What does that mean, anyway?  Advent is a liturgical penitential season, which means prayers are specific to the intent, the Gloria is not sung or said during holy Mass, and the liturgical color for three of the four Sundays is purple and one Sunday is Rose.  Purple is the color that represents penance, sacrifice, and preparation and rose represents joy. 

Why does Advent matter?  Isn’t everything tied into Christmas day?  Not really.  Advent is the time we spend preparing our hearts, minds, and homes for the coming of our Lord at the end of time AND at the nativity.  Advent is twofold, as the readings of the Mass will explain.  The first Sunday invites the faithful to watch for the Second Coming and the second Sunday invites the faithful to prepare for that coming.  Why are we asked to reflect on the Second Coming during Advent?  Because, the second coming will complete what Jesus started by His birth, death, and resurrection.  Even the third Sunday of Advent has a hint of how to be prepared for this Second Coming.  It isn’t until the fourth Sunday that we read anything resembling Christmas.

Unfortunately, there has been a move away from the idea of preparing for His coming in a sacred way toward a more secular focus on Christmas day itself.  In 1966 the Bishops of the United States had this to say about Advent:

5. Changing customs, especially in connection with preparation for Christmas, have diminished popular appreciation of the Advent season. Something of a holiday mood of Christmas appears now to be anticipated in the days of the Advent season. As a result, this season has unfortunately lost in great measure the role of penitential preparation for Christmas that it once had.

Pastoral Statement on Penance and Abstinence November 18, 1966

So what does this mean for us as people who love the joy of Christmas?  Celebrate Advent in your home by lighting an Advent wreath each day, have a sacred Advent calendar leading to Christmas day, consider a small Jesse tree, with ornaments that represent the Holy Prophets who foretold the birth of the savior that can simply be put away on December 24.  As you buy gifts for those you love say a special prayer for them to be blessed by the birth of Christ.  Allow your decorating to increase with each week so Christmas Eve will explode with beauty.  Attend Midnight Mass if you can.

Whatever you do, DON’T STOP CELEBRATING on Christmas day!  Have Christmas parties well into the Christmas season, not just before.  Keep your tree up until at least the traditional Epiphany of January 6 or, until the end of the liturgical Christmas season at the Baptism of the Lord on January 13, 2022, or if you're REALLY keyed in, until the feast of the Presentation on February 2nd!  

You are given a promise that spending the time to spiritually prepare for the Birth of Jesus will make an amazing Christmas experience for you and all you love!  Advent and Christmas form a unity. We cannot engage in one season without reflection upon the other. Both seasons complement one another and do not stand alone.  Give Advent a try.  Remember, the 12 Days of Christmas start, not end, on Christmas. 

One of the elements of the Catholic cultural faith is statues. We have them at the church, in our homes, in our cars, in our workplaces, etc. They are also a point of difficulty for many a Protestant.  Some Protestants have a misunderstanding about our understanding of statues.

First, we do NOT worship statues. That is idolatry and is a serious no-no! "You shall not make for yourself a graven image or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: you shall not bow down to them or serve them" (Ex. 20:4–5); "Alas, this people have sinned a great sin; they have made for themselves gods of gold" (Ex. 32:31).  These are passages often used by someone condemning our practices.

God tells us that He is a jealous God and will not tolerate us having any gods other than Him. Our statues are of saints, those who have given their lives over TO God, those we view as an example to us of holiness FOR God, but NOT gods. We do not bow down or worship them.  Similarly, we do not believe that Jesus, Himself, is in a statue.  We do not expect the statue of Christ to be magical.

Second, there were times that God said to make images. One are the statues of cherubim on the Arc of the Covenant.  Another is the image of the serpent that was on Moses’ staff.  Those bitten by poisonous snakes only needed to look upon it and they were saved from death.  I’m fairly certain most of your Protestant friends have a Nativity at Christmas. Just as those pieces are used as reminders of a specific event, our statues are used as a reminder of holy people.

What about when we kneel or bow, like when we light candles in front of a statue?  It is important to know and explain the difference between the legitimate veneration of a sacred image with the sin of idolatry.  For starters, bowing does not only happen in worship.  Bowing is also a sign of respect that is practiced in cultures like Japan’s.  Kneeling is also a posture that shows respect. Many have knelt before a king or queen without worshipping them as a god; just ask anyone who has been knighted.  

