Leslie Update

Despite somehow oversleeping our alarm clock early this morning, we made it to the hospital on time and Leslie had her surgery on schedule. She is doing well, thank God, and should be released in the morning. It is a 4-6 week recovery where she is not supposed to lift anything more than 10 lbs. With Thomas weighing in at about 18, there will be a few tactical issues to work through as always.

I post here a short sermon from a traditional priest preached during last Advent entitied "Prophecies fulfilled: A Mark of the True Church." Similar to Fr. Hewko's sermon from a couple of weeks ago this sermon walks through many of the Old Testament prophecies fulfilled by Our Lord Jesus Christ, the only "religious leader" whose lineage, birth, manner of life and death was foretold. Father also ties this all in to Christ's founding of His Church. A good listen...

Fifth Day of Christmas - Feast of St. Thomas Becket

If I may ask for your prayers, Leslie is having some surgery tomorrow to repair a 3 inch hole in her stomach lining which is causing a pretty large hernia. The surgery will take place early tomorrow morning at the hospital in Massena, will last about 1.5 hours and she is expected to stay 1 night at the hospital and then come home. Thankfully, this surgery can be done when I am home for Christmas vacation.

How to Dress Like a Man

Here is a wonderful article I happened upon while researching men's dress. It is not difficult to dress like a gentleman within a modest budget. This article describes how to do it:

There are two general types of men's clothing.

First, there are clothes for public consumption: clothing in which to present yourself to others and thereby convey an elevated message about yourself. These are types of clothes you wear to work, to the store, out on the town, at a wedding, at church, at parties, or wherever people are going to see you. The primary objective here is that you look presentable, that you are civilized, a gentleman and not a beast.

The other type of clothing is that which serves a pure functional purpose: that is, that which you wear for yard work, fixing your car, an evening at home, a Saturday washing the house or cleaning, or just knocking around the park with kids. Everyone knows what type of clothes these are. They can all be bought at Wal-Mart or thrift stores, and they are made of cotton.

The great dressing error of our time is to confuse the two. Or more precisely: people think that it is perfectly okay to present yourself to others in clothes which serve a purely functional purpose. They say this is fine because it is comfortable – as if the only thing that matters in life is comfort. Well, it is also comfortable not to shave and not to bathe, and we have a word for people like that: slobs. If you don't want to be a slob, you have to live with a bit of discomfort.

If men could absorb that simple lesson, the world would be a much more beautiful place in which to live. Elevated dressing causes people to behave better. Crime might fall. Manners would begin to come back. People might clean up their language. They might listen to better music and read better books. Something resembling civilization might return.

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Sermon Posted

This past Sunday's sermon on St. John is posted in the sidebar links.

Fourth Day of Christmas - Feast of the Holy Innocents

The blessing of the wine, a drink to the love of St. John, and a few cookies...

Third Day of Christmas - Happy Feast of St. John

The Importance of Purity

The Holy Ghost says: Wisdom will not enter into a malicious soul, nor dwell in a body subject to sins (Wisd. 1:4). From his childhood, St. John was an angel of purity, and was on this account especially loved by Jesus, and gifted by the Holy Ghost with such wisdom and understanding, that, as observed by St. Augustine, "he commences his gospel in a grander and nobler strain than that used by the other three evangelists." For while they walk on earth with the God Man, saying but little concerning His divinity. St John, as if forgetting the world, soars far above the earth, beyond the vault of heaven, above even the angelic hosts, to Him by whom all things were made, saying: In the beginning was the Word. At the last supper he was permitted to lean upon our Lord's breast, and that which he silently imbibed in that union, he afterwards openly imparted. Strive, therefore, to maintain purity of heart, that thou mayest like St. John be a loved disciple of Christ, and be filled with heavenly wisdom. (From The Church's Year)

