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Sunday, June 7, 2015
Wednesday, June 3, 2015
Pentecost Novena: Day Nine
The Pentecost Novena, itself, can be found here.
"Give them virtue's sure reward; give them your salvation, Lord; give them joys that never end. Amen. Alleluia." - From the Veni Sancte Spiritus, Sequence for Pentecost
Each of the Sacraments bestows upon the Faithful who receive them a foretaste of heavenly life. Baptism inaugurates a soul into that life by uniting them with Christ and infusing them with the virtues of faith, hope, and charity. It insures the reward of eternal bliss for the fulfillment of the Christian vocation, namely the Baptismal promises. Confirmation confirms this willful commitment and bestows further graces upon the soul in order that the Christian may come safely through the pilgrimage and warfare of this world. The Eucharist is the heavenly Food whereby we are nourished and flooded with grace.
It is this idea which the final meditation for the Pentecost Novena shall focus on, the philosophical axiom, especially popular among Thomistic theologians, "Gratia non destruit naturam sed perficit. - Grace doesn't destroy nature, but perfects it." The Holy Spirit, given to us especially in the three Sacraments of Initiation, does not force our hand, so to speak. He does not automatically make us love Him and He does not instantly destroy all vices present in our souls. Rather, He perfects that which is already present.
This is one of the themes which makes our Faith so precious, "The God Who created us without us, will not save us without us," as St. Augustine phrased it. The spiritual life is a mutual endeavor; it requires a commitment and effort on our part. When we make our baptismal promises, and each year when we renew them, it is not something we should take lightly. We are making a promise to God, the Power above all other powers, that we shall live our lives for Him, and this begins with the practice of natural virtue.
The spiritual life has its roots in the following of the natural law. Before we can participate in the Divine life to which we are called, we must be followers and practitioners of those four cardinal virtues, prudence, justice, temperance, and fortitude. By these the soul is given a fit foundation for the Holy Spirit to come and build His temple in our souls. The practice of those four natural virtues, along with the cement of the three theological virtues which the Holy Spirit pours forth especially through the Sacraments allow for those seven bricks of virtue - humility, chastity, generosity, meekness, love of others, diligence, and spiritual temperance - to be obtained by the Christian.
The practice and attainment of all these virtues is the sure reward for our simple effort of the will to live the Christian life and to submit ourselves to the Holy Spirit. It requires a firm commitment on our part, and it does necessitate giving up many things this world offers, both bad and indifferent. Nevertheless, the small effort we put in is magnified more than we can imagine by the Holy Spirit. Our nature is perfected; we become full human beings. And not only do we "find ourselves," but we find Him for Whom our soul longs. But most importantly, ultimately, we gain salvation, and "joys that never end. Amen. Alleluia."
"Give them virtue's sure reward; give them your salvation, Lord; give them joys that never end. Amen. Alleluia." - From the Veni Sancte Spiritus, Sequence for Pentecost
Each of the Sacraments bestows upon the Faithful who receive them a foretaste of heavenly life. Baptism inaugurates a soul into that life by uniting them with Christ and infusing them with the virtues of faith, hope, and charity. It insures the reward of eternal bliss for the fulfillment of the Christian vocation, namely the Baptismal promises. Confirmation confirms this willful commitment and bestows further graces upon the soul in order that the Christian may come safely through the pilgrimage and warfare of this world. The Eucharist is the heavenly Food whereby we are nourished and flooded with grace.
It is this idea which the final meditation for the Pentecost Novena shall focus on, the philosophical axiom, especially popular among Thomistic theologians, "Gratia non destruit naturam sed perficit. - Grace doesn't destroy nature, but perfects it." The Holy Spirit, given to us especially in the three Sacraments of Initiation, does not force our hand, so to speak. He does not automatically make us love Him and He does not instantly destroy all vices present in our souls. Rather, He perfects that which is already present.
This is one of the themes which makes our Faith so precious, "The God Who created us without us, will not save us without us," as St. Augustine phrased it. The spiritual life is a mutual endeavor; it requires a commitment and effort on our part. When we make our baptismal promises, and each year when we renew them, it is not something we should take lightly. We are making a promise to God, the Power above all other powers, that we shall live our lives for Him, and this begins with the practice of natural virtue.
The spiritual life has its roots in the following of the natural law. Before we can participate in the Divine life to which we are called, we must be followers and practitioners of those four cardinal virtues, prudence, justice, temperance, and fortitude. By these the soul is given a fit foundation for the Holy Spirit to come and build His temple in our souls. The practice of those four natural virtues, along with the cement of the three theological virtues which the Holy Spirit pours forth especially through the Sacraments allow for those seven bricks of virtue - humility, chastity, generosity, meekness, love of others, diligence, and spiritual temperance - to be obtained by the Christian.
The practice and attainment of all these virtues is the sure reward for our simple effort of the will to live the Christian life and to submit ourselves to the Holy Spirit. It requires a firm commitment on our part, and it does necessitate giving up many things this world offers, both bad and indifferent. Nevertheless, the small effort we put in is magnified more than we can imagine by the Holy Spirit. Our nature is perfected; we become full human beings. And not only do we "find ourselves," but we find Him for Whom our soul longs. But most importantly, ultimately, we gain salvation, and "joys that never end. Amen. Alleluia."
