O King whom all the peoples desire, you are the cornerstone which makes all one. O come and save man, whom you made from clay. (O Antiphon for December 22nd)
Year: 2024
Fourth Sunday and the Spirit of Advent
The figures of Advent we have met in the liturgy are the prophet Isaiah, John the Baptist and now, on the fourth Sunday, Our Lady, the Blessed Virgin. Saint Matthew’s account is brief, almost matter of fact: “She was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit.” It is Luke’s account, read this morning,[…]
The Fourth Sunday of Advent: With Haste, Let Us Meet the Lord!
Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled (Lk. 1:45). On this the fourth and last Sunday of Advent, the Sacred Liturgy invites us to be one with the Blessed Virgin Mary, in whom at last the fullness of time is reached, and a new order[…]
Key of David, who open the gates of the eternal kingdom, come to liberate from prison the captive who lives in darkness. (O Clavis David – O Antiphon for December 20th)
Sunday Musical Offering: Three Emmanuels
In these last days of Advent, here are three versions of the ancient Advent hymn, O Come, O Come Emmanuel, dating back 1200 years to monastic traditions in the 8th or 9th century. The text, originally Latin, with the common English version by John Mason Neale in the 1851, is a musical rendition of the[…]
Cardinal Cupich’s Processions
Cardinal Blaise Cupich of Chicago has just released another directive for his diocese, discouraging Catholics from kneeling to receive Holy Communion. Before we get to his reasons, we should go back 45 years, to the summer of ‘69, when all manner of liturgical chaos seemed to be breaking loose. In the wake of the ‘spirit[…]
In Search of Inner Peace
As we enter into these last few days of Advent, with the last candle of the wreath soon to be lit, the atmosphere is bathed in a serene glow, echoing the theme of peace. This candle symbolizes the peace emanating from the town of Bethlehem where the Prince of Peace was born. As our world[…]
Ruler of the House of Israel, who gave the law to Moses on Sinai, come and save us with outstretched arm.
The Catholic Spirit of Beethoven
Beethoven was baptized a Catholic on December 17th, 1770 – in the time of Advent we now find ourselves, in the proximate preparation for the birth of our Saviour. Those who think that he was not a true Catholic often point to the observation of his friends that he hardly ever attended Mass. Born in[…]
Murder, Justice, Charity and Mercy
The recent killing of the United Healthcare CEO in New York City – shot in the back by a man lying in wait – should rattle us. That sort of thing is not what we should expect on the streets of cities in civil society. But what has been especially troubling is the response from[…]