Another Catholic Tradition . . . Are You Serious?

T. G. I. F.

As we prepare to begin Advent and a new liturgical year, I came across a recent blog article by Joe Heschmeyer about a Catholic tradition that has been greatly neglected or little known over the past 40 some years in the United States. This tradition has to do with penance and abstinence from meat on Friday. This observance is in the process of being reinstated by the U.S. Council of Catholic Bishops. 
Growing up in the Episcopal Church, I remember this observance but didn't understand it. It was odd to give up all meat except fish on Fridays.

Meat and Fish: What’s the Difference?

Everything in our Catholic tradition is there for a purpose. It wasn’t implemented on a whim. There is a reason. According to Heschmeyer, what is meant by “meat” has to do with the Latin word “caro”, translated “flesh”. Fish did not fall into that category. St. Paul directs us to put off the deeds of the flesh (Rom. 8:13). Through His flesh we are reconciled to the Father. (See Col. 1:22-23). (Heschmeyer). In the Apostles Creed we say, “He (Jesus) was incarnate of the Virgin Mary and became man.” This is so important! We are told by Jesus to deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow Him (Matt. 16:24). Christianity is not about “hauling lumber.” We come to Calvary too! It is amazing how Jesus Christ uses His creation in bringing about salvation.

So who still practices this tradition?

The Carthusians are Sure Serious!

In many religious orders, such as the Carthusians in France, they give up meat for the rest of their lives. This is a regular observance of their order. In their daily walk with Christ they are reminded of this mandate to put off the deeds of the flesh. Does the fact that they don’t eat meat make them righteous? No! Like with the rosary and the liturgy of the hours, which they also say, is a discipline that leads us to God. It is a constant reminder of where we are headed and what we need to be doing.

The Jews Were Sure Serious!

In ancient Israel God made a distinction between clean and unclean animals. Jews to this day still avoid unclean meats. This wasn’t something they made up. There is a whole classification of animals listed in Leviticus 11. This tradition was centered on the Temple in Jerusalem and was part of the sacrificial system and way of life. They avoided unclean meat lest they became unclean. If they were unclean, they could not offer sacrifice in the Temple. The other nations used to offer unclean animals in sacrifice to their gods. That is why the early church, as recorded in the Acts of the Apostles, had to deal with clean and unclean meats and honoring the conscience of the brethren. Whether a particular food was “bad” for you was not the point. It’s the principle behind it and obeying God above all else.

Calling All Serious Catholics!

Why would a tradition like this have any significance for us today? Giving up meat one day a week doesn’t seem very difficult. Lets look at this from another angle. Here is a quick review of some of those crazy Catholic traditions I have discussed on this blog . . .

      1)   The Rosary rehearses the high points in the Gospel and salvation history. It always has Jesus Christ at its center.
2)   The liturgy of the hours, especially the Psalms, speak of the history of the people of God and point us toward Christ. The Gospel Canticle is the high point in the Morning, Evening and Night Prayers.
3)   The tradition of refraining from meat on Friday is a reminder to us on a weekly basis to put off the deeds of the flesh and prepare ourselves to receive Christ in the Holy Eucharist. As Catholics, we have an “Alter Call” every week! We actually receive the body, blood, soul and divinity of Jesus Christ. We can say, with Mary, “Christ in me, the hope of glory!” (See Col. 1:27)

So much for “tradition” being considered a bad thing!

Understanding the Catholic faith from the inside shows me the beauty of God’s Church through the ages. We are not done yet!

If you want to be a saint raise your standards and aim for heaven!

Have a happy and blessed Thanksgiving. Thank you Mom and Dad! I love you!

Ave Maria!

Praised be Jesus Christ!

Resources:
Heschmeyer, Joe, Why is fish allowed on Meatless Friday?, Shameless Popery, retrieved from http://catholicdefense.blogspot.com/2012/11/why-is-fish-allowed-on-meatless-fridays.html

All Bible quotations from the Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition, Oxford University Press, New York, NY, 2006.

