Today, I witnessed a most profound thing. After the Mass today, the visiting celebrant after de-vesting, went out of the sacristy, out of the sanctuary, to a corner of the altar rails, knelt down and prayed before the Sacratissimum in the tabernacle. I'd never seen that before. The immediacy and humility of it all. God first, then pastoral duties.

That visiting priest was the Superior General of the Priestly Fraternity of St Peter.

That reminds me of another story I was told, of another priest, or a bishop rather, who gave to God first. That man was Fulton Sheen. At the conference of all the Bishops of the USA, he was asked to give the opening address, and in classic Sheen style, he told them, 'I am more influential than every single one of you. When I talk, people listen to me. Do you want to know why? Because, every morning, I spend one hour kneeling in front of the Blessed Sacrament.'

Truly inspiring!

Devotions for Communion.

Before Communion

Direct Your Intention
O Lord Jesus Christ, King of everlasting glory, behold I desire to come to Thee this day, and to receive Thy Body and Blood in this heavenly Sacrament, for Thy honour and glory, and the good of my soul. I desire to receive Thee, because it is Thy desire and Thou hast so ordained: blessed be Thy Name for ever. I desire to come to Thee like the Magadalen, that I may be delievered from all my evils, and embrace Thee, my only Good. I desire to come to Thee, that I may be happily united to Thee, that I may henceforth abide in Thee, and Thou in me; and that nothing in life or death may ever separate me from Thee.

Commemorate the Passion of Christ

I desire, in these holy Mysteries, to commemorate as Thou hast commanded, all Thy sufferings; Thine agony and bloody sweat; Thy being betrayed and apprehended; all the reproached and calumnies, all the scoffs and affronts, all the blows and buffets Thou hast endured for me; Thy being scourged, crowned with thorns, and loaded with a heavy cross for my sins, and for those of the whole world; Thy crucifixion and death, togther with Thy glorious Resurrection and trimphant Ascension. I adore Thee, and give Thee thanks for all that thou hast done and suffered for us, and for giving us in this Blessed Sacrament this pledge of our redemption, this Victim of our ransom, this Body and Blood which was offered us.

Act of Love

As the hart panteth after the fountains of water, so my soul panteth after Thee, O God! "My soul hath thirsted after the strong, living God; when shall I come and appear before the face of God?" "For what have I in heaven? And besides Thee, what do I desire on earth?" Let blind and infatuated worldlings intoxicate themselves with the false, transient, and fading happiness of this life; for my part, nothing besides Thyself can content me, either in heaven or on earth. Come then, O Thou Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world! Come, Thou beloved of my heart! Adorable Flesh and precious Blood of my Saviour! Come, to nourish, comfort, and enliven my sickly soul. O God of my heart! Let me neither love, seek, nor think of any other object but Thyself alone; for Thou alone art my consolation, my treasure, my joy, my life, my all!

"My heart and my flesh have rejoiced in the living God... Thou art, O Lord of hosts! My King and my God!" "Who will give me wings like a dove and I will fly and be at rest!"

Act of Humility

O GOD of sanctity! Who am I, that Thou shouldst come to me? "The heavens are not pure in Thy sight," and wilt Thou dwell in my heart? "Lord! I am not worthy that Thou shouldst enter under my roof." The consciousness of my unworthiness would prompt me to exclaim: "Depart from me, O Lord! For I am a sinner." But oh, the wonderful condescension of Thy love! Thy pressing invitation encourages me, and dispels my fears. "Here I am, for Thou didst call me." Come then, O Jesus! Take possession of a heart that wishes to belong to Thee. "Behold! They that go far from Thee shall perish." But, O my God! this house of my heart is too narrow for Thee: do Thou enlarge it; it is falling to ruin; do Thou repair it; it has been defiled by sin: do Thou cleanse and purify it. Look Thou upon me, and have mercy on me. Oh, heal my soul, for I have sinned against Thee! Let Thy tender mercies come unto me, and I shall live! Lord! I am not worthy that Thou shouldst enter under my roof; say but the word, and my soul shall be healed.

Prayer of St Thomas Aquinas

Almighty and Eternal God, behold I come to the sacrament of Your only-begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. As one sick I come to the Physician of life; unclean, to the Fountain of mercy; blind, to the Light of eternal splendor; poor and needy to the Lord of heaven and earth. Therefore, I beg of You, through Your infinite mercy and generosity, heal my weakness, wash my uncleanness, give light to my blindness, enrich my poverty, and clothe my nakedness. May I thus receive the Bread of Angels, the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords, with such reverence and humility, contrition and devotion, purity and faith, purpose and intention, as shall aid my soul’s salvation.

Grant, I beg of You, that I may receive not only the Sacrament of the Body and Blood of our Lord, but also its full grace and power. Give me the grace, most merciful God, to receive the Body of your only Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, born of the Virgin Mary, in such a manner that I may deserve to be intimately united with His mystical Body and to be numbered among His members. Most loving Father, grant that I may behold for all eternity face to face Your beloved Son, whom now, on my pilgrimage, I am about to receive under the sacramental veil, who lives and reigns with You, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, world without end. Amen.

Prayers After Communion

Prayer of St Thomas Aquinas

I thank You, Lord, Almighty Father, Everlasting God, for having been pleased, through no merit of mine, but of Your great mercy alone, to feed me, a sinner, and Your unworthy servant, with the precious Body and Blood of Your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. I pray that this Holy Communion may not be for my judgment and condemnation, but for my pardon and salvation. Let this Holy Communion be to me an armor of faith and a shield of good will, a cleansing of all vices, and a rooting out of all evil desires. May it increase love and patience, humility and obedience, and all virtues. May it be a firm defense against the evil designs of all my visible and invisible enemies, a prefect quieting of all the desires of soul and body. May this Holy Communion bring about a perfect union with You, the one true God, and at last enable me to reach eternal bliss when You will call me. I pray that You bring me, a sinner, to the indescribable Feast where You, with Your Son and the Holy Spirit, are to Your saints true light, full blessedness, everlasting joy, and perfect happiness. Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen

Anima Christi

Soul of Christ, sanctify me.

Body of Christ, save me.

Blood of Christ, inebriate me.

Water from the side of Christ, wash me.

Passion of Christ, strengthen me.

O good Jesus, hear me.

Within Thy wounds, hide me.

Suffer me not to be separated from Thee.

From the malignant enemy defend me.
In the hour of my death call me.

And bid me come to Thee.
That with Thy Saints I may praise Thee

For ever and ever. Amen.

