Epiphany Proclamation 2011

Since today is the feast of Epiphany, I thought it would be fun to share an old-fashioned tradition from earlier days of the Church.  In the Liturgical Year, many important feast dates are based on the date of Easter, which varies from year to year.  Before there were widely-disseminated calendars and computer programs that could calculate significant dates years in advance, an Epiphany Proclamation was read after the Gospel on today's feast.  In the spirit of tradition, it is still posted annually (although not usually read during Mass.)  It's a beautiful proclamation, so I'm sharing the Epiphany Proclamation for 2011:

Dear brothers and sisters,
the glory of the Lord has shone upon us,
and shall ever be manifest among us,
until the day of his return.
Through the rhythms of times and seasons
let us celebrate the mysteries of salvation.
Let us recall the year's culmination,
the Easter Triduum of the Lord:
his last supper, his crucifixion, his burial,
and his rising celebrated
between the evening of the twenty-first day of April
and the evening of the twenty-third day of April,
Easter Sunday being on the twenty-fourth day of April.


Each Easter -- as on each Sunday --
the Holy Church makes present the great and saving deed
by which Christ has for ever conquered sin and death.
From Easter are reckoned all the days we keep holy.
Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent,
will occur on the ninth day of March.
The Ascension of the Lord will be commemorated on the second day of June.
Pentecost, joyful conclusion of the season of Easter,
will be celebrated on the twelfth day of June.
And, this year the First Sunday of Advent will be
on the twenty-seventh day of November.
Likewise the pilgrim Church proclaims the passover of Christ
in the feasts of the holy Mother of God,
in the feasts of the Apostles and Saints,
and in the commemoration of the faithful departed.
To Jesus Christ, who was, who is, and who is to come,
Lord of time and history,
be endless praise, for ever and ever.
Amen.

Another fun way to celebrate Epiphany is to watch the fascinating documentary The Star of Bethlehem on DVD.  (I bought it last year and our whole family enjoyed it.)

We Won't Forget You Theotokos!

Happy New Year!  I hope you are all richly blessed in 2011.

Today is the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God.  Sadly, most Catholics will not realize this since the US bishops have decided that it's not a Holy Day of Obligation.  This year.  That's right-- American Catholics cannot be inconvenienced by being asked to attend Mass two days in a row, so certain holy days are "abrogated" (i.e. swept under the carpet) if they fall on a Saturday or a Monday.  This is not the case in all countries though, so if you're reading from another nation, you may be mystified.  I share your confusion.

I can't imagine a better way to welcome the New Year than to attend Mass and honor the Blessed Mother as we receive our first Bread of Life in 2011.  Today we celebrate Mary's role as Mother of God.  She is not simply the mother of Christ's human nature nor is she a Jewish girl chosen at random to bear the Messiah.  Mary is truly the Mother of God and was chosen and created by God for this role.  The ancient word that describes this title of Mary is Theotokos or "God bearer."  This title and its meaning were so important in the early Church that the Council of Ephesus declared in 431:

"If anyone does not confess that the Emmanuel is truly God and therefore that the holy Virgin is the Mother of God (Theotokos) (since she begot according to the flesh the Word of God made flesh), anathema sit." [Anathema sit is an ancient form of excommunication that no longer exists in the Church, but does show the significance of this statement by the Council.]

Since there was no Solemnity Mass to attend today in my diocese, I decided to celebrate the occasion by reading from my new Magnificat magazine (worth every penny!) and by praying 10 decades of the Rosary.  I know that many other Catholics join me in celebrating anyway, but we really do need to get this important feast back into the US Catholic Church, even if it is on a Monday or a Saturday.  Perhaps we can write to our bishops and encourage them to remove the abrogation.  Theotokos, we won't forget you!

Today is also the First Saturday, if you honor the Five First Saturdays devotion.  Yet another reason to pray the Rosary today!

Notes:
EWTN has two good articles on Theotokos and today's Solemnity.

The Glorious Mysteries and the Holy Family

A belated Merry Christmas!