Morning Prayer: A Spiritual and Scriptural Boost to Start a New Day

If you have already said the Invitatory for the day, you begin with the following introduction.

God, come to my assistance.

--Lord make haste to help me.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:

As it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen. Alleluia. (CP)

Hymn

When Morning Prayer is the first prayer of the day, the above introduction is skipped and you proceed to the Hymn after the Invitatory. The hymns are found beginning on page 1507 in Christian Prayer. These hymns can be said or sung. This sets the stage for the Psalmody of the morning.

Psalmody

The psalmody contains a morning psalm, a canticle from the Old Testament and another psalm of praise. An antiphon precedes each psalm or canticle (CP, 689). After each psalm and canticle conclude with, “Glory to the Father, . . .” Repeat the antiphon.

In the Christian Prayer book there is a psalm prayer. It is the message of the psalm and adds some insights. You may also notice that on occasion there is a I, II or III above a particular psalm. This is because the psalm is broken down into more than one section. Instead of reading the whole psalm, it is read in more than one reading. The prayer book usually talks you through the process.

The Reading

After the Psalmody, a reading from the New Testament is presented. It is usually taken from the Epistles.

Responsory

The Responsory is our response to the Word of God (CP, 690). This is a short prayer that is repeated in part or in whole. It is concluded with, “Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.” The full response from the beginning of the responsory is then restated.

Gospel Canticle

An antiphon precedes this canticle. It will be written out. The gospel canticle for Morning Prayer is taken from Luke 1:68-79. This is the canticle of Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist.

Be sure to say the “Glory to the Father . . .” at the end of the canticle, unless it is stated otherwise (CP, 692). The antiphon is then repeated. This canticle along with the one for Evening Prayer and Night Prayer are the focus of the Divine Office. These canticles describe the promised Messiah and prophecies fulfilled.

Intercessions

The next section follows a prayer that is similar to Mass. There is a repeated response. The request for prayer is made and a response like, “May we give glory to your name, Lord” is said (CP, 871). These are praises and petitions (Boissinot, 52).

The Lord’s Prayer and Conclusion

The Lord’s Prayer is then said.  After the “Our Father” we now move into the concluding prayer. This is similar to the concluding prayer at Mass. It is also known as the Collect.

For individual recitation, Morning Prayer is concluded with;

May the Lord bless us

protect us from all evil

and bring us to everlasting life.

--Amen. (CP, 694)

So that is Morning Prayer. It takes about 10 minutes and gives us a good spiritual and scriptural boost for the new day. If you have any insights or if there is something I have missed, please leave a comment. Thank you.

Happy praying!

Ave Maria!

Praised be Jesus Christ!

Resources:

Boissinot, Georges-Albert, Companion Prayer Book to the Liturgy of the Hours, Catholic Book Publishing, NJ., 2010.

Christian Prayer (The Liturgy of the Hours), Morning Prayer, Daytime Prayer (selections), Evening Prayer, Night Prayer, Office of Readings (selections). Catholic Book Publishing Corp., NY. 1976. 

Faith, Hope and Love – The Power of 3 Hail Mary’s

First 3 Hail Mary's

The virtues of faith, hope and love are our ascent to God. Faith believes in what it cannot see and gives us assurance. Hope is the assurance of what is to come and gives us the strength to endure. Love defines what God is and how we should ultimately be. In praying the first three Hail Mary’s, think about our ascent into heaven. Faith, hope and love purify our lives. It cleanses the palette, so to speak, for the mission God has for us. St. Paul tells us that “faith, hope and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love” (I Cor. 13:13).

