Gueranger Would Be Proudest!

Before I continue and finish the meditation upon the Mass, I want to promote a very good book I'm reading. It's called The Mass of the Roman Rite by Joseph A. Jungmann, S.J. Although, it was written before the Second Vatican Council, and therefore uses the Extraordinary Form of the Mass, it provides a detailed history the Mass and then a detailed history of the development of each part of the Mass.

While I highly recommend it for those interested in the history of the Liturgy, as it presents a rather unbiased history (which is hard to find in liturgical related books), it has also inspired me to consider adding an additional blog post topic. The current schedule is set to be philosophical posts on Wednesdays and meditations on Mondays. However, I'm thinking about instead doing a Sunday meditation on Saturdays, a Mass part examinations using my philosophical approach on Tuesdays, and and a philosophical/my thoughts post on Thursdays. Please comment and let me know what you think, or anything else you would like to hear.

Now continuing the Mass meditation, picking up at the beginning of the Communion Rite:

Our Lord is now present upon the altar, and what joy and adoration this must bring to faithful souls! During the Eucharistic Prayer, we have offered our various prayers and petitions to God, but we must remember that our Lord gave us the perfect prayer. It is only fitting that to conclude our intentions, we should pray, "in the words our Savior gave us." Therefore, during the Our Father, know that you are perfectly praying for all of your various needs and intentions, due to this great gift of Jesus.

The words which follow, by the priest, are a beginning where we will begin to emphasize the sacramental nature of the Eucharist instead of the sacrificial which we have been focusing so heavily upon. The priest prays for deliverance from evil, peace, and mercy, so that we may be ready for the Paraousia. All of these graces can be accomplished in us through this single reception of the Eucharist if we are open to receive them.

Give glory and praise to God then for this great gift by promising Him your lifelong service in the words, "For the kingdom, the power and the glory are yours now and for ever." Be reminded of the great promise that Jesus gave to His followers, "Peace I leave you, my peace I give you (Jn. 14:27)." This peace was won for you by the victory of the Cross; let this Communion be a reminder for you, however, that you are called to bring this peace to the world.

As the priest breaks the Host and drops the Particle into the Chalice, realize the only way you may obtain peace. It is through the Passion and Resurrection of Christ, symbolized at this moment. As you pray the Angus Dei, then, pray for this peace of soul. But this peace is deeper; it comes from a true relationship with Jesus Christ. It is the knowledge gained by experiencing His love. Pray then, that Jesus, the Lamb of God, may grant this peace to you in His mercy.

However, this peace can only truly and fully be obtained through the Sacraments. Prepare you soul then for this reception of Communion! Pray that it may heal you and strengthen you for the journey to your Heavenly home. But again, only by the grace of God may this take place in you. Recall the words you say - that only by His word can your soul be healed.

What a deep mystery this is! Only by God's grace may God's grace be present in your soul! Adore your God for this. His goodness and ways are so far beyond our understanding. He has deigned to provide this healing Food for your soul!

As you approach the minister for Holy Communion, let these two affections again be foremost in you. Adore your God, Who is so far above you, yet comes to you in this humble way - under the appearance of bread and wine. Pray also for the mercy of God, that He may work these great effects within you.

And now your very God is present within you! Adore Him! Words cannot express the affections you should have for Him at this moment. Adoration is the best word we may use. Meditate upon the words the priest uses as He purifies the vessels, " What has passed our lips as food, O Lord, may we possess in purity of heart, that what has been given to us in time may be our healing for eternity."

Do not, however, in this brief period, neglect to ask for the graces specific to the mystery of the day. This can easily be done by meditation upon the Communion Antiphon, another proper of the Mass. There are so many actions the soul can take at this point, when God is so mystically and truly united to it! How is it that anyone can say, "I get nothing out of Mass."? There are an infinity of ways to gain, if but make the smallest effort!

The Communion Rite is brought to its close by the Prayer after Communion. In this, again adore your God, Who dwells truly present within you. Beg Him that He may bring His graces to perfection in you so that you will be able to adore Him in the joy of the Beatific Vision. 

