Fourth Sunday of Advent

Exert, we beseech thee, O Lord, thy power and come, and succour us by thy great might:  that by the assistance of thy grace, thy indulgent mercy may hasten what is delayed by our sins.

                       Collect from the Fourth Sunday of Advent

The Lord is merciful, and will come to dwell with the children of men, even though we are yet sinful.  The time of preparation is nearly complete, and yet we realize that we are not ready because we are not pure.  We need the assistance of God's grace to complete our journey to Christmas.

Third Sunday of Advent

Bend thine ear, O Lord, we beseech thee, to our prayers; and enlighten the darkness of our minds by the grace of thy visitation.
          Collect from the 3rd Sunday of Advent

Men have dwelt in the darkness of sin since Adam fell, but the day is coming, and is now at hand, when God Himself will come and bring a new light into the hearts and minds of men.  The Light of the World is near and is growing day by day; let us clear away the clutter in our minds and our hearts, so that His brightness may shine into every corner when He comes.

Second Sunday of Advent

Stir up, O Lord, our hearts to prepare the ways of thy only-begotten Son: that by his coming we may be enabled to serve thee with a pure minds.
           -- Collect from the Second Sunday of Advent

Advent is a time of preparation, and as this collect suggests, a time of purification.  Traditionally, Advent was a time of fasting and penance.  For our eastern rite bretheren, it still is.  Vigils (the day before an important, high-ranking feast day -- not the feast itself celebrated on the day before) were days of fasting, so that each of the major feast days of the year was preceded by a day of fasting.  While these fasts are no longer required by Canon Law, let us strive to keep the penetential character of this season.  After all, the message of John the Baptist, who was sent to prepare the way for Christ, was "Do penance, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." Also seeing many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, "Ye brood of vipers, who hath shewed you to flee from the wrath to come?" (from the Douay-Rheims version, Matt. 3:2 and 7).

We are preparing for the coming of Christ, not only as an infant king in the stable in Bethlehem, but also his coming at the end of the world, on that day of ire, When the world shall melt in fire ... As the Judge through gleaming rift Comes each soul to closely sift (Dies Irae, translation from The New Roman Missal by Father Lasance).  We are preparing for the coming of the King and Judge, and our house ought to be swept and clean.  Our souls ought to be clean.  A sacramental confession, then, would be a good preparation.

May we not be too blinded by the bright lights and colors and shining tinsel and glaring advertisements, nor too deafened by the blaring "Holiday music," to see and hear the still, quiet promptings of the Holy Spirit and prepare our hearts and minds for the coming of their King.

First Sunday of Advent

Exert, we beseech thee, O Lord, thy power and come; that by thy protection we may be freed from the imminent dangers of our sins, and be saved by thy mercy.
                     Collect from the First Sunday of Advent

Today is the first day of the new year.  And it's the end of the world, again.  So we pray, "Lord Jesus, come and save us."

Last Sunday after Pentecost

Stir up, we beseech thee, O Lord, the wills of thy faithful; that, becoming more zealous as to the fruit of the divine work, they may receive the greater remedies of thy goodness.
                         Collect from the 24th and Last Sunday after Pentecost

This is all about cooperating with grace.  We should respond intentionally, with a will, to the promptings of grace.  If we do so, God will give us greater graces to do greater works.  It is a picture of progress in holiness:  do the small things according to the grace you are given, and do those things to which you are called because they are the duties of your state in life, and furthermore do them wholeheartedly, and God will grant you greater graces to do greater things, to which you again respond wholeheartedly and grow in holiness.  We should all be concerned about growth in holiness, because the end of the world is at hand, and we know not the day nor the hour.  Let us, therefore, strive to gain the greater remedies for our sinfulness from the goodness of God.

25th Sunday after Pentecost

Grant, we beseech thee, O almighty God, that, ever meditating on such things as are reasonable, we may, both in word and deed, carry out the things which are pleasing to thee.
              --- Collect from the Sixth Sunday after Epiphany

Far from what secular and atheist men would have us believe, the Catholic Faith is reasonable.  It all hangs together and flows from one thing to another such that it must be all true or all false (I say this as a convert who came to precisely this conclusion, which was a central point in my conversion).  But if it is all false, then whence are we?  No, even the conclusion that it is all false is unreasonable; the very existence of man demands a Creator.  Let us then meditate on our reasonable faith, which with the grace of God will lead us to do and say things which are pleasing to Him.