The Council of Trent (1566) taught that idolatry is committed "by worshipping idols and images as God, or believing that they possess any divinity or virtue entitling them to our worship, by praying to, or reposing confidence in them" (374).  Remind your Protestant friends that saints intercede for us they do not take the place of God or Christ.  When I ask you to pray for me, I am not worshipping you but banking on your worship of God.  When we ask the saint whom the statue represents to pray for us, we are banking on their worship of God from heaven. It all points to God!

Why do some, particularly older baptismal fonts have eight sides? The font at St. Barnabas in NC also has dogwood flowers.  As churches are being built and church furniture is purchased many churches, even Protestant ecclesial communities, are moving back to an eight-sided baptismal font.  What is the significance of the eight sides?

Jean Cardinal Daniélou, in his book The Bible and the Liturgy, teaches that the seven days of creation are the figure of time and the eighth day is the figure of eternity.  St. Basil I explains that the first day, Sunday, is the day light was created, the day Jesus rose from the dead, the day we celebrate the Holy Liturgy; it is the day that is the figure of the oneness of time and eternity. Sunday is the cosmic day of creation and the day we celebrate the Resurrection, the Eucharist, the gift of the new heaven and new earth and our involvement in this newness through our baptism. 

At our conception we enter into time.  We are born into the seven days.  We enter into history.  St. Paul teaches we are baptized into the death of Christ (Romans 6:3) which breaks the bonds of sin that happen when we live in and of the world.  Because of our baptism in Christ we are permitted to share in the gift of His resurrection if we so choose.  We get a new identity.  We become more than a creation of God; we enter into His family: For ‘In him we live and move and have our being, as even some of your poets have said, ‘For we too are his offspring.’ (Acts 17:28).  We now live in the world but are NOT of the world.  All of this happens because of the eighth day of the new creation. 

The dogwood panels on the sides of the fonts are there because the dogwood is a modern figure of the Passion of Christ. "Legend" has it that the dogwood, which once grew tall and straight, was the source of the wood used for the cross. Jesus had pity on this poor tree used for such an ignoble purpose, and decreed, "Henceforth it shall be slender and bent and twisted and its blossoms shall be in the form of a cross ... two long and two short petals. And in the center of the outer edge of each petal there will be nail prints, brown with rust and stained with red, and in the center of the flower will be a crown of thorns, and all who see it remember ... that it was upon a dogwood tree I was crucified and this tree shall not be mutilated or destroyed, but cherished as a reminder of My death upon the cross." Of course, it does not hurt that the dogwood is the NC state flower.

The day and following anniversaries of our baptism should be met with great celebration.  It is a day to remember, rejoice, and celebrate as we would any other birthday, holiday, or anniversary.  We should renew our baptismal vows often not only at Easter, and we should always consider this amazing gift of grace, love, and Holy Spirit with gratitude and a desire to be in the family of God.

A common question asked is “how many days of Lent are there, really?”  The answer, as in many answers, is it depends. The PERIOD of Lent is a time of fasting, penance, and alms      giving.  This holy season begins ON Ash Wednesday and ends with the Easter Vigil.  If you count those days, including Sundays, you will count 46. 

In the days following the Resurrection, the disciples moved the day of resting from the Sabbath or Saturday to Sunday in commemoration of this life-changing event.  Followers of Christ were not permitted to fast or do penance on those days because they were for celebration.  The same is true now.  Even during this SEASON we are permitted to re-visit what we fasted from, in a moderate way, on Sundays.  There are six of those.  Now we are down to 40.

HOWEVER, even though the season of Lent ends with Easter Vigil, the DAYS of Lent stop on Holy Thursday.  Well, if they end on Holy Thursday then why do we still fast?  The days of Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday before the Vigil are the three HOLIEST days of the year and we give a last bit of energy to our penance and fast.  To truly walk with our Lord to Easter we cannot rob ourselves of the experience of the Holy Triduum.

So, here’s the answer:  The PERIOD of Lent has 46 days in it, the SEASON of Lent has 40 days in it, and the DAYS of Lent has 37 days in it.

NOW to throw a wrench into the mix we have solemnities. March 19, the Solemnity of St. Joseph the Husband of Mary, and March 25, the Solemnity of the Annunciation are two days that often fall during Lent. Solemnities are days that have a Gloria in Lent and a Creed during a daily Mass. These days permit us to break our Lenten fast. We are not to go overboard, of course, but if these days fall on a Friday during Lent, we are permitted to eat meat! One could argue that the DAYS of Lent could be as few as 35, at least in 2019! 

Angels are valuable friends to humanity. They are creatures of pure intellect, messengers of God, attendants, and often appear as humans to carry out their missions. Some people have seen their guardians and have been told their names. God created nine choirs of angels; of those choirs are the Archangels, the highest rank of the choirs.