The Sacrifice has been completed and the Sacrament received. We have given our adoration to God, Who by His own gracious will has inspired all of the foregoing sentiments within us. However, Christ's last commandment to His disciples was to, "go and teach all nations (Mt. 28:19)." This still holds true in our day. After we have spent our time in adoration and learning of Him, we must go and proclaim Him to the world by the witness of our lives!

The priest then will give you a final blessing for this task, as Jesus gave to His disciples at His Ascension (Lk 24:51). His last admonition then is the dismissal of the Mass. The most appropriate translation of "Ite missa est" would be, "Go, you are sent," or something along those lines. You are sent to be the light of the world and salt of the earth (Mt. 5:13-16)! 

As the ministers leave the sanctuary and church, let your last sentiment be of adoration, to the God Who has entrusted you with this noble task. 

Gueranger would be Prouder

As the title suggests, I have been called a student of the famous liturgist of Solemnes in France, Dom Prosper Gueranger. His monumental work is The Liturgical Year, which I highly recommend for those interested in meditating upon the Sacred Liturgy, (of course I also recommend myself and the work of this blog). I have studied that work, as well as a few of his other workings, but I have also read many other meditations on the Liturgy, and this has allowed me to develop not only a deep appreciation for, but also a sense of wonder, at its awesomeness.

I would compare it to the Scriptures, in that the depths of the mysteries contained in it are inexhaustible. And I don't mean because of the Sacred Mysteries it celebrates, because of course those are inexhaustible, but the various nuances, words, and gestures of it all contain unfathomable depth in their development and significance.

This love and respect for the Liturgy is one of the things I hope to convey through these meditations, which are the product of my studies in liturgy, philosophy, and my own personal meditations, thoughts, and observations.

And now, let us continue with the affections of adoration one should bring to the Holy Mass. We pick up at the "Orate Fratres:"

The priest has ascended to the altar has prepared himself to make present the offering of the Divine Victim, but before he does so, he begs for our prayers that the sacrifice may be found acceptable. But this is not because of the nature of the sacrifice, for it is Divine and therefore, most acceptable, but because of our own weakness and imperfections. Therefore, we must have faith in the grace of God, that he will give us the power to offer ourselves in such a perfect manner that we will be found, "acceptable to God, the almighty Father."

In your heart, then, join the priest in the Prayer over the Offerings, with that faith, but also with the adoration that God will deign to give you grace through this Sacrament so that you may attain your salvation.

With this knowledge that it is God's Spirit Who will accomplish this sacrifice of yourself to Himself, and the Sacrifice of the Son to the Father, respond with the "Et cum spiritu tuo," of the Preface Dialogue.

Then let your heart pour forth adoration, as ponders the greatness, mercy, and love of God during the "Sursum Corda," and "Habemus ad Dominum."

Mindful of all of this, respond with all the thanksgiving you can muster to the "Gratias ad Dominum Deo nostro," for it is truly right and just to give God your thanks, adoration, and love, for He is sole-deserving of it. 

The priest shall then begin the great adoration prayer of the Preface. Listen attentively to these words, for these powerful words contain both words of adoration and catechesis. At this time, not only are you going to God to offer the sacrifice of yourself, but God is coming to you in the Sacrament and by His grace to enlighten your soul and mind. 

This great gift of God inspires us to join with the angels in their "song of praise." But the Sanctus is not like the Gloria, for we do not join the angels in their song, but our praise is joined to their's. In Heaven they sing, "Holy, holy, holy Lord God of hosts," but the song of earth was, "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord." Realize this, and as the angels veil their faces, bend your knee, for the Great Prayer of the Church is about to begin!

For this meditation, we shall use Eucharistic Prayer I, although all of its separate parts we will meditate upon can be found in the other Eucharistic Prayers, albeit in different arrangements. 

The priest will begin the prayer by begging God's grace and assistance, for only a gift blessed by Him can be found acceptable in His sight. Beg the same graces for your soul. 

But realize this offering is not a singular offering; pray also for all of those whom you are indebted to pray for and for those for whom the Church prays. In this way you will truly unite both the sacrifice of yourself and the Sacrifice of the Cross. 

