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Message of His Holiness Benedict XVI
for Lent 2009
for Lent 2009
Dear Brothers and Sisters!
At the beginning of Lent, which constitutes an itinerary of more intense spiritual training, the Liturgy sets before us again three penitential practices that are very dear to the biblical and Christian tradition - prayer, almsgiving, fasting - to prepare us to better celebrate Easter and thus experience God's power that, as we shall hear in the Paschal Vigil, "dispels all evil, washes guilt away, restores lost innocence, brings mourners joy, casts out hatred, brings us peace and humbles earthly pride" (Paschal Præconium). For this year's Lenten Message, I wish to focus my reflections especially on the value and meaning of fasting. Indeed, Lent recalls the forty days of our Lord's fasting in the desert, which He undertook before entering into His public ministry. We read in the Gospel: "Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. He fasted for forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was hungry" (Mt 4,1-2). Like Moses, who fasted before receiving the tablets of the Law (cf. Ex 34,28) and Elijah's fast before meeting the Lord on Mount Horeb (cf. 1 Kings 19,8), Jesus, too, through prayer and fasting, prepared Himself for the mission that lay before Him, marked at the start by a serious battle with the tempter.
We might wonder what value and meaning there is for us Christians in depriving ourselves of something that in itself is good and useful for our bodily sustenance. The Sacred Scriptures and the entire Christian tradition teach that fasting is a great help to avoid sin and all that leads to it. For this reason, the history of salvation is replete with occasions that invite fasting. In the very first pages of Sacred Scripture, the Lord commands man to abstain from partaking of the prohibited fruit: "You may freely eat of every tree of the garden; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall die" (Gn 2, 16-17). Commenting on the divine injunction, Saint Basil observes that "fasting was ordained in Paradise," and "the first commandment in this sense was delivered to Adam." He thus concludes: " 'You shall not eat' is a law of fasting and abstinence" (cf. Sermo de jejunio: PG 31, 163, 98). Since all of us are weighed down by sin and its consequences, fasting is proposed to us as an instrument to restore friendship with God. Such was the case with Ezra, who, in preparation for the journey from exile back to the Promised Land, calls upon the assembled people to fast so that "we might humble ourselves before our God" (8,21). The Almighty heard their prayer and assured them of His favor and protection. In the same way, the people of Nineveh, responding to Jonah's call to repentance, proclaimed a fast, as a sign of their sincerity, saying: "Who knows, God may yet repent and turn from his fierce anger, so that we perish not?" (3,9). In this instance, too, God saw their works and spared them.
In the New Testament, Jesus brings to light the profound motive for fasting, condemning the attitude of the Pharisees, who scrupulously observed the prescriptions of the law, but whose hearts were far from God. True fasting, as the divine Master repeats elsewhere, is rather to do the will of the Heavenly Father, who "sees in secret, and will reward you" (Mt 6,18). He Himself sets the example, answering Satan, at the end of the forty days spent in the desert that "man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God" (Mt 4,4). The true fast is thus directed to eating the "true food," which is to do the Father's will (cf. Jn 4,34). If, therefore, Adam disobeyed the Lord's command "of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat," the believer, through fasting, intends to submit himself humbly to God, trusting in His goodness and mercy. The practice of fasting is very present in the first Christian community (cf. Acts 13,3; 14,22; 27,21; 2 Cor 6,5). The Church Fathers, too, speak of the force of fasting to bridle sin, especially the lusts of the "old Adam," and open in the heart of the believer a path to God. Moreover, fasting is a practice that is encountered frequently and recommended by the saints of every age. Saint Peter Chrysologus writes: "Fasting is the soul of prayer, mercy is the lifeblood of fasting. So if you pray, fast; if you fast, show mercy; if you want your petition to be heard, hear the petition of others. If you do not close your ear to others, you open God's ear to yourself" (Sermo 43: PL 52, 320. 322).
In our own day, fasting seems to have lost something of its spiritual meaning, and has taken on, in a culture characterized by the search for material well-being, a therapeutic value for the care of one's body. Fasting certainly bring benefits to physical well-being, but for believers, it is, in the first place, a "therapy" to heal all that prevents them from conformity to the will of God.
In the Apostolic Constitution Pænitemini of 1966, the Servant of God Paul VI saw the need to present fasting within the call of every Christian to "no longer live for himself, but for Him who loves him and gave himself for him ... he will also have to live for his brethren" (cf. Ch. I). Lent could be a propitious time to present again the norms contained in the Apostolic Constitution, so that the authentic and perennial significance of this long held practice may be rediscovered, and thus assist us to mortify our egoism and open our heart to love of God and neighbor, the first and greatest Commandment of the new Law and compendium of the entire Gospel (cf. Mt 22, 34-40).