Christmas Dinner and Carols

Second Day of Christmas - Happy Feast of St. Stephen

...hearing these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed with their teeth at him. But he [Stephen], being full of the Holy Ghost, looking up steadfastly to heaven, saw the glory of God and Jesus standing on the right hand of God. And he said: Behold, I see the heavens opened and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God. And they, crying out with a loud voice, stopped their ears and with one accord ran violently upon him. And casting him forth without the city. they stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man, whose name was Saul. And they stoned Stephen, invoking and saying: Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. And falling on his knees, he cried with a loud voice, saying: Lord, lay not his sin to their charge: And when he had said this, he fell asleep in the Lord. And Saul was consenting to his death. Acts 7:54-59



St. Wenceslaus came to be associated with Stephen's Feast. The Christmas carol "Good King Wenceslaus," which uses an old medieval melody -- that of the 13th century song about springtime, "Tempus adest floridum" mentions this Feast as it tells a tale of charity. St. Wenceslaus was a Bohemian prince born ca. A.D. 903 during a pagan backlash. He was persecuted by his mother, Drahomira, and his brother because of their hatred for his Christianity, and was eventually killed by his brother in front of the doors of the Church of SS. Cosmas and Damian in A.D. 938. Many miracles have been attributed to his intercession, and he is now the patron of Czechoslovakia (his Feast is on 28 September).

Midnight Mass Recordings

I offer readers two selections below from the Christmas Midnight Mass this year, the Mass in its entirety and Fr. Hewko's sermon separately. The Schola and Choir were excellent, including a selection sung by our St. Therese schoolboys. I say not bad for a small country parish out in the boonies. Before listening, consider the following from the illustrious Dom Guaranger:

It is time for us to depart, and go into the House of God. The Bells are not being rung for us, it is true--still, their melody wakens up Bethlehem in our hearts. How strange this joyous pealing at the midnight hour! But is not everything strange in this mysterious night of the Birth of God? He is going to show himself to us--but it is to be in a Crib, and as a little Child. When He came on Sinai, it was surrounded with thick clouds of smoke, and amidst thunder and lightening: now there is nothing but humility, stillness and loveliness beyond measure. The Moon, emblem of the brightness reflected from Jesus upon Mary, is shedding its soft light on our path. The stars are twinkling in the firmament, and make us think of the Star which is so soon to rise and guide the Magi to our Saviour's Crib.

And whilst thus thinking over all these strange mysteries, we have reached the porch of the Church. The Sanctuary sends its light down even to the threshold of the holy place. Beautiful sight, indeed! What wonder that King Clovis, as he entered the Church of Rheims on his first Christmas Night, stood dazzled with the blaze of light, and trembling with emotion said to St. Remigius, who had just baptized him: 'Father! is this the Kingdom thou didst promise me?' 'No, my Son,' replied the Bishop, 'it is but the way that will lead thee to it.

Christmas Midnight Mass

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Christmas Midnight Mass Sermon

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Here come the pictures. This is our activity before the Vigil Mass last night, Sophia the youngest carrying the Baby Jesus to his creche in the Christmas Room, Joseph reading the gospel account of the Nativity from St. Luke, opening of gifts, and a few shots from the church. This is also Thomas' first Christmas. All of these shots are courtesy Andrew.

A Blessed Christmas: Gloria In Excelsis Deo

Happy Feast of the Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ to all of our family

and friends. May you be truly blessed this Christmastide.

Decorating

We adorned our home tonight and then went over to help adorn God's. Some pictures...

Splendors of Christendom

With millions of dollars spent building superdomes, mega-malls and infrastructures to host "virtual realities", it is odd to me that anyone would scoff at spending that kind of money for the Glory of God. Who deserves it more? Witness a splendor of Christendom below, from a time when men, poor and rich, gave their money, time and artistic talent for the glorification of God and His house. And, oh, what effect such splendor has on the Christian soul where, upon entering, she is instantly oriented toward God and the higher things. The small wonder and awe produced by her surroundings beckons her on to the greater wonder and awe of her creator. What a fitting atmosphere for the Divine action which re-presents that august sacrifice, that moment on Calvary when our glorious Savior won for us our heavenly patrimony. Here we taste but a little the sweetness of that heavenly Jerusalem.

