Preparation For Mass With St. Ambrose

Lord Jesus Christ, I approach Thy banquet table in fear and trembling, for I am a sinner, and dare not rely on my own worth, but only on Thy goodness and mercy. I am defiled by my many sins in body and soul, and by my unguarded thoughts and words. Gracious God of majesty and awe, I seek Thy protection, I look for Thy healing. Poor troubled sinner that I am, I appeal to Thee, the fountain of all mercy. I cannot bear Thy judgment, but I trust in Thy salvation. Lord, I show my wounds to Thee and uncover my shame before Thee. I know my sins are many and great, and they fill me with fear, but I hope in Thy mercies, for they cannot be numbered. Lord Jesus Christ, Eternal King, God and man, crucified for mankind, look upon me with mercy and hear my prayer, for I trust in Thee. Have mercy on me, full of sorrow and sin, for the depth of Thy compassion never ends. Praise to Thee saving sacrifice, offered on the wood of the cross for me and for all mankind. Praise to the noble and precious Blood, flowing from the wounds of my crucified Lord Jesus Christ and washing away the sins of the whole world. Remember, Lord, Thy creature, whom Thou hast redeemed with Thy blood; I repent my sins, and I long to put right what I have done. Merciful Father, take away all my offenses and sins; purify me in body and soul, and make me worthy to taste the Holy of Holies. May Thy Body and Blood, which I intend to receive, although I am unworthy, be for me the remission of my sins, the washing away of my guilt, the end of my evil thoughts, and the rebirth of my better instincts. May it incite me to do the works pleasing to Thee, and a firm defense of body and soul against the wiles of my enemies. Amen.

Posted from Blogium for iPhone

Give The Tube The Boot

A good suggestion for what to give up for lent which I found here:

About 35 years ago I was watching Firing Line, William F. Buckley's TV show. He was interviewing Malcolm Muggeridge, who at some point said, "you know, every important thing I've learned I learned by suffering," or words to that effect. I was about 15 years old, and thought that was a dumb thing to say. Old British twit. I had learned plenty and was not a sufferer by any means. But it was such an intriguing concept that I retained it, even though I didn't understand it....which makes a good motto: remember now, understand later. It would sound better in Latin. Or French.

Anyway, I was raised on TV. Not that I watched some insane amount of it, but it was a normal part of life. But after having kids of my own I began to worry that the quantity & quality of cable fare was more problematic than the programming content of my childhood, both for me and the kids. Not that I did anything about it.

Then about 13 years ago, our pastor, Fr. Day, suggested we parishioners consider giving up TV for Lent. I'd considered it before....and passed. But that year while driving home, my Fabulous Wife and I decided we'd try it, cold turkey. The kids were maybe 4 or 5 years old; they were not consulted.

The next day, Monday, I returned the converter box. At the cable company, the rep asked me what was wrong with the cable box? Nothing, we're just giving up TV for Lent. A couple of people thought that was incredible, asked about the thinking behind it. I pointed out we hadn't actually missed any TV yet, and it might not work out.

Monday was awful. So was Tuesday. But by Sunday, we were adjusting. Within 2 weeks, we were acclimated. Easter Sunday rolled around, and we and the kids decided to just leave the TV off indefinitely.

Now, years later, life is good. We adults watch DVDs late in the evening, which is controllable and requires effort. The kids can do the same on the weekends, but they usually don't. The house is quiet, a refuge. Family dinner conversation often extends beyond the meal. The kids turned out just fine. For being teenagers, they are surprisingly unmaterialistic.

And the credit goes to the Church, whose institutional memory knows the value of sacrifice, and suffering (not that this was all that painful, but that's part of the point, like giving blood: actually donating it is easier than anticipating donating it). And of course, we learned from this experience, although at the start all we expected was to suffer, not to learn, certainly not to to learn we could be happier by giving up something that we liked. And in the bigger picture I learned to pay closer attention to what the Church teaches, even if (especially if) it's something I don't much want to do.

Smart Church...she knew this would happen.

Muggeridge, too. Smart Brit twit.