There are four archangels that we recognize: Michael, Raphael, Gabriel, Uriel. Each has a different task and a chaplet of their own for us to implore their aid. Perhaps the most necessary in this current climate of the world and the Church is the chaplet of 

St. Michael.

Origin: One day St. Michael Archangel appeared to devotee Servant of God Antonia De Astónac. The Archangel told the nun that he wished to be honored through recitation of nine salutations. These nine salutations correspond to the nine choirs of angels. The chaplet consists of one Our Father and three Hail Mary in honor of each angelical choir.

Promises: To those that practice this devotion in his honor, St. Michael promises great blessings:

1. To send an angel from each angelical choir to accompany the devotees at the time of Holy Communion.

2. Additionally, to those that recite these nine salutations every day, it assures them that they will enjoy his continuous assistance. That is to say, during this life and also after.

3. Furthermore, they will be accompanied by all the angels and together with all their loved ones, they will be freed from Purgatory.1      

St. Michael is a great warrior and fights for us against Satan, who we are told in 1Peter 5:8, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking to devour souls. It seems that lion is a bit engorged considering how much has been devoured in the past years, months and days. The chaplet of St. Michael is a great way for the laity to enter into the fight for Truth, Beauty, and Goodness.

The chaplet is said on beads that are in groups of three separated by a single bead. If you are handy with beads and string you can make your own, or you can purchase one from Catholic book stores on line such as the Catholic Company or the St. Jude Shop. Below is a website link that you can use to pray the chaplet.2 

St. Michael pray for us! 

1http://ourladystears.blogspot.com/2007/07/heavens-promises-chaplet-of-st-michael.html

2https://www.ewtn.com/devotionals/prayers/chaplet-of-st-michael.htm

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

This prayer is said at the end of the propers of the Mass, after psalms in the divine office, and during the rosary. It is often referred to as the doxology, a short verse ending a prayer or hymn offering praise to God. St. Paul uses doxologies at the end of many letters. One example is Romans 11:36 All things find in Him their origin, their impulse, the center of their being; to Him be glory throughout all ages, Amen.

You might remember the formula for baptism given by Christ in Matthew 19; you, therefore, must go out, making disciples of all nations, and baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost and you certainly recognize this as the sign of the cross. What you might not remember is the Arian heresy of the 4th century that “denies that the Son is of one essence, nature, or substance with God; He is not consubstantial with the Father, and therefore not like Him, or equal in dignity, or co-eternal, or within the real sphere of Deity.”1  Because of this heresy people in the 300’s used the first part of the glory be to defend the doctrine of our one God in three persons.2 The second part was soon added as a further statement against Arianism, and in 529 the Synod of Vasio recognized this as the reason for the added words in Rome, the East, and Africa and included Gaul in the list.3 

What is “it”? It refers to glory at the front of the prayer, but given the purpose of the words might have once been understood to mean the Son.4 The statement certainly is reflective of Hebrews 13:8; Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. There is also a doctrinal reference to the Gospel of John, In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 

Finally, what are we to make of world without end? Our world is certainly going to end. Fortunately we will get a new heaven and a new earth as promised by our Lord but these words simply refer to our belief that God’s kingdom will never end. In the Latin prayer the words are et in saecula saeculorum which translates to in an age of ages or forever and ever. Amen. 

1http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01707c.htm

2http://www.how-to-pray-the-rosary-everyday.com/glory-be-prayer.html

3http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05150a.htm

4IBID

I arise today
Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,
Through a belief in the Threeness,
Through confession of the Oneness 
Of the Creator of creation. 

I arise today 
Through the strength of Christ's birth and His baptism, 
Through the strength of His crucifixion and His burial, 
Through the strength of His resurrection and His ascension,
Through the strength of His descent for the judgment of doom.

I arise today
Through the strength of the love of cherubim,
In obedience of angels,
In service of archangels,
In the hope of resurrection to meet with reward,
In the prayers of patriarchs, 
In preachings of the apostles,
In faiths of confessors,
In innocence of virgins,
In deeds of righteous men. 

I arise today
Through the strength of heaven; 
Light of the sun,
Splendor of fire,
Speed of lightning,
Swiftness of the wind,
Depth of the sea, 
Stability of the earth,
Firmness of the rock. 