I took a break from writing for the past few weeks to focus on my family and our trip to California to visit my parents and sisters.  Many thanks to those who have prayed for my dad.  He is now off all antibiotics and does not require open heart surgery at this point.  We're still praying that the next few check-ups and tests show that the infection is completely gone.

Yesterday, I did a late-night Rosary Workout on the treadmill in our hotel as I knew I would be sitting on airplanes all day today.  As I prayed the Glorious Mysteries, I thought about Jesus, Mary and Joseph since it was the Feast of the Holy Family.

As I prayed the first decade, I contemplated Jesus descending to the dead and seeing his foster father, St. Joseph.  Jesus loved him dearly, and I imagined the joy that St. Joseph must have experienced at seeing his beloved foster son and knowing that he would soon enter heaven.   I also pondered Jesus appearing to His beloved Mother after He rose from the dead.  Even though Scripture does not record such a meeting, I'm pretty certain that Jesus put her at or near the top of His list of people to visit after rising from the dead.

During the second decade, I thought of Jesus' and Mary's bittersweet parting before He ascended to heaven.  I imagined the emotions that Mary must have felt knowing that she would be briefly separated from her beloved Son but also knowing that it was time for Him to take His rightful place at the right hand of the Father.  Although I have no concept of what heaven is like, I think it likely that Jesus must have greeted St. Joseph with special attention when He arrived, although Joseph, in his great humility, would never have expected it.  The bond of the Holy Family must have been so very powerful.  It gives us a model for the holiness in our own families.

As I meditated on the third decade, I thought of Mary in the Upper Room, again filled with grace by the Holy Spirit.  At the Annunciation, she was "full of grace," even before the Holy Spirit overshadowed her, multiplying the grace exponentially.  At Pentecost, she received even more grace.  She will bestow it upon us, if only we ask.  I thought of St. Joseph and how his role was to be Mary's protector, while the Holy Spirit is her true spouse.  (For an excellent article covering this somewhat confusing topic, see Catholic Culture's The Holy Spirit and Mary.)

As I ran up an incline with a burst of late-night energy, I prayed the fourth and fifth decades.  During my meditation, it occurred to me that the Holy Family was finally reunited after Mary's Assumption and Coronation.  What a joyful day that must have been!  We are blessed to be able to ask for their heavenly intercession and protection for our own families.

I try to pray the Rosary every day (although I occasionally fall short of this goal), and at times it can almost seem monotonous, which is my own fault.  Yet when I try a fresh perspective like meditating on the Glorious Mysteries through the eyes of the Holy Family, I see the mysteries in a new light.  I am continually amazed by the depth of the Rosary every time I put a little more effort into praying it.  The next time you pray the Rosary, try a new perspective in your meditation and see if that doesn't bring new revelations.  If so, please share them!

A Slice of Rural Southern RV Life on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception

Today is the feast of the Immaculate Conception, when Catholics celebrate the day Mary was conceived in the womb of her mother, St. Anne, free from Original Sin.  Mary is the only person in human history to be granted this gift. 

Many Catholics mistakenly believe that the Immaculate Conception refers to the day Mary conceived Jesus in her womb.  Simple math proves that this could not be correct.  The Immaculate Conception is celebrated on December 8^th and Christmas on December 25^th.  Mary would have had either the longest, or the shortest, pregnancy in history!  Of course, Jesus’ conception in Mary’s womb is honored on the feast of The Annunciation.  It is celebrated, appropriately, on March 25^th.

Today I had an occasion to call on Mary in her role as the Immaculate Conception.  While we wait for a new house to be built, we are living in our RV, which presents many challenges in the winter.  Although our RV is roomy, cozy and built for four seasons, we can’t keep water outside from freezing.  Since our campground is “down in the holler,” temperatures are often colder than the surrounding areas. Unfortunately, it has been so cold that the water froze inside our hose as well as in the spigot to which it is attached.  We quickly depleted the water in our tank, and I had to find a way to thaw the hose to get more water despite the fact that the temperature was still below freezing.