The Apostle Peter, after speaking about persecutions to come in the last days, asks the question of “what sort of persons ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness?” (2 Pet. 3:11ff). Our ascent to God is so important! He goes on to say, “Therefore, beloved, since you wait for these, be zealous to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace.” Living a holy life means putting off the deeds of the flesh so we can be filled with God's grace’. The Catechism states concerning grace, “Grace is a participation in the life of God” (CCC 1997). Indeed we are saved by grace through faith and not of ourselves (Ephesians 2:8). A few verses later Paul tells us what we should be doing (verse 10). Remember, we are not passive bystanders when it comes to our salvation. Faith without works doesn't produce anything (James 2:20). So we pray for an increase of faith, hope and love.

The Rosary does include repetition. It is NOT VAIN! Consider our ascent to God at the very beginning of the Rosary. We say the Apostles Creed, which rehearses the basic elements of our faith. Then we say an Our Father. In this we exalt God our Father and we ask Him for what we need. Then we pray for an increase in faith, hope and love. So in the words of the Archangel, St. Elizabeth and the Church, we pray;

Hail Mary, full of grace,

The Lord is with thee.

Blessed art thou among women,

and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

Holy Mary, Mother of God,

pray for us sinners,

now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

Praised be Jesus Christ!

What are your thoughts and reflections when you say the Rosary? Please join the conversation.

Resources:

All Bible quotations from the Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition, Oxford University Press, New York, NY, 2006.

Catechism of the Catholic Church, Second Edition, Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 1994.

A 20-decade Rosary? Are You Serious?

Recently I have had the opportunity to pick up a special Rosary that has been sitting on my shelf for some time. This is not like the one I carry with me every day. In praying this Rosary I can reflect on all twenty Mysteries of the life of Jesus Christ as seen through the eyes of Mary, his mother. This rosary takes a lot of concentration and time. It also takes some serious planning to prepare for. 

15 and 20-decade Rosaries

This Rosary looks a lot like the rosaries that one would see on the belt of a religious or priest. Originally the rosary had 15 decades that included the Joyful, Sorrowful and Glorious Mysteries. The rosary in the early Church developed as a means of counting prayers, specifically the Psalms of David. There are 150 psalms, so the 15-decade rosary was developed to keep count of the recitation of each psalm.

Blessed Pope John Paul II introduced the Mysteries of Light in 2002 during the Year of the Rosary. When saying the 20-decade rosary we can walk through the life, ministry, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is like reading the gospel and seeing our own destiny. It takes about an hour and a half to recite, (that is some serious time), but it is time well spent.

Even if all you have is a 5-decade rosary, you can certainly recite these 20 decades as a special part of your devotional time. Just go around four times. Remember to prepare your reflections on each decade. Write them down, or use some pictures that  illustrate each Mystery. 

This may not be something that you pray everyday. At times during Advent and Lent this would be a good review of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Consider this and let me know how it goes. 

Happy praying!

Ave Maria!

Praised be Jesus Christ!

The Divine Office - An Invitation to Worship

The Invitatory is a psalm that is said at the beginning of the day. Depending on which prayer is said first, whether Office of Readings or Morning Prayer, the Invitatory will always precede the first prayer. Psalm 95 is customarily the one said for the Invitatory, but there are three other options that can be substituted.

                           Invitatory Psalms

Psalm 95

Psalm 100

Psalm 67

Psalm 24

Just as a reminder, there are differences between the Catholic Bible and Protestant Bible. There are seven more books in the Catholic Bible and the numbering of the Psalms is different from the Protestant Bible. For example Psalm 95 in the Catholic Bible is Psalm 94 in the Protestant Bible. 

How We Begin Our Prayers
The Invitatory begins with an introduction.

                   

   Lord, open my lips.

       -- And my mouth will proclaim your praise. (CP, 686).        

An antiphon is prayed prior to the psalm. An antiphon is s short prayer that is an introduction to each Psalm or Canticle (Boissinot, 120). The antiphon for the Invitatory is found before the Morning Prayer for the day. The psalm is said or sung. The antiphon is said after each stanza. This repeats the theme of the mystery reflected upon for the days prayer (Boissinot, 50). Christian Prayer states that for individual recitation, the antiphon may be said only at the beginning and not repeated (CP, 686). Either way is fine. The psalm is concluded with -

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: as it was in the beginning, in now, and will be for ever. Amen. (CP, 689)

As you may have noticed, this is similar to the "Glory be" that we say in the Rosary. Boissinot states that Tradition recommends reciting this after each psalm.