O Emmanuel

The last of the O Antiphons is today, O Emmanuel. Love shall shortly enter the world in the flesh.



And you, Christians, for whom the good tidings are as things that are not, because you are dead in sin, lo! He who is very life is coming among you. Yes, whether this death of sin has held you as its slave for long years, or has but freshly inflicted on you the wound which made you its victim, Jesus, your Life, is coming: 'why, then, will you die? He desireth not the death of the sinner, but rather that he be converted and live." The grand feast of His birth will be a day of mercy for the whole world; at least, for all who will give Him admission into their hearts: they will rise to life again in Him, their past life will be destroyed, and where sin abounded, there grace will more abound.

It is evident, from what we have said, that Advent is a season specially devoted to the exercises of what is called the purgative life, which implied in that expression of St. John, so continually repeated by the Church during this holy time: Prepare ye the way of the Lord! Let all, therefore, strive earnestly to make straight the path by which Jesus will enter into their souls. Let the just, agreeably to the teaching of the apostle, forget the things that are behind, and labour to acquire fresh merit. Let sinners begin at once and break the chains which now enslave them. Let them give up those bad habits which they have contracted. Let them weaken the flesh, and enter upon the hard work of subjecting it to the spirit. Let them, above all things, pray with the Church. And when our Lord comes, they may hope that He will not pass them by, but that he will enter and dwell within them; for He spoke of all when He said these words: "Behold I stand at the gate and knock: if any man shall hear My voice and open to Me the door, I will come in unto him."
- Abbot Gueranger, O.S.B.

O Rex Gentium

O King of the nations, and their Desire, you are the cornerstone who makes us both one: Come and save us all, the creature whom you have fashioned from clay.

Here is a fun picture from a couple of years ago I tripped upon recently. Fr. Katzaroff from El Paso visits for supper. Don't let that innocent smile fool you. The boys are discovering what a tiger Father is on the chess board.

O Oriens

Today’s O Antiphon is carefully constructed; after three invocations of Christ the Light, the petition begins. But — surprise! Today’s Great O departs from the familiar pattern: the Veni coming, as it were, out of the depths: do-fa-mi. Today, our Veni has a certitude, a note of triumph, the beginning of a jubilation. It is as if the first rays of the Dayspring are already illuminating our eyes and warming our faces. Today, our cry Veni is sung on la-sol, right after the musical summit of the whole antiphon. Picture this: you have climbed to a mountain peak before sunrise and there, as you survey the dark horizon, you catch the first rosy glimmers of the dawn. From your mountain height you give voice to the cry of your heart: Veni! But the cry comes from one who already sees the light.

From the earliest times, Christians at prayer have turned towards the East. Christ is the Dayspring, the rising sun who dawns upon us from high “to give light to those in darkness and in the shadow of death” (Luke 1:9). The eastward orientation of churches and altars is a way of expressing the great cry of every Eucharist: “Let our hearts be lifted high. We hold them towards the Lord.” When, in the celebration of the liturgy, the priest faces east, he is “guiding the people in pilgrimage towards the Kingdom” and with them, keeping watch for the return of the Lord. “This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven” (Acts 1:11).
- A Benedictine Monk

The Old Testament Prophesies of Christ

In today's sermon, Fr. Hewko explains the meaning of Advent and walks through several of the old testament prophesies of Christ. There is only one whose birth was foretold for generations; there is only one who fulfilled all of the prophesies; there is only one who claimed to be God in the flesh -- Our Lord Jesus Christ.


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O Clavis David

Key of David, and Sceptre of the house of Israel, that openeth and no man shutteth, and shutteth and no man openeth, come to liberate the prisoner from the prison, and them that sit in darkness, and in the shadow of death.

O Clavis David, et sceptrum domus Israel; qui aperis, et nemo claudit; claudis, et nemo aperit: veni, et educ vinctum de domo carceris, sedentem in tenebris, et umbra mortis.

Andrew home tonight to light the Advent Wreath...