My Mum Forced Me To Clean My Teeth by Fr. Tim Finigan

I am heartily sick of the protest "I don't go to Mass because my parents forced me to go when I was young." OK Son, what else did your parents force you to do?

Your parents forced you to wash before you went out in the morning. Those cruel tyrants made sure that you cleaned your teeth before you went to bed. They dragged you kicking and screaming to school so that you could learn to read - and the teachers collaborated by forcing you to learn the alphabet and put the words together.

To top it all, after looking after your physical needs, they had the temerity to exercise their authority by looking after your spiritual needs and taking you to Mass on Sunday.

If they had neglected to see that you were clean, had suitable clothes, eat some sort of nourishing food, get some education and cross the road safely, they would have been visited by social services and given a care plan so that you could be healthy and safe.

And you are complaining because they took responsibility for your eternal life?

In this context, it is relevant to quote again the classic:

1. I was forced to as a child.
2. People who wash are hypocrites - they think they are cleaner than everybody else.
3. There are so many different kinds of soap, I can't decide which one is best.
4. I used to wash, but I got bored and stopped.
5. I wash only on special occasions, like Christmas and Easter.
6. None of my friends wash.
7. I'll start washing when I get older and dirtier.
8. I can't spare the time.
9. The bathroom is never warm enough in winter or cool enough in summer.
10. People who make soap are only after your money.

by Fr Tim Finigan at the The Hermeneutic of Continuity Blog

"It May Well be that Liturgical Changes, Scheduled and Unscheduled, Have Drained the Mass of its Awe and Reverence."

One reads that large numbers of Catholics do not understand or accept the teaching of the real presence of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. Can it be that the pews are filled with people who don't know what they are doing? I have heard homilies on the real presence so tentative it is unlikely they would enlighten or strengthen the faith. But copies of the Catechism are available in bookshops everywhere, even in greeting card shops. Maybe tongue-tied pastors ought to buy a copy for every parishioner. What will turn things around is the growing practice of exposition of the Blessed Sacrament. At Notre Dame, a group of undergraduates has established this practice in one of the hall chapels, supplementing the Friday afternoon Eucharistic adoration in Sacred Heart Basilica.

It may well be that liturgical changes, scheduled and unscheduled, have drained the Mass of its awe and reverence. My wife, never easy prey to nostalgia, recently attended a Tridentine Mass and was reminded what it felt like to pray in church. Romper room music and bushels of bonhomie don't prepare one to receive Jesus in the sacrament, delivered with a mindless smile by an extraordinary eucharistic minister who might as well be offering cheese samples at the supermarket. With so little sense of the real presence being exhibited during the sanctuary mob scene that precedes communion, it is perhaps less surprising that belief has seeped away. - Ralph McInerny

please click here for the full article.

So there is only one thing to do - pray. If it doesn't come easily, pray all the more.

I found this article on www.catholic.org and enjoyed it. (:

"Anyone who prays only when she can affectively bring along her heart and soul will not sustain prayer for long. But the habit of prayer, the ritual, simple fidelity to the act, showing up to do it irrespective of feelings and mood, can sustain prayer for a lifetime and reign in the roaming of the head and heart."

So there is only one thing to do - pray. If it doesn't come easily, pray all the more.

WASHINGTON, DC (Catholic Online) - It feels like a terrible thing I'm about to say, but here goes: I often have a very hard time with prayer.

I wish I didn't. I wish I had a heart like St. Therese or John Paul the Great or St. Francis de Sales, but right now I don't. I've been struggling greatly with discouragement and futility and a lack-luster, ho-hum spirit. Combine that with the busyness of homeschooling, childcare, housework, and other responsibilities and it's a recipe for defeat.

Why is it such a struggle? Everything in me wants to be closer to Jesus. There's nothing in my heart that wants to reject Jesus and choose the world instead. Yet I continually seem to be clawing my way up the mountain loaded down with frustration and doubt instead of walking steadily along the path of trust and devotion.

I love Jesus. There is no doubt about that. He is my Wonderful, merciful Savior. I will not let Him go. That much I know for sure. So why doesn't that translate into a vibrant, rich, colorful, fulfilling prayer life? What's wrong with me?