Prayer of St Bonadventure

Pierce, O most sweet Lord Jesus, my inmost soul with the most joyous and healthful wound of Thy love, and with true, calm and most holy apostolic charity, that my soul may ever languish and melt with entire love and longing for Thee, may yearn for Thee and for thy courts, may long to be dissolved and to be with Thee.
Grant that my soul may hunger after Thee, the Bread of Angels, the refreshment of holy souls, our daily and super substantial bread, having all sweetness and savor and every delightful taste.
May my heart ever hunger after and feed upon Thee, Whom the angels desire to look upon, and may my inmost soul be filled with the sweetness of Thy savor; may it ever thirst for Thee, the fountain of life, the fountain of wisdom and knowledge, the fountain of eternal light, the torrent of pleasure, the fullness of the house of God;
may it ever compass Thee, seek Thee, find Thee, run to Thee, come up to Thee, meditate on Thee, speak of Thee, and do all for the praise and glory of Thy name, with humility and discretion, with love and delight, with ease and affection, with perseverance to the end; and be Thou alone ever my hope, my entire confidence, my riches, my delight, my pleasure, my joy, my rest and tranquility, my peace, my sweetness, my food, my refreshment, my refuge, my help, my wisdom, my portion, my possession, my treasure; in Whom may my mind and my heart be ever fixed and firm and rooted immovably. Amen

Prayer of St Augustine

Before Thy eyes, O Lord, we bring our offences, and we compare them with the stripes we have received.
If we consider the evil we have wrought, what we suffer is little, what we deserve is great.
What we have committed is very grave, what we have suffered is very slight.
We feel the punishment of sin, yet withdraw not from the obstinacy of sinning.
Under Thy lash our inconstancy is visited, but our sinfulness is not changed.
Our suffering soul is tonnented, but our neck is not bent.
Our life groans under sorrow, yet mends not in deed.
If Thou spare us we correct not our ways: if Thou punish we cannot endure it.
In time of correction we confess our wrong-doing: after Thy visitation we forget that we have wept.
If Thou stretchest forth Thy hand we promise amendment; if Thou withholdest the sword we keep not our promise.
If Thou strikest we cry out for mercy: if Thou sparest we again provoke Thee to strike.
Here we are before Thee, O Lord, shameless criminals: we know that unless Thou pardon we shall deservedly perish.
Grant then, almighty Father, without our deserving it, the pardon we ask for; Thou who madest out of nothing those who ask Thee.
Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

V. Deal not with us, O Lord, according to our sins.
R. Neither requite Us according to our iniquities.

Let us pray.

O God, Who by sin art offended and by penance pacified, mercifully regard the prayers of Thy suppliant people, and turn away the scourges of Thy wrath, which we deserve for our sins. Through Christ our Lord. R. Amen.

Obsecro Te

I Beseech Thee,
most sweet Lord Jesus Christ,
that Thy Passion may be to me power
by which I may be strengthened,
protected and defended.

May Thy wounds be to me food
and drink by which I may be nourished,
inebriated, and delighted.

May the sprinkling of Thy Blood be to me
an ablution for all my sins.

May Thy death prove for me unfailing life,
and may Thy Cross be to me eternal glory.

In these be my refreshment,
joy, health, and delight of my heart:
Thou who livest and reignest forever.

Amen.

Act of Resignation to the Divine Wall

O Lord my God, I now at this moment, readily and willingly accept at Thy hand whatever kind of death it may please The to send me, with all its pains, penalties and sorrows.

Indulgence Prayer Before a Crucifix

(En ego, O bene et dulcissime Iesus)

BEHOLD, O good and sweetest Jesus,
I cast myself upon my knees in Thy sight,
and with the most fervent desire of my soul
I pray and beseech Thee
to impress upon my heart
lively sentiments of faith,
hope and charity,
with true repentance for my sins
and a most firm desire of amendment:
whilst with deep affection and grief of soul
I consider within myself
and mentally contemplate Thy five most precious Wounds,
having before mine eyes that which David, the prophet,
long ago spoke in Thine own person concerning Thee,
my Jesus: “They have pierced My hands and My feet,
they have numbered all My bones.”

A Universal Prayer For All Things Necessary to Salvation

O my God, I believe in Thee; do Thou strengthen my faith. All my hopes are in Thee; do Thou secure them. I love Thee with my whole heart; teach me to love Thee daily more and more. I am sorry that I have offended Thee; do Thou increase my sorrow.
I adore Thee as my first beginning; I aspire after Thee as my last end. I give Thee thanks as my constant benefactor; I call upon Thee as my sovereign protector.
Vouchsafe, O my God, to conduct me by Thy wisdom, to restrain me by Thy justice, to comfort me by Thy mercy, to defend me by Thy power.
To Thee I desire to consecrate all my thoughts, words, actions, and sufferings; that henceforward I may think only of Thee, speak of Thee, refer all my actions to Thy greater glory, and suffer willingly whatever Thou shallt appoint.
Lord, I desire that in all thigs Thy will may be done, because it is Thy will, and in the manner that Thou willest.
I beg of Thee to enlighten my understanding, to inflame my heart, to purify my body, and to sanctify my soul.
Give me strength, O my God, to expiate my offenses, to overcome my temptations, to subdue my passions, and to acquire the virtues proper for my state.
Fill my heart with tender affection for Thy goodness, hatred of my faults, love of my neighbor, and contempt of the world.
Let me always remember to be submissive to my superiors, condescending to my inferiors, faithful to my freinds, and charitable to my enemies.
Assist me to overcome sensuality by mortification, avarice by alms-deeds, anger by meekness, and tepidity by devotion.
O my God, make me prudent in my undertakings, courageous in dangers, patient in affliction, and humble in prosperity.
Grant hat I may be ever attentive at my prayers, temperate at my meals, diligent at my employments, and constant in my resolutions.
Let my conscience be ever upright and pure, my exterior modest, my conversation edifying, and my comportment regular.
Assist me that I may continually labor to overcome nature, to correspond with Thy grace, to keep Thy commandments, and to work out my salvation.
Discover to me, O my God, the nothingness of this world, the greatness of heaven, the shortness of time, and the length of eternity.
Grant that I may prepare for death; that I may fear Thy judgments, escape hell, and in the end obtain heaven; through Jesus Christ, my Lord. Amen.

5 Ways to Get the Most Out of Mass

I am writing today because I can no longer study for the rest of the night. Not that I’ve actually finished much work, but it’s a combination of the remaining holiday inertia and forgetting to bring my ADHD meds to Dublin.

Anyway, I am writing because I feel that the average Catholic has a very poor idea of what he is doing at Holy Mass, but on some level desires for much more. If this is you, my dear reader, then please read on and consider what advice I have to offer. If it is not, then please do it share it with a friend who could use it. Now, I shall attempt to keep this as succinct and concise as I can, a great feat if one considers how verbose I usually am.

