O Emmanuel . . .

23 December

O Emmanuel,

Rex et legifer noster,

exspectatio gentium, et Salvator earum:

veni ad salvandum nos Domine Deus noster.

O Emmanuel,

God with us, our King and lawgiver,

the expected of the nations and their Savior:

come to save us, O Lord our God.

Photo:  Chapel of the Holy Spirit at Campion Center, Weston, MA.   All four advent candles are lit for the last day of advent. 

Meditation:  Advent has run its course.  With the dawn tomorrow we will begin the Great Feast, commemorating that Jesus Christ, true man and true God, was born.  Try to put the sloppily sentimental imagery associated with Christmas out of your head.  What we call "The Christmas Story" does not end with Hosanna, in Excelsis and a star.  That is only the beginning of the story of our redemption.  There was much to be suffered before the final chapter in the history of our salvation through Jesus' saving act would be written.   Consider the manger and the shadow the cross casts on it.

Prayer: 

Give us, O God, the vision which can see Your love in the world

in spite of human failure.

Give us the faith to trust Your goodness

in spite of our ignorance and weakness.

Give us the knowledge that we may continue to pray with understanding hearts.

And show us what each one of us can do

to set forward the coming of the day of universal peace.

                                             Frank Borman,

                                                            Apollo 8 space mission, 1968

Background for this prayer.  I have few English-language resources here for prayer other than my breviary and a missal.  While searching for a prayer for this entry I stumbled across something on the internet I'd forgotten about.  On Christmas Eve 1968 the Apollo 8 astronauts, Bill Anders, Jim Lovell, and Frank Borman broadcast live from their space capsule.  Each of them read part of Genesis chapters 1-10 while orbiting the moon.  An interesting side note is that Madalyn Murray O'Hair, a notorious atheist, sued the U.S. government for violating the first amendment.  The Supreme Court dismissed the suit due to lack of jurisdiction.  Borman also wrote the above prayer for Christmas Day.  It is most appropriate today.

Lagniappe: 'O Come, O Come Emmanuel.'  Even more appropriate tonight than the first day of Advent.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MSRocN1dTrM (Latin)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lev0t3iDBkk (English)

O King of the Gentiles . . .

22 December

O Rex gentium, et desideratus earum,

lapisque angularis, qui facis utraque unum:

 veni, et salva hominem, quem de limo formasti.

O King of the gentiles and their desired One,

the cornerstone that makes both one:

come, and deliver man, whom you formed out of the dust of the earth.

Photo:  The holy oils at the Cathedral of St. Matthew in Washington, D.C.  The light coming through the stained glass was perfect for this particular photo.  

Meditation:   Both the Old and New Testaments refer to the king being anointed with oil.  David was anointed.  Jesus' feet were anointed with oil and tears at table before his passion.   The sacraments of baptism, confirmation, ordination, and the sacrament of the sick include anointing with specifically blessed oils: the oil of catechumens, sacred chrism, and the oil of the sick. The anointing we receive at baptism and confirmation joins us to Jesus in a share of His Passion.  Consider the great gift of anointing.  What does it mean to me?

Prayer:

The Anima Christi appears on the fly-leaf of The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola.  It is an ancient prayer that was not written by Ignatius.  However, it is obvious Ignatius knew the prayer and entered deeply into it.

Anima Christi

Anima Christi, sanctifica me.

Corpus Christi, salva me.

Sanguis Christi, inebria me.

Aqua lateris Christi, lava me.

Passio Christi, conforta me.

O bone Jesu, exaudi me.

Intra tua vulnera absconde me.

Ne permittas me separari a te.

Ab hoste maligno defende me.

In hora mortis meae voca me.

Et iube me venire ad te,

Ut cum Sanctis tuis laudem te.

In saecula saeculorum.          Amen

                                                                     

Soul of Christ, sanctify me

Body of Christ, save me

Blood of Christ, inebriate me

Water from the side of Christ, wash me     

Passion of Christ, strengthen me

O good Jesus, hear me

Within Thy wounds hide me

Suffer me not to be separated from Thee

From the malicious enemy defend me

In the hour of my death call me

And bid me come unto Thee

That I may praise Thee with Thy saints

and with Thy angels

Forever and ever.      Amen.

Lagniappe:

Anima Christi (sung in Latin)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=phGDR9y912s

O Dawn of the East . . .

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:  Dawn at the Jesuit run Sevenhill Winery, Clare, South Australia.  We made the tertian 30-day retreat there.  At night there was almost perfect silence in which to pray.  On moonless nights or when it was cloudy and rainy the darkness was absolute.  I woke 2:30 and 3:30 AM daily so as to sit in that darkness and pray, flipping on a small flashlight when needed to read.  When the first rays of dawn broke through it was time to take the camera and meditate on the fruits of that prayer while walking some part of the 1000 acres. 

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 Agnus Dei is the final prayer of the Mass before communion.  Immediately afterwards we acknowledge our unworthiness and ask that the Lord heal 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.  Listen to the 'lagniappe,' the 'Dona Nobis Pacem' from Bach's B minor Mass, one of the most perfect pieces of choral music ever written.  Close your eyes and allow the music to swirl around you no matter if you are seeking peace for yourself, for another, or the world.  That peace comes with 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. Robert Shaw, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Chamber Chorus

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lnrHhYSGzd4

Prayer:  Falling in Love

Nothing is more practical than
finding God, that is, falling in love
in a quite absolute, final way. What
you are in love with, what seizes
your imagination, will affect every-
thing. It will decide what will get
you out of bed in the morning, what
you will do with your evenings, how
you will spend your weekends, what
you read, who you know, what
breaks your heart, and what amazes
you with joy and gratitude. Fall in
love. Stay in love. And it will
decide everything.

Pedro Arrupe, S.J