I arise today
Through God's strength to pilot me;
God's might to uphold me, 
God's wisdom to guide me, 
God's eye to look before me, 
God's ear to hear me, 
God's word to speak for me, 
God's hand to guard me, 
God's way to lie before me, 
God's shield to protect me, 
God's hosts to save me 
From snares of the devil, 
From temptations of vices, 
From every one who desires me ill, 
Afar and anear, 
Alone or in a mulitude. 

I summon today all these powers between me and evil,
Against every cruel merciless power that opposes my body and soul, 
Against incantations of false prophets,
Against black laws of pagandom,
Against false laws of heretics,
Against craft of idolatry, 
Against spells of women and smiths and wizards,
Against every knowledge that corrupts man's body and soul. 
Christ shield me today 
Against poison, against burning, 
Against drowning, against wounding,
So that reward may come to me in abundance.

Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me,
Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me, 
Christ on my right, Christ on my left, 
Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down, 
Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me, 
Christ in the mouth of every man who speaks of me, 
Christ in the eye that sees me, 
Christ in the ear that hears me. 

I arise today
Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,
Through a belief in the Threeness,
Through a confession of the Oneness
Of the Creator of creation

St. Patrick (ca. 377)

     Part one of this title explained the history of the reason Holy Mother Church banned cremation. Although there is no longer a ban, the Church maintains the importance of our natural bodies and the reverence thereof after death.

     Bishop Morlino of Madison, Wisconsin reminds us that our bodies are heaven-bound. They will one day be glorified, as taught in 1 Corinthians 15: 42-44. He explains that the body’s destiny is heaven, not the grave. “We’re not disposing of the body in the grave…we’re allowing it to rest in order to have it raised up,” he said. “God has further use of that body. It is not a throw-away.”1 These teachings are only understood in the shadow of the second coming.

     The Catholic understanding and practice of preparing a body for burial comes to us from Jewish tradition. This is called the Tahara, a simple, yet dignified ritual that allows the person to meet his or her Maker with the utmost respect and dignity. 2 The Tahara ritual includes cleansing, washing and dressing. Sound familiar?

     Finally, how the remains of someone are handled goes far to the expression of respect. If we do not do something to a body, we should not with cremains. We would not leave Grandpa in the living room in a casket, so we should not leave his urn on the mantle. We would not cut pieces of Mom to make jewelry with, so we should not with her ashes. We would not dismember Uncle Frank and spread him throughout the land, so we should not with his cremains.  The Church is quite clear on the disposition of remains:

5. When, for legitimate motives, cremation of the body has been chosen, the ashes of the faithful must be laid to rest in a sacred place, that is, in a cemetery or, in certain cases, in a church or an area, which has been set aside for this purpose, and so dedicated by the competent ecclesial authority.

6. … the conservation of the ashes of the departed in a domestic residence is not permitted. … the ashes may not be divided among various family members and due respect must be maintained regarding the circumstances of such a conservation.

7. In order that every appearance of pantheism, naturalism or nihilism be avoided, it is not permitted to scatter the ashes of the faithful departed in the air, on land, at sea or in some other way, nor may they be preserved in mementos, pieces of jewellery [sic] or other objects. These courses of action cannot be legitimised [sic] by an appeal to the sanitary, social, or economic motives that may have occasioned the choice of cremation. 3

     Because we continue to remember our deceased loved ones in our memories and prayers, having a place we can visit is important to aid in our continuous healing. Likewise, a grave or mausoleum with a tombstone or marker helps to keep us grounded in the understanding that one day Christ will come and our loved ones, as well as we will rise from our graves with our glorified bodies to live again on the new earth. One hundred years from now, if this has not yet happened, people will visit our graves and know that a person precious in the sight of God is buried there, will offer a prayer for our souls, and will look forward to meeting us in the second coming.

1 http://www.catholicworldreport.com/2012/11/03/changing-catholic-attitudes-about-cremation/

2 http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/367843/jewish/The-Taharah.htm 

3 Instruction Ad resurgendum cum Christo regarding the burial of the deceased and the conservation of the ashes in the case of cremation, 25.10.2016

It's that time again for conversation hearts from God. The picture is last year's conversations ... this year they will say: 
Sacred (Dt 7: "You are a people SACRED to the Lord, your God),
My Delight, Espoused (Is 62:...you shall be called "My Delight," and your land "Espoused.") , 
Beloved (1Thes: We know, too, beloved of God, how you were chosen)
Friend (John 15: I no longer call you servants ... I have called you friends)
Blessed (Ps 146: How blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God)

We just love St. Valentine's Day around here! Although, this year we are moving it to Fat Tuesday :) 

Peace today! ~ Sr. St. Martha