A priest on youtube once commented how youth find the Mass boring, to which he replied, ‘No, the Mass isn’t boring, YOU’RE BORING!’ When you consider it, the Mass is just about the greatest, most exciting thing in the entire universe. Well, in fact, it actually is. It the very sacrifice of the Saviour of the World, for the redemption of mankind, unfolding, mystically, before your eyes. It is an opportunity for you to enter into the court of God, and hold an audience with Him. So, if you find it boring, then you’re probably a boring person. How can you fix that? Be pro-active in your preparation for Mass. Here are 5 ways to get the most of Mass.

I. PREPARE FOR MASS.

Mass should be the centre of your life, especially on a Sunday. Get into the habit of planning your Sunday around Mass and not the other way around. Don’t just decide to hear the evening Mass on Saturday or Sunday because you want to sleep in. Make sure you dress well, you are going to be in presence of the your Creator and of the whole universe, if you think he’s important, then dress well. Dress modestly too, then you won’t distract people and you won’t worry about people staring at you. That includes the boys as well, who enjoy spray painting their t-shirts onto themselves.

Go for Confession before Mass! Right before Mass if possible, if not, at least 24 hours before. This will get you in the right disposition for Mass and to receive Holy Communion. It will ensure, beyond a doubt that your soul is in a state of sanctifying grace. If you think this is too serious, well, sure if you’re absolutely sure you haven’t sinned all week. Do remember that you are receiving the most sacred (Sacratissimum), you should make sure that you are pure and in sanctifying grace. After all, you are about to become a living Tabernacle for the Sacratissimum. The Holy Church requires that the Sacred Vessels use to contain our Blessed Lord must be made purely of precious metals, that is gold or silver, where possible. And if it is not, then they should be of metal, with the inside gilded and plated with gold. If, Holy Mother Church goes through so much trouble to ensure that her Thrice Holy Spouse is well handled when He visits upon the altar, what more can you do to make yourself as pure as possible to contain the most Sacred? Go for confession.

That means you should be at Church early! Try to get there ten to fifteen minutes before Mass starts; more if you need to go for confession, so that you can pray and put yourself in the right disposition for Mass. Remember, you are not there to attend Mass, you are there to ASSIST at Mass, together with the priest, in offering it for intentions of Christ and other immortal holy souls. Here are some prayers that you can say before Mass in preparation for communion and after receiving communion. Copy and paste them into a word processor and print them out, and always take them with you to Mass.

II. GET A HAND MISSAL.

You can find most of these in a good hand missal. The 1962 hand missals usually have these prayers before communion. For the Mass in the Ordinary Form, I recommend the CTS Missal. It is very good and comes in both a Sunday and Daily Missal format.

A missal also comes in handy as it allows you to properly follow the priest as he prays. St Leonard teaches that one way to assist at Mass is to pray along with the priest. You cannot do that passively listening to what he says unless you have eidetic memory. So, you’ll need a missal. The Saint also teaches that the other way to pray is to know what the priest is praying for an offer our own prayers for the same thing along with the priest. I can imagine St Thérèse doing that. To do that you'll...need your a missal.

If your church provides a missal in the pews, you can use that temporarily, but having your own is most beneficial. It is yours and it is personal, you will know where everything is in that missal, the location of all the prayers and so on. These missals also usually provide little tidbits of information, prayers and devotions and so on. For example, My Baronius has all the important things a Catholic needs to know like the six precepts of the Church, the four cardinal virtues, the ten commandments, etc.

Now, they are not cheap, and may cost up to $100, but they will last you for decades, and the spiritual graces you will get out of using them will outweigh the cost price. Don’t stinge on God and your salvation.

Also, you may have now realised that you might actually have to lug the book to Mass every time you go. Such a chore, you might think, especially you boys who don’t have handbags and don’t like the thought of carrying a bag everywhere. Well man up kids! That missal is like 500g; Christ carried a 200kg cross so that He could see you in heaven. Don’t disappoint Him.

III. BE PRESENT AT THE CONSECRATION

Whether or not you are receiving communion (yes! It is NOT necessary to receive communion every week, or every time you are at Holy Mass; though it is a good practice and one that MUST be supplemented by regular confession), pay attention during the consecration of the bread and wine into the most delightful and Holy Body and Blood of Christ your saviour. This is the most important part of the Mass. The Crux of it all.

When the priest bows to say the words of consecration, bow with him, when he elevates the Sacratissimum after consecration, he is offering up Christ, the perfect and spotless sacrifice, to God the Father. Look up and adore your God and whisper, ‘MY LORD AND MY GOD!’ and mean it with all your heart.

Do the same thing at the elevation of the chalice containing the precious blood, this time whispering, ‘Be mindful, O Lord, of thy creature, whom thou has redeemed through thy most precious blood.’

This is precisely the moment that Christ Himself has become fully and supernaturally present on the altar. The bells ring and draw our attention to this so that we may adore Him as the priest offers this sacrifice to God the Father and the angels hastily take it to heaven.

IV. RECEIVE COMMUNION KNEELING AND ON THE TONGUE

Contrary to René Descartes’ popular philosophy, we are not the separation of our body and soul, mind and spirit. They are one. That is we are body and soul, mind and spirit, and therefore we must not only use our soul, mind and spirit in the worship of God (the interior things), but also our bodies in our worship (the exterior). St Thomas teaches that the interior acts of worship are expressed through our exterior acts and that is why, you kneel throughout consecration, and you bow when the priest genuflects or bows before the most Blessed Sacrament (except when he is leaving the sanctuary, that is at the start and end of Mass).

Which brings me to the most difficult suggestion. Receive communion in the preferred and traditional way of the Holy Mother Church: kneeling and on the tongue. Yes, it is going to be difficult, but if you try it out for a month, you will find your appreciation of the Mass and of God will change. If not, I will buy you dinner. Here are some video reasons, since we all have short attention spans, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jii6NCfTW68 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXzsyuytMlQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ap1KL2D5ae4

That’s a bishop, TWO cardinals and THE POPE who are saying receive communion on the tongue. If that's not enough, here are more reasons: http://www.communion-in-the-hand.org/videos.html

When we kneel, we remind ourselves that we are before God Himself. When we receive communion on the tongue, we remind ourselves of our humility, and complete dependence of Christ, represented by His Holy Priest. The truth about that the Blessed Sacrament is truly Christ Himself will always be so, regardless of whether we believe in it. As being of perception, we need to continuously remind ourselves of this truth, and that is through the actions we perform when we receive this most sacred gift. Being fed brings us back to that CHILDLIKE nature crucial for salvation. Being fed allows us to submit ourselves to Christ!

