Music for Corpus Christi 2 - AdoroTe Devote

		Hymn of St. Thomas Aquinas in praise of the Blessed Sacrament           Latin text Poetic English translation  English Translation Adoro te devote, latens Deitas, Quæ sub his figuris vere latitas; Tibi se cor meum totum subjicit, Quia te contemplans totum deficit. Visus, tactus, gustus in te fallitur, Sed auditu solo tuto creditur. Credo quidquid dixit Dei Filius; Nil hoc verbo veritátis verius. In cruce latebat sola Deitas, At hic latet simul et Humanitas, Ambo tamen credens atque confitens, Peto quod petivit latro pœnitens. Plagas, sicut Thomas, non intueor: Deum tamen meum te confiteor. Fac me tibi semper magis credere, In te spem habere, te diligere. O memoriale mortis Domini! Panis vivus, vitam præstans homini! Præsta meæ menti de te vívere, Et te illi semper dulce sapere. Pie Pelicane, Jesu Domine, Me immundum munda tuo sanguine: Cujus una stilla salvum facere Totum mundum quit ab omni scelere. Jesu, quem velatum nunc aspicio, Oro, fiat illud quod tam sitio: Ut te revelata cernens facie, Visu sim beátus tuæ gloriæ. Amen Prostrate I adore Thee, Deity unseen, Who Thy glory hidest 'neath these shadows mean; Lo, to Thee surrendered, my whole heart is bowed, Tranced as it beholds Thee, shrined within the cloud. Taste, and touch, and vision, to discern Thee fail; Faith, that comes by hearing, pierces through the veil. I believe whate'er the Son of God hath told; What the Truth hath spoken, that for truth I hold. On the Cross lay hidden but thy Deity, Here is hidden also Thy Humanity: But in both believing and confessing, Lord, Ask I what the dying thief of Thee implored. Thy dread wounds, like Thomas, though I cannot see, His be my confession, Lord and God, of Thee, Make my faith unfeigned ever-more increase, Give me hope unfading, love that cannot cease. O memorial wondrous of the Lord's own death; Living Bread, that giveth all Thy creatures breath, Grant my spirit ever by Thy life may live, To my taste Thy sweetness never-failing give. Pelican of mercy, Jesus, Lord and God, Cleanse me, wretched sinner, in Thy Precious Blood: Blood where one drop for human-kind outpoured Might from all transgression have the world restored. Jesus, whom now veiled, I by faith descry, What my soul doth thirst for, do not, Lord, deny, That thy face unveiled, I at last may see, With the blissful vision blest, my God, of Thee. Amen I devoutly adore you, O hidden Deity, Truly hidden beneath these appearances. My whole heart submits to you, And in contemplating you, It surrenders itself completely. Sight, touch, taste are all deceived In their judgment of you, But hearing suffices firmly to believe. I believe all that the Son of God has spoken; There is nothing truer than this word of truth. On the cross only the divinity was hidden, But here the humanity is also hidden. I believe and confess both, And ask for what the repentant thief asked. I do not see the wounds as Thomas did, But I confess that you are my God. Make me believe more and more in you, Hope in you, and love you. O memorial of our Lord's death! Living bread that gives life to man, Grant my soul to live on you, And always to savor your sweetness. Lord Jesus, Good Pelican, wash me clean with your blood, One drop of which can free the entire world of all its sins. Jesus, whom now I see hidden, I ask you to fulfill what I so desire: That the sight of your face being unveiled I may have the happiness of seeing your glory. Amen

Music for Corpus Christi 1 - Lauda Sion

Sequence Lauda Sion from the Mass for the Feast of Corpus Christi

Corpus Christi

 

Hoc est enim Corpus Meum

 

 

O Sacrament most holy,

O Sacrament divine,

All praise and all thanksgiving

Be every moment Thine!

 

 

Happy Feast!

Thought-Provoking Stuff

Fr. Ray Blake has recently put up an interesting post concerning the devil, posession and exorcism.

One of the main themes seems to be the tendency not to notice the diabolic in the world because it seems trivial and commonplace. This is, of course, a trick of the devil: very few people would deliberately seek out and follow the obviously evil, but it is very easy for all of us to get taken in by those little things that 'chip away' at our relationship with God, or, put another way in the words of Pope Francis, which Fr. Blake quotes several times, 'If we are not praying to Christ, we are praying to the devil'.

Oh, and...er... did something happen in France?

On a more serious note than the last, related, post, it is interesting to see that now the French have sneaked in their same-sex marriage bill when no-one was looking - I'm sure history will remember your gallant action, Mr. Hollande - it is interesting to see that the Manif Pour Tous protests are happily being played down by the BBC - see Mulier Fortis on this - and by the French police. See also Fr. Tim's post.

I leave it up to your judgement as to what looks like the most accurate estimate:

'Tens of thousands' (BBC) ?

'150,000' (French Police) ?

