Monday, December 21, 2020

21 December

 

O Oriens, splendor lucis aeternae, 

et sol iustitiae: 

veni, et illumina sedentes in tenebris 

et umbra mortis.

 

O dawn of the east,

brightness of light eternal, and sun of justice: 

come, and enlighten those who sit in darkness 

and in the shadow of death.

 



 

Photo Sunrise over Cohasset Harbor in August 2020

 

Meditation:

Agnus Dei qui tollis peccata mundi, miserere nobis.

Agnus Dei qui tollis peccata mundi, miserere nobis.

Agnus Dei qui tollis peccata mundi, dona nobis pacem.

 

 

Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.

Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.

Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, grant us peace. 

The final prayer of the Mass before communion, the final prayer before we acknowledge our unworthiness and ask that Christ be with us despite that unworthiness.  In the Agnus Dei we ask that he not only have mercy on us but that he grant us peace, peace in our world and peace within our own selves.  

 

Allow the 'Dona Nobis Pacem' from Bach's B minor Mass to swirl around you no matter if you are seeking peace for yourself, for another, or for our deeply troubled world.  Pray for a return, or even a partial return, of civility and respect in our country's social and political life.  Pray for peace to come at the dawn of the Son of God, Son of David, and Son of Mary.

 

Lagniappe: 

 

Dona Nobis Pacem (Grant Us Peace) from the Mass in B minor by J.S. Bach. 

Masaaki Suzuki  conducting the Bach Collegium Japan 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffrsc3wdBt4

 

Prayer:

 

Let your goodness, Lord, appear to us, 

that we, made in your image, 

may conform ourselves to it. 

 

In our own strength 

we cannot image your majesty, power, and wonder; 

nor is it fitting for us to try.  

But your mercy reaches from the heavens, 

through the clouds, to the earth below  

 

You came to us as a child, 

but you brought us the greatest of all gifts, 

the gift of your eternal love.  

 

Caress us with your hands, 

embrace us with your arms, 

and pierce our hearts with your love.                               

                                                                        

                                                            St. Bernard of Clairvaux, (1090-1153)

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