Pray for the leaders of the Church, the Pope and your bishop, as well as your pastor and any priests you have a particular connection to - the priest who baptized you, the priest or bishop who confirmed you, a spiritual director or confessor. 

Then, offer prayers for all of the living who you have a special connection to - parents and children, dear friends, godchildren or sponsors, enemies - and for the entire Church militant, that they may both offer themselves to God, but may gain graces to be drawn to Him even further through the Holy Sacraments. 

But do not be content simply with offering your own intentions and prayers to God, but join them with the Church Triumphant, especially Mary, the Mother of God, St. Joseph, Sts. Peter and Paul, and particularly the saint of the day and your own patrons. In this way, you will realize that you are present at the heavenly liturgy and seeing the true Sacrifice to the Father. 

With profound adoration at this great mystery, beg God once more to make both the offering of yourself, and the offering of the priest acceptable by His grace. Draw your intentions to your final end, which is God Himself, and pray that you may be brought to It. Remind yourself of the holy mystery about to take place. God Himself is about to become really present! Focus all your attention on the actions of the priest, for He has ceased to act as man, but now is making present the Last Supper, Calvary, and the Resurrection! 

No adoration of man is sufficient for the adoration deserved by God at the moment of the Consecration! What can we miserable creatures offer to God. But God in His mercy is pleased simply with our adoration and offering of ourselves in union with the Divine Victim now present on the altar. Adore your Lord and God!

Let your expressions of gratitude and adoration pour forth in the Mystery of Faith. God has deigned to do this for your salvation! Know that your are present at the Death and Resurrection of Christ whenever you attend the Mass. You experience here veiled what your will experience unveiled when Christ comes again. 

Recall how all of the offerings of the Old Testament were not sufficient to merit salvation for sinful mankind, but God found them acceptable. How much more acceptable must be the Offering of His Divine Son? Christ is the Priest and Victim. By joining yourself to the Sacrifice of the Mass, you are offered with the Son to the Father, by the Son to the Father! Pray that this may be sufficient to fill you, "with every grace and heavenly blessing." 

But this Sacrifice is not just for the salvation of those on earth and the adoration of Heaven, it can profit the dead, who still long to see God face to face! Pray then, for all of the deceased who you are once again indebted to - ancestors and benefactors, priests with whom you had a special relationship, as well as all those who have no one to pray for them. This gift of the Eucharist must make your heart overflow with gratitude. Give this gratitude to others, by offering your prayers for them, especially the dead, who cannot pray for themselves. 

With knowledge of the souls in purgatory, pray that you may be able to avoid that fate, and enter straight into the Heavenly Liturgy. This can only be done through suffering on earth though. Thus, pray that you may be given the grace to suffer perfectly as St. John the Baptist and the Apostles and Martyrs suffered. Pray that you may suffer, not with a bloody martyrdom, but as a saint! In this way you will assure your instant entrance to the Beatific Vision at the moment of death.

End these prayers, as the priest shall do, in union with Jesus Christ! Adore your King, present on the altar and pray that your offering of yourself may be purely to His glory!


The "Our Father" through the end of Mass will be the next blog post, and the final one in this meditation upon the Mass. 

Gueranger Would be Proud

"O come, let us worship God and bow low before the God who made us, for he is the Lord our God."

This was actually the Introductory Verse for the Mass of the Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time, but as I am not doing a meditation upon it specifically, I thought it an appropriate Psalm to reflect briefly upon. Within this single line from Psalm 95, we sum up the single most important, and I would dare say, entire purpose of the Liturgy. But not only is this the Introductory Verse for the aforementioned Sunday, but it is actually recited every day as the ordinary Invitatory to the Liturgy of the Hours, although the entire psalm is recited at that point.

I feel it is also important to look at the Latin word used here for worship. It is adoremus, which is we may more properly translate to as, "Let us adore." This is essential for our understanding, because we can recall the traditional four points of the Mass. To offer adoration to God, to express contrition for our sins, to give thanks for His many blessings, and to present supplication for our various needs and necessities. Those four points were also traditionally thought to be listed in order of importance.

I however, propose that ultimately, the aim of the Liturgy is singularly to offer adoration to God. The other three points will flow from that. For this end, while I admit that I have do not have the skill to replicate what various liturgists have done before me, I will hereby attempt to give a brief meditation for each part of the Mass, as many may be unfamiliar with how to meditate upon each stage of the Mass.