'1 Million' (Manif Pour Tous) ?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Monty Python on Same-Sex Marriage

If the bill does become law, and if we are forced to teach about SSM in schools, perhaps we could use this video - I'm sure it makes a much better case than Terence Higgins, Stonewall, etc. :-)

The White Scapular of the Most Holy Trinity

I posted about this some time ago, and thought it might be apt to recall its significance both in the light of today's Feast, and also of recent events, particularly the atrocity in Woolwich a few days ago.

The White Scapular is the symbol of the Trinitarian order, and arose from the vision of St. John de Matha, in which he saw Christ chained between a Moor and a Christian. The order he founded, along with St. Felix de Valois, was originally aimed at the liberation of Christians who were at the time being held captive by the Moors in North Africa. Perhaps today the White Scapular could serve as a devotion against the sort of extremism which leads to events such as the murder in Woolwich.

Those enrolled with the scapular benefit from the prayers and privileges of the Trinitarian order, and can gain associated indulgences. The White Scapular forms part of the Five-Fold Scapular, and can also be substituted by the Scapular Medal. For more information about scapulars, see this article.

Trinity Sunday

 

 

The Holy Trinity is not an easy subject to blog on. First, where do you start? Perhaps something of a rhetorical trick question, as reflecting on any person of the Trinity inevitably leads us to the others. For example, we know God the Father though the teaching and works of God the Son, which we understand through the inspiration of God the Holy Spirit. Similarly, we pray to the Father, through the Son, in the unity of the Holy Spirit.

 

Another aspect of the Trinity is that it is possibly the greatest example of a mystery, in the spiritual sense, and as such, is in direct contrast to the position of the atheists and materialists who maintain that human reason alone will ultimately lead us to an understanding of everything. A mystery is defined as 'A truth which is above reason, but which has been revealed by God'. In other words, we can't work everything out for ourselves, or put another way, we can believe more than we can understand.

 

This is summed up in the legend in which St. Augustine, having been working on a book about the Trinity, is walking by the seashore and sees a small boy trying to empty the sea of water, using a spoon. When the Saint remarks on the futility of the task, he receives a reply to the effect that, 'I shall do this in less time than you will come to a full understanding of the Trinity'

 

 

So let's not get too worried when, at times, we find issues of our Faith hard to get to grips with. We need to trust in, and love, Our Lord, and accept that some things just are. They are because God wants it so, and sometimes it is beyond us to understand the 'how' and the 'why'.

 

 

Gloria Patri, et Filio, et Spiritui Sancto:

Sicut erat in principio, et nunc, et semper,

et in saecula saeculorum.

Amen.

 

Happy Feast!



 

 

 

Excellent Video of Usus Antiquior Mass

I came across the video below on Youtube today. I think it may be useful for those who are unfamiliar with the Traditional Latin Mass.

The video is in two parts, and shows Low Mass in its totality. The camera shots from behind the altar show the priest's actions which are often not seen by the conregation, although they are something that I am familiar with from serving, and they may help to enrich your understanding of Mass in this form.

 

Woolwich

I see that Fr. Tim has already posted on today's atrocity in Woolwich, and wish to join my prayers with his, not least because I was born in the town, and naturally feel some attachment to the place:-

First for the soul of the victim,

Requiem aeternum dona ei, Domine, et lux perpetua luceat ei: requiescat in pace. Amen.

Secondly that this does not spawn a new wave of violence in the town, which has just completed a period of rebuilding and settling after the riots of summer 2011.

Thirdly for our brethren of the Muslim faith living in the area, who claim the same God as we Christians, that they do not become victimised for the sake of a few whose beliefs and actions are far from typical of mainstream Islam.

Finally, to commend those who perpetrated the outrage. I cannot comment on the state of their souls, or their ultimate fate - I am not God. What I do know is that their souls have been seriously damaged by this action and are in dire risk, and that this is not the outcome that God made them for, even though His justice may mean that they are ultimately lost. What I also know is that I would sin against holy Charity were I to deliberately wish any soul to eternal damnation, the enormity of which we cannot begin to contemplate.Our Lord also told us to pray for our enemies. I therefore pray that God may find a way for them to acknowledge and repent of their sins, and ultimately return to Him.
These must surely be among the souls for whom Our Lady of Fatima asked our prayers when she requested the petition that many of us add to the decades of the Rosary:

O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of Hell. Lead all souls to Heaven, especially those who are in most need of Thy Mercy.

Not an easy thing to hear about, especially when it has occurred close to home, and within the octave of Pentecost, when we have just been recalling the Gifts of the Holy Spirit, to which today's events bear such a contrast.

Miserere Domine.

Sancta Maria, Regina pacis, Ora pro nobis.

 

O Mary! O Mother! Reign o'er us once more. Be England thy 'Dowry' as in days of yore.

Pentecost

Happy Feast!

Sequence 'Veni Sancte Spiritus' for Pentecost