The faithful practice of fasting contributes, moreover, to conferring unity to the whole person, body and soul, helping to avoid sin and grow in intimacy with the Lord. Saint Augustine, who knew all too well his own negative impulses, defining them as "twisted and tangled knottiness" (Confessions, II, 10.18), writes: "I will certainly impose privation, but it is so that he will forgive me, to be pleasing in his eyes, that I may enjoy his delightfulness" (Sermo 400, 3, 3: PL 40, 708). Denying material food, which nourishes our body, nurtures an interior disposition to listen to Christ and be fed by His saving word. Through fasting and praying, we allow Him to come and satisfy the deepest hunger that we experience in the depths of our being: the hunger and thirst for God.
At the same time, fasting is an aid to open our eyes to the situation in which so many of our brothers and sisters live. In his First Letter, Saint John admonishes: "If anyone has the world's goods, and sees his brother in need, yet shuts up his bowels of compassion from him - how does the love of God abide in him?" (3,17). Voluntary fasting enables us to grow in the spirit of the Good Samaritan, who bends low and goes to the help of his suffering brother (cf. Encyclical Deus caritas est, 15). By freely embracing an act of self-denial for the sake of another, we make a statement that our brother or sister in need is not a stranger. It is precisely to keep alive this welcoming and attentive attitude towards our brothers and sisters that I encourage the parishes and every other community to intensify in Lent the custom of private and communal fasts, joined to the reading of the Word of God, prayer and almsgiving. From the beginning, this has been the hallmark of the Christian community, in which special collections were taken up (cf. 2 Cor 8-9; Rm 15, 25-27), the faithful being invited to give to the poor what had been set aside from their fast (Didascalia Ap., V, 20,18). This practice needs to be rediscovered and encouraged again in our day, especially during the liturgical season of Lent.
From what I have said thus far, it seems abundantly clear that fasting represents an important ascetical practice, a spiritual arm to do battle against every possible disordered attachment to ourselves. Freely chosen detachment from the pleasure of food and other material goods helps the disciple of Christ to control the appetites of nature, weakened by original sin, whose negative effects impact the entire human person. Quite opportunely, an ancient hymn of the Lenten liturgy exhorts: "Utamur ergo parcius, / verbis cibis et potibus, / somno, iocis et arctius / perstemus in custodia - Let us use sparingly words, food and drink, sleep and amusements. May we be more alert in the custody of our senses." Dear brothers and sisters, it is good to see how the ultimate goal of fasting is to help each one of us, as the Servant of God Pope John Paul II wrote, to make the complete gift of self to God (cf. Encyclical Veritatis splendor, 21). May every family and Christian community use well this time of Lent, therefore, in order to cast aside all that distracts the spirit and grow in whatever nourishes the soul, moving it to love of God and neighbor. I am thinking especially of a greater commitment to prayer, lectio divina, recourse to the Sacrament of Reconciliation and active participation in the Eucharist, especially the Holy Sunday Mass. With this interior disposition, let us enter the penitential spirit of Lent. May the Blessed Virgin Mary, Causa nostrae laetitiae, accompany and support us in the effort to free our heart from slavery to sin, making it evermore a "living tabernacle of God." With these wishes, while assuring every believer and ecclesial community of my prayer for a fruitful Lenten journey, I cordially impart to all of you my Apostolic Blessing.
From the Vatican, 11 December 2008.
BENEDICTUS PP. XVI
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Father Francis Bethel to Visit Wichita
Clear Creek Monastery Monk Will Say Mass at St. Anthony
Father Francis Bethel, OSB, a monk at Clear Creek Monastery in Hulbert, Oklahoma., and the brother of St. Anthony's parishioner Larry Bethel, will be in Wichita the weekend of Feb. 21 and 22 to speak at the Pre-Lenten Conference at the Church of the Magdalen.
Father Bethel will offer the Latin Mass here at St. Anthony's on Sunday, Feb. 22, and will be available after Mass to visit with parishioners and answer questions. He'll also offer a Latin Mass at St. Anthony's on Saturday, Feb. 21, also at 8 a.m.For more information about the Conference call Alan at 320-1360.
Please welcome Father Bethel to Wichita and St. Anthony by attending mass both Saturday and Sunday. Please invite family and friends....now really, how often do you get to meet a monk?!