It brings to the prayers from the Old Testament "a quality of praise linked to a christological and trinitarian interpretation." (42)

What is the Invitatory?
The Invitatory is like it sounds. It invites us all to prayer and worship. Be sure to check the Universalis website to get an idea of how the Invitatory flows from beginning to end. The Christian Prayer book, as reviewed in my previous blog post, has a leaflet that contains all the Invitatory Psalms printed out. This saves flipping back and forth in the book.

I learn something new every day in the Divine Office. The Divine Office or Liturgy of the Hours is a means in which we internalize Sacred Scripture. This prayer also sanctifies time. Each part of the day, especially morning and evening have a prayer attached to them. What a great way to start and end each day!

When combined with the Office of Readings, and the daily and weekly Mass readings, we read a majority of the Bible in one year. There are a lot of Bible reading plans available but none compares to what Sacred Tradition has given to us in the Divine Office.

Hope this has been helpful. Next time I will discuss Morning Prayer. 

Please feel free to leave a comment.

Happy Praying!

Ave Maria!

Praised be Jesus Christ!

Resources

Boissinot, Georges-Albert, Companion Prayer Book to the Liturgy of the Hours, Catholic Book Publishing, NJ., 2010.

Christian Prayer (The Liturgy of the Hours), Morning Prayer, Daytime Prayer (selections), Evening Prayer, Night Prayer, Office of Readings (selections). Catholic Book Publishing Corp., NY. 1976.

The Divine Office - On A Budget

Shorter Christian Prayer & Christian Prayer

For those of you interested in praying the Divine Office (i.e. Liturgy of the Hours), I have several recommendations to get you started. Perhaps you are familiar with the four volume set you see your priest use. The four thick volumes can be a bit intimidating but there are other alternatives for those who just want to get started. I will leave the four volume set for another day. I have listed seven options below ranging from written books, websites and podcasts. I have also thrown in an extra bonus resource that is very helpful for the Christian Prayer Book.

1) Shorter Christian Prayer, The Four-Week Psalter of the Liturgy of the Hours Containing Morning Prayer and Evening Prayer with Selections for the Entire Year. Catholic Book Publishing Co., NY, 1988. (pictured above)

2) Christian Prayer (The Liturgy of the Hours), Morning Prayer, Daytime Prayer (selections), Evening Prayer, Night Prayer, Office of Readings (selections). Catholic Book Publishing Corp., NY. 1976. (pictured above)

3) Universalis website
 
4) Divine Office website

5) ebreviary website

6) Apps for portable devices

7) Praystation Portable Podcast

8) One More Thing! A must have . . .

----------------------------

#1 Things I like about the Shorter Christian Prayer Book

   *      It is compact. Perfect for travel.

   *      There is a whole section of hymn lyrics (no written melody though) (pp. 583-663).

   *      Includes Morning (Lauds), Evening (Vespers) and Night Prayer (Compline).

   *      Gospel Canticles conveniently located on front and back covers.

   *      Full section of Invitatory Psalms (pp. 22-23).

   *      Detailed outline of how to pray the Liturgy of the Hours (pp. 18-34).

   *      Very good list of hymns categorized according to liturgical season or feast (pp. 578-582).

Things I don't like about the Shorter Christian Prayer Book.

   *      Very limited when it comes to special feast days.

   *      There are parts that need to be memorized that are only mentioned once and then any reminders are left out.

This is a very manageable book otherwise. When I say these are things I don't like, it just means these items are inconvenient for me. They may be fine for you.

#2 Things I like about the Christian Prayer Book

   *      Liturgical calendar in front (pp. 22-33).

