A Prayer of Humiliation

For the Church or Nation

Dan. ix.

O LORD, the great and dreadful GOD,
which keepest covenant and mercy
with them that love Thee
and keep Thy commandments :
We have sinned and have dealt perversely,
and have done wickedly and have rebelled,
even turning aside from Thy precepts
and from Thy judgements.
O LORD, righteousness belongeth unto Thee,
but unto us confusion of face as at this day,
because we have sinned against Thee.

To the LORD our GOD
belong mercies and forgivenesses,
but we have rebelled against Him :
neither have we obeyed
the voice of the LORD our GOD,
to walk in His laws which He set before us.
O LORD, according to all Thy righteousness,
let Thine anger and Thy fury, I pray Thee,
be turned away ;
because for our sins
and for the iniquities of our fathers
Thy people are become a reproach
to all that are round about us.

Now therefore, O our GOD,
hearken unto the prayer
of Thy servant, and to his supplications,
and cause Thy face to shine
upon Thy sanctuary that is desolate.
O my GOD, incline Thine ear and hear :
open Thine eyes, and behold our desolations,
and the city, which is called by Thy name.
For we do not present our supplications
before Thee for our righteousnesses,
but for Thy great mercies.

O LORD, hear : O LORD, forgive :
O LORD, hearken and do : defer not :
For Thine own sake, O my GOD ;
Because Thy city and Thy people are called
by Thy name.

from Sursum Corda
A Handbook of Intercession and Thanksgiving
W.H. Frere & A. A. Illingworth
October 1898

The Shriving Bell

Our parish of Our Lady of Walsingham has three blessed bells made in France that call to the faithful for Holy Mass and for the Angelus. There are different sorts of peals with the three indicating what is at hand. I am convinced that churches need real baptised bells -- and not electrified speakers playing hymns recordings of tubular bells. Later I shall post more on bells and their Catholic purpose, but today I have in mind the Shriving Bell.

Being a 21st century and a 14th century man myself, I believe my priest needs a Shriving Bell beyond the blessing of the 3 French bells in the Tower. We have been blessed with priests who are marvellous confessors, and I would like to hear the tolling of that special Shriving Bell calling one to Confession. To hear such a bell reminds the faithful of their need to shrive, to confess. We all need reminders, and the sounding of a bell that is blessed has a special call to the souls of the Catholic faithful. Those already shriven can hear the tolling of the Shriving Bell as a call to pray for the penitents and to pray for their Father Confessor.

Today I find myself confined to home because of infirmity. So there will be the eating of pancakes using up all the butter, eggs, and fat here in the Cottage. At Our Lady of Walsingham in Houston there will be a Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper, and Fr. Bruce Noble will be in the Confessional at noon and in the evening. A