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Hat tip to Fr. Loren, I found this wonderful little parody over at Fr. John's blog in Australia.
Sometimes I have been heard to say that our Precious Blood "Spirituality" is so inclusive it can be made to include error. It is one reason why I never use the words "spirituality" or "inclusive" anymore. It has been demonstrated to me time and again how inclusive language excludes a whole bunch of people.

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This is what we use to have for First Friday at St. Edward:

I had wanted to do more but our tabernacle was inadequate. The cost of a new tabernacle was prohibitive.

But we have some marvelous wood-workers in the parish. Thanks, Ken and Cruz. This is what we now have:

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...on the Beatitudes.

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And now they are available on the Chabanel Psalm Project site. Just look for the psalms that are called a version in honor of St. Gaspar. Here is this week's psalm.

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Before the Mass began, the choir sang “The Prophecies: The Lord our Coming King” in Latin from the Roman Gradual, followed by “Ave Maria” by Victoria and then the Hymn, “Lo How a Rose.” Then I sang the “Kalenda,” the great announcement of the birth of Our Lord Jesus Christ from the center aisle flanked by acolytes carrying candles and incense. From there we proceed to the crèche. I chanted the blessing prayer from the Book of Blessings. Then the procession to the altar began accompanied by the Choir singing the Introit for Mass at Midnight.

Procession to the Crèche: Adeste Fideles
Introit: Dominus Dixit ad me, mode II
Signum Crucis: chanted, Latin
Greeting: Chanted, Latin
Confiteor: chanted recto tono, English
Kyrie, Mass VIII
Gloria: Mass VIII
Collect: chanted in English
Readings, Mass at Midnight
Psalm: Psalm 96, Today is Born our Savior, Chant, Mode II

Alleluia, Chepponis Christmastime Alleluia
Creed: recited
Intercession, Te Rogamus
Offertorium: Laetentur Caeli, Mode IV
Gesu Bambino
Hark, the Herald Angels Sing
Oratre Fratres, chanted in English
Prayer over the Gifts, chanted in English
Sanctus, Mass VIII
Eucharistic Prayer I, chanted, Solemn Tone, in English
Mysterium Fidei, Solemn Tone
Our Father, chanted, English
Agnus Dei, Mass VIII
Ecce Agnus Dei, chanted in English
Communio: In Splendoribus, Mode VI
Sleeps Judea Fair
Child of Mercy (Haas)
Silent Night
Closing: Joy To the World

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Following the example set by Pope Benedict in November:

and then seeing the candlesticks available on the New Liturgical Movement Blog,

I undertook several days of bidding, and having been sucessful, we began at Midnight Mass a new tradition for the Solemn Masses at St. Edward

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Now, Jeffrey, how should I communicate this to the people in the pews?

This morning I was asked to preside for a Mass of the Deacon Candidates and their wives, and the students of the Pastoral School. The liturgy was in the chapel at Holy Names University.

We bagan with the requisite grip and grin, say "hi" to your neighbor, as if we are here to meet one another instead of the Lord.

Introit: Table of Plenty
Psalm: I Will Praise Your Name, heavily paraphrased Psalm 145, further butchered with inclusive language.
Celtic Alleluia
"We Remember" ok, I forget, was this offertory or Communion?
Mass of Glory
I forget what we closed with, but the Mass did not include one song we might sing here at St. Edward

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Aside from preparing psalms for the Mass, most of my time has been spent over the last few years creating psalms for my own use in the Liturgy of Hours. That work is far from complete.

I tried out the Mundelein psalter for a while, but I have determined that, aside from the hymns, that book is of little help. It is based on gregorian modes, but it does not use the actual modes for the psalms.

I have finished creating the psalms for Compline. So I have created my own Compline book for my personal use and I can now sing compline every night.

One of these days I may typeset the Salve or other Marian antiphons and add them to the book. Other than that, the book is usable.

Click here for my Compline book. I would love to hear what you think of the melodies for the antiphons.

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Read the article here.

The best part was this:

"In the beauty of the liturgy, [...] wherever we join in singing, praising, exalting and worshipping God, a little bit of heaven will become present on earth. Truly it would not be presumptuous to say that, in a liturgy completely centred on God, we can see, in its rituals and chant, an image of eternity. [...] In all our efforts on behalf of the liturgy, the determining factor must always be our looking to God. We stand before God – he speaks to us and we speak to him. Whenever in our thinking we are only concerned about making the liturgy attractive, interesting and beautiful, the battle is already lost. Either it is Opus Dei, with God as its specific subject, or it is not. In the light of this, I ask you to celebrate the sacred liturgy with your gaze fixed on God within the communion of saints, the living Church of every time and place, so that it will truly be an expression of the sublime beauty of the God who has called men and women to be his friends."

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Ever since a marvelous presentation on the Responsorial Psalm given by Dr. Mahrt at the CMAA Colloquium, I have been wrestling with ideas about what to do here at St. Edward.

For the past few years we have had a steady diet of Respond and Acclaim psalms by Owen Alstott. To be fair, his psalm refrains are singable. They are functional and accessible for the assembly. Our choir has done a marvelous job with the verses at the choir Mass, yet still, for me, they lack a certain beauty. And beauty is the point Dr. Mahrt was trying to make.

Still, the Graduals from each Sunday are a bit beyond the expertise of the local musicians. So what do we find that is somewhere in between the Roman Gradual and the tired old Respond and Acclaim?

Well, one morning, while I was chanting Morning Prayer, I came upon an idea. Often I will chant the psalms from Lauds using the antiphons and the Gregorian tones from the Psalterium Monasticum from Solesmes. Occasionally I can make the English text (my own translation) fit the music.

So, I wondered if some of the lectionary texts could be made to fit the tones associated with those psalms in the Psalterium. Then, later that morning, I was concelebrating Mass at St. Mary's in Norwalk, CT, and their marvelous musician, David Hughes, chanted a capella the Responsorial Psalm to a simple Gregorian tone. It was beautiful!

So I was inspired and off to work. So, here is the result. I would love to see what fellow musicans out there think of these. Some are better than others, and in one you will see I got a bit adventurous and then thought better of it. Comments most appreciated.

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Very nice video. And, of course I am delighted they included footage of the Requiem Mass where I had the honor and privilege of presiding.

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I think Gaspar would have said something like, "God has reserved for us these terrible times." Really, I think there are a whole generation of priests who have the bad habit of simply not listening to the church, but they have been trained to follow their own lights. They are sincere in their belief that this is appropriate and even more pastoral.

What I said to the visiting priest this weekend:

If it is in black, say it, and if it is in red, do it. If it is not in black, do not say it, and if it is in not red, do not do it.

What the visiting priest did at his first Mass:

ad-libbed the Eucharistic Prayer.

These priests would be deeply offended to be called "clerical." But is there anything more clerical than thinking you know better than the Church? But then the response would be, "We are the Church." And the conversation goes on ...

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Here is the new Moto Proprio.

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Here are the rest of my pictures.

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From Sacramentum Caritatis

42. In the ars celebrandi, liturgical song has a pre-eminent place. Saint Augustine rightly says in a famous sermon that "the new man sings a new song. Singing is an expression of joy and, if we consider the matter, an expression of love.". The People of God assembled for the liturgy sings the praises of God. In the course of her two-thousand-year history, the Church has created, and still creates, music and songs which represent a rich patrimony of faith and love. This heritage must not be lost. Certainly as far as the liturgy is concerned, we cannot say that one song is as good as another. Generic improvisation or the introduction of musical genres which fail to respect the meaning of the liturgy should be avoided. As an element of the liturgy, song should be well integrated into the overall celebration. Consequently everything – texts, music, execution – ought to correspond to the meaning of the mystery being celebrated, the structure of the rite and the liturgical seasons. Finally, while respecting various styles and different and highly praiseworthy traditions, I desire, in accordance with the request advanced by the Synod Fathers, that Gregorian chant be suitably esteemed and employed as the chant proper to the Roman liturgy....

62. ... I am thinking here particularly of celebrations at international gatherings, which nowadays are held with greater frequency. The most should be made of these occasions. In order to express more clearly the unity and universality of the Church, I wish to endorse the proposal made by the Synod of Bishops, in harmony with the directives of the Second Vatican Council, that, with the exception of the readings, the homily and the prayer of the faithful, such liturgies could be celebrated in Latin. Similarly, the better-known prayers of the Church's tradition should be recited in Latin and, if possible, selections of Gregorian chant should be sung. Speaking more generally, I ask that future priests, from their time in the seminary, receive the preparation needed to understand and to celebrate Mass in Latin, and also to use Latin texts and execute Gregorian chant; nor should we forget that the faithful can be taught to recite the more common prayers in Latin, and also to sing parts of the liturgy to Gregorian chant.

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Pope Benedict XVI's new Apostolic Exhortation

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Mainly since Matthew asked, here is the Music from Midnight Mass at St. Edward.

Prelude:

"Premiere Suite de Noels" Balbastre (1727-1799)
"The Proclamation of the Prophecies" Vatican Chant Modes V-VII
"Ave Maria" Victoria (1548-1611)
"Lo How A Rose" Praetorius (1571-1621)
"Kalenda" The great announcement of the Birth of Christ

Entrance Procession: Adeste Fideles, O Come, All Ye Faithful
Incensation of the Altar, Introit, "Dominus dixit ad me" mode 2
Sign of the Cross: chanted in Latin
Greeting: Chanted in Latin
Introduction to the Penitential Rite: chanted in English
Confiteor: recited in English
Kyrie: Cum Jubilo, Proulx
Gloria: "Christmas Gloria" Laginya, GIA
Psalm: "Today is Born Our Savior" Alstott
Alleluia: "Christmastime Alleluia" Chepponis
Gospel: Luke 2:1-14, chanted
Preparation of the Altar and Gifts: "Stille Nacht" in German
"The Glory of the Father" Hovland
Eucharistic Acclamations: Community Mass, Proulx
Eucharistic Prayer I, chanted
Memorial Acclamation: "Mortem Tuam" chant
Our Father: chanted in English
Agnus Dei, Mass XVIII
Communion Procession: "In Splendoribus" chant mode 6
"Sleeps Judea Fair" MacKinnon
"Silent Night" in English
Recessional: "Joy To The World"
Postlude: "Noel X" d'Aquin (1694-1772)

The Choir sang the Mass at Day and it was much the same order except for the Inroit, "Puer Natus" (mode VII) and the Communio, "Viderunt Omnes" (mode 1). We also heard "Of The Father's Love Begotten" at the Preparation of the Altar, and Palestrina's "Alma Redemptoris Mater" after Communion.

Among the ladies counting the collection this morning only one adjective was used to describe the liturgy, "beautiful."

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From Musicam Sacram

emphasis added

15. The faithful fulfil their liturgical role by making that full, conscious and active participation which is demanded by the nature of the Liturgy itself and which is, by reason of baptism, the right and duty of the Christian people.13 This participation

(a) Should be above all internal, in the sense that by it the faithful join their mind to what they pronounce or hear, and cooperate with heavenly grace,14

(b) Must be, on the other hand, external also, that is, such as to show the internal participation by gestures and bodily attitudes, by the acclamations, responses and singing.15

The faithful should also be taught to unite themselves interiorly to what the ministers or choir sing, so that by listening to them they may raise their minds to God.

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There seems to be some indication that the Pope may make a statement on Sacred Music.

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It is not everyday that one gets noticed by the New Liturgical Movement. Thanks.

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At St Edward Catholic Church, Newark, CA

Introit: Gaudeamus omnes in Domino, Mode VIII, chanted in Latin
Sign of the Cross, chanted in Latin
Greeting: chanted in Latin
Introduction: Chanted in English
Confiteor: recited in English
Kyrie: Mass VIII, de angelis
Gloria: Mass VIII, de angelis
Opening prayer, chanted in English
First reading proclaimed in Spanish
Gradual: Timete Dominum, Mode I, chanted in Latin
Second reading proclaimed in Portuguese
Alleluia: Venite ad me, Mode VIII,
Gospel proclaimed in English
Homily in English and Spanish
Credo III, chanted in Latin
Interecessions, Te Rogamus, chanted in Latin with petitions in six languages
Offertory: Justorum animae, chanted in Latin, Mode VIII
Motet: Justorum Animae, Sir Charles Villiers Stanford, (1852-1924)
Prayer over the gifts: chanted in English
Eucharistic Prayer I, The Roman Canon, Preface of All Saints, chanted in English
Sanctus: Mass VIII, chanted in Latin
Mysterium Fidei, chanted in Latin
Pater Noster: chanted in English
Sign of Peace: chanted in Latin
Agnus Dei: Missa O Quam Gloriosum, Victoria, 1548-1611
Communion: Motet, O Quam Gloriosum, Victoria
Communio: Beati mundo corde, Mode I, chanted in Latin
Post communion prayer: chanted in English
Finbal Blessing: chanted in English
Dismissal: chanted in Latin
Hymn: For All The Saints, Sine Nomine

The Choir was the Schola Cantorum of San Francisco under the direction of John Renke

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Looks like it is time to begin thinking about next summer.

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A miracle and a great experience for the Faith. What a cool story.

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SOLEMNITY OF THE ASSUMPTION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY
Luke 1:39-56
1 Corinthians 15:20-26
Psalm 44:10-12.16
Apocalypse 11:19; 12:1-6.10

August 15, 2005
Monastery of the Glorious Cross, O.S.B.
Branford, Connecticut

Today’s festival, the Pascha of summer, signals the beginning of the final phase of the liturgical year. The Church enters into the splendours of her harvest time. With the feasts of late summer and autumn, the Church turns the shimmering pages of the book of the Apocalypse and draws us into their mystery. “Blessed is he who reads aloud the words of the prophecy, writes the Apostle, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written therein; for the time is near�? (Ap 1:3).

On August 6th, precisely forty days before the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, we celebrated the Transfiguration of the Lord, a mystery of heavenly glory, a foretaste of the apocalyptic brightness of the Kingdom. “I saw one like a son of man . . . And his face was like the sun shining in full strength (Ap 1:16). Having contemplated the glory of the Father shining on the face of the transfigured Christ (2 Cor 4:6), in another month we will celebrate his Glorious Cross, the Tree of Life with leaves “for the healing of the nations�? (Ap 22:2).

On November 1st, the immense mosaic of all the saints will be unveiled before our wondering eyes in a liturgy scintillating with images from the book of the Apocalypse and echoing with “the voice of a great multitude like the sound of many waters and like the sound of mighty thunderpeals, crying, ‘Alleluia’�? (Ap 19:6).

On November 9th, the liturgy of the feast of the Dedication of Saint John Lateran will point to “the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride, adorned for her husband�? (Ap 21:2). As Mother Church approaches holy Advent, the end of her yearly cycle, the sacred liturgy seems to increase its momentum. Soon the last cry of the book of the Apocalypse will be ceaselessly in our hearts and on our lips, “‘Surely. I am coming soon.’ Amen. Come, Lord Jesus�? (Ap 22:20).

Today, on this solemnity of the Assumption of the all-holy Mother of God and Blessed Virgin Mary, we enter into the phase described by Saint Paul in the second reading, “As in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ�? (1 Cor 15:22).

Today, she who “belongs to Christ�? by a unique, abiding, and unrepeatable privilege, the most holy Theotokos and ever-virgin Mary follows where he has gone, “through the greater and more perfect tent not made by human hands, that is, not of this creation . . . into the Holy Place�? (Heb 9:11).

An antiphon of today’s Office makes us sing: “Draw us in your footsteps, O Mary, hidden with Christ in God! Your paths are sown with delights; exquisite the fragrance of your perfumes.�? True devotion to the Mother of God consists in allowing oneself to be drawn after her. He who walks in the footprints of Mary inhales the mysterious fragrance of her holiness, a fragrance known to all the saints.

An old custom would have us bless fragrant herbs and flowers on the festival of the Assumption; according to legend the tomb of the Mother of God was found to be full of fragrant herbs and flowers after her body had been assumed into glory. Assumed body and soul into heaven, Mary leaves behind a lingering fragrance. It is subtle, not overpowering, but unmistakable. It is the fragrance of purity, of humility, and of adoration. Inhale it, and you will be drawn in her footsteps, even to the feet of the risen and ascended Christ, hidden in glory.

The ancient gospel for the Assumption, Luke 10:38-42, still used in the Cistercian Order, is that of another Mary — Mary of Bethany — seated in sweet repose at the feet of Jesus, listening to his word (Lk 10:39). “Mary has chosen the best part, which shall not be taken from her�? (Lk 10:42). With eyes illumined by the Holy Spirit, the Church discerned in the familiar figure of Mary of Bethany an icon of Mary, the Mother of Jesus, assumed into heaven. There, in the presence of her Son, she enjoys the rest promised by God, the Sabbath that will have no end (cf. Heb 4:1-10).

“Draw me after you, let us make haste�? (Ct 1:4), was the longing and desire of her heart. Now, to us, she says, “The king has brought me into his chambers�? (Ct 1:4). The Assumption of the Mother of God is a signal to the entire cosmos that the divine economy is indeed entering into its final and glorious phase. “Then, says Saint Paul, comes the end, when he (Christ) delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies beneath his feet�? (1 Cor 15:24-25).

In the first reading from the book of the Apocalypse, “God’s temple in heaven was opened�? (Ap 11:19). The Church, like Saint Stephen her proto-martyr, “full of the Holy Spirit, gazes into heaven and sees the glory of God�? (Ac 7:55). The whole array of theophanic signs seen once on Sinai’s heights is deployed again: “flashes of lightning, voices, peals of thunder�? (Ap 11:19). And then, in the heavens appears the great portent: “a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon beneath her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars�? (Ap 12:1). The Woman is the bride of the Lamb adorned for her spouse (Ap 21:2); the Woman is the Church presented “in splendour, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing . . . holy and without blemish�? (Eph 5:27); the Woman is the Virgin Mother of Nazareth, Bethlehem, Cana, Calvary, and the Mount of Olives. “Mary is assumed into heaven; the angels rejoice, and praising, bless the Lord�? (Antiphon of Vespers). Behold the Woman of the psalm, the queen whose beauty the king desires, standing at his right, arrayed in gold (Ps 45: 9b-15).

The liturgy is not content with exalting the great apocalyptic icon before our eyes; the liturgy would have us hear the woman’s song for her heart overflows with a goodly theme (Ps 45:1). This, of course, is the reason for today’s jubilant gospel. “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my saviour�? (Lk 1:46). This is the song of the Bride of the Lamb; this is the song of the Church in every age; this is the song of the Holy Mother of God in the midst of the angels.

If the apocalyptic phase of the liturgical year teaches us anything, it is that, in the end, the praise of God, and adoration, will have the final word. The glorious Assumption of the Mother of God points to the immense and ceaseless liturgy of heaven, to the fullness of that doxological and eucharistic life that begins for us here and now. Those who go in search of the Lamb will find him in the company of Mary his Mother. “We have seen his star in the east, and are come to adore him�? (Mt 2:2).

For us, Mary is that star. “Look to the star,�? says Saint Bernard, “and call upon Mary.�? Already, the “voice of the great multitude, like the sound of many waters�? (Ap 19:6) begins to swell. It is the voice of those who look to the star, and follow her to the marriage supper of the Lamb. A new song rises in the heart of a Church that is alive and young: “The Spirit and the Bride say, ‘Come’�? (Ap 22:17). Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.

© 2005, D. Mark Daniel Kirby, O.Cist.

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From the GIRM, Paragraph 48:

In the dioceses of the United States of America, there are four options for the cantus ad introitum: (1) the antiphon and Psalm from the Roman Missal as set to music by the Roman Gradual or in another musical setting; (2) the seasonal antiphon and Psalm of the Simple Gradual; (3) a song from another collection of psalms and antiphons, approved by the USCCB or the diocesan bishop, including psalms arranged in responsorial or metrical forms, (4) a suitable liturgical song chosen in accord with GIRM, no. 47.

It seems to me that option #4 is the universal option, the one that is used most often in the United States.

My question is: Is there a parish in the US that regularly uses Options 1, 2, or 3 and what has your experience of it been?

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Often posts from this blog have been copied off and sent anonymously and cowardly to the Bishop or to the Diocesan School department to complain about my defense of the liturgy or to object to my defense of decorum and proper dress for the Liturgy.

My complaint has never been against any person, but against actions or dress that are deemed inappropriate by official offices in the local and universal church.

The one thing that amazes me is that several women, people with official roles in leadership, often think that my criticism is inappropriate. In other words, brides who wear strapless gowns should be allowed to do so. This is the culture, they say. This is what everyone does, they say. You would be the only one to object, they say. The Bishop, on the other hand, likes to come here because we do the liturgy well. It is always amusing to see a complaint sent to him about something he asked me to do.

The culture does not determine the liturgy. I am increasing amused by people who ask for upbeat songs. There are some who think I do not listen. Yes, I listen. The answer is "no." From now on the conversation is on the text, or the conversation is over.

There is a new book by Fr. Richard John Neuhaus called "Catholic Matters." In it he talks about the groups who believe that Vatican II was a movement in discontinuity from what went before, as if there was a pre-Vatican II church and a post-Vatican II church. What most people think is a Vatican II Liturgy is nothing of what was intended by Vatican II. I would recommend this book for anyone who struggles to defend the liturgy today. It is a very affirming and supportive book.

I am the pastor. I am not a talk-show host or a choreographer. I am the one responsible for the liturgy at this parish and I take my responsibility seriously. We are not putting on a show here. People who come for the music or for the decoration or for the community are missing the point. The purpose of our singing is not to enable us to feel the Spirit. The purpose of our music is to give us the vehicle to enter into the word of God, to give ourselves to the Word of God, and pray that we may become the work of God. People will be taught to come here for Jesus, and for nothing else.

How we dress for the liturgy indicates our reverence and our readiness. As always, people who dress inappropriately will be welcomed in our church and treated with great hospitality. However, they will not be lector, Eucharistic minister, or in any leadership or ministerial role.

The Liturgy has become a place for groups and organizations to strut their stuff and look good. The recent support from the Diocese has been very affirming and has given me much support. Count me as part of the Reform of the Reform. The Liturgy, the Eucharist, the Lord's Supper, the Communio with the Lord and all the Saints; it is the center of the universe, it is the center that holds, it is everything that gives us life or directs who we are to be.

There are many who wonder how long they have to put up with me. The most telling day was when someone complained and said they wanted their church back. That very day another thanked me for bringing back reverence and beauty and they ended by saying, "thank you for giving us our church back."

Ministry is not decided by opinion polls or what anyone may think about what I am doing. It is the Lord's ministry and the Church is the one who determines the validity of ministry. To be Catholic is to believe in the Church and to think with the Church and to seek to be and do what the Church does.

I remember a conversation where I said that we needed to begin to look at the liturgy from the Church's perspective. The answer came back, "we are the Church." Nope, sorry, we are not individually or collectively the church. We do not get to decide what is right or wrong or what the truth is. Truth is not based on what we might feel about something or what we might like. Jesus himself is the truth and our task is to listen, to learn and to receive his grace.

So go ahead, copy this off and send it to whomever you like. It is the Church's Liturgy, and I will continue to defend it.

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The fact that this sort of behavior is defended by many people in the church is a good indication of the state the church is in.

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taken by yours truly.

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Jason, one of the participants at the Colloquium, posts his reflections over at Christus Vincit.

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Don Marco certainly has a way with words. I think he should have been a CPPS instead of an O. Cist. Or maybe he would be able to help me begin a refounding of the CPPS.

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Almighty and ever-living God
by whose will the Most Precious Blood of your only-begotten Son
was formed by the Holy Spirit in the womb of the Virgin Mary,
and poured out for the salvation of the world on the altar of the Cross;
mercifully grant, through her intercession,
that we who partake of the Chalice of the New and Eternal Covenant,
may so adore the Mystery of Faith
as to experience within ourselves
the fruit of that Redeeming Blood.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God forever and ever.

Prayer by Father Mark Daniel Kirby, O.Cist.

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Reflections on the Colloquium can be found at the sites of fellow bloggers who were present. I will have more to say next week when my vacation is over.

See The Blogs from:
Jenny in Nebraska
Fr. Fox in Ohio
Jeffrey and Arlene in Alabama
The Team Blog at CMAA

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I think Don Marco should be given a round of applause for all the good things he is doing on this feast. I think his homily today outshines mine, and it will take a while just to digest all the images he presents. Give it a good read.

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PRESENTING A NEW ICON INSPIRED BY POPE JOHN PAUL II: THE MOTHER OF GOD, ADORER OF THE EUCHARISTIC FACE OF CHRIST

In his encyclical Ecclesia de Eucharistia, the Servant of God, Pope John Paul II drew the eyes of the Church to the Face of Christ in the sacrament of the Eucharist. He coined a new phrase, one not encountered before in his writings or in the teachings of his predecessors, “the Eucharistic Face of Christ.�? Thus did Pope John Paul II share with the Church his own experience of seeking, finding, and adoring the Face of Christ in the Eucharist.

To contemplate the face of Christ, and to contemplate it with Mary, is the “programme�? which I have set before the Church at the dawn of the third millennium, summoning her to put out into the deep on the sea of history with the enthusiasm of the new evangelization. To contemplate Christ involves being able to recognize him wherever he manifests himself, in his many forms of presence, but above all in the living sacrament of his Body and Blood. The Church draws her life from Christ in the Eucharist; by him she is fed and by him she is enlightened. The Eucharist is both a mystery of faith and a “mystery of light.�? Whenever the Church celebrates the Eucharist, the faithful can in some way relive the experience of the two disciples on the road to Emmaus: “their eyes were opened and they recognized him�? (Lk 24:31). . . . I cannot let this Holy Thursday 2003 pass without halting before the “Eucharistic face�? of Christ and pointing out with new force to the Church the centrality of the Eucharist. (1)

This text, among others of Pope John Paul II, inspired the new icon of the Mother of God, Adorer of the Eucharistic Face of Christ. The icon was written by the hand of Charlotte Lauzon in preparation for the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ 2006.

The icon depicts the Mother of God as she is shown in the familiar icon of the Sign. The icon of the Sign is among the most venerated icons of the Mother of God. The ancient gesture of praying with upraised hands is seen in frescoes in the catacombs. It evokes the mystery of the Ecclesia Orans, the Praying Church, personified here in the Mother of God. The same ancient gesture of intercession became, in the late Middle Ages, a popular expression of adoration at the elevation or showing of the Sacred Host.

Whereas in icons of the Sign, Christ is depicted enclosed in a mandorla or nimbus of divine light on the Virgin’s breast, in this icon the Eucharistic Face of Christ shines from the Sacred Host suspended above the Holy Chalice on the altar. The Mother of God stands at the altar presenting the Eucharistic Face of her Son to the Eternal Father, saying, “Behold, O God our Protector; look upon the face of your Christ�? (Ps 83:10). At the same time she presents the Eucharistic Face of her Son to the eyes of all who seek Him in the Holy Mysteries. Looking out towards us, she calls us to the contemplation and adoration of the Face of Christ at once concealed and revealed in the Sacrament of the Altar.

“The contemplation of Christ has an incomparable model in Mary. In a unique way the Face of the Son belongs to Mary. It was in her womb that Christ was formed, receiving from her a human resemblance which points to an even greater spiritual closeness. No one has ever devoted himself to the contemplation of the Face of Christ as faithfully as Mary.�? (2)

The blood-red mantle of the Virgin frames the Body and Blood of Christ, recalling that she “became in some way a tabernacle — the first tabernacle in history — in which the Son of God, still invisible to our human gaze, allowed himself to be adored.�? (3) “Mary is a woman of the Eucharist in her whole life. The Church, which looks to Mary as a model, is also called to imitate her in her relationship with this most holy mystery.�? (4)

Above the uplifted hands of the Mother of God is inscribed the prayer of the disciples to the Wayfarer on the on the road to Emmaus: Mane nobiscum, Domine, “Stay with us, Lord�? (Lk 24:29). This is the phrase that Pope John Paul II gave the Church at the beginning of the Year of the Eucharist in 2004. The same inscription is found on the medal of the Holy Face of Jesus diffused by the Servants of God, Mother Maria-Pierina De Micheli and Abbot Ildebrando Gregori. The Mother of God sustains the Church in praying, Mane nobiscum, Domine, and teaches the Church to treasure in her heart the promise of Christ’s abiding presence in the Eucharist: “Behold, I am with you always, to the close of the age�? (Mt 28:20).

The altar in the icon represents every altar in the world where the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ are offered in the Holy Sacrifice and given in Communion. The words, Illumina, Domine, vultum tuum super nos, “Lift up, O Lord, the light of your face upon us�? (Ps 66:1), also inscribed on the medal of the Holy Face of Jesus, appear on the front of the altar. In this Eucharistic context, the ancient prayer of the psalmist is wondrously fulfilled. The altar is the place from which the Eucharistic Face of Christ shines with a divine radiance that penetrates every darkness.

The experience of the disciples on the road to Emmaus culminated in their eyes being opened to see the Eucharistic Face of Christ. “When he was at table with them, he took the bread and blessed, and broke it, and gave it to them. And their eyes were opened and they recognized him; and he vanished out of their sight�? (Lk 24:30-31). Christ vanished from the sight of the disciples, leaving in their hearts a mysterious burning (cf. Lk 24:32), and the broken Bread that reveals his Eucharistic Face, that is to say, His Eucharistic Presence. In the Eucharist the Face of Christ is turned toward us. The Eucharistic Face of Christ waits to meet the gaze of our faith, waits to be sought and recognized, adored and implored. “We see now through a glass in a dark manner; but then face to face. Now I know in part; but then I shall know even as I am known�? (1 Cor 13:12). Sanctissima Facies Iesu, sub sacramento abscondita, respice in nos et miserere nostri. (5)

The Face of Christ shines through the veil of the Sacred Species to illumine those who seek it there. The radiance of the Eucharistic Face of Christ heals and repairs the disfiguration of sin; it restores beauty to the face of the soul and likeness to the image of God obscured by sin. It is in the Eucharist that the prayer of the psalmist is wonderfully fulfilled: “The light of your face, O Lord, is signed upon us: you have given gladness in my heart�? (Ps 4:7). Again, it is the psalmist who says, “Look to him and be radiant, and your faces shall not be put to shame�? (Ps 33:6). The adorer who seeks the Eucharistic Face will experience that in its light there is the healing of brokenness and the beginning of transfiguration. “And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being changed into his likeness from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit�? (2 Cor 3:18).

The Eucharistic Face of Christ is veiled beneath the humble species of bread lest we be blinded by its glory. “His face,�? says Saint John, “was like the sun shining in full strength�? (Rev 1:16). The rays of that Sun reach us nonetheless through the appearance of bread that conceals it; its healing effects are not in any way diminished, nor is the splendour of its glory. “We look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen�? (2 Cor 4:18). “For it is the God who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the Eucharistic face of Christ�? (cf. 2 Cor 4:6).

The sentiments of every human heart find expression on the face even before they are communicated in words. So too are the secrets of the Sacred Heart revealed on the Face of the Word made Flesh and communicated to those who seek that Face in the mystery of the Eucharist. One who seeks the Face of Christ will be led surely, inexorably, to the inexhaustible riches of his Heart.

The Face of Christ is “the brightness of the Father’s glory and the figure of his substance�? (cf. Heb 1:3). To Philip wanting to see the Father, Jesus replied, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you do not know me, Philip? He who has seen me has seen the Father; how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father in me?�? (Jn 14:9-10). The Face of Christ, “full of grace and truth�? (Jn 1:14), reveals the Father. Those who seek the Eucharistic Face of Christ can in truth say with Saint John, “We have beheld his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father�? (Jn 1:14), and again, “No one has ever seen God; the only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he has made him known�? (Jn 1:18).

“To look upon the face of Christ, to recognize its mystery amid the daily events and the sufferings of his human life, and then to grasp the divine splendour definitively revealed in the Risen Lord, seated in glory at the right hand of the Father: this is the task of every follower of Christ and therefore the task of each one of us. In contemplating Christ's face we become open to receiving the mystery of Trinitarian life, experiencing ever anew the love of the Father and delighting in the joy of the Holy Spirit. Saint Paul's words can then be applied to us: “Beholding the glory of the Lord, we are being changed into his likeness, from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit�? (2Cor 3:18).�? (6)

He who is from all eternity “in the bosom of the Father�? (Jn 1:18) is also, “in these last days�? (Heb 1:2), sacramentally present in the heart of the Church, abiding there as “the living Bread which came down from heaven�? (Jn 6:51). It is in adoring him there that we become “the generation of those who seek him, who seek the face of the God of Jacob�? (Ps 23:6).

This splendid new icon of the Mother of God, Adorer of the Eucharistic Face of Christ is the fruit of Pope John Paul II’s spiritual legacy to the Church. I confidently ask his intercession for Charlotte by whose hand the icon was written, and for her family. I invite all who rejoice with me in the realization of this icon to enter through it, as through a door, into the adoration of the Eucharistic Face of Christ,

Father Mark Daniel Kirby, O.Cist.
18 June 2006
Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ

NOTES
1 John Paul II, Ecclesia de Eucharistia, art. 6 and 7.
2 John Paul II, Apostolic Letter Rosarium Virginia Mariae (16 October 2002), art. 10.
3 Ecclesia de Eucharistia, art. 55.
4 Ibid., art. 53.
5 “Most Holy Face of Jesus, hidden beneath the sacramental veils, look upon us and have mercy.�? Litany of the Holy Face of the Congregation of the Benedictines of Jesus Crucified.
6 Rosarium Virginis Mariae, art. 9.

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Adoro te devote

Yearning, I adore you, wondrous hidden God,
Living Bread by bread concealed, speaking heart to heart.
Give me now the faith that sees darkly through the veil,
Let your presence draw me in where my senses fail.

Seeing, touching, tasting, fail to grasp you, Lord.
Hearing only stirs up faith; faith clings to your word.
This is truth enough for me: all that you have said.
Faith alone discerns your Face, radiant, Living Bread.

Seeing you upon the Cross, flesh and blood I find;
Here your flesh and blood are hid, leaving only signs.
Trusting in your mercy, like the dying thief,
I confess you, God and Man; this is my belief.

Unlike Thomas touching, probing hands and side,
I see not but name you still God and Prince of Life.
Draw me to your presence, stronger make my faith,
Bolder make my hope in you, fire me with Love’s flame.

Wonderful memorial of the Crucified!
Sacred Banquet, Living Bread, Wellspring gushing light!
Let your life be life to me, feed and feast my mind,
Be to me the sweetness I was meant to find.

In the wounded Pelican, faith sees something more.
She with blood sustains her young; you your blood outpoured
All the world to cleanse of sin. Bathe me in that tide,
Though a single drop makes pure those drawn to your side.

Jesus, here your Face is hid, from my sight concealed,
How I thirst to meet your gaze gloriously revealed!
After life’s obscurity, let me wake to see
Beauty shining from your Face for eternity. Amen.

Original Latin text: Saint Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274)
English translation: Father Mark Daniel. Kirby, O.Cist., 2004

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I normally do not pay much attention to Catholic (only our small part of the)World News, but someone sent me this link which I think contains a very interesting and important perspective on the liturgy.

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Fr. Mark Daniel Kirby, O.Cist sends me his marvelous homily for the Feast of St. Catherine.

It is evident, I think, that today’s feast of Saint Catherine of Siena is a further invitation, a pressing exhortation, to fix our gaze on the Blood of the Lamb, to adore that Precious Blood, to yield every impurity and sin of ours to the torrent that gushes from Christ’s pierced side, and to drink of the Chalice of Salvation.

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I think, next year, I want to sing the Exsultet in Latin.

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Not too long ago I mention to someone that the congregation is growing and that the collection is up this year.

Her reply was basically, "You mean there are people who like what you are doing?"

Yes, there are people who are leaving because we are now being faithful to the liturgy, but there are many more who are coming back.

Actually my DRE has accused me a being one step ahead of the Pope.

Well, now the USCCB chimes in.

I am sure there will be people resistant to the idea.

Thanks to the Cafeteria is Closed and Argent on the Tiber for the link.

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The Closed Cafeteria has a great post about a Bishop in Oklahoma.

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The ten step Marty Haugen song writing program The former choir members would love it.

Today is Army Day: March forth!

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Excellent article by a Jesuit, no less. Different names, different places, different community, same problem.

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An excellent article found on ZENIT. Thanks to The New Liturgical Movement for pointing it out.

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The NPM report is found here.

This is actually one of the greatest pastoral challenges today, when a faithful Catholic hungers to sing a song that is heterodox, when they find great meaning and hope in a song that points us in a wrong direction.

We have to be pastoral and gentle and non-judgemental, but here we are not going to sing "Voices that Challenge," unless it it becomes a song about the voice of God. It is not someones condition that challenges me to respond, it is the voice of the Blood of Jesus that challenges me to respond.

He, himself, he alone is our peace. Here we shall never sing "...let peace begin with me." It may be someone's sentimental favorite, but the purpose of Music in Liturgy is to bear the word of God, not to confirm my sentiments.

Actually there are some pretty good songs among the top 25.

On another note, other Bloggers have noted that Dan Schutte has composed a keeper, "Christ, Circle Round Us." Sr. Mary Mark shared the song with me this morning. It is delightful.

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Reflections on Contemporary Hymns

hat tip to the New Liturgical Movement for the link.

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found here.

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I worked in Music ministry from 1971 to 1988. During that time I wrote a lot of music, and published nine cassettes of Liturgical music. Actually I would only admit to writing about one third of it. Some of the older stuff is really not very good music. But there are a few pieces I wrote that I would not mind praying again as part of the liturgy, especially some of my psalm settings.

But it is amazing how music travels. I just recieved this email:

Hello Fr Keyes from Papua New Guinea.

I am sure you are amazed that an email is coming from a place that is probably unknown to you. The reason I am emailing to you is because we usually sing a Lord's Prayer Hymn (Our Father) that is composed by you.

I would like to know if there is a recording of this song, and under what album it was recorded under, and if it is sold anywhere in Australian Catholic shops.

Thank you and God Bless.

The piece in question took an Honorable Mention at an NPM composition competition in 1979. It is not a song that I would use anymore simply because I am not sure the refrain format works liturgically. However, I would be most interested in hearing hgow a song I wrote in the '70s now translates into another culture. I may send them my recording in exchange for a recording of their choir doing in.

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How many out there have Communion under both kinds? It really bothers me that so many are afraid of the Precious Blood. It bothers me more when they refer to it as wine. I once did a mission in Texas and reacted with a bit a shock when one of the Eucharistic ministers introduced herself to me as one of the "wine ministers."

Anyway, we have a new "Ask Father" feature on our parish website (parishioners only, please) The first question was about the "wine." Here is my answer below:

Here is the Question:

Do I have to drink the wine, too, or can I just take the host. It just seems like there are too many germs to drink out of the same cup as everyone else.

Here is my answer:

Catholics believe that the Real Presence of the Lord Jesus is present, whole and entire in the Host. It is the Body, Blood, soul and Divinity of Jesus present to us. The same Real Presence is available in the cup, in the Precious Blood. It also is the same Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity.

So the short answer is: No, you do not “have�? to drink from the cup. There is no diminishment in Grace if you only receive the Host.

However, it is certainly preferable to drink from the Cup. It is what Jesus intended when he said, “take and eat, take and drink.�?

The General Instruction of the Roman Missal says the following:

281. Holy Communion has a fuller form as a sign when it is received under both kinds. For in this manner of reception the sign of the Eucharistic banquet shines forth more completely and the divine will by which the new and everlasting covenant is ratified in the Blood of the Lord is more clearly expressed, together with the relationship of the Eucharistic banquet to the eschatological banquet in the Father’s Kingdom.

Now, about the germs:

It is nearly impossible to catch any disease from participating in Holy Communion. The Centers for Disease Control have repeatedly said this.

These are a few things that kill whatever germs may be present

• the alcohol content of the wine
• the temperature of the metal, it is too cold for any germs to live.
• The wiping of the cup with a purificator
• The turning of the cup for the next communicant

There may be some good reasons for not receiving from the cup, for example, alcoholics may wish to avoid receiving communion in this way.

Avoiding germs is not a good reason for staying away from the Cup. There are more opportunities to share germs in shaking hands than there are in receiving the cup. So, if you are afraid of germs, you would never pet a dog or participate in the sign of peace.

Also, it seems, there is a growing practice of referring to this as “the wine.�? I would appreciate it very much if we would never refer to it in this way.

It is the Precious Blood of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, who by his Blood has set us free and saved us from death. For more reflection on the Precious Blood, you may refer to my article here that I wrote for the magazine “Precious Blood Family.�?

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Very nice article, Mary Jane.

Mary Jane is a classmate from the Chant Institute last summer.

Back in my music days I used all sort of music from many styles. I am a composer and I composed music in many forms and genres. But I always used the psalms and the scriptures. I am curious as to when everthing turned around and the texts became so self-centered. It was not Vatican II that geve us permission for these texts.

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