Also, we remind ourselves of our unworthiness to receive Christ, and we remind ourselves of the dignity and privilege afforded to His chosen priests. Our hands are unclean and unconsecrated and unworthy. 'Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only to say the words and my soul shall be healed.' How blessed are the hands of whom Christ has chosen to hold Him.

I know this is very difficult for some people to do initially, however, it is an opportunity to open your heart to Christ and to ask Him for the grace and courage to deny oneself and to die to oneself for Him. I will pray for you too.

V. LEARN ABOUT THE MASS.

You have been given the gift of intelligence, enough that you can read and understand texts, like this article. So it is obligatory for you to use this gift from God to learn more about His Holy Mass. Here is a good website, it is a book by DOM Prosper Guéranger. It explains the Tridentine Mass though. However, the current Mass is a development from the Tridentine, and has left out some parts. Understanding the Tridentine Mass will allow you to understand the current Mass. It is a very good read.

Also, I recommend getting a copy of St Leonard’s The Hidden Treasure and the Pope’s book, Spirit in the Liturgy.

Here is Archbishop Fulton Sheen explaining the meaning of Masshttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UabMF-8uXxg
And describing the various parts of Mass http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6AOvStZS64

Try all these things out for a month, and see if your appreciation of Mass improves. Most importantly, pray and ask God to give you the grace to appreciate His Holy Mass better.

The Universality of the One True Church.

The third mark of the true Church as professed in the Nicene Creed is that it is ‘Catholic’, from the greek καθολικός, meaning ‘universal’. This is what I love about her, she is the universal Church, a church for all. She provides a means of salvation for everyone, sinners and saints, regardless of colour, language, culture, or depth of depravity. To each one of these, she provides the same means of salvation: the thrice holy sacrifice of the God-Man, Jesus Christ, in the Mass.

Many, many people with good intentions misunderstand this one fact of the universality of the one true Church. They understand the term to mean ecumenism, acceptance, multiculturalism and plurality of practice. Many of the Catholics I have spoken to keep this weird notion of many roads to salvation, many different spiritual practices. For those enjoy it, there is the Latin Mass, and the rest who want to understand what is going on can attend Mass in the vernacular. Those appreciate it can have chant at Mass, the rest can have praise and worship songs or hymns. Even worse are the ones who don’t believe in the superiority of the Catholic Church over all other religions.

I had a very disturbing conversation with a priest about the starting a Catholic Society in School, and he was not to happy that I wanted to make the liturgy and prayer the foundation and cornerstone of the group. He was worried that people with other spiritual inclinations, like providing care for the others, and corporal acts of mercy would get side lined. The childish pluralistic idea that Catholicism is a buffet with something for everyone!

No, the universality of the Church is not a buffet with things to chose from, the universality of the Church is that there is one sure way to salvation, the cross. To put God at the centre of one’s life, to be completely obedient to the divine will, to go for Mass and receive communion. ‘He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath everlasting life: and I will raise him up in the last day’. That is the Holy Mass. The religious orders are all the same, the Mass and prayer, and obedience to the divine will are at the centre of these orders, regardless of the minor differences in their expression of spirituality. The Little Sisters of the Poor, in keeping Christ at the centre of their lives, would put down their spoons during feeding time when the bell for prayer rang. In a letter to her sister, there is evidence that St Thérèse of Liseux put down her pen in midstroke to obey the bell.

That is the true universality of the Church, the one means to salvation, through Christ, her spouse. It doesn’t matter if one attends the Novus Ordo in English or the Tridentine Mass in Latin; they are the same Mass. That sacrifice is the one and the same sacrifice of Christ on Calvary. And, there could never be anything less exciting than the Mass. The Mass is where one finds Christ, truly present, in the most Blessed Sacrament! Assisting at Mass is where we participate together with the Christ in the salvation and conversion of souls! The Mass is where you get to meet your God, the God who created everything and everyone in the world, with love, regardless of their belief in Him. If anyone is to be converted to the truth, to belief in Christ, it would not be through endless hours of theological debate, it will be through the graces earned the Holy Mass.

And that is what we as youth need! What we want! Enough of this nonsense of making Mass accessible to youth! Enough of appealing to our hormonal emotions and desire for endorphins. Give us Christ! Give us His Mass in all its splendour! Teach it to us! Enough of bishops, priests and religious camouflaging themselves in civilian attire! Are they not the spouses of Christ, why do they not wear the very wedding gowns and collars that symbolize their fidelity and submission to Him? People complain that they won’t be able to appreciate chant, they won’t be able to understand the Mass if it was in Latin. Then learn about it! Listen to it, read up about it. We live in a world where all these things are accessible to us via a few keystrokes. So if it is inaccessible to you, it is only because you are lazy. That’s why. Why do you not make the effort to learn about the most exciting thing in your life: Christ? And if you are not excited, perhaps you should ask yourself, is Christ really the centre of my life?

Stop waiting around for Christ to come down and teach it to you Himself. He has already come once for our redemption. The next time He comes will be at the of time, to judge the living and the dead. Do really want to wait that long to learn more about Him? It will soon be a lent, what a better time to reconcile with Him and learn about his sacrifice!

‘Ask and ye shall receive’.

Mad Girl's Love Song

Slyvia Plath

"I shut my eyes and all the world drops dead;
I lift my lids and all is born again.
(I think I made you up inside my head.)

The stars go waltzing out in blue and red,
And arbitrary blackness gallops in:
I shut my eyes and all the world drops dead.

I dreamed that you bewitched me into bed
And sung me moon-struck, kissed me quite insane.
(I think I made you up inside my head.)

God topples from the sky, hell's fires fade:
Exit seraphim and Satan's men:
I shut my eyes and all the world drops dead.

I fancied you'd return the way you said,
But I grow old and I forget your name.
(I think I made you up inside my head.)

I should have loved a thunderbird instead;
At least when spring comes they roar back again.
I shut my eyes and all the world drops dead.
(I think I made you up inside my head.)"

Prayer When Unable to Assist at Daily Mass

Go, my Angel Guardian dear,
To church for me, -----the Mass to hear.
Go, kneel devoutly at my place
And treasure for me every grace.
At the Offertory time
Please offer me to God Divine.
All I have and all I am,
Present it with the Precious Lamb.
Adore for me the great Oblation.
Pray for all I hold most dear
Be they far or be they near.
Rmember too, my own dear dead
For whom Christ's Precious Blood was shed.
And at Communion bring to me
Christ's Flesh and Blood, my food to be.
To give me strength and holy grace
A pledge to see Him face to face
And when the Holy Mass is done
Then with His blessing, come back home.