Thursday, May 28, 2015
Pentecost Novena: Day Eight
The Pentecost Novena, itself, can be found here.
"On the faithful, who adore and confess you, evermore in your sevenfold gift descend." - From the Veni Sancte Spiritus, Sequence for Pentecost
We are well aware of the significance of numbers in the Scriptures and in the Tradition of the Church. The number three, of course, is hallowed because of its union with the Divine, for God is one in Three Divine Persons. The number forty occurs often as what we may call the passage of a season. The Israelites wandered in the desert for forty years and our Lord fasted in the desert for forty days, both signs of a season of penance and meeting the Lord. But the number seven, the number of perfection, is of course highly significant as well.
We don't see this number appear too often in the Scriptures, however, until the New Testament. A notable exception would be the days of Creation. Within the Gospels and the early Church, however, this number becomes especially significant. There are seven Sacraments of the Church, in the Gospel of John, there are seven miracles or "signs," which Jesus does as a sign of His Divinity. In the Book of Revelation, this number occurs repeatedly - the letter is written to seven churches, there are seven spirits who stand before the throne of God, God holds seven stars and walks among seven golden lampstands, and of course the seven trumpets, seals, and bowls (Revelation 1:4; 2:1; 5:1; 8:6; 16:1).
Why this constant appearance of the number seven, especially in the New Testament? We may attribute the answer to the ever increasing influence of philosophy on the Jewish people, for mathematical philosophy often attributes a special significance to the number seven, as all the previous numbers can be used to equal seven (1+6, 2+5, 3+4) and it is the most prime of the first 10 digits. But even within the Pagan religions of old, seven was almost always the number which gained special "power;" it came to represent the divine. It should be no wonder God would then choose this number to represent His presence as many peoples would be familiar with the concept.
Thus, we may say the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit also hold a Divine meaning, not only because the presence of the gifts mean the presence of the Holy Spirit, but because of what they are ultimately meant to accomplish in our souls, namely our divinization. Because it is through the Sacraments that the Holy Spirit first and primarily comes to us, especially the Sacraments of Initiation, it is primarily through them the seven gifts will be bestowed upon us. Therefore, whenever we receive the Eucharist, we should pray also that the Holy Spirit may be poured into our hearts so that His gifts may conform us to Jesus Christ.
Let us pray for fear of the Lord, to have a proper reverence for God and to make a place for Him in our hearts. Let us pray for piety, so that we may love Him all the more and desire His presence; knowledge so we may know Who it is we are united with. May we be filled with fortitude to overcome all obstacles which keep us from union with God, counsel to be united with His Will, and understanding to be penetrate the Divine Intellect. And let us be filled with wisdom, which is that gift whereby we see, will, and love with the eyes of Jesus Christ.
"On the faithful, who adore and confess you, evermore in your sevenfold gift descend." - From the Veni Sancte Spiritus, Sequence for Pentecost
We are well aware of the significance of numbers in the Scriptures and in the Tradition of the Church. The number three, of course, is hallowed because of its union with the Divine, for God is one in Three Divine Persons. The number forty occurs often as what we may call the passage of a season. The Israelites wandered in the desert for forty years and our Lord fasted in the desert for forty days, both signs of a season of penance and meeting the Lord. But the number seven, the number of perfection, is of course highly significant as well.
We don't see this number appear too often in the Scriptures, however, until the New Testament. A notable exception would be the days of Creation. Within the Gospels and the early Church, however, this number becomes especially significant. There are seven Sacraments of the Church, in the Gospel of John, there are seven miracles or "signs," which Jesus does as a sign of His Divinity. In the Book of Revelation, this number occurs repeatedly - the letter is written to seven churches, there are seven spirits who stand before the throne of God, God holds seven stars and walks among seven golden lampstands, and of course the seven trumpets, seals, and bowls (Revelation 1:4; 2:1; 5:1; 8:6; 16:1).
Why this constant appearance of the number seven, especially in the New Testament? We may attribute the answer to the ever increasing influence of philosophy on the Jewish people, for mathematical philosophy often attributes a special significance to the number seven, as all the previous numbers can be used to equal seven (1+6, 2+5, 3+4) and it is the most prime of the first 10 digits. But even within the Pagan religions of old, seven was almost always the number which gained special "power;" it came to represent the divine. It should be no wonder God would then choose this number to represent His presence as many peoples would be familiar with the concept.
Thus, we may say the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit also hold a Divine meaning, not only because the presence of the gifts mean the presence of the Holy Spirit, but because of what they are ultimately meant to accomplish in our souls, namely our divinization. Because it is through the Sacraments that the Holy Spirit first and primarily comes to us, especially the Sacraments of Initiation, it is primarily through them the seven gifts will be bestowed upon us. Therefore, whenever we receive the Eucharist, we should pray also that the Holy Spirit may be poured into our hearts so that His gifts may conform us to Jesus Christ.
