Thomas Aquinas Novena, Day Eight: Saint

Opening Prayer

Glory Be …

Scripture

After this I looked, and there was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, robed in white, with palm branches in their hands. They cried out in a loud voice, saying,
‘Salvation belongs to our God who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb!’ (Revelation 7:9-10)

Intercession

Holy God, as you received Thomas to the glory of sainthood, challenge me to imitate the sanctity of my brothers and sisters in heaven.

Concluding Prayer

Grant me, O Lord my God,
a mind to know you,
a heart to seek you,
wisdom to find you,
conduct pleasing to you,
faithful perseverance in waiting for you,
and a hope of finally embracing you.

 

Thomas Aquinas Novena, Day Seven: Keeping Vigil

Opening Prayer

Glory Be …

Scripture

In the path of your judgments, O Lord, we wait for you;
your name and your renown  are the soul’s desire.
My soul yearns for you in the night, my spirit within me earnestly seeks you.
For when your judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness. (Isaiah 26:8-9)

Intercession

Hidden God, as Thomas waited for you in the unfolding of his life, calm me in uncertain times, and settle my doubts as I keep vigil with your saints and holy ones.

Concluding Prayer

Grant me, O Lord my God,
a mind to know you,
a heart to seek you,
wisdom to find you,
conduct pleasing to you,
faithful perseverance in waiting for you,
and a hope of finally embracing you.

 

Thomas Aquinas Novena, Day Six: Eucharist

Opening Prayer

Glory Be …

Scripture

For I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took a loaf of bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, ‘This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.’ In the same way he took the cup also, after supper, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.’ For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. (1 Corinthians 11:23-26)

Intercession

God of Life, as Thomas was sustained by the Bread of Life, nourish me through the celebration of the Holy Eucharist.

Concluding Prayer

Grant me, O Lord my God,
a mind to know you,
a heart to seek you,
wisdom to find you,
conduct pleasing to you,
faithful perseverance in waiting for you,
and a hope of finally embracing you.

 

Thomas Aquinas Novena, Day Five: Preacher

Opening Prayer

Glory Be …

Scripture

If I proclaim the gospel, this gives me no ground for boasting, for an obligation is laid on me, and woe betide me if I do not proclaim the gospel! For if I do this of my own will, I have a reward; but if not of my own will, I am entrusted with a commission. What then is my reward? Just this: that in my proclamation I may make the gospel free of charge, so as not to make full use of my rights in the gospel. (1 Corinthians 9:16-18)

Intercession

God and Source of the Word, as Thomas fulfilled the Dominican charism of preaching, move me to witness my faith with family and friends, and especially to those who do not yet know Christ.

Concluding Prayer

Grant me, O Lord my God,
a mind to know you,
a heart to seek you,
wisdom to find you,
conduct pleasing to you,
faithful perseverance in waiting for you,
and a hope of finally embracing you.

 

Thomas Aquinas Novena, Day Four: Priest

Opening Prayer

Glory Be …

Scripture

Every high priest chosen from among mortals is put in charge of things pertaining to God on their behalf, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. He is able to deal gently with the ignorant and wayward, since he himself is subject to weakness; and because of this he must offer sacrifice for his own sins as well as for those of the people. (Hebrews 5:1-3)

Intercession

God of all Grace, as Thomas served the Church as a priest, direct my prayers as intercessions for others, and help me seek and find your overflowing grace.

Concluding Prayer

Grant me, O Lord my God,
a mind to know you,
a heart to seek you,
wisdom to find you,
conduct pleasing to you,
faithful perseverance in waiting for you,
and a hope of finally embracing you.

 

Thomas Aquinas Novena, Day Three: Teacher

Opening Prayer

Glory Be …

Scripture

Let no one despise your youth, but set the believers an example in speech and conduct, in love, in faith, in purity. Until I arrive, give attention to the public reading of scripture, to exhorting, to teaching. Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to you through prophecy with the laying on of hands by the council of elders. Put these things into practice, devote yourself to them, so that all may see your progress. Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; continue in these things, for in doing this you will save both yourself and your hearers. (1 Timothy 4:12-16)

Intercession

God of Light, as young Thomas tutored his sisters, and later, taught university students, guide me to show my faith in both my words and lived example.

Concluding Prayer

Grant me, O Lord my God,
a mind to know you,
a heart to seek you,
wisdom to find you,
conduct pleasing to you,
faithful perseverance in waiting for you,
and a hope of finally embracing you.

 

Thomas Aquinas Novena, Day Two: Student

Opening Prayer

Glory Be …

Scripture

For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven,
and do not return there until they have watered the earth,
making it bring forth and sprout,
giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,

so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;
it shall not return to me empty,
but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,
and succeed in the thing for which I sent it. (Isaiah 55:10-11)

Intercession

God of all Wisdom, as Thomas received the nourishment of grace, help me seek knowledge, and assist me to order my life to spread the Gospel.

Concluding Prayer

Grant me, O Lord my God,
a mind to know you,
a heart to seek you,
wisdom to find you,
conduct pleasing to you,
faithful perseverance in waiting for you,
and a hope of finally embracing you.

 

Thomas Aquinas Novena, Day One: Baptism

Opening Prayer

Glory Be …

Scripture

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, just as he chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before him in love. He destined us for adoption as his children through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace that he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. (Ephesians 1:3-6)

Intercession

Loving God, as Thomas was adopted through Jesus Christ in his baptism, open me to pursue the baptismal call in my life, to seek holiness, and to strive toward union with You.

Concluding Prayer

Grant me, O Lord my God,
a mind to know you,
a heart to seek you,
wisdom to find you,
conduct pleasing to you,
faithful perseverance in waiting for you,
and a hope of finally embracing you.

 

An Observance

Observe the holiday honoring a great American with a listen.

… and a reflection from our pastor’s homily this past weekend, when Dr King’s family was threatened* with violence:

In this state of exhaustion, when my courage had almost gone, I determined to take my problem to God. My head in my hands, I bowed over the kitchen table and prayed aloud. The words I spoke to God that midnight are still vivid in my memory.

“I am here taking a stand for what I believe is right. But now I am afraid. The people are looking to me for leadership; and if I stand before them without strength and courage, they, too, will falter. I am at the end of my powers, I have nothing left. I’ve come to the point where I can’t face it alone.”

At that moment, I experienced the presence of the Divine as I had never before experienced him. It seemed as though I could hear the quiet assurance of an inner voice saying:

“Stand up for righteousness. Stand up for truth. God will be at your side forever.”

Almost at once, my fears began to pass from me. My uncertainty disappeared. I was ready to face anything. The outer situation remained the same, but God had given me inner calm.

Psalm 40 strikes me as a perfect complement to this, the first five verses, which give a lift at the end:

I waited patiently for the Lord;
he inclined to me and heard my cry.
He drew me up from the desolate pit, out of the miry bog,
and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure.
He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the Lord.
Happy are those who make the Lord their trust,
who do not turn to the proud, to those who go astray after false gods.
You have multiplied, O Lord my God,
your wondrous deeds and your thoughts toward us;
none can compare with you.
Were I to proclaim and tell of them,
they would be more than can be counted. (Ps 40:1-5)

Have a blessed day, filled with more than just leisure. Honoring Martin Luther King should be about more than time off to watch tv or get relief from classes. What Scriptures do you think fit the man?

 

Thurible AWOL

Another first in my long years of liturgical ministry. Someone absconded with the parish thurible sometime in the past two weeks. Getting ready for the Vigil Mass Saturday night, the sacristan comes to the piano and asks where I put it.

Me? I’ve been sick the past ten days and out of the office most of those. I checked the usual hiding places, and it was nowhere to be seen.

Our pewter thurible is far from the most valuable piece of liturgical property on the premises. It’s almost more likely it went off in search of a busier parish on its own initiative. We average six funerals a year at the student center. The students burn more incense at vigils or Taize Prayer or other such activities than we do for Mass.

Of course, if we had something of the scale of the Botafumeiro, it would be much harder to run off with it.

 

The Glory of the Father

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it. (John 1:1-5, NRSV)

For Christmas reflection, I thought I’d link one of many versions of this choral chestnut from the pen of Egil Hovland. When I did it with an even smaller choir a dozen years ago, we took it a bit more uptempo. But I think the high school people in the video have a better blend and diction. There’s just something sparkling about young voices. I can say that with double sincerity as I’ve nearly lost mine this week and I’m grateful I don’t have to sing at all this weekend.

Posting likely scarce the next two days or three. Two winter bugs have been making their way through the family unit. The young miss and I have been exceedingly generous to one another and to my wife the past nine or ten days. Family sharing: isn’t it great?

Also great is having only three liturgies to oversee this weekend. The young miss and I may have the time and energy to finally put up the Christmas tree this morning. Our other family member has been hit particularly hard by the flu. We were invited to my sister-in-law’s for Christmas dinner, but I’m afraid that hour-long drive might not come to pass. I’m feeling better for the first time in days, and I even managed to bake a loaf of bread yesterday. I feel sure I have the energy for two liturgies today, but I’ve never spent any part of a Christmas apart from my wife. If need be, I’ll hit the store on the way home tomorrow and muster up a chicken dinner.

Meanwhile, let a medieval monastic antiphon echo through your Christmas celebrations:

Let us dance with delight in the Lord and let our hearts be filled with rejoicing, For eternal salvation has appeared on the earth, alleluia.

 

Pew Cards By Request

A reader sent me this link from two parishes back east. What do you think?

To obtain a pew card is quite easy: simply visit the Parish Office during office hours, or call either office and and leave a message with your name and address, or email your request to [email address]. These cards are available only for those who attend Mass regularly or frequently in [either of our two parishes.]

Missalettes are available in the pews and recommended for following along with the readings and the Eucharistic Prayer. But apparently, parish beancounters have discovered what I’ve discovered. We ordered 650 pew cards. We have 549 hymnals in our bookcarts. When we surveyed after the first two weekends of implementation, we were twenty-two short of the one-card/one-book plan.

So these parishes have decided to make people responsible for their own aids.

 

Pancake Study Break

The past few semesters, we’ve put on an evening breakfast for students trying to survive finals week. Last year, it was a staff-driven thing. This month–tonight, in fact–one of the student teams has spearheaded it. I volunteered to set up and run the griddle borrowed from the Knights.

Comfort food is good. Every so often my mom would have a “breakfast-at-dinnertime,” and we enjoyed the change-up from the routine of meat and potatoes.

It seems that the students are more stressed out than I remember from my college days. My own experience is pretty much irrelevant in comparison. I hated final exams. I rarely did well on them. Finals week was usually a time I spent trying to keep my grades from slipping off the dean’s list. So by the time I was a junior, I mostly blew them off anyway. Today’s crowd seems a lot more serious. Maybe a lot more is on the line for them than it was in the heady days of the 70′s.

Anyway, I will be praying during each drip of pancake batter. Our patron saint here might have a word or two of assistance:

Grant  me, O Lord my God,
a mind to know you,
a heart to seek you,
wisdom to find you,
conduct pleasing to you,
faithful perseverance in waiting for you,
and a hope of finally embracing you.

 

Ruth of the Dust Bowl

A bit of discernment ahead. If any readers would like to chime in, I’d appreciate.

I’ve fielded a serious suggestion to set my next Bible musical in modern or near-modern times. Naomi and her family leave their rural homestead for the city, maybe Kansas  City. Ruth, a city-born daughter-in-law returns with her, and eventually hooks up with Boaz not through the Old Testament tradition of the redeemer, but in a more usual 20th-century courtship.

The music of the times would be easy: lots of jazz (Tin Pan Alley, St Louis ragtime, Kansas City blues, Dixieland, etc.) as well as the emerging acoustic genres of the south: bluegrass, western swing, etc., plus church genres: shape note tunes, gospel, and the like.

I had in mind to polish the Bible-set musical, to do Tobit one step better with my own style. Save the retelling for a revival. But now I’m not so sure. Ruth of the Dust Bowl would be better on a stage rather than in a church. One of the students in the cast said I should consider the marketability of the production. And he was sincere. But am I looking for a bigger market? Or artistic integration? Or inspiring faith? And perhaps all of these aspects are not necessarily exclusive. It is possible to have the story of faith get out there for the widest possible audience–that’s what evangelization is all about, isn’t it?

 

And With Some of Your Spirits

My wife reported she got one out of three spirits at Mass last night. I had two. I thought all three responses were mixed, but as the Mass went on, there was more of you than of spirit in the mix. The pastor said we were going to be gentle and understanding and helpful to one another. After his reminder at the start of 8:30 Mass this morning, I’d say that yous solidly trumped spirits. How to read that? I’d say it’s a sleepy gray morning in central Iowa. One of our three lectors was missing, as was the assigned sacristan.

Ray had a unique observation in the thread below, that some of the Mass texts seem a “weird parody.” I couldn’t disagree. I also couldn’t disagree that the Roman Missal has been in drastic need of revision for at least a generation. After following the politics of liturgy in the universal church, doing parish catechesis, and celebrating one Mass, I still believe this is true today.

The metaphor that comes to mind is that of an open door. If believers have barred the door, God can still work between the cracks. But if the door is wide open, and the people there are welcoming, then obviously there are fewer obstacles to the Gospel. My sense is that we’re somewhere in between a barred door and an open door. An open door would have been really nice. I think the poverty of the modern world means people are ripe to latch onto Christ and to a more spiritual, sacrificial, and fruitful way of life. Violence and materialism have spent themselves to the point where substantial numbers of people are ready to reject them wholesale. Too bad the Church has little enough alternatives to offer in turn.

The full section at the end of Isaiah 63 makes for interesting reading, don’t you think? I’ve bolded the section omitted from the Advent 1 reading:

You, LORD, are our father,
our redeemer you are named from of old.
Why do you make us wander, LORD, from your ways,
and harden our hearts so that we do not fear you?
Return for the sake of your servants,
the tribes of your heritage.
Why have the wicked invaded your holy place,
why have our enemies trampled your sanctuary?
Too long have we been like those you do not rule,
on whom your name is not invoked.
Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down,
with the mountains quaking before you …

Why indeed? May the Lord be with our spirits in the season ahead. God surely must know we need it.