24th Sunday After Pentecost

Preserve, we beseech thee, O Lord, thy family by thy constant mercy; that, as it leans solely on the hope of heavenly grace, it may always be defended by thy protection.
                 Collect from the 5th Sunday after Epiphany

I think this Collect is similar to the Our Father:  "Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us."  This is conditional.  The Father will forgive us if we have forgiven our neighbor.  We will be defended by God's protection if we rely solely on the hope of heavenly grace.  This reminds me of the parable of the bad steward, which concludes "make unto you friends of the mammon of iniquity, that when you shall fail, they may receive you into everlasting dwellings."  I believe this conclusion is, at least on one level, sarcastic.  It rebukes those who would rely on earthly things rather than the help of heaven, and points our that those who are worldly are often more zealous about their business than Christians are about the things of heaven.  Let us remember to be zealous for the things of heaven, where our treasure and our hearts should be.

Feast of All Saints

O almighty, everlasting God, who hast granted us to venerate in one solemnity the merits of all thy saints; we beseech thee, that as our intercessors are multiplied, thou wouldst bestow upon us the desired abundance of thy mercy. 
               Collect from the Feast of All Saints

With so many to pray for us, let us not forget to pray for the dead.  All this week (November 1st through 8th), "a plenary indulgence, applicable only to the souls in purgatory, is granted to the faithful who ... devoutly visit a cemetery and pray, if only mentally, for the departed."  (from the current Manual of Indulgences)  It is also necessary to be free from attachment to any sin, receive a sacramental confession, communion, and pray for the intentions of the Pope. 

The document The Gift of the Indulgence states that it is sufficient to have made a sacramental confession "within several days (about 20)" before or after doing the prescribed work.  This is much more generous than the old requirement of "within the octave" and this permission is still in effect (not only for the Jubilee year).

Since the church is so generous, let us not fail to send this abundance of mercy to the aid of the poor souls in purgatory.

Christ the King

Almighty everlasting God, who in thy beloved Son, King of the whole world, didst will to restore all things:  grant in thy mercy, that all kindreds of the nations, torn asunder by the wound of sin, may be subjected to the sweet yoke of his rule. 
                        -- Collect from the Feast of Our Lord Jesus Christ the King

Bind up the wounds of the church militant, O almighty and everlasting God, that she may continue to fight the good fight and bring the Gospel to every corner of the world.  Perfect her in holiness, that she may assist the suffering souls, and together with them and all the saints who have gone before be united to her King in triumph.

22nd Sunday after Pentecost

O God, our refuge and our strength, give ear to the holy prayers of thy Church, O thou, the author of holiness; and grant, that what we ask with faith, we may effectually obtain. 
                     Collect from the 22nd Sunday after Pentecost

Let us ask with faith that which is consonant with holiness.  May God grant that all our Christian bretheren may be united in the fullness of one faith in one fold.  As the Gradual says:  Behold, how good and pleasant it is for bretheren to dwell together in unity!

21st Sunday after Pentecost

Preserve thy family, O Lord, we beseech thee, by thy constant mercy;  that, under Thy protection, it may be freed from all adversities, and be devoted to thy name in the practice of good works.  (Collect from the 21st Sunday after Pentecost)

Devotion is possible only through the protection of God, because we are fighting against principalities and powers and the whole host of the fallen angels who are conspiring to steal our peace and prevent us from doing good works to the greater glory of God.  Let us pray that God will protect us, so that we may preserve (and even increase) our zeal for His honor, and His name, and His Presence in the Blessed Sacrament.  May God send his archangel Michael to put to flight the demons who would destroy our peace.
St. Michael the archangel, pray for us.

20th Sunday after Pentecost

Grant, we beseech Thee, O Lord, unto Thy faithful both pardon and peace, that they may both be cleansed from all offenses and serve Thee with a quiet mind.
           Collect from the 20th Sunday after Pentecost

This prayer for pardon which Holy Mother Church gives to us today in her liturgy, coupled with the Epistle, which speaks of "redeeming the time" and "speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns, and spiritual canticles, singing and making melody to the Lord," makes me think that I ought to make a particular point this week to say Compline.  "Redeeming the time" and "psalms and hymns and spiritual canticles" make me think of the Divine Office.  Prayers for pardon make me think of Compline, with its examination of conscience.  Furthermore, the rhythm of psalms throughout the day always helps to quiet my mind.  We'll see how I do; my resolutins often fall flat, but Compline is where I plan to focus my attention.

Our Lady of Prompt Succor, hasten to help me.