Let us pray for fear of the Lord, to have a proper reverence for God and to make a place for Him in our hearts. Let us pray for piety, so that we may love Him all the more and desire His presence; knowledge so we may know Who it is we are united with. May we be filled with fortitude to overcome all obstacles which keep us from union with God, counsel to be united with His Will, and understanding to be penetrate the Divine Intellect. And let us be filled with wisdom, which is that gift whereby we see, will, and love with the eyes of Jesus Christ.
Thursday, May 21, 2015
Pentecost Novena: Day Seven
The Pentecost Novena, itself, can be found here.
"Bend the stubborn heart and will; melt the frozen, warm the chill; guide the steps that go astray." - From the Veni Sancte Spiritus, Sequence for Pentecost
The spiritual life is always dynamic, never static, in this life. While upon this earth every Christian, indeed every person, is either moving closer towards God or further away from Him. And this movement is based entirely on the presence or the absence of the Holy Spirit.
Our Lord said, "If a man loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him (John 14:23)." But this love can only come about through the workings of the Holy Spirit. It is true, it seems more have been given certain graces by the Holy Spirit to bring this about in their souls, and it is of no profit for us to question why God, in His infinite Wisdom and Providence has done so, what is of concern for us is His working in our own personal lives.
If we truly believe the truths of the Christian Faith, or in reality any soul who truly believes their religion, how can they neglect to allow themselves to be affected by it? Us humans have an incredible capacity for ignoring our duties, for silencing our consciences, for deliberately choosing what we know to be bad for us. And this is all on account of the concupiscence which comes about because of our fallen nature. Even the greatest saint, our Lady excepted, had to bear with these difficulties.
And even though the acquisition of virtue can negate these tendencies to an extent, the only One Who can override them and change them is the Holy Spirit. By His grace the most vicious can become the most virtuous, the dumb can loquaciously preach, the invulnerable soul becomes vulnerable. It is He alone Who can truly change and transform a soul, there is no soul and no task He cannot accomplish.
For this reason, then, we must strive to become acquainted with Him. Although He first comes to us and draws us, we must respond to His invitation. When we do this, in love, it is then that He will make His home within us. When we ask Him to change us, He will not hesitate to respond. He shall knock down our pride and open our hearts to do His will. He will make Himself so irresistable that we will not, without knowingly forfeiting our eternal salvation, be able to turn from Him. And even, God forbid, we do this, He will still call out to us and attempt to draw us back to Himself and the path He has laid out for us.
In these days of prayer, then, as we pray for the outpouring of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, especially those of wisdom, counsel, and understanding, may we make firm resolutions and plans for how we will come to know the Lord in a more intimate way. While our will may desire Him, unless we are ever coming to learn and meditate upon the Divine truths more and more, our hearts will likely grow cold and we risk turning away from Him.
Yet the more we study our Faith, the harder and less likely this will become. On one condition, though, we must be motivated by love - love for God! So let us delve into the Scriptures especially, but also let us learn the wisdom of the Fathers and Saints, those souls who while still on this earth, let the Holy Spirit mold them and destroy their tendency to turn from Him!
"Bend the stubborn heart and will; melt the frozen, warm the chill; guide the steps that go astray." - From the Veni Sancte Spiritus, Sequence for Pentecost
The spiritual life is always dynamic, never static, in this life. While upon this earth every Christian, indeed every person, is either moving closer towards God or further away from Him. And this movement is based entirely on the presence or the absence of the Holy Spirit.
Our Lord said, "If a man loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him (John 14:23)." But this love can only come about through the workings of the Holy Spirit. It is true, it seems more have been given certain graces by the Holy Spirit to bring this about in their souls, and it is of no profit for us to question why God, in His infinite Wisdom and Providence has done so, what is of concern for us is His working in our own personal lives.
If we truly believe the truths of the Christian Faith, or in reality any soul who truly believes their religion, how can they neglect to allow themselves to be affected by it? Us humans have an incredible capacity for ignoring our duties, for silencing our consciences, for deliberately choosing what we know to be bad for us. And this is all on account of the concupiscence which comes about because of our fallen nature. Even the greatest saint, our Lady excepted, had to bear with these difficulties.
And even though the acquisition of virtue can negate these tendencies to an extent, the only One Who can override them and change them is the Holy Spirit. By His grace the most vicious can become the most virtuous, the dumb can loquaciously preach, the invulnerable soul becomes vulnerable. It is He alone Who can truly change and transform a soul, there is no soul and no task He cannot accomplish.
For this reason, then, we must strive to become acquainted with Him. Although He first comes to us and draws us, we must respond to His invitation. When we do this, in love, it is then that He will make His home within us. When we ask Him to change us, He will not hesitate to respond. He shall knock down our pride and open our hearts to do His will. He will make Himself so irresistable that we will not, without knowingly forfeiting our eternal salvation, be able to turn from Him. And even, God forbid, we do this, He will still call out to us and attempt to draw us back to Himself and the path He has laid out for us.