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Book Review by Jim Spencer
The General Principles of Ceremonies of the Roman Rite for Inferior Ministers
General Principles of Ceremonies of the Roman Rite for Inferior Ministers, Abridged Edition, by Louis J. Tofari, published 2008 by Romanita Press, c/o Louis J. Tofari, 3114 Flora Avenue, Kansas City, MO 64109; website http://www.romanitapress.com/; e-mail info@romanitapress.com. 8.5X5.5” softcover, 84 pages. Price: $10.00; ten or more copies for $7.00 each.
This booklet explains everything you ever wanted to know – and offers countless tidbits you’ve never even wondered about -- concerning the functions of “inferior ministers” in the celebration of the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite. Inferior ministries are those roles that laymen may and often do assume, that is, all roles from Master of Ceremonies down to Candle Bearer.
(Nota bene: Neither the chapters nor the appendices are numbered, so I can’t refer to these by number.)
The first Chapter, “Sources and Their Abbreviations,” provides all the information anyone could possibly need to check the accuracy and reliability of this booklet.
The next Chapter, “Romanitas and the General Principles,” explains a few misconceptions about “rubricians.” (Hint: They are called “liturgists” in the Ordinary Form Liturgy.) It also explains that, where disagreements legitimately arise, everyone involved should seek a common sense balance.
The next Chapter, “General Notions,” explains general deportment, how to walk, how to sit, how to process, the various formation patterns (Box, Straight Line, Triangular) for processions.
The next Chapter, “Rules of Precedence,” explains how inferior ministers behave relative to superiors, that is, how to walk with a superior, how to cross to the other side of a superior, when and how to give way to a superior, kneeling and standing with a superior, precedence in sitting, rules of proximity to superiors, and how to turn properly under different circumstances.
The next Chapter, titled “Liturgical Gestures,” explains everything inferior ministers do with their hands: how to fold them; how to make the large Sign of the Cross; how to make the Gospel Cross; how to strike the breast; and handling torches, Books, and Communion Plates.
The next Chapter, “Reverences,” explains how to make the various bows, how to genuflect, and how to make the Solita Oscula (customary kisses).
The next Chapter, “Conditions That Affect Reverences,” goes into various special circumstances that can affect the reverences described in the previous chapter. These special circumstances require judicious applications of Ratione Accomodationis (by reason of accommodation) -- in other words, common sense exceptions.
The final Chapter, “Lighting and Extinguishing of Altar Candles,” not surprisingly, explain those two functions.
This is followed by two Appendices, one explaining the privileges of sacred ministers that are not shared by inferior ministers plus a diagram of a typical sanctuary. The other Appendix additional diagrams of various sanctuary features plus the basic patterns for movement of clergy and inferior ministers. Finally, this booklet contains a helpful Glossary of Terms.
In his Preface, the author states that this is an abridged edition of a yet to be published unabridged edition. This abridged edition contains so much detail that I can hardly wait for the unabridged edition, if for no other reason than to find out what Mr. Tofari could have possibly left out of this “unabridged” edition.
Incidentally, Mr. Tofari also publishes a fold-out card of responses for altar boys. This included an explanation of how liturgical Latin is pronounced, plus all the prayers the altar boys say at Mass. These latter are presented both normally and in phonetics to aid in proper pronunciation. These cards sell for $5.00 each, or in orders of ten or more for $2.50 each.
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Copyright, 2009, by James B. Spencer. First Serial Rights
Copyright, 2009, by James B. Spencer. First Serial Rights
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The Baltimore Catechism
Lesson Twenty Eighth: On Prayer
303. Q. Is there any other means of obtaining God's grace than the Sacraments?
A. There is another means of obtaining God's grace, and it is prayer.
304. Q. What is prayer?
A. Prayer is the lifting up of our minds and hearts to God to adore Him, to thankHim for His benefits, to ask His forgiveness, and to beg of Him all the graces we need whether for soul or body.
305. Q. Is prayer necessary to salvation?
A. Prayer is necessary to salvation, and without it no one having the use of reason can be saved.
306. Q. At what particular times should we pray?
A. We should pray particularly on Sundays and holydays, every morning and night, in all dangers, temptations, and afflictions.
307. Q. How should we pray?
A. We should pray:
1. With attention;
2. With a sense of our own helplessness and dependence upon God;
3. With a great desire for the graces we beg of God;
4. With trust in God's goodness;
5. With perseverance.
308. Q. Which are the prayers most recommended to Us?
A. The prayers most recommended to us are the Lord's Prayer, the Hail Mary, the Apostles' Creed, the Confiteor, and the Acts of Faith, Hope, Love, and Contrition.
309. Q. Are prayers said with distractions of any avail?
A. Prayers said with willful distractions are of no avail.
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