What's wrong is that I'm me and not the idealized, perfected image of me that I want to be. I have many weaknesses to overcome. If I am ever to do that, I need help. And Jesus, being ever wise and helpful, gives me what I need - struggle.

The struggle is a gift because the most important thing I need to learn is simply to be faithful. To adopt Nike's slogan, "Just Do It." Like strengthening a muscle through repeated exercises, my heart needs some strength training, and some days the weight is heavier than others. There are those sweet times when prayer is joyful and rewarding and inspiring, but then there's times when it's like schlepping through thick mud and it feels utterly pointless.

It is a test of my faithfulness. It's the weight of perseverance. It will strengthen me if I carry it. I don't have to run with it, only walk. But if I truly want to grow in devotion and holiness, I am obligated to struggle. There's no assurance that I won't fall or fail miserably - quite the opposite. Sure as the sun will rise, I will fall. I'll screw up. It doesn't matter. I'm obligated to struggle anyway.

Devotion is proven during the hard times; the flat, stale, monotonous times. It's easy to fall in love, but staying in love requires great effort. God has heard me say I want to love Him more, and He obliges my request by giving me ample opportunities to prove it. It's up to me to push my weak heart to resist the complacency and excuses and distractions and come to Him in prayer.

I recently read "The Sustaining Power of Ritual: Emotions, Celebration, Boredom" by Fr. Ronald Rolheiser and it was a good dose of encouragement. He begins like this: "Never travel with anyone who expects you to be interesting all the time. On a long trip there are bound to be some boring stretches."

He writes in a reassuring way about the purpose of ritual and habit in our spiritual lives. Everything is not exciting, brimming with emotion and romance all the time. That does not automatically mean there's something wrong. There is something important to be said for routine and duty.

"Duty and commitment without heart will not ultimately sustain themselves. However, with that being admitted, it is important to recognize and name the fact that any relationship in love, family, church or prayer can only sustain itself over a long period of time through ritual and routine. Ritual sustains the heart, not vice versa."

"Anyone who prays only when she can affectively bring along her heart and soul will not sustain prayer for long. But the habit of prayer, the ritual, simple fidelity to the act, showing up to do it irrespective of feelings and mood, can sustain prayer for a lifetime and reign in the roaming of the head and heart."

Jesus knows what meager, pitiful things I have to give Him even on my best days. It's not Jesus who tells me I must prepare an extravagant banquet for Him every time I pray, but the enemy of my soul. That way he can persuade me to skip prayer when I am feeling stressed or disinterested or unmotivated. It's pointless to pray when your heart isn't in it, he lies. Why bother?

Well, I need to bother because it's the only way to resist the liar. It is never pointless to pray and Satan knows it. And whether I say, "Amen" and feel any better for the time I spent in prayer or not is beside the point. I'm building spiritual muscle and training my will. I'm showing the Lord in my small way that I'm not a fair-weather friend but a sincere follower.

The good news is that as Catholics we have a rich storehouse of prayers at our disposal to help train our weak prayer muscles. The Liturgy of the Hours, the Rosary, the Divine Mercy chaplet, the Angelus, etc., are all tailor-made for developing a sustaining ritual of prayer throughout the day. There's also no shortage of wonderful devotional books with daily readings to jump-start your prayer and focus your heart in the right place. My favorite right now is the In Conversation with God series by Francis Fernandez. (It's easy to find on Amazon and most Catholic bookstores.)

Whether the prayers spill out of a full heart and roll off the tongue or whether it feels like schlepping through mud or as dull as watching paint dry, it's all good. The hardest part may be just showing up and doing it. It takes repetition, time, determination, and humility. It's a struggle I don't think is going to go away anytime soon. But fidelity through the hard times is the evidence of love; faithfulness when it's easier to give up is the mark of devotion.

So there is only one thing to do - pray. If it doesn't come easily, pray all the more. And be assured that by doing so your heart will be strengthened, your faith increased whether you can immediately perceive it or not. The struggle is not there to frustrate you or discourage you but to condition your soul for the battle.

Just do it. And remember you're not alone. I'm schlepping right along with you.