I found this prayer at www.catholictradition.org. is very cute, no?

The Spirit of the Law Argument.

The ‘Spirit’ of the Law Argument

The ‘Spirit’ of the Law argument is an argument that a modernist relatafish (spineless relativistic fish) brings up whenever you discuss current problems within the Church with them. It goes something like this:

Practising Catholic (PCat): I wish the parish priest would stop calling the children up the sanctuary to hold hands during the Our Father. It’s grave liturgical abuse and shouldn’t be done.

Relatafish (R. fish): Why not? I think it’s wonderful! It gives the children a great opportunity to get close to the priest. I don’t see why you’re so upset.

PCat: Because it’s grave liturgical abuse! The rubrics don’t call for it, and it does nothing for the children except to teach them there is no such thing as sacred space. No wonder no one has any respect for Mass anymore.

R. fish: so what if it’s not in the rubrics, it’s not like it’s hurting anyone. Besides, maybe he doesn’t know. I mean, he has the best intentions right?

PCat: It doesn’t matter whether he has the best intentions, he should know that it’s abuse. What do they teach in seminary? Even if he doesn’t, he knows he’s disobeying the instructions in the Roman Missal. He’s putting his soul and all our souls at risk!

R. fish: Who are you to judge him, man? You just think that way cause it’s not traditional, don’t you? Well, you remember what Jesus said about the pharisees? They followed the letter of the law to the fullest extent but without following any of the spirit. Father might not be following the letter of the law, but at least he is following the spirit of it. What’s the point of following the letter if you don’t follow the spirit of the law? I mean look at you, bowing during the creed, kneeling to receive communion on the tongue. These are just actions dude, God sees what’s in the heart. Don’t be so judgemental Faithful Practising Catholic. Next, you’re gonna tell me that I’ll going to go to hell for sleeping with my girlfriend.

PCat: Uh, yes. The Church teaches that sex outside of marriage is a mortal sin. If you die in a state of mortal sin you’ll go straight to hell. You should go for confession and stop sleeping with her. Don’t you care about your immortal soul?

R. fish: There you go again. Look, we love each other right? So what’s the big deal. I’m going to marry her anyway. You and all your rules. You should really focus more on the spirit of the law man. I mean God, knows that we love each other, and if we’re doing wrong he’ll forgive us right?

PCat: Right…Say, isn’t that your girlfriend over there? Who’s that guy she’s holding hands with?

The problem with this argument is that the Spirit of the law cannot exist on it’s own. The Church rarely does things in an either/or fashion, as the protestants do, rather a lot of things are both/and. Likewise, the spirit of the law complements the letter of the law. One cannot follow one without the other. Both are needed for the person to grow.

Let’s have a look at the traditional way of receiving communion.

I once brought this topic up in a group of friends, and one relatafish told the rest of the group, ‘Ya, you can do that if you want to be more holy. You don’t have to otherwise, God sees what’s in your heart.’ That’s the ‘Spirit’ of the Law argument at play. Are we not at Church so that we can be more Holy, since Holiness is the only path to heaven, and eternal life with God?

The letter of the law says that the traditional AND preferred way of receiving communion is on the tongue, while kneeling. The letter of the law says that our hands are not consecrated and we are unworthy to touch the body of Christ, who is God. This also prevents anyone running off with the Blessed Sacrament, or having it fall to the floor. http://www.ewtn.com/library/curia/cdwmemor.htm

The real spirit of the law says we need receive communion on the tongue, while kneeling, as a sign of humility that we lower ourselves before the Lord, Our God. The kneeling allows us to adore and revere Him, while receiving on the tongue reminds us that we need to be child-like and be completely dependent on Him.

They work together, hand in hand, to develop in us a proper disposition towards the Blessed Sacrament.

In the words of my good friend, you need the letter of the law to grow in knowledge, and the spirit of the law for your soul to grow. If you only have one, you cannot grow and you will become stunted.

Is your spiritual life stunted? Perhaps you should try receiving communion on the tongue, while kneeling for month. If you don’t notice a difference in your attitude toward the most Blessed Sacrament, I’ll buy you dinner.

Oh btw, the Pope says communion on the tongue is all cool. You can tell, he only distributes it that way.

5 Reasons Why Altar Servers are Cool.

Sorry ladies, this one is for the boys. Now, now before you start complaining about gender equality and all that, you may want to understand that these fine lads, your friends, are putting themselves in serious danger. I mean, the whole reason for allowing young boys to put on cassocks at serve at the Lord’s altar is to foster a religious vocation to the priesthood. Also, you may want to drop that gender sociology class, it’s all whack.

Yes, that’s right, to foster Christ’s call to men to join His blessed apostles in His divine ministry. That’s a life of celibacy, servitude, long years of philosophical and theological study, getting up at the break of dawn to pray the divine office and never really clocking off the job. Don’t forget having to put up with satan’s constant pranks. Don’t worry guys, you have someone far more powerful watching over you.

I’m sure you ladies have far more important things to do in your desire to consecrate your lives to serving Christ, like helping Him make more priests so that there’ll be more Masses and confessions. Anyway, you know how men always need extra help doing things…right? And besides, I don’t think you really want to wear the same thing every day do you? (or…if you do)

So anyway, here’re the five.

1. The cassock makes you look über cool and manly. If you don’t believe me, check out Christian Bale. Or Father Dwight Longenecker
It may be long and flowy, but it’s really difficult to look girly in a cassock, especially if it’s black.

2. Being an Altar Server makes you manly. I remember, a long, long time ago, when I was but a wee lad, about the age of seven, all I wanted to do was be an Altar Boy. They were so cool, in the cassocks, doing things in sanctuary, helping the priest, and also helping God. I had to wait so long before I could start, like a whole entire year until I received First Holy Communion to join. Can you imagine the agony? A whole year (I was seven, give me a break, a whole year was like a seventh of my life). The older kids were like giants and we looked up to them. Even the things they did were manly, the president at that time was a commando during national service. How cool is that? When I finally got in, I was like woooooooah. The point is, a senior altar server has responsibilities, you will be responsible for guiding your little ones to becoming gentlemen.

And if you’re really good, you get to wear bling during mass.

Plus, You’ll also teach how to start and play with fires, which brings me to my next point.

3. One word: THURIFER. Remember how when you were young, you always wanted to play with fire and couldn’t? Well now, you can, and you get great smelling smoke too. Come on guys, who doesn’t think that swinging a giant metal case with hot coals and sweet smelling smoking come out of it is not cool? That was about the coolest thing ever, you lead the procession and get to smoke the priests and servers and people. And if you really good, you get to try tricks.

