Feast of Corpus Christi

Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament

Happy Feast of Corpus Christi! Today, we celebrate the feast established in the 13th century for the celebration of the greatest Sacrament, that of the Holy Eucharist.

The Mass and Offices of this feast day were written by St. Thomas Aquinas, the famous Dominican and Doctor of the Church. The story of how this Mass was written illustrates the great, though holy, rivalries of the two original Mendicant Orders: the Dominicans and the Franciscans. Pope Urban IV commissioned both St. Thomas Aquinas, a Dominican, and St. Bonaventure, a Franciscan, to write the Mass and Divine Office for the feast day, that was desired by Our Lord in a vision to Bl. Julianna. When St. Bonaventure read the Mass St. Thomas had composed, he immediately burned his own, saying that this was far better.

After going to Mass, there is a procession of the Holy Eucharist either immediately or later on in the day. In Catholic towns, this procession can lead down some important streets. I've participated in some in St. Mary's Kansas, and it really is a great testament to our faith and an important witness to the Real Presence. At my high school and parish church, we processed around the property. There are 3 altars at intervals in the procession, where mini-Benedictions, consisting of prayer, chant, and a blessing, occur. Although I can't participate today, I can send my Guardian Angel to pray for me.

Pange lingua gloriosi,

Corporis mysterium,

Sanguinisque pretiosi,

Quem in mundi pretium

Fructus ventris generosi,

Rex effudit gentium.

Requiem Aeternam

Today my grandfather died. He lived a long life, and he is proof of God's love and forgiveness, because he returned to the One True Faith at the end of January, making a good confession and receiving the sacrament of the Holy Eucharist for the first time in many years. He will be joining his wife, my grandmother, after surviving her by two decades.

Dies irae, dies illa,

Solvet saeclum in favilla:

Test David cum Sibylla.

Quantus tremor est futurus,

Quando judex est venturus,

Cunta stricte discussurus!

Tuba mirum spargens sonum

Per sepulchra regionum,

Coget omnes ante thorium.

Mors stupebit et natura,

Cum resurget creatura,

Judicanti responsura.

Liber scriptus proferetur,

In quo totum continetur,

Unde mundus judicetur.

Judex ergo cum sedebit,

Quidquid latet apparebit:

Nil inultum remanebit.

Quid sum miser tunc dicturus?

Quem patronum rogaturus,

Cum vix justus sit securus?

Rex tremendae majestatis,

Qui salvandos savas gratis,

Salva me, fons pietatis.

Recordare Jesu pie,

Quod sum causa tuae viae:

Ne me perdas illa die.

Querens me, sedisti lassus:

Redemisti crucem passus:

Tantus labor non sit cassus.

Juste Judex ultionis,

Donum fac remissionis

Ante diem rationis.

Ingemisco, tamquam reus:

Culpa rubet vultus meus:

Supplicanti parce, Deus.

Qui Mariam absolvisti,

Et latronem exaudisti,

Mihi quoque spem dedisti.

Preces meae non sunt dignae:

Sed tu bonus fac benigne,

Ne perenni cremer igne.

Inter oves locum praesta,

Et ab haedis me sequestra,

Statuens in parte dextra.

Confutatis maledictis,

Flammis acribus addictis:

Voca me cum benedictis.

Oro supplex et acclinis,

Cor contritum quasi cinis:

Gere curas mei finis.

Lacrimosa dies illa,

Qua resurget ex favilla

Judicandus homo reus:

Huic ergo parce Deus.

Pie Jesu Domine, dona eis requiem. Amen.

Ascension Thursday

by Fra Angelico

Ascension Thursday is a big feast day in the Catholic Church, so big that it is a Holy Day of Obligation, one of the 10 established by the Church, one of the 6 celebrated in the United States (they vary from country to country). It is the beginning of the end of the official Easter Season, and takes place 40 days after Easter, a feasting period that corresponds to the fasting of Lent. I don't like math, but the number symbolism present everywhere is fascinating to me.

We don't actually read about the Ascension of Christ in today's Gospel. All the gospels end more or less vaguely around the time of the Ascension, but none have the actual description. The details of the Ascension are described in the Acts of the Apostles, and we read the beginning today as the Epistle. Why would the Gospels not go into the detail that the Acts do? This question occurs to me every year. We read the beginning of the Acts with Our Lord's last lesson that He will ever teach on Earth, preparing us for the coming of the Holy Ghost. He eats with the Apostles, possibly meaning that He celebrates Mass with them like He did at the Last Supper. The apostles are once more shown to be naïve, we see that they don't really understand, because Our Lord has to tell them once more that He will not be an earthly ruler. They really haven't learned yet! But they have faith enough to obey Our Lord's last command, to stay in Jerusalem until the Holy Ghost comes.

Finally, the epistle leaves us with a quotation that brings hope to the holy and despair to the wicked: 
"Ye Men of Galilee, why stand you looking up into Heaven? This Jesus, who is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come as you have seen Him going into heaven."
After the Gospel, the Paschal candle is snuffed out, because Christ is no longer here on earth with us.

The Sacrament of Baptism: The Ending

I am going to finish this discussion of the Sacrament of Baptism in one fell swoop, instead of in 3 more parts, and simply recount my impressions of my daughters. Although I have 3 godchildren, and have been present at one of their baptisms, I have never experienced the amazement which comes at the completion of the work that God entrusts to a mother. I can claim without guile that my daughter is a saint, and that statement makes me feel humble, rather than proud.

I left off at the second part, which consists of the Exorcism and the entrance into the Church. How happy I was when Eleanor passed the “salt test”: a family joke that if the baby doesn’t cry when salt is placed in his or her mouth, it is going to be a good child. However, my favorite part is when the priest leads the baby into the church: the whole previous part of the ceremony takes place in the vestibule, but the priest takes the child under his wing by placing his stole onto the child and leads her into the welcoming arms of Mother Church. I was touched when not only family and friends said the Credo and the Our Father, but strangers joined in welcoming my daughter with a solemn profession of faith. Above is a picture of the anointing, where the oil of catechumens which was blessed not long before on Holy Thursday is used to give my daughter the indelible mark of the Baptism. I was honored that Eleanor’s godparents, through their proxies my mother and brother Nicolas, professed Eleanor’s belief in the One True Faith, since she cannot claim this treasure for herself. And finally, the baptism itself, where the waters of life are poured over Eleanor’s head, literally washing all stain of sin away from her soul.

After the ceremony of Baptism, I consecrated my daughter to Our Lady, who has always guided me in a special manner. May she guide Eleanor in the same way throughout her life.

The Sacrament of Baptism: Part One

We finally received the news that due to some complications of pregnancy, I am to be induced into labor this upcoming Friday, which also happens to be the feast of the Sacred Heart. What an amazing birthday to have, God willing! If baby comes on Friday, I have 2 weeks to spend on a discourse about the Sacrament of Baptism. My missal divides this into four main sections. I had planned on doing one section a week in June, but that obviously worked so well.

February 2: Candlemas

With February 2, the Church celebrates the end of the Christmas season. In the Jewish tradition, women were considered "unclean" after childbirth, and 40 days after giving birth to a son (80 days for a daughter), the family traveled to Jerusalem to undergo the purification ceremony. The Jews also offered their first-born son to God 40 days after his birth, and then "bought" him back with either a pure white lamb, or 2 turtle doves for those who were poor. In accordance with tradition, Jesus, Mary, and Joseph traveled to Jerusalem; even though Our Lady did not need to be purified because of her Immaculate Conception and the miraculous birth of Our Lord, and even though Our Lord, being God himself, did not need to be offered or re-bought.