that the Church expects us to preserve the use of Latin in the liturgy. For example, in the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, Vatican II decreed, “The use of the Latin language is to be preserved in the Latin rites. A wider use may be made of it, especially in readings, directives, and in some prayers and chants” (#36). Moreover, the council emphasized that the faithful should be able to speak or sing in Latin the congregational parts of the Mass (#55). In the post conciliar document, Musicam Sacram, we read, “Pastors of souls should take care that besides the vernacular, the faithful should be able to say or sing together in Latin those parts of the Ordinary of the Mass which pertain to them” (#47). On the diocesan level, in the Synod Statutes of the Diocese of Bismarck, Bishop Kagan has decreed that parish congregations and Catholic schools should be familiar with the Ordinary parts of the Mass, in both English and Latin. [Chapter 5, Section IV, 220, 3). Some people ignore all of the above directives of the Church and still insist that we should get rid of Latin in the Mass, because they know of many other parishes that never use Latin in the liturgy. I guess the challenge is to tell those parishes to be faithful to the Church in imitation of Fr. Gary, an obedient son of the Church. Second, some believe that we should not use Latin in the liturgy because “no one understands it”. The faulty nature of this premise is that because the Holy Mass unfolds in the same manner throughout the world, we know exactly when the Gloria, the Sanctus, and the Agnus Dei are sung within the Holy Mass. Even though we may not be able to verbalize Latin initially, we do know these responses at these points in the Holy Mass and we can follow along in our hearts and minds until we feel comfortable singing the Latin responses. Perhaps we are just afraid of learning new things, but as we always tell our children when we introduce new foods to them, “Try it and you’ll like it.” This may be the best advice for the use of Latin in the liturgy.Lastly, I am always concerned when people express rage and anger at the use of Latin in the liturgy. To me, the concern is that the Evil One has a hold on their hearts; it’s really a spiritual matter. Most exorcists use Latin in exorcizing demons from people, because Satan hates Latin, for its beauty and its universality, which allows for unity of praise and worship in Catholic liturgical life throughout the world. Be very careful of such a livid response to Latin, because that’s the same response Satan has to Latin.With the end of Lent in sight, we will not hear Latin at Sunday Mass until the Advent season. This may make some people very happy, but for those who love the beauty and sacredness of Latin, they will eagerly await the arrival of Advent, when the Ordinary of the Holy Mass is once again taken to the level of this sublime.
We think this is the fourth spring melt that we’ve had, the “lake” (actually it’s a marsh) is filling up. Lots of migrating birds are using it.
Lenten Bible Study 2024
Our neighbors are hosting a Bible Study, we’re taking turns attending. Excellent!
My Morning Offering
O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I offer you my prayers, works, joys, and sufferings of this day for all the intentions of your Sacred Heart, in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world, for the salvation of souls, the reparation of sins, the reunion of all Christians, and in particular for the intentions of the Holy Father this month. Amen.
Quote of the Day
“Force yourself, if necessary, always to forgive those who offend you, from the very first moment. For the greatest injury or offense you can suffer from them is nothing compared to what God has forgiven you.”
–St. Josemaria Escriva
Today’s Meditation
“Like an hourglass with a certain number of grains of sand within it, God has appointed your life to last only a certain number of days, and you have absolutely no idea how many there are. … In God’s presence, consider: I have no idea when my life will end. All I know is that death will come for me eventually. Am I doing anything to prepare for the real possibility that God may call me, sooner rather than later? If he called me into eternity today, would I be ready?”
—Patrick Madrid, p. 190 A Year With the Bible
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