If that’s not cool enough, have you heard of the botafumeiro?

Okay, I’ll be a bit more serious now.

4. A chance to get really close to the Blessed Sacrament. You know how, during Mass, the Priest consecrates the host, and turns the bread into the actual Body of Christ, and then you quietly say, ‘My Lord and my God.’? (I’m sure you do), and then it hits you, and you’re like, ‘O MY BRONTOSAURUS!!!!! GOD IS RIGHT THERE IN FRONT OF ME! I AM BEFORE GOD, SO COMPLETELY UNWORTHY AND SINFUL AND GOD IS THERE!?' Then you stare in deep adoration, dumbfounded in awe and wonder at the most beautiful Blessed Sacrament that the priest is elevating for a few seconds? (Repeat for Blessed Blood, except say, ‘O Lord, be mindful of Thy creature whom Thou has redeemed through Thy most precious blood.’) And that’s when you’re sitting all the way at the back of church. Now, imagine that while being right up there in front of the altar, especially at low Mass. Ya, I know, it seems kind of silly. Since, you get right up close and personal when you receive communion, but you have to admit, it’s a whole different experience.

5. You’ll learn more about Mass than you ever did in catechism. If you’re like me, then you probably didn’t learn anything from those ten years in catechism class every Sunday. It’s not your fault that the catechist didn’t think it was important to teach you about the perils of mortal sin or tell you cool stories about how Santa Claus layeth the smackdown upon a naughty heretic during the Council of Nicea.

They probably thought it was better to teach you things like God is all loving and merciful, and then leave out all the other important things you need to learn, like how to actually attend Mass.

Besides, cat class wasn’t a complete was of time. The IJ girls were cute and so easy to tease right? I digress… But, we as Catholics have an obligation to know more or less how and why Mass works, so we can stick it to our protestant friends that we have real presence (with charity and kindness of course).

Serving Mass honestly helped me to gain a better appreciation of it. At least, by the time I was confirmed, I knew what a ciborium, chalix and monstrance were. Since then, I have learned a lot more about Mass and why it’s so important to our faith. So, important that the Pope tells people to go learn more about Mass and put the liturgy at the centre of their lives. This honestly saved my soul. If not for these basic tenants of truth to draw me back into the arms of Holy Mother Church when I had gone astray, I am sure I would have lost my soul by now.

So, I hope I have convinced you. And if you’re old like me, don’t let that stop you from learning to serve Mass. You know, how you join that happy clappy Catholic Students Society in school and then, they always have these private Masses? Ya, those need servers too. Or, if you really want to do it, I’m sure the 7am Mass at your local parish is looking for servers.

Someone said the Catholic Church doesn't give you a personal relationship with God.

A while ago, a friend, who is exploring the Catholic Church, texted me in great distress about how her friend had told her that if she wanted to develop a ‘personal’ relationship with God, she should join the protestant church, his church, because the protestants focus more on the compassionate side of God, while the Church focuses on revering God, thus the protestant atmosphere would be much more beneficial in her journey towards faith.

This poor child could not be further from the truth! Unfortunately, he’s not alone. And, by not alone, I don’t mean the hordes of other protestants with no real understanding of the Church; save the nonsense told them by their pastors which they got from their pastors, who got it from their pastors (who got it from their pastors, who got it from Luther, but I digress). Sadly, there are many of us Catholics out there who think the same way, and they have tried to infuse these protestant ideas into the Church. So, if she might not notice the difference in some churches, we are to blame.

If you don’t believe me, have a look for yourself. Can you guess which one is Catholic?



So here, are three reasons why he’s wrong:

1. The Church was set up by God Himself, and so, is the One True Church. The doctrines, dogmas and traditions that She teaches have been handed to Her by God Himself, and have remained unchanged for almost two thousand years. Therefore, only She possesses the fullest truth. The protestants broke away and started dropping truths and doctrines like hot potatoes. Thus, if you really want to get to know God, you know where to go.

When Luther decided to abandon the authority of the Church and dropped all Her traditions. He then left the poor protestants with just the bible and gave them authority to interpret it. Unfortunately, the bible isn’t a straight forward book to interpret, it’s a literary masterpiece, chock full of large scoops of allegory and metaphor. So, essentially, Luther left the protestants and their descendants with this book of lecture notes from God and without the lecturer to explain it. Just imagine the chaos that transpired, headless students running all over the place, and now you have 38,000 different protestant denominations. They all have differing opinions, so which is the actual truth? They can’t all be true.

That is not to say that one can’t get to know God outside of the Church. You can; which is how a lot of people end inside the Church, but outside, you just won’t get to know Him as well.

Oh ya, The Church is not a denomination. It is THE Church.

He was one of them, decided we had more truth, then, became a Cardinal and a Saint. Hoo-hah.

2. We have the Holy Sacrifice of Mass.
The protestants have all these passionate sermons by their pastors with energetic praise and worship music so that everyone can jump about and then go to their cell groups to discuss bible verses. There, they pray to God and He speaks to them through their feeligns. And then, they go passionately live their lives as Christians. (Also, they might talk in gibberish from time to time)

That’s a pretty attractive and tough game to beat. We only have the Holy Mass after all. It’s so boring and repetitive and I don’t know why mummy drags me there every Sunday. And, the priest keeps giving lame homilies about how the lesson of the gospel is like a highlighter or other various stationary! How am I ever going to get to know God? Besides, he never talks to me like he does to my protestant friends.

But wait….

WE HAVE THE HOLY MASS!

God knows that you need to get to know Him and love Him, he created you for the very purpose! So, out of compassion, He created Holy Mother Church, instituted Holy Mass and commissioned His apostles to say it. Then, He was tortured and nailed to a cross by the very people He came to save (you and me) and died for our sins. This is all well and good you say, but how does the Church help me foster my relationship with God?

She takes you to Him. Yes, that’s right. She takes you right there, right then to the very foot of the cross on Calvary. The Holy Mass also goes by other names, like the Most Holy Sacrifice of the Mass or the Most August Sacrifice. Have you ever wondered why? The altar is the icon of the body of Christ and is a table with one purpose only: to offer sacrifices. And, that is what the priest does every time he says Mass, he offers the sacrifice of Jesus to God in redemption for our sins so we may be saved. Mass is the unbloody re (hypen) presentation of the crucifixion on Calvary (http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/para/1367.htm). Christ has already died for us, but when we are at Mass, we are supernaturally transported to that moment.

What’s more, during every Mass, this re-presentation is made real with the consecration of the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ. When the priest says the words of consecration, there and then the substance of the host is transformed into Jesus HIMSELF. It may look like bread, but it is no longer bread, it is the body of Christ, under the veil of the sacrament! During the consecration you are there, physically with your God, the very Saviour of the World. How personal is that? Tell me, which of your protestant friends can claim such privilege?