I then propose to attempt to stir up the following affections within your heart during each of the parts of the Mass.

As the procession of the ministers to the sanctuary begins, realize that it is indeed a heavenly procession which is taking place. The angels and saints are present at the Mass; the priest is proceeding to the altar to do a divine action. Adore God, and once again recollect yourself so that you may join in all the prayers to adore your Lord.

If the altar is incensed, focus what specific intentions you would like to offer this Mass for, and let them ascend with the incense, "to the altar of God."

As you make the Sign of the Cross, again adore God and realize that from this moment to the end of Mass, you have consecrated yourself to the Almighty and Merciful God.

At the "Dominus vobiscum," recall that you are only able to perform these prayers and understand what is about to take place because of the Spirit Who dwells within you. Then as you respond with the "Et cum spiritu tuo," pray that God will give grace to his unworthy minister to perform the Holy Actions in such a way that you may gain the greatest benefit for your soul and for all the Church.

During the Penitential Rite, do not only recall your sins, but think especially about God's goodness and how your sins have offended Him, Who created you, and holds you in existence in His love. Rebuke yourself for your failings and call out to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit for mercy!

After inspiring contrition in your soul, let your heart then burst forth with the praise of God! Join with the Angelic Host in their adoration of God. Meditate upon all of His wondrous deeds and let your heart overflow with thanks and praise.

Now recollect yourself again after this great expression of love and listen attentively to what the Church prays for in the Collect. Join these petitions to your own intentions and adore God, Who alone can grant them, "Through our Lord Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with God the Father in the unity of the Holy Spirit."

As the Readings begin, open your mind and heart to listen to God's word. Think deeply about how God has fulfilled and provided for His people through the ages. Let this awaken thoughts of adoration within you.

Then, during the Responsorial Psalm, let these affections from the First Reading continue as you join with the Church in Her prayers of thanks, supplication, or contrition.

Again let your heart and mind be opened during the Second Reading, as you are faced with the Divine Love, Who became man and died for your salvation.

Let this love and adoration which has been nurtured in you, burst forth in the Alleluia, where you join with all the angels and saints in the heavenly song of praise, for God is about to speak to you in a more profound way, as it is most especially through the Gospels that the words of Christ are given to us.

With the beginning of the Gospel, make the sign of the Cross on your forehead, so that your mind might be opened to the Spirit, on your lips, so that you might proclaim the words you hear in the Gospel, and in your heart, so that the Spirit of God may dwell in it and bring you to the perfection of the Father. Then, during the Gospel, understand the greatness of God the Son, Who took on a human nature, so that He might speak to us in our own way. You cannot help but adore your King and Lord at these thoughts.

Moving into the Creed, do not hesitate to profess your faith in all that Christ and His Church have taught. Throughout this profession, recall all of the marvelous works of God, and let yourself adore Him yet again. Ask for a deeper increase of faith, and at the end remember the ultimate goal of your life - to reach the Beatific Vision in Heaven.

Let this devotion move you into the Universal Prayers. Join with the Church yet again to pray for all peoples. This is a reminder of the true nature of the Church, for these prayers embrace all people. Let your intentions be joined into these, so that you might now go to the altar in union with the Church.

And now join the priest at the altar in your heart. As the chalice is unveiled and the gifts are presented, so open up your heart to God and present yourself to Him. Pray that His Spirit may again enter you and help you in offering yourself in union with the Divine Victim about to be offered.

As the priest offers the bread, praise God who has created you from the dust of the earth. Offer yourself, weak though you are, so that Jesus may make you the, "salt of the earth," and, "light of the world."

As the water and wine are poured and mixed, continue to pray that the Holy Spirit may come to dwell in you, so that you might die to yourself and rise one with Christ.

Then, as the chalice is offered, again praise God, for He is deigning to come to you, to unite you to Himself. Pray that the image of Jesus Christ may be radiant in you. In this way you will live in union with the Sacrifice about to be offered.

But before any of this can take place, you will surely be reminded of all your sinful failings and how you have failed to be this image of Christ to the world. As the priest prays silently bent over the offerings, so pray that God may accept you as you are, with all your sinful failings, and by His grace work these miracles.

With this prayer for mercy, turn your heart with affection then to God, and trust that just as the incense rises up to Him, all of your petitions will rise to His altar. You will be presented with the Divine Offering about to be made present; you will be made into the image of Christ.

Yet again overcome with your sinfulness, pray that God will again cleanse you, just as the priest's hands are cleansed by the washing with water. Throughout the rest of the Mass, we will again be presented with these two ideas - praise and adoration of the immense blessings of God and contrition due to our own sins and failings.


The "Orate Fratres" through the end of the Eucharistic Prayer will be included in the next blog post. 

Easter is Coming!

One of my favorite hobbies is to walk around stores. I'll admit it can be very dangerous for the very reason that stores want me to do this, so I buy their stuff. And it normally works.

However, this past Sunday, when I went into Target, I noticed that in the seasonal section, all the Valentine's Day candy was on sale and all the Easter candy was out. 

Now two thoughts occurred to me. First, "What happened to St. Patrick's Day?" Second, "Happy Septuagesima Sunday!"

On Sunday, those who follow the Extraordinary Form of the Mass and Breviary, began the Liturgical season of Septuagesima. The season was almost an extension of Lent, in that the Gloria and Alleluia were not said, purple vestments were used, and the entire liturgy took on a more penitential tone. While Lent begins 40 days before Easter in order to commemorate the 40 days of fasting by Jesus in the desert, Septuagesima begins 70 days before Easter to commemorate the 70 years of Babylonian captivity of the Jews. The two seasons of Septuagesima and Lent are obviously related in many ways - they both anticipate Easter, they are both penitential, the Alleluia is not said etc. - they also have their own respective natures. 

The layman's definition of Lent would probably be something along the lines of, "that time of the year when we give up stuff." That's certainly not a complete (or very in-depth) definition, but it's not false either. Lent is the time when we practice penance, generally by fasting, abstinence, and refraining from certain neutral or joyful practices, but it is primarily a time in which we look to give up our sinful attachments to prepare to renew our Baptismal Vows at Easter. The penance is so that we might more perfectly reform our fallen natures. We practice joining in death to this world with Christ, so that we might rise again as citizens of the next world, while still dwelling within this world. 

Septuagesima is not about this though. We complain about giving things up for 40 days; why would we give something up for 70? I can think of a lot of good reasons, but the Church doesn't ask us to do this. Rather, Septuagesima is more of a preparation for Lent. It is a time in which we should reflect upon our fallen state. The Extraordinary Form will take some of its readings for Matins, from the Genesis account of the Fall and the Flood. How perfect would it be if we took our some of our daily meditations on our own fallen states? 

I don't like the idea of picking out your Lenten practices the day before Ash Wednesday. The Church used to liturgically call Her children to do this earlier, and while I do not think that the suppression of Septuagesima was a bad thing (rather, I think it was a good idea), I also do not like completely suppressing all of the customs and spirituality that went along with it. 

Let us then salvage these meditations on the fallen state of man. Let us salvage this preparation for Lent. Soldiers go into battle after training and preparation, and the collect for Ash Wednesday says, "Grant, O Lord, that we may begin with holy fasting this campaign of Christian service, so that, as we take up battle against spiritual evils, we may be armed with weapons of self-restraint." We are therefore soldiers preparing for the battle against our sinful natures. 

Let us then spend these last two weeks before Lent focusing on Easter. I specifically say, "on Easter," and not, "on Lent," because all the Church's feasts and seasons point to Easter. We fast on account of the feast! 

Meditation on Death

Due to the death of my uncle, Matthew Scholle, I was not able to prepare a blog post for today. I will be resume on Sunday. Until then, I give my two favorite prayers from the Commendation of a Departing Soul. Their beauty speaks for itself, I feel.