In these days of prayer, then, as we pray for the outpouring of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, especially those of wisdom, counsel, and understanding, may we make firm resolutions and plans for how we will come to know the Lord in a more intimate way. While our will may desire Him, unless we are ever coming to learn and meditate upon the Divine truths more and more, our hearts will likely grow cold and we risk turning away from Him.
Yet the more we study our Faith, the harder and less likely this will become. On one condition, though, we must be motivated by love - love for God! So let us delve into the Scriptures especially, but also let us learn the wisdom of the Fathers and Saints, those souls who while still on this earth, let the Holy Spirit mold them and destroy their tendency to turn from Him!
Wednesday, May 20, 2015
Pentecost Novena: Day Six
The Pentecost Novena, itself, can be found here.
"Heal our wounds, our strength renew; on our dryness pour your dew; wash our stains of guilt away." - From the Veni Sancte Spiritus, Sequence for Pentecost
Year after year we celebrate these Mysteries of salvation, and year after year the Church in Her Liturgy makes the same prayers and supplications. While at first it may seem that this is a monotonous gesture, and the risk is certainly there that it could become routine, a simple look at our lives and at nature will prove this is anything but the case! In fact, we shall see this is the best method that Holy Church, guided by the wisdom of the Holy Spirit, could set forth to be maintained.
If we look simply at nature, we see a routine present in its maintenance. Each morning the dew waters the grass, and the sun dries it up, only to repeat the process again and again. Through the seasons of the year, the trees and plants produce their fruit and wither, only to be born again. Or even the human body, with its various routine functions, such as sleep and nourishment, while we may vary them, science has shown a routine is the healthiest. No one would suggest, however, that nature or humans should vary these things up so they don't get bored! That's folly.
Speaking of human lives, let us look at our practices. Do we not practice daily hygiene? And do we not naturally form a schedule to carry out our tasks? Order is a quality of God, and we, made in His image and likeness, share this affinity. There are so many things we do with little variance day by day and year by year, and yet we never fear boredom in it.
Why then should the Liturgy, our most intimate encounter with God be any different?! It only makes sense there should be an order and a repetition to it, for this not only speaks to the human soul, it gives a certain degree of comfort. Is it any less a new day when the dew touches the grass once again, or are the flowers less beautiful when they return because they have done so again and again over the years? The same is true with the Liturgy; it is no less beautiful because we have seen and heard the prayers before. Nor is it any less a new experience each time, because each time is a new encounter with the Holy Spirit!
This leads us then to the reason we make the same prayers again and again, and why we continually pray for the Holy Spirit to be ever more poured out in our souls. Our wounds are always in danger of reopening, and so we call on the Holy Spirit to heal us and preserve us from danger. Though we have never fallen to a certain temptation, we do not cease to pray that we will not, for our prayer is our protection against it.
We repeatedly pray for the Holy Spirit to strengthen us, and each time, like eating and drinking for nourishment is a new joy. And in the event we fall into simple repetition, we pray the Holy Spirit may awaken us and make us realize the newness and the joy of every experience in life, especially our spiritual lives by pouring Himself as dew upon our dry souls!
And finally, we pray continually that He may wash our stains of sin away. As our bodies will naturally accumulate dirt and grime and risk sickness if not properly and continuously washed, so our souls shall do the same while still in this fallen world. While we are in the world, we run the risk of being contaminated by its ideas, and becoming sick in sin. Yet the Holy Spirit, as a solicitous guide will always wash us of these infirmities and be our shield and medicine, so long as we go to Him, the Doctor of our souls
"Heal our wounds, our strength renew; on our dryness pour your dew; wash our stains of guilt away." - From the Veni Sancte Spiritus, Sequence for Pentecost
Year after year we celebrate these Mysteries of salvation, and year after year the Church in Her Liturgy makes the same prayers and supplications. While at first it may seem that this is a monotonous gesture, and the risk is certainly there that it could become routine, a simple look at our lives and at nature will prove this is anything but the case! In fact, we shall see this is the best method that Holy Church, guided by the wisdom of the Holy Spirit, could set forth to be maintained.
If we look simply at nature, we see a routine present in its maintenance. Each morning the dew waters the grass, and the sun dries it up, only to repeat the process again and again. Through the seasons of the year, the trees and plants produce their fruit and wither, only to be born again. Or even the human body, with its various routine functions, such as sleep and nourishment, while we may vary them, science has shown a routine is the healthiest. No one would suggest, however, that nature or humans should vary these things up so they don't get bored! That's folly.
Speaking of human lives, let us look at our practices. Do we not practice daily hygiene? And do we not naturally form a schedule to carry out our tasks? Order is a quality of God, and we, made in His image and likeness, share this affinity. There are so many things we do with little variance day by day and year by year, and yet we never fear boredom in it.
Why then should the Liturgy, our most intimate encounter with God be any different?! It only makes sense there should be an order and a repetition to it, for this not only speaks to the human soul, it gives a certain degree of comfort. Is it any less a new day when the dew touches the grass once again, or are the flowers less beautiful when they return because they have done so again and again over the years? The same is true with the Liturgy; it is no less beautiful because we have seen and heard the prayers before. Nor is it any less a new experience each time, because each time is a new encounter with the Holy Spirit!