‘HOC EST ENIM CORPUS MEUM’, ‘FOR THIS IS MY BODY’
Moreover, Holy Mother Church in Her divine wisdom knows that you cannot be saying your ‘sorry’s and ‘thank you’s to God while distracting loud music is going on, so She gives you silence. She knows you long to be with God in heaven so she gives you the Gregorian chant and sacred polyphony, so that you may know what angels sound like. She gives you beautiful sacred pictures and architecture so that you may know what heaven looks like. She knows you cannot read the bible on your own, so she gives you the wisdom and instruction of the Church fathers. She knows you need inspiration to be holy, so she gives the examples of the Saints! Is it not through all these things that God wishes to speak to you? Are you willing to listen?

How compassionate is He to your plight that He is constantly going out His way to find you through so many different avenues? The Mass is all about how compassionate God is to us. The boring homily about how the gospel passage is like eyeglasses is not important! You are there! With God! Why are not speaking to Him? Why are you not asking Him for greater faith?

3. The protestants do it better.
It’s true. You want the modern music, the guitar riffs, the drums, the energy and dancing, go to the protestant…uh place of ‘worship’. You won’t find it in at Mass. See, the Church understands the need for these things for some people…outside of Mass, however some really smart people keep trying to bring it into Mass. The only problem is that is makes Mass boring. It also makes the people who do it look very silly.


- Cathedral of Los Angeles, 2005 (Also top picture)

- Cathedral of Los Angeles, 1945

So, if you really want to get to know God, then you know where to be! See you at Mass later.

栀

梔
(zhī)

When I climbed atop a mountain one day,
Caught in blanket fog and thicket deep,
As you danced on clouds. O what bliss, they say.

Under shrouds of clouds, kept away, away,
In the midst of winter, the Sun did keep.
When I climbed atop a mountain one day.

But She saw you and bathed you in golden ray,
And your pale white petals glowed in the heat,
As you danced on clouds. O what bliss, they say.

Yet, I spied you listless and a ‘lil grey.
A despondent sight to made my heart weep,
When I climbed atop a mountain one day.

I wished to draw a smile on you that day,
And nurse your heart in mine, to once more leap
As you danced on clouds, O what bliss, they say.

And from afar, I watched you spritely play.
O little flower, a joy that abounds so deep
When I climbed atop a mountain one day,
As you danced on clouds, O what bliss, they say!

The process of endochondrial ossification

The process of endochrondrial ossification is usually described in a rather violent fashion. If one changed the words a bit, that would be the full scale invasion of a great civilisation by another one.

1. The cartilage is invaded by blood vessels right in the middle to form the primary ossification centre. (read base of attack)

2. Chondrocytes undergo modifications to form longitudinal columns.

3. These then deteriorate. (Torture of the locals, followed by execution)

4. Osteoblasts then enter cartilage. (like tanks signifying hostile take over. Osteoblast does sound like the name a of futuristic tank from Red Alert, doesn't it?)

5. Diaphysis starts from the centre. (A diaphysis is essentially the long shaft of the bone, the expansion of the conquered territories)

6. Ossification begins from the centre, as osteoblasts move lengthwise up and down the shaft. The Cartilage continues to grow outward. (As though a desperate attempt to escape the vicious osteoblasts)

7. Epiphyseal plates around on the ends. Meanwhile, osteoblast catches up with cartilage. (and guns them down. Well, turns them into bone).

8. Epiphyseal plates ossify.

The city has fallen.

A few of my most hated things.

Had my module 3 exam today. My brain melted. Anyway, in exam panic mode earlier this morning, I wrote the following to the tune of the Sound of Music's 'My Favourite Things'. Yes, it actually almost fits the tune!

Cristae and proteins, glucose and fructose, tumour suppressors that lose their function. These are few of my most hated things.

Cell junctions an-nd meiotic division, porins and cyclins, and phosphorylation, non-disjunction that causes down syndrome, these are a few of my most hated things.

Mendelian genetics and autosomal recessives, cancers that move from your breast to your brains, point mutations that cause cell sickling. These are a few of my most hated things.

When the time comes, when the bell rings, when Elliot drones, I cannot remember a bloody damn thing, and my mind goes blaaaaank!

Epiphany!!!!!

Today is the Solemnity of the Feast of the Epiphany of The Lord. Apart from having a lot of 'of the's in the title, this special feast marks the twelfth day of Christmas, and is called 'Mini-Christmas' in Ireland. A lot of people think that this is the end of Christmas, but...guess what? It isn't! (yay!) Christmas traditionally ends on the Candlemas, on the 2nd February. Confuse yourself away.

So move over Chinese New Year. Besides, Carol of the Bells over Gong Xi Gong Xi any day right?

Anyway, Epiphany is a big feast in the Roman Catholic Church, and while this post won't deal with the great theological and liturgy means behind this great feast, mostly because I am lowly medical student (read slave) and there many kind theologians and well informed bloggers who write about the Epiphany every year. You can read about it here, here, here, and perhaps the Pope's homily here.

Rather, this entry will be a short reflection on my celebration of Epiphany this year. As you, my dear reader, who have just finished reading all the splendid hyperlinks above, will know, on this solemn feast, chalk, water and incense is blessed at morning Mass. These are then taken back to bless one's home for the year. At home, a few prayers and the magnificat are said, and then the rooms in the house is sprinkled with holy water and censed with the blessed incense. I'm not sure how this is done, though it does conjure up images of taking out that spare thurible one keeps in the attic for such express purposes. (I jest, ideally, your priest brings his own.) Then, on the door of each room, written in blessed white chalk are the initials of the three magi framed by the year. e.g 20 C+M+B 12.

Of course, I don't have to tell you the three magi or wise men are named Caspar, Melchior and Balthazar. Incidentally, the initials could mean Christus mansionem benedicat, may Christ bless the house.






If you're wondering why I wrote the blessing in a shelf, the paper that they gave out with the chalk suggested putting the blessing on the TV. Since my friend and I both don't have televisions in our rooms, we opted to put it in the shelf above our laptops for a reminder and visibility. And, that is my friend posing with his newly blessed door in the second picture, while the door at the bottom is mine, though similar they appear.

It is a great pity that this traditional has been largely lost across Europe. We didn't really get into it in Singapore because we were a mission country and not all of the great traditions were transferred to us, also the 60s came around. Anyway, I think it's a great tradition to revive, you begin the year with God by sanctifying your home. Also, a great opportunity for catechism when your friends ask you to explain your actions.

Today, I also served my first high mass! I am very blessed that the first one I serve is on the Feast of the Epiphany. I almost didn't serve today because I wanted to study. I pray that I will never make myself unavailable to serve at the altar when there is a need again. After all, what could be more important for me to do all day?

Anyway, please pray for me! I have 2 days left to revise a ton of concepts and memorise far more definitions.

Have a very Blessed Christmastide!

What is Love?

What is Love?

Love will never betray you, dismay, or enslave you; it will set you free. Be more like the man, you were meant to be. – Mumford and Sons.

Love is good. It can only be good, because out of love comes goodness. Love cannot be evil, since out of evil, one finds only hate. Therefore love is good and since it is only good, it can only be beautiful. All beautiful things are created with love, from which comes the care, attention and passion necessary to create that beauty. The creation becomes beautiful because reflected within it is a part of the creator. Without a loving creator, the creation cannot be beautiful. It would be empty and ugly.

Love is passionate, it is hot, fiery, and energetic. It cannot be cold. Have you ever heard of a cold lover? Cold is a term used to describe emotionless and distant people, on the other hand, loving people tend to have a warmth around them, a warmth that emanates from the hot fire within their heart. That of love. It is a fire that burns, engulfs and consumes all in its wake.

Yet, Love’s consummation is special, it doesn’t reduce or destroy or break down the substance it consumes. Rather, it increases and grows and changes it! Love creates, it cannot destroy, since it is good.

Love is selfless. All its actions are for the benefit of another and it always puts others ahead of itself. Love fully gives of itself for another too. Love is humble, out of its selflessness, it chooses to serve others rather than be served. Love is charitable. It seeks to share all that it has. It will never take from you, because it cannot take. Love is a gift.

Love is freedom, because love is selfless. It can never be forced on any one or force anyone. Love is a choice, a conscious decision, a commitment, and a conviction.

Love is merciful and forgiving. It never turns away those who seek it, no matter how many times they turn away or how far away they go. Yet, Love is just, requiring fairness and reparation of wrongdoing, it teaches harsh lessons so that one might grow and grow in love. Love seeks the truth, so that justice may be done, for in lies and falsehoods, there can be no reality, they are empty. Love is the truth, it is full and it is real.

Love is supernatural. It transcend beyond our world. It cannot be seen directly, or quantified or explained by Science. To Science, who cannot understand or explain why or how Love exists, it merely reduces it to chemicals in our heads that alter the way we act in our lives. Though, perhaps, it is because of the perfection creation of love that we have these chemicals in our heads. That is, we are made to love; hence, love brings about the biochemical changes. And like all of the supernatural, love casts a shadow on this world, seen through these chemicals, but more importantly, the many acts of love that we perform.

Love is a blinding light, so hot and so bright, that it blinds one to the superficial visage of the worldly skin that clothes us in shallow and materialistic aesthetics that turn people into objects and commodities. Rather, Love’s light is so bright, that it illuminates the soul and spirit within. It lets us look past the dirt of the fallen world, to see the innate beauty and intrinsic dignity hidden within us, and lets us see who we really are, who we were meant to be.

Love is suffering. It is not a transient affection feeling of appeal, not the desire or quantity of how much one is willing to do or give to another. No, Love is the willingness to suffer for another. Love is denying ourselves and our wants and needs for another’s.

Love is a sacrifice. Perfect love is to give up everything to suffer for another person’s life. To be lay down one’s own life for another. It is to be completely innocent and pure and choosing to bear the punishment and shame and humiliation of another’s crimes, so that he will have a second chance to live. So that he will have a second chance to love. It is being tied to a pillar to be beaten and spat on, and then to be scourged. It is to be flagellated with hooked whip designed to tear and rip out flesh on every strike. To have one’s title and office mocked and insulted, by a crown of thorns forced on one’s head, digging into one’s temples, one’s skull. It is to be drag the heavy instrument of one’s death to the execution place, and then to be nailed and hung on it. It is to die, suffocating on one’s own collapsed muscles.

It is to give up a royal throne of power and majesty to be born in a stable, and to sleep in a manger, in complete poverty to be in solidarity with the lowest pauper. Amidst beasts and livestock, sleeping peacefully on a bed of hay. Love is the child whose birthday you recently celebrated. The babe, the creator of the cosmos, the very Saviour of the World. That is love.

Love is God, and He is called Jesus the Christ, and from Him, comes all love.

Merry Christmas!

Hodie, Christus natus est! Glorificate eum!
Today, Christ is born! Glorify him!

Wishing my reader(s) a very Blessed and Merry Christmas!

May God bless you in the year ahead.

Imaginings

Twilight at five thousand feet,
soaring above the clouds in darkness,
the lonely swan, lost, without his fleet.

The roar of the engines silenced
by a baby's sweet short cry,
ignored by the passengers, busy in dreams.

I wished you were here with me,
laughing at the darkness in the window.
The sound of your voice trailing in my ear,

I listen intently through the echoing rumble,
trying to remember each word, each sound, each smile.
Then I look back and see the empty seat.

Rom com on the small screen,
flanked by emptiness.
Long flights are forever.

Questions.

Lately, much apologetics has landed on my plate, mostly to do with defending the sanctity of marriage. Just the other night, someone asked me about that video where that boy, Zach Wahls, who was raised by lesbian mothers gave an emotional testimony to the Iowan courts. Now, I'd avoided posting the video with any comments on facebook, simply because the video had actually very little substance. It was, rather simply, anecdotal evidence wherein a boy appeals to the emotions of people. It raises for me a great many musings of the irony of society. I remember on facebook there were about 15 people who had shared the video on their page with comments like, 'so why stop them?' and so on. One would have thought that a world obsessed with Scientism and the quantifying of any theory to prove its truth through statistical evidence would have stopped to examine the circumstances regarding the video. Marc Barnes takes a deeper look at the numbers here. But I digress from my point for this post.

I'm not intending to really discuss the matter in the post, rather just reflecting on my thoughts with regards to apologetics. Often, in informal discussions wherein some apologetics has risen to the surface, in this case, it was gay marriage, before one is able to finish qualifying a premise or defining the context of the discussion, they are often buried in a fury of questions fired from the mouths of swift archers. Often, the conversation goes no where since topics change with the frequency of a down spinning proton. It often makes me wonder what the conversation would be like if I fired the questions instead. Take the old Socratic dialogue out for a spin.

I was going to a post a hypothetical dialogue, but perhaps a little later tonight after I've finished my work for the day.

Completely overslept and wasted my entire morning. sigh. At least, I'm not tired. That said, a long, long day awaits. Mass in a bit. Most Holy Mother of God and my mother, pray for me!