"Go forth, O Christian soul, out of this world, in the name of God the Father almighty, Who created thee; in the name of Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God, Who suffered for thee; in the name of the Holy Ghost, Who sanctified thee; in the name of the holy and glorious Mary, Virgin and Mother of God; in the name of the Angels, Archangels, Thrones, and Dominations, Cherubim and Seraphim; in the name of the Patriarchs and Prophets, of the holy Apostles and Evangelists, of the holy Martyrs, Confessors, Monks, and Hermits, of the holy Virgins, and of all the Saints of God; may thy place be this day in peace, and thine abode in holy Sion. Through Christ our Lord. Amen."

"Grant, O God, that while we lament the departure of this Thy servant (handmaid), we may always remember that we are most certainly to follow him (her). And give us grace to prepare for that last hour by a good life, that we may not be surprised by a sudden and unprovided death, but be ever watching, that, when Thou shalt call, we may, with the Bridegroom, enter into eternal glory: through Christ our Lord. Amen."

Meditation on the Presentation of the Lord

This Sunday, we are presented with a unique occasion, for today's feast, the Presentation of the Lord, takes precedence over the Sunday in Ordinary Time. Therefore, we get to celebrate this "final" end to the Christmas cycle. Although the Christmas season ended with the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, we are again presented with the infant Jesus. In fact, the Vatican actually leaves their outdoor Nativity scene up until this feast, and in the Extraordinary Form it is also seen as another ending to the Christmas season. Additionally, from tonight until the Easter Vigil, the Marian antiphon at Compline is no longer the Alma Redemptoris Mater, but the Ave Regina Caelorum. 

It is evident that this feast brings about a ton of change, and that is what I want to focus on in this meditation. The two texts of the Mass I will use are the Collect and the Prayer after Communion for this Feast. 

The Collect reads:

Almighty ever-living God,

we humbly implore your majesty

that, just as your Only-Begotten Son

was presented on this day in the Temple

in the substance of our flesh,

so, by your grace,

we may be presented to you with minds made pure.

Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,

who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

one God, for ever and ever.

The Prayer after Communion is:

By these holy gifts which we have received, O Lord,

bring your grace to perfection within us,

and, as you fulfilled Simeon's expectation

that he would not see death

until he had been privileged to welcome the Christ,

so may we, going forth to meet the Lord,

obtain the gift of eternal life.

Through Christ our Lord. 

These two prayers have a theme within them of movement - a procession, we might say, which is of course highly appropriate since the rubrics of the Mass call for a procession. But why? We didn't have a procession on Christmas, and that feast was bigger. We didn't have one on Epiphany. We actually only have them three times a year. Palm Sunday, the Easter Vigil, and today. 

It is because of the mystery of the day. This Feast is very much an ending, but it is also a beginning. The mysteries surrounding the Infant Jesus end today. We now begin to look towards the Pascal Mystery. 

Throughout the Christmas cycle, we were constantly reminded of how we must welcome the Lord in our lives. During Advent, we were given the summons to make room in our souls for Him. On Christmas, we saw Him be born as man for us, and were called to let Him be born in our hearts. We celebrated how He lived in the Holy Family, and were inspired to bring Him more fully into our families. We were given the perfect example of Mary, keeping Christ perfectly in her soul. And Epiphany showed us how to present our gifts to Him in spiritual sacrifice. 

Today now we come again to Jesus, and desire to embrace Him in our souls, as aged Simeon embraced Him. We realize that we are the temples that Christ wishes to enter. And so, as the Collect said, we present ourselves, "with minds made pure," and the Light of Jesus enters in. 

But today it is not enough that Christ enters in, for we must now go further. We must begin our procession to Calvary. The Liturgy turns to the sufferings of Christ, and so shall we. But this procession of our souls is not simply to death, but also resurrection. We know that we will, "obtain the gift of eternal life," asked for in the Prayer after Communion. This is our expectation; this is the end of Christ's becoming man. 

Let us then now hold Jesus in our hearts as we move on to sacrifice our lives to God. We will no longer contemplate the Divine Infant, but rather the preaching of the God-man, along with His sufferings. The angels will not sing, "Glory to God," but rather silently adore His Precious Blood shed for us. And our Blessed Lady will not again hold her child, until she holds His lifeless body, after He has shown the depth of His love.

Mary, Mother of God, Pray for us!

St. Joseph, Pray for us!

Blessed Simeon and Anna, Pray for us!