Lenten Journey: Hang in there! (Rules of Matthew 6:16-18)

"And when you fast, be not as the hypocrites, sad. For they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Amen I say to you, they have received their reward. But thou, when thou fastest anoint thy head, and wash thy face; That thou appear not to men to fast, but to thy Father who is in secret: and thy Father who seeth in secret, will repay thee." 

image via wikipaintings in the Public Domain. Still Life: Fast Day Menu

The Biblical Basis of the parts of the Holy Mass (4 of 7)

PRAYER BEFORE THE GOSPEL
Is 6:6–7
P. The Lord be with you.2 Ti 3:16
R. And with thy spirit. 2 Ti 4:22.

THE HOLY GOSPEL
Mt 28:18–20

The next post in this series will be much longer since it will go through the biblical basis of the Creed

(Post 4 of 7)


See all 7 posts here: Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 / Part 4 / Part 5 / Part 6 / Part 7

image from the 'FSSP' via wikimedia commons. Tridentine mass FSSP – Fraternitas Sacerdotalis Sancti Petri
Source of Scripture references: ʻThe Divine Armory of Holy Scriptureʻ Vaughan, K. (1894). 

Lenten Journey: Be converted to God with all your heart!

Part way through our Lenten Journey the words from Joel 2:12 - 19 (from Ash Wednesday) are a powerful reminder of our call to conversion during this penitential time! 

"Now, therefore, saith the Lord. Be converted to me with all your heart, in fasting, and in weeping, and mourning. And rend your hearts, and not your garments and turn to the Lord your God: for he is gracious and merciful, patient and rich in mercy, and ready to repent of the evil. Who knoweth but he will return, and forgive, and leave a blessing behind him, sacrifice and libation to the Lord your God? Blow the trumpet in Sion, sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly, Gather together the people, sanctify the church, assemble the ancients, gather together the little ones, and them that suck at the breasts: let the bridegroom go forth from his bed, and the bride out of her bridal chamber. Between the porch and the altar the priests, the Lord’s ministers, shall weep, and shall say: Spare, O Lord, spare thy people: and give not thy inheritance to reproach, that the heathens should rule over them. Why should they say among the nations: Where is their God? The Lord hath been zealous for his land, and hath spared his people. And the Lord answered, and said to his people: Behold I will send you corn, and wine, and oil, and you shall be filled with them: and I will no more make you a reproach among the nations." 

image via Public Domain. Horne, C. & Bewer, J., 1909. The Bible and its Story

Diocesan Project: Catechetical Video Series

The Holy Father, in “Evangelii Gaudium”, challenged the laity to stay true to the Church's central mission of preaching "the beauty of the saving love of God made manifest in Jesus Christ". Modern advancement in technology has given us the opportunity to take on this challenge and to fulfill the call of the “New Evangelization” , championed by Pope John Paul II,  by using modern methods of catechesis to bring Christ to all people.

With this in mind I am currently working on a project with the Diocese of Honolulu to create a Catechetical Video Series. The initial goal of the series is the creation of 4 catechetical videos based on the core theology modules required by the Diocese for basic catechetical certification. The hope is that the completed videos will be dynamic, effective, and uniquely depictive of our island culture. Here is a short snippet of an early trailer we have created:

Fasting on Sundays? No!

"CARTHAGE (398). Held November 8th, 398, under Aurelius of Carthage, at the head of two hundred and fourteen or two hundred and fifteen bishops, including St Augustine. One hundred and four canons were published . . . 

The 64th declares those persons not to be catholics who fast upon Sunday."

Landon, E. H. (1909). In A Manual of Councils of the Holy Catholic Church. Edinburgh: John Grant.

"[DS 454] 4. If anyone does not truly honor the birthday of Christ according to the flesh, but pretends that he honors (it), fasting on the very day and on the Lord’s Day, because, like Cerdon, Marcion, Manichaeus, and Priscillian, he does not believe that Christ was born in the nature of man, let him be anathema."(Council of Braga II, 561AD)

(Anathemas against Heretics, especially the Priscillianists) Denzinger. The sources of Catholic dogma (p. 93).

image via wikimedia commons Public Domain. Food

The Lenten Ember Days & Tempura! (Reposted)

Today (3/12/14) begins the Lenten Embertide. One of the four times a year that the Church calls the ʻEmber Daysʻ or the ʻQuatuor Temporaʻ in Latin

A concise explanation of the ʻEmber Daysʻ Can be found in Theinʻs Ecclesiastical Dictionary: 

They are "the first Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday of each of the four seasons of the year, set apart as fast days by the Catholic Church. According to the testimony of Pope Leo, they originated in the time of the Apostles, who were inspired by the Holy Ghost to dedicate each season of the year to God by a few days of penance; or, as it were, to pay three days’ interest, every three months, on the graces received from God. The Church always commanded the Faithful to fast at the beginning of each of the four seasons of the year, because it is at this time that she ordains the priests and other servants of the Church, which even the Apostles did with much prayer and fasting." (Thein, J., 1900. Ecclesiastical Dictionary)

A much deeper look at the Ember Days, including a more detailed look at its historical roots, can be found in a great article by Michael P. Foley called ʻThe Glow of the Ember Daysʻ. You can read it here - http://rorate-caeli.blogspot.com/2008/09/glow-of-ember-days.html 

One of the unique stories , and a favorite of many local Hawaiian Catholics, surrounding the ʻEmber Daysʻ is that of how the ʻEmber Daysʻ led to the creation of the very tasty and very popular food, Shrimp Tempura! Mr. Foley explains it in his article

"In the sixteenth century, when Spanish and Portuguese missionaries settled in Nagasaki, Japan, they sought ways of making tasty meatless meals for Embertide and started deep-frying shrimp. The idea caught on with the Japanese, who applied the process to a number of different sea foods and vegetables. They called this delicious food—have you guessed it yet?—“tempura,” again from Quatuor Tempora. " (M. Foley. Fall 2008 issue of The Latin Mass Magazine, vol. 17:4)

So either today, Friday, or this Saturday, in honor of the Apostolic tradition of the ʻEmber Daysʻ consider including Tempura as the main part of your one full meal! Its  a food with a very Catholic history :)

image via ʻCreative Commonsʻ. Photo by avlxyz

Archbishop Alexander Sample on the Latin Mass

Archbishop Alexander Sample of the Archdiocese of Portland in Oregon celebrated a Pontifical High Mass in the Extraordinary Form at the Brigittine Monastery in Oregon. 

Here is an HD quality recording of his excellent words on the Latin Mass. HT to Father Z for sharing this video