As is the case in situations where I need help, I mentally searched for a saint who could assist me in getting running water.  I quickly thought of St. Bernadette and the miraculous water in Lourdes.  Then it occurred to me that Mary told St. Bernadette, “I am the Immaculate Conception.”  After praying to both Mary and St. Bernadette, I was confident that I would have running water.  I bundled up and went outside to check the hose.  It was still frozen solid, but I spied another hose we use occasionally, lying under the RV.  It had only a little ice in it, which boiling water quickly removed.  I connected it to the RV and filled the tank, grateful for the heavenly assistance.

I had just enough time to wash the dishes before heading out to watch my son’s swim meet and then take him to Boy Scouts.  During the Scout meeting, I headed to the gym, not to work out as usual, but to take a long hot shower.  By the time I returned home, the water would be frozen again, and I needed to save the precious water in the tank for morning.

As I stood under the hot water, I heard the voices of a bevy of young swim team girls as they converged into the shower room. 

Girl #1:  Jasmine, do you have a pool in your back yard?

Jasmine:  No, but we’ve got a creek.

Girl #1:  A creep?

Jasmine:  No!  A creek. C-R-E-E-K.  My daddy says he’s going to make us a pool in the creek next summer.

Girl #2:  Every time my daddy says he’s goin’ to do somethin’ awesome, he never does.

Girl #1:  Hi Brittany!  How come you’re always the last one in the shower?

Brittany:  I don’t know.

Girl #2:  Well, who do you talk to since everyone's done?

Brittany:  I don’t  know.  Myself, I guess.  I just like to sing too.

(I was never treated to Brittany’s singing since Girl #1 thoughtfully lingered to talk to her for a few minutes so she wouldn't be left alone.)

Girl #1:  Brittany, are you going to church tonight?  (Southern Baptists go to church on Wednesday nights.)

Brittany:  I don’t know.

Girl #1:  Well if I don’t see you at church, then I’ll see you tomorrow!  Bye!

Brittany:  See ya!  Bye!

I like to think that the Blessed Mother enjoyed eavesdropping on this delightful, innocent girl talk as much as I did.

The Power of Prayer

I hope everyone had a lovely Thanksgiving weekend and that Advent has not caught you by surprise. Can you believe that we're already 3 days into Advent? What are your plans during this holy season? I enjoy the daily readings and meditations in the Magnificat Advent Companion which my generous mother buys for the whole family each year.  I also ordered a Daily Meditations booklet and CD from Belmont Abbey College.  The gorgeous artwork alone is worth the cost of the set.  I'm currently attending a weekly Bible study, taught by my wonderful pastor.  Of course we light our Advent candles each night during dinner, and I'd really like to make a Jesse Tree with my children.  If you have any interesting Advent practices, please leave a comment and share them.

I received some wonderful news!  My dad, who was in the ICU recently with an infection so serious that I flew home to see him, just saw his doctor yesterday.  Apparently, the antibiotics are curing his infection and he longer seems to need surgery.  He will rest at home and should be able to return to work at the beginning of next year.  Many thanks to those of you who prayed for him.  My family is famous for our prayer chains, and we had people all over the US and around the world praying for him.  Studies show that prayer can have a remarkable impact on illness and recovery.  Perhaps during Advent we can all pray for sick people who have no one to pray for them. 

My Journey Home

I forgot to post the information about my Journey Home appearance on EWTN, but I have been a bit distracted as my dear dad is in intensive care, clear across the country. He has the same infection that resulted in open heart surgery and an artificial heart valve 11 years ago. He has been feeling better, but I would very much appreciate your prayers for his speedy recovery, without additional surgery.

I was honored to be a guest on The Journey Home to tell the story of my "reversion" to Catholicism. For many years, I was a lukewarm Catholic, despite being raised in a very devout Catholic home.

The show will also air on EWTN on Thursday, Nov 11th at 2:00 pm ET and Saturday at 11:00 pm ET. If you don't have EWTN or can't watch the show, I've posted the youtube video below.

Sorry for the break

I apologize for the long break in posts, but I needed to leave the Latin Mass article up for awhile since the link was posted in my parish paper.  (If you're looking for the Latin Mass article, it's on the Oct 21st entry, below)

Before I resume my "Minute Meditations" on the Rosary mysteries, I wanted to share this wonderful video I came across.  It's just over 3 minutes, but is so interesting and inspiring: