He both leads us and journeys toward us...

    Veni, Veni Emmanuel!

"He it is Who though as yet hidden 

is nevertheless leading all... 

He it is Who is now leading the whole world and 

placing everybody in His own city. He it is Who is leading Joseph

 away from Nazareth. He it is Who is leading His own Mother 

over every step of that difficult and tiring journey, 

letting the joy in His own Heart overflow into hers; 

and He is my Leader too.  With such a General, 

nothing will be overlooked in my life; 

everything will be arranged in wisdom and love...

Oh! come, little Leader, come and redeem us."

 

Mother St. Paul (1861-1940)

Ortus Christi

 

 

"The nine months draw to a close, and our 

Lord's last act is to journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem.  

It is toward us, as well as toward Bethlehem, 

that He is journeying. 

He is about to leave His home a second time 

for the love of us. 

As He had left His uncreated home 

in the Bosom of the Father, 

so is He now going to leave His created home 

that He may come to us and be still more ours.

He will show us in this last action that He is not obedient 

merely to His holy and chosen Mother, 

but that He has come to be the servant 

of our commands and to wait upon our forwardness..."

 

Fr. Frederick W. Faber
Bethlehem

 

From Mary's sweet silence

Come, Word mutely spoken!

Pledge of our real life,

Come, Bread yet unbroken!

Seed of the Golden Wheat,

In us be sown.

Fullness of true Light,

Through us be known.

Secret held tenderly,

Guarded with Love,

Cradled in purity,

Child of the Dove,

COME!

Sr M Charlita, I.H.M

 

 Veni, Veni Emmanuel!

Emptying ourselves...

 The humility of Jesus can be seen in the crib ...

and now in His permanent state

of humility in the tabernacle,

where He has reduced Himself

to such a small particle of bread that the 

priest can hold Him with two fingers.

The more we empty ourselves, 

the more room we give God to fill us.”

St Teresa of Calcutta

“Spread love everywhere you go. 

Let no one ever come to you 

without leaving happier. 

Be the living expression of God's kindness: 

kindness in your face, kindness in your eyes,

kindness in your smile.” – St Teresa of Calcutta

For in us too, Christ rests...

    “God looked over the world for an empty heart 

– a heart that was empty like a flute 

on which He could pipe a tune ... 
and the emptiest heart He could find 

was the heart of a lady.  
Since there was no self there, 

He filled it with His Very Self.” 
- Caryll Houselander, The Reed of God (1944)

"In Advent Christ rested in Mary 

still, silent, helpless, utterly dependent. 

The Creator trusted Himself to His creature.

...This was a foreshadowing of what 

the Incarnation would mean for us;

for in us too, Christ rests 

as He rested in Mary. 

From the moment when 

the Christ life is conceived in us,  

our life is intended for one thing, 

the expression of His love, 

His love for God and for the world.

... We must allow the Christ life 

to grow in us in rest. 

Our whole being must fold 

upon Christ's rest in us, 

as the earth folds upon the seed."

Caryll Houselander

The Passion of the Infant Christ

(London: Sheed and Ward, 1949)

Still looking for that perfect Christmas gift?

Invite someone to holy Mass -

to a discovery or a return to the sacramental life!

It will be the gift that keeps on giving!

Our sacramental life...

  "Christ used the flesh and blood of Mary for His life on earth, the Word of love was uttered in her heartbeat.  Christ used 

His own body to utter His love on earth; His perfectly real body, 

with bone and sinew and blood and tears; Christ uses our 

bodies to express His love on earth, our humanity.

     A Christian life is a sacramental life, it is not a life lived only in the mind, only by the soul; through the bodies of men and women Christ toils and endures and rejoices and loves and dies; in them He is increased, set free, imprisoned, restrained.  In them He is crucified and buried and rises from the dead.  Our humanity is the substance of the sacramental life of Christ in us, like the wheat for the host, like the grape for the chalice.

     Christ works His love through material as well as spiritual things.  Into His worship, following His own lead, the Church, His Church, brings material things, pure wax, flame, oil, salt, gold, water, linen, the voices of people, the gestures and actions of people, our own souls and bodies–the substance of our flesh and blood.  All this is consistent with the Incarnation, when Christ took the human nature of our Lady to be Himself."

 Caryll Houselander
The Comforting of Christ

Stained glass atop from chapel of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur

Bambury Road, Oxford

O the heavenly rhythm of liturgy...

Rejoice, O heavens, and exalt, O earth, for our Lord 

will come to show mercy to his poor. - Isaiah 49:13

Antonio Rivas Choir Boys

On December 17th, the Church’s Advent liturgy begins to focus in a more particular way on the Nativity of the Lord.  The prayers, readings, preface at Mass, as well as the readings, antiphons for the Gospel canticles, intercessions, and prayers at the Liturgy of the Hours concentrate more resolutely than during the preceding days of Advent on the coming feast of the Nativity of the Lord. Our attention is fixed on the messianic promises proclaimed by the ancient prophets of Israel. 

The seven great “O Antiphons” have a particular role in these days. Each antiphon, always sung in a very similar melody, begins with 'O' and addresses Christ with a unique title from the prophecies of Isaiah and Micah.  Each is followed by a petition for God's people relevant to the title by which He is addressed, and the cry for Jesus to COME to us (veni) and act on our behalf:   

December 17: O Wisdom, O Holy Word of God, you govern all creation with your strong yet tender care. Come and show your people the way to salvation. (Isaiah 11:2-3; Wisdom 8:1; Proverbs 9:1)

December 18: O sacred Lord of Ancient Israel, who showed yourself to Moses in the burning bush, who gave him the holy law on Sinai mountain: come, stretch out Your mighty hand to set us free. (Exodus 3;1-8; 20:1-20; Deuteronomy 26:5-9).

December 19: O Flower of Jesse’s Stem, you have been raised up as a sign for all peoples; kings stand silent in your presence; the nations bow down in worship before you. Come, let nothing keep you from coming to our aid. (Isaiah 11:1-4; 45:23; 52:13; Luke 1:32-33)

December 20: O Key of David, O Royal Power of Israel controlling at your will the gate of heaven: come, break down the prison walls of death for those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death; and lead your captive people into freedom. (Isaiah 22:22; 42:6-7; Luke 4:16-19)

December 21: O Radiant Dawn, splendor of eternal light, sun of justice: come, shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death. (Malachi  3:20; Isaiah 9:1; Psalm 107:14)

December 22: O King of all the nations, the only joy of every human heart; O Keystone of the mighty arch of man, come and save the creature you fashioned from the dust. (Isaiah 28:16; Genesis 2:7; Matthew 21:42; 1 Peter 2:4-5) 

December 23: O Emmanuel, King and Lawgiver, Desire of the Nations, Savior of all People, come and set us free, Lord our God.  (Isaiah 7:14; Malachi 3:1; Matt 1;21-23).

·                     December 17: O Sapientia (O Wisdom)

·                     December 18: O Adonai (O Lord)

·                     December 19: O Radix Iesse (O Root of Jesse)

·                     December 20: O Clavis David (O Key of David)

·                     December 21: O Oriens (O Daystar) (after this date, days get longer)

·                     December 22: O Rex Gentium (O King of the Nations)

·                     December 23: O Emmanuel (O God-with-Us)

When taken together from the last title to the first,

the first letters of each title form a wonderful Latin acrostic:

This is the Lord’s response

to the Church’s ardent petition that He COME (veni):

Ero cras (I will be there tomorrow)!

_________________________

 The “O Antiphons” not only bring holy intensity to our Advent

preparation, but bring it to a joyful conclusion.

 

Some have used the O Antiphons 

as the basis of a rich Novena

up to and including Christmas Day.

Perhaps this "last lap" of Advent could also include

daily Mass and/or daily Adoration.

O come, O come, Emmanuel!

The song "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel" is simply a reworking of the O Antiphons. When you sing it, you are joining a vast throng of Christians stretching back across centuries and spanning the whole of the earth who prayed as all Christians do, "Come, Lord Jesus!" (Rev 22:20)

Expectation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

More on the 'O Antiphons'..

with music scores and audio recordings 
http://fisheaters.com/customsadvent10.html

Ecce veniet! ...

    Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, 

when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch,

and he shall reign as king and deal wisely,

and shall execute justice and righteousness 

in the land.  - Jeremiah 23:5

 

"Advent is here. What a marvelous time

in which to renew your desire, your nostalgia,

your real longing for Christ to come —

for Him to come every day

to your soul in the Eucharist.

The Church encourages us:

Ecce veniet!  - He is about to arrive!"

St. Josemaria Escriva

Art:   Holy Communion – the Quartermasters Office James McBey, 28 March 1917 (WWI)

Third Sunday of ADVENT: Gaudete Sunday...

Third Sunday of ADVENT 

Gaudete Sunday

There is a shift from adoring “The Lord Who is to come”,
to worshiping with joy "The Lord Who is now nigh and close at hand ”.

The name GAUDETE derives from the first word of this Sunday’s

Introit of the Mass from Phil 4:4-5 ... At the heart, it is a command...
Gaudete in Domino semper ~ Rejoice in the Lord always

"Draw near to Christ, present among us

in His Word and in the Eucharist, and...

rejoice

in the knowledge that He remains with us 
at every moment of our lives 
and throughout history."

Pope Benedict XVI
12/09/09, General Audience

Click here: Gaudete Sunday - YouTube (2 mins)