   *      Printed melody of hymns (pp. 1507-1707) and music settings to sing the Divine Office (1709-1784).

   *      Daytime Prayer included.

   *      Feast days for specific saints with a short history given (1060-1382).

   *      Appendix which includes a listing of great poetry (Canticle of the Sun by St. Francis for example) (pp. 2057-2063).

   *      Good index of psalms, canticles, Bible readings and non-biblical readings (2072-2075).

   *      Two separate leaflets with the Gospel Canticles, Invitatory psalms and Te Deum printed out.

   *      Lots of marker ribbons!

Things I don't like of about the Christian Prayer Book.

   *      Though it is nice to have the option for the Office of Readings, you have to look up the Bible and non-biblical readings separately in the back. (I go to Universalis to do the Office of Readings).

   *      Sometimes you have to jump back and forth for antiphons, psalms and prayers on particular Saint feast days.
 
Like I say, these are just inconvenient to me. Otherwise this is a great resource.

#3 Universalis website - http://www.universalis.com/ - This website has a really good liturgical calendar and prints the whole prayer from beginning to end. You can even choose whether you want the regular readings for the day or for the specific saint for that day. I prefer this option for the Office of Readings. Everything is printed out for you. No flipping back and forth.

#4 Divine Office website - http://divineoffice.org/ - I have a limited knowledge of this site. They print out the whole prayer and they have an audio option as well.

#5 ebreviary website - http://www.ebreviary.com/ - This site has prayers you can download in booklet format. There is a cost to download a subscription. These are very well formatted. It is good to have printed booklets for group recitation of the Divine Office in your parish.

#6 Apps for iPod, iPad, and other devices. - Divine Office, Universalis, and separate apps for morning, evening and night prayer. Some are free. Some have a cost but are well worth it (Especially Universalis). Do a search in the Apple Store. Versions for other portable devices are available via app store for your specific device.

#7 SQPN - Praystation Portable -- Audio liturgy of the hours. Very simple and complete. Download only the ones you want or subscribe via iTunes. I like this one!

#8 Bet ya want to know that one more thing is? . . . This is a must have if you have the Christian Prayer Book. It is the Saint Joseph Guide for Christian Prayer (The Liturgy of the Hours) For use with Edition No. 406. Published by Catholic Book Publishing Corp. It is updated each year. This has a day by day listing of prayers and page numbers corresponding to the one volume edition. Make sure you get the correct guide. There is more than one.

This is one of my longer blog posts, but I hope it has been helpful. Please comment and give suggestions on resources you have have found.

Happy Praying!

Ave Maria!

Praise be Jesus Christ!

A Note on Prayer: The Liturgy of the Hours

Christian Prayer: Liturgy of the Hours

Have you every found it difficult to pray? I have had times in my life where prayer has been difficult. When unexpected events happen, any routine goes out the window. I have recently started back into a special devotion the Church has given us. Today I would like to make a  recommendation of the Liturgy of the Hours or what is also  called the Divine Office. What is the advantage of yet another "pre-planned prayer"? 

• First of all, it is structured for community recitation. It can be recited in a prayer-response format that is orderly and reverent.
• Second, it can recited individually at any time of day.
• Third, we are praying Sacred Scripture. By doing this we do not fall into error. We internalize the readings throughout the day and the week.
• Finally, we are saying the same thing the Pope, all the cardinals and bishops, priests and religious are praying throughout the day. This unites us in prayer and fulfills the Apostle Paul's instruction to "pray without ceasing."

The Liturgy of the Hours is a special devotion that has been carried on from the early days of the Church. Jesus gives us a wonderful example of constant prayer throughout the gospels. The apostles had the custom of going up to the Temple to pray at certain times of the day. 

The Liturgy of the Hours is centered on the Psalms, and include canticles from the Old and New Testaments and writings of the early church fathers.

In future posts I will be discussing the different parts of the Liturgy of the Hours. 

Happy Praying!

Ave Maria!

Praise be Jesus Christ!