This leads us then to the reason we make the same prayers again and again, and why we continually pray for the Holy Spirit to be ever more poured out in our souls. Our wounds are always in danger of reopening, and so we call on the Holy Spirit to heal us and preserve us from danger. Though we have never fallen to a certain temptation, we do not cease to pray that we will not, for our prayer is our protection against it.
We repeatedly pray for the Holy Spirit to strengthen us, and each time, like eating and drinking for nourishment is a new joy. And in the event we fall into simple repetition, we pray the Holy Spirit may awaken us and make us realize the newness and the joy of every experience in life, especially our spiritual lives by pouring Himself as dew upon our dry souls!
And finally, we pray continually that He may wash our stains of sin away. As our bodies will naturally accumulate dirt and grime and risk sickness if not properly and continuously washed, so our souls shall do the same while still in this fallen world. While we are in the world, we run the risk of being contaminated by its ideas, and becoming sick in sin. Yet the Holy Spirit, as a solicitous guide will always wash us of these infirmities and be our shield and medicine, so long as we go to Him, the Doctor of our souls
A Look at the Mass: The Eucharistic Prayer: Memento for the Dead
The sacrificial portion of the Eucharistic Prayer now being completed, the Priest returns to more prayers of petition and intercession, such as we saw in the Te Igitur, the Memento for the Living, and the Communicantes. We noted before the Consecration, a great focus on the Church upon earth, as well as a recalling to mind of the Saints in Heaven who are present with us at the Liturgy, where Heaven and earth come together.
Holy Church would be negligent, however, if She did not remember the third state members of the Church might enjoy, the Holy Souls in Purgatory. It is true, they can no longer merit on their own from attendance at the Mass, yet the Mass may be offered for their benefit, and we may even go so far as to suggest they receive the greatest of consolations from it, even when it is not applied to their souls. For it seems foolish to suggest they are present at it through the Communion of Saints and the Liturgy, yet without awareness of it. While we cannot know how they experience the Mass, we do know the Church has always held they have a connection to it. In the early Church, prayers were offered for the dead, especially the Mass, and this is where our prayer comes from.
While it took an especially long time for this prayer to find its permanent place in the Canon, since about the fourth century it occupied various places, but was deemed an important component. This makes sense in light of what we observed with the Memento for the Living and the Communicantes, where we wish to remind ourselves not only of those for whom the Sacrifice is offered, but of the union of the spiritual and physical realms.
The prayer itself is one of the simpler ones in the Canon; in fact it enjoys perhaps the least embellishment of all the separate prayers. The Priest or a Concelebrant, having resumed the orans posture, for he is again making intercession for souls, says:
"Remember also, Lord, your servants N. and N.,
who have gone before us with the sign of faith
and rest in the sleep of peace.
After this half, the Priest pauses as at the Memento for the Living, joins his hands and either in an inaudible voice or mentally he recites the names of those others for whom he wishes to pray. But let us now examine this first half of the prayer. First, let us note the separation that exists here unlike with the naming of the living. The names of one or perhaps even three or four souls may be mentioned audibly at the beginning of the prayer, but the rest should be reserved for the private portion of the Priest's prayer.
The same basic concepts apply here as they did at remembrance of the living; those who have some special connection to the intention of the Mass, or those for whom the Mass is offered if they are already deceased are to be mentioned here aloud, if it is deemed appropriate. One may even go so far as to say those specially joined to the community, such as a bishop or pastor who has died, or the benefactors of the church building, could be mentioned here as well.
Once again, though, it is not appropriate to here mention those who died outside of union with the Church. Holy Church has no knowledge of the state of their soul, and She will not hesitate to offer Her prayers for their happy repose, but as this is the Great Prayer of the Church, only those who are part of the Church may appropriately be mentioned here. Additionally, the very format of the prayer does not allow mention of those, at the very least, who died without Baptism of water, for it is said that those mentioned by name died, "with the sign of faith," namely the cross which was imprinted upon them at Baptism with Chrism, and which they may have been sealed with in Confirmation, and finally which they might also have been signed with one final time in the Anointing of the Sick, if they were able to receive that great Sacrament before death.
Let us also note, however, that the mentioning of a name also does not guarantee the soul is in Purgatory or Heaven. It is possible they condemned themselves to Hell, but as they presumably died within the good graces of the Church, the Church shall err on the side of benefit and pray for them. Otherwise, no one could be mentioned.
Of course, any soul may be mentioned in the silent recitation, for as alluded to, Holy Mother Church wishes all children to enjoy, "the sleep of peace," which St. Paul talks about (1 Thessalonians 4). The Church never refers in Her official prayers to these souls as "dead," but always as asleep or departed. This was the idea of the early Christians, to combat the ideas of the Pagans who saw death as the release from suffering of the body or the end of existence. Those souls in Heaven are now united to Christ forever in eternal life, and they will be reunited to their bodies at the end of time for enjoyment of physical life!
