He that dwelleth in the aid of the Most High, shall abide under the protection of the God of Jacob.
He shall say to the Lord: Thou art my protector and my refuge: my God, in Him will I trust
(Ps 90)
St. Stephen, the first deacon and the first martyr of the Christian Church, was stoned to death in Jerusalem on a false charge of blasphemy. Given the current plight of Christians in the Middle East, it is perhaps apt to invoke his prayers for their intentions.
St. Stephen is also one of my personal Patron Saints.
Yesterday evening, I received the news that Fr. Tim Finigan of The Hermeneutic of Continuity was in hospital following a minor heart attack. He has subsequently posted on his blog that he is ok but will need to rest for a little while. I would like to wish him a speedy recovery, and assure him that he is in my prayers.
I f you feel able, I would ask you to remember Fr. Tim in your prayers, and also the Parish Priest of Woolwich, who is currently ill with, I understand, one of the seasonal 'bugs' that are about this time of year, and the Parish Priest of Chislehurst, who has long-term health issues.
Today, the Church's Liturgical Year returns to the start, with the First Sunday of Advent, and we begin the season of preparation for the memorial of Our Lord's Nativity, and the celebration of the mystery of the Incarnation.
Here is the Introit for Mass in the Extraordinary Form:
The Anthem Rorate, Caeli enters the Prayer of the Church:
And the Marian Anthem that concludes the Office changes to the Alma Redemptoris Mater:
Finally, a little plug for, and thanks to, The Curt Jester, who has again made available his Advent Wreath graphic, which you can add to your blog, should you wish. I have already incorporated into my sidebar for the season.
Today is the Feast of Good "King" Wenceslaus, in fact a Duke, and now Patron Saint of Bohemia, the City of Prague, and, by extension, the whole Czech Republic. The following biography is taken from Catholic Online:
Patron saint of Bohemia, parts of Czech Republic, and duke of Bohemia frorn 924-929. Also called Wenceslas, he was born near Prague and raised by his grandmother, St. Ludmilla, until her murder by his mother, the pagan Drahomira. Wenceslaus's mother assumed the regency over Bohemia about 920 after her husband's death, but her rule was so arbitrary and cruel in Wenceslaus' name that he was compelled on behalf of his subjects to overthrow her and assume power for himself in 924 or 925. A devout Christian, he proved a gifted ruler and a genuine friend of the Church. German missionaries were encouraged, churches were built, and Wenceslaus perhaps took a personal vow of poverty Unfortunately, domestic events proved fatal, for in 929 the German king Heinrich I the Fowler (r. 919-936) invaded Bohemia and forced Wenceslaus to make an act of submission. This defeat, combined with his pro-Christian policies, led a group of non-Christian nobles to conspire against him. On September 28, 919, a group of knights under the leadership of Wenceslaus' brother Boreslav assassinated the saint on the doorstep of a church. Virtually from the moment of his death, Wenceslaus was considered a martyr and venerated as a saint. Miracles were reported at his tomb, and his remains were translated to the church of St. Vitus in Prague which became a major pilgrimage site. The feast has been celebrated at least since 985 in Bohemia, and he is best known from the Christmas carol "Good King Wenceslaus."
.. So an excuse for an unseasonal carol (and a rather interesting version):
Ora pro nobis
A happy Feast, especially to any Czech readers that I may have.
Recently, I posted about the tragic deaths of a number of our Muslim brethren in the accident involving a collapsing crane in Mecca at the height of their Hajj pilgrimage, and so it is with even greater sadness that I read yesterday evening of an even greater number of deaths in a mass stampede during another part of the same pilgrimage.
While I cannot agree with many of the tenets of Islam - to do so would be to deny my own Christian Faith - I do believe that the majority of Muslims are decent people, striving to follow many of the ideals that Christ Himself taught (after all, they regard Him as great prophet), and to find their way to God, or Allah as they would call Him, in the ways that they understand. I therefore pray that Our Lord, in His mercy will grant a way to Heaven to the many innocent souls who lost their bodily lives in Mecca, in the very act of aiming to give Him worship.
Today's Feast follows that of the Exaltation of the Cross, and recalls how Our Blessed Lady shared in the sufferings of her Divine Son, as was prophesied by the old man, Simeon, when Our Infant Lord was presented in the Temple:
"Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and a sign that is spoken against (and sword of sorrow will pierce through your own soul also), that thoughts out of many hearts may be revealed." (Luke 2:34-35)
The Seven Sorrows (or Dolours) of Our Blessed Mother are:
Simeon's prophecy itself;
The flight into Egypt (very pertinent at the moment, given the refugee crisis in the Middle East)
The loss of the child Jesus in the Temple for 3 days (a portent of His burial)
The meeting of Jesus and His Mother on the way to Calvary
The Crucifixion
The piercing of Christ's side and the placing of His dead body into Our Lady's arms
The burial of Jesus
These mysteries form the basis of the devotions of the Servite Order, and are particularly remembered via two of their sacramentals, the Dolour Rosary (a chaplet of seven parts, one for each Dolour, and each consisting of an Our Father and seven Hail Marys - see the picture), and the Black Scapular of Our Lady of Dolours (not to be confused with the Passionist Black Scapular), which also forms part of the Five-Fold Scapular, and entitles those who wear it worthily to the benefits of the prayers of the Order. I would commend both these devotions to you.
The Dolour Rosary
Finally, the hymn 'Stabat Mater', best known from the Stations of the Cross devotion, is also associated with this Feast, forming the Sequence at Mass.
Having heard the news of the tragic accident involving the collapse of a crane on the Grand Mosque in Mecca, at a time when the building was packed with Muslim pilgrims, I feel that of our charity we should pray for those of our Muslim brethren who are affected by this accident, those injured, and in particular those who have died as a result.
While we hear much about evil extremists claiming to operate in the name of Islam, my experience is that the majority of Muslims are decent, moral people, honestly striving to do what is good and right, and to find their way to God in the way that they believe and understand. I am quite sure that there will be a place in Heaven for many of these souls, and it is particularly apt to pray for them to get there in this Holy Year of Mercy, recently begun by Pope Francis.
Today is the Feast of St. Pius X, and may be an apt occasion to pray for the healing of schisms, particularly that which exists between the Church and members of the SSPX, that their Patron's intercession may lead to a softening of hardened hearts, and a return to the religious unity to which he was so dedicated.
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