The souls of the Faithful Departed, however, do not enjoy that great privilege yet, and so Holy Church, though She cannot give them the remission of the punishment due to their sins, by Her prayers and indulgences She can merit on their behalf to free them from their torments.
At this pause of the Priest, then, let us remember all those departed souls for whom we wish to pray. There should be no soul excepted from our prayers, no matter how poor of a relationship we had with them while they were upon this earth, for their enjoyment of Heaven through our prayers will be to our eternal bliss and benefit! We should pray especially for our parents and ancestors, for all of our benefactors, and for all those who were in authority over us, or who were entrusted to our care.
Formerly, the same practice was performed here by the Deacon as at the Memento of the Living, where he would read off the names of the Faithful Departed on the Diptychs, for whom the entire community purposed to pray, but as this would easily become too long quickly, this practice was discontinued early on in favor of the current practice.
Once this silence is concluded, the Priest takes up the prayer again with hands extended and says:
"Grant them, O Lord, we pray,
and all who sleep in Christ,
a place of refreshment, light and peace.
The recommendation of the souls of the departed being complete, the Priest now makes the intercession of their souls. And how beautiful it is! Holy Church wishes they have refreshment, that is rest from their sufferings, for unlike us on earth who have periods of consolation, or the souls in Heaven who will never again know suffering, they have no rest from their suffering. They are in torment, of which their only consolation is that it is to end and they will assuredly enjoy eternal beatitude.
But how far away this seems for them! While they are assured of their salvation, many theologians speculate they have no knowledge of how quickly their suffering is in relation to eternity, and thus the torments for them are nigh unbearable. Yet bear them they must for their purification. The Church, however, as a loving Mother, sorrows to see them suffer so, and offers the Mass to bring them consolation and entrance into eternal light.
And that is the next thing prayed for, i.e. that the Faithful Departed may enjoy the Beatific Vision, under the context of "light." This relates to the great line of St. Paul, "Now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall understand fully, even as I have been fully understood (1 Corinthians 13:12)." Once they attain the Lumen Gloriae, the Light of Glory, they, and hopefully us one day, shall see through the "eyes" of God, and thus shall understand all Mysteries to the extent they are capable!
And finally, Holy Church prays they may have peace, the peace which God alone can give, for He satisfies all our desires. Once the Beatific Vision is attained, there is no fear of losing It. Indeed, the heart shall love perfectly and shall have joy and rest in the attainment of the Ultimate Good!
As a final thought, though, we should not overlook the mention of, "and all who sleep in Christ." While the Church does not mention any souls who were presumably not in union with Her at the time of their death in the Canon, She makes no judgment as to the fact that there are likely innumerable souls who, purely by the mercy of God and no fault of their own, also share in the purifying fires of Purgatory. And it is for these, as well as all deceased members of the community who were not named or thought of, that She purposes to pray. There is no soul in Purgatory the Church does not wish to benefit from this Great Sacrifice.
At the Priest's discretion, he may then conclude the prayer with:
"Through Christ our Lord. Amen."
If he does so, he joins his hands as he says so. As we have already numerous times explained this conclusion and posture, we shall forgo doing so again.
All historical information taken from:
Rev. Joseph A. Jungmann, S.J. The Mass of the Roman Rite: Its Origins and Development. Volume 2. Part IV: The Memento of the Dead, 237-248. Translated by Rev. Francis A. Brunner, C.SS.R. (Christian Classics: Notre Dame, Indiana, 1951).
Holy Church would be negligent, however, if She did not remember the third state members of the Church might enjoy, the Holy Souls in Purgatory. It is true, they can no longer merit on their own from attendance at the Mass, yet the Mass may be offered for their benefit, and we may even go so far as to suggest they receive the greatest of consolations from it, even when it is not applied to their souls. For it seems foolish to suggest they are present at it through the Communion of Saints and the Liturgy, yet without awareness of it. While we cannot know how they experience the Mass, we do know the Church has always held they have a connection to it. In the early Church, prayers were offered for the dead, especially the Mass, and this is where our prayer comes from.
While it took an especially long time for this prayer to find its permanent place in the Canon, since about the fourth century it occupied various places, but was deemed an important component. This makes sense in light of what we observed with the Memento for the Living and the Communicantes, where we wish to remind ourselves not only of those for whom the Sacrifice is offered, but of the union of the spiritual and physical realms.
The prayer itself is one of the simpler ones in the Canon; in fact it enjoys perhaps the least embellishment of all the separate prayers. The Priest or a Concelebrant, having resumed the orans posture, for he is again making intercession for souls, says:
"Remember also, Lord, your servants N. and N.,
who have gone before us with the sign of faith
and rest in the sleep of peace.
After this half, the Priest pauses as at the Memento for the Living, joins his hands and either in an inaudible voice or mentally he recites the names of those others for whom he wishes to pray. But let us now examine this first half of the prayer. First, let us note the separation that exists here unlike with the naming of the living. The names of one or perhaps even three or four souls may be mentioned audibly at the beginning of the prayer, but the rest should be reserved for the private portion of the Priest's prayer.
The same basic concepts apply here as they did at remembrance of the living; those who have some special connection to the intention of the Mass, or those for whom the Mass is offered if they are already deceased are to be mentioned here aloud, if it is deemed appropriate. One may even go so far as to say those specially joined to the community, such as a bishop or pastor who has died, or the benefactors of the church building, could be mentioned here as well.
Once again, though, it is not appropriate to here mention those who died outside of union with the Church. Holy Church has no knowledge of the state of their soul, and She will not hesitate to offer Her prayers for their happy repose, but as this is the Great Prayer of the Church, only those who are part of the Church may appropriately be mentioned here. Additionally, the very format of the prayer does not allow mention of those, at the very least, who died without Baptism of water, for it is said that those mentioned by name died, "with the sign of faith," namely the cross which was imprinted upon them at Baptism with Chrism, and which they may have been sealed with in Confirmation, and finally which they might also have been signed with one final time in the Anointing of the Sick, if they were able to receive that great Sacrament before death.
Let us also note, however, that the mentioning of a name also does not guarantee the soul is in Purgatory or Heaven. It is possible they condemned themselves to Hell, but as they presumably died within the good graces of the Church, the Church shall err on the side of benefit and pray for them. Otherwise, no one could be mentioned.
Of course, any soul may be mentioned in the silent recitation, for as alluded to, Holy Mother Church wishes all children to enjoy, "the sleep of peace," which St. Paul talks about (1 Thessalonians 4). The Church never refers in Her official prayers to these souls as "dead," but always as asleep or departed. This was the idea of the early Christians, to combat the ideas of the Pagans who saw death as the release from suffering of the body or the end of existence. Those souls in Heaven are now united to Christ forever in eternal life, and they will be reunited to their bodies at the end of time for enjoyment of physical life!
The souls of the Faithful Departed, however, do not enjoy that great privilege yet, and so Holy Church, though She cannot give them the remission of the punishment due to their sins, by Her prayers and indulgences She can merit on their behalf to free them from their torments.
At this pause of the Priest, then, let us remember all those departed souls for whom we wish to pray. There should be no soul excepted from our prayers, no matter how poor of a relationship we had with them while they were upon this earth, for their enjoyment of Heaven through our prayers will be to our eternal bliss and benefit! We should pray especially for our parents and ancestors, for all of our benefactors, and for all those who were in authority over us, or who were entrusted to our care.
Formerly, the same practice was performed here by the Deacon as at the Memento of the Living, where he would read off the names of the Faithful Departed on the Diptychs, for whom the entire community purposed to pray, but as this would easily become too long quickly, this practice was discontinued early on in favor of the current practice.
Once this silence is concluded, the Priest takes up the prayer again with hands extended and says:
"Grant them, O Lord, we pray,
and all who sleep in Christ,
a place of refreshment, light and peace.
The recommendation of the souls of the departed being complete, the Priest now makes the intercession of their souls. And how beautiful it is! Holy Church wishes they have refreshment, that is rest from their sufferings, for unlike us on earth who have periods of consolation, or the souls in Heaven who will never again know suffering, they have no rest from their suffering. They are in torment, of which their only consolation is that it is to end and they will assuredly enjoy eternal beatitude.
But how far away this seems for them! While they are assured of their salvation, many theologians speculate they have no knowledge of how quickly their suffering is in relation to eternity, and thus the torments for them are nigh unbearable. Yet bear them they must for their purification. The Church, however, as a loving Mother, sorrows to see them suffer so, and offers the Mass to bring them consolation and entrance into eternal light.
And that is the next thing prayed for, i.e. that the Faithful Departed may enjoy the Beatific Vision, under the context of "light." This relates to the great line of St. Paul, "Now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall understand fully, even as I have been fully understood (1 Corinthians 13:12)." Once they attain the Lumen Gloriae, the Light of Glory, they, and hopefully us one day, shall see through the "eyes" of God, and thus shall understand all Mysteries to the extent they are capable!
And finally, Holy Church prays they may have peace, the peace which God alone can give, for He satisfies all our desires. Once the Beatific Vision is attained, there is no fear of losing It. Indeed, the heart shall love perfectly and shall have joy and rest in the attainment of the Ultimate Good!
As a final thought, though, we should not overlook the mention of, "and all who sleep in Christ." While the Church does not mention any souls who were presumably not in union with Her at the time of their death in the Canon, She makes no judgment as to the fact that there are likely innumerable souls who, purely by the mercy of God and no fault of their own, also share in the purifying fires of Purgatory. And it is for these, as well as all deceased members of the community who were not named or thought of, that She purposes to pray. There is no soul in Purgatory the Church does not wish to benefit from this Great Sacrifice.
At the Priest's discretion, he may then conclude the prayer with:
"Through Christ our Lord. Amen."
If he does so, he joins his hands as he says so. As we have already numerous times explained this conclusion and posture, we shall forgo doing so again.
All historical information taken from:
Rev. Joseph A. Jungmann, S.J. The Mass of the Roman Rite: Its Origins and Development. Volume 2. Part IV: The Memento of the Dead, 237-248. Translated by Rev. Francis A. Brunner, C.SS.R. (Christian Classics: Notre Dame, Indiana, 1951).
Tuesday, May 19, 2015
Pentecost Novena: Day Five
The Pentecost Novena, itself, can be found here.
"Where you are not, we have naught, nothing good in deed or thought, nothing free from taint of ill." - From the Veni Sancte Spiritus, Sequence for Pentecost
Many falsely believe the opposite of God is the devil, but to assert thus is to fall into the heresy of dualism which believes there are two gods or "forces" governing the universe, one good and one evil. The correct answer to, "What or who is the opposite of God?" is, "Nothing." God has no opposite; God, as the source of all that exists, can have no opposite, for this would imply another principle.
But let us not fall into this other idea, which is to assert "nothing," as something positive. "Nothing" is a lack, a privation of what might be there. While all of this can give rise to many fun word plays, it is integral to understanding just what sin is, and consequently what a life without the Holy Spirit in it is. For if God is not present, we are left with His opposite, and thus we have - nothing. Perhaps we now quickly see the reason a life without God is such a sorrowful idea.
Let this truth stir up in us great desires to never see the Holy Spirit depart from us! This is what inspires St. Paul to cry out, "If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing (1 Corinthians 13:1-2, emphasis added)." Love - charity - is not only the foundation of the spiritual life, it is the necessary prerequisite for all merit, for virtue, for any supernatural good to be accomplished.
Without the virtue of charity, the Holy Spirit cannot impart His sevenfold gifts of wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, piety, knowledge, and fear of the Lord to us, those gifts the novena specifically prays for! And this is because the soul is not open to receive any of those virtues without charity. Charity is that Divine receptivity, as well as that Divine Gift. To love anything implies an openness to receive from it. And the more we love, the more open we are.
Now it is the Holy Spirit, as Author of all Grace, Who accomplishes this in us. It is He Who both opens us to receive Him and He is the one Who gives Himself! Hence why our relationship with God is the most fundamental of all those relationships we shall ever know, for from it flows both our receptivity to love others and that which we can give to others. To be completely without God would imply a stone heart; it can give nothing to others, and it can receive nothing from them.
Of course, because we are not wholly destitute in this life, only the souls in Hell suffer this great burden, every soul still maintains some connection to God, no matter how small. Nonetheless, as God has the power to give speech to a rock if He so willed, so He has the power to change all hearts to be open to His love, however, He wishes to bestow it.
In order to grow in love, then, throughout these days, and in that great season of the year, Ordinary Time, which is fast approaching, may our prayer not only be for the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, but may we also pray that He will open our hearts to receive their foundation more perfectly. For the more firm is the foundation, the stronger the entire edifice shall be!
"Where you are not, we have naught, nothing good in deed or thought, nothing free from taint of ill." - From the Veni Sancte Spiritus, Sequence for Pentecost
Many falsely believe the opposite of God is the devil, but to assert thus is to fall into the heresy of dualism which believes there are two gods or "forces" governing the universe, one good and one evil. The correct answer to, "What or who is the opposite of God?" is, "Nothing." God has no opposite; God, as the source of all that exists, can have no opposite, for this would imply another principle.
But let us not fall into this other idea, which is to assert "nothing," as something positive. "Nothing" is a lack, a privation of what might be there. While all of this can give rise to many fun word plays, it is integral to understanding just what sin is, and consequently what a life without the Holy Spirit in it is. For if God is not present, we are left with His opposite, and thus we have - nothing. Perhaps we now quickly see the reason a life without God is such a sorrowful idea.
Let this truth stir up in us great desires to never see the Holy Spirit depart from us! This is what inspires St. Paul to cry out, "If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing (1 Corinthians 13:1-2, emphasis added)." Love - charity - is not only the foundation of the spiritual life, it is the necessary prerequisite for all merit, for virtue, for any supernatural good to be accomplished.
Without the virtue of charity, the Holy Spirit cannot impart His sevenfold gifts of wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, piety, knowledge, and fear of the Lord to us, those gifts the novena specifically prays for! And this is because the soul is not open to receive any of those virtues without charity. Charity is that Divine receptivity, as well as that Divine Gift. To love anything implies an openness to receive from it. And the more we love, the more open we are.
Now it is the Holy Spirit, as Author of all Grace, Who accomplishes this in us. It is He Who both opens us to receive Him and He is the one Who gives Himself! Hence why our relationship with God is the most fundamental of all those relationships we shall ever know, for from it flows both our receptivity to love others and that which we can give to others. To be completely without God would imply a stone heart; it can give nothing to others, and it can receive nothing from them.
Of course, because we are not wholly destitute in this life, only the souls in Hell suffer this great burden, every soul still maintains some connection to God, no matter how small. Nonetheless, as God has the power to give speech to a rock if He so willed, so He has the power to change all hearts to be open to His love, however, He wishes to bestow it.
In order to grow in love, then, throughout these days, and in that great season of the year, Ordinary Time, which is fast approaching, may our prayer not only be for the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, but may we also pray that He will open our hearts to receive their foundation more perfectly. For the more firm is the foundation, the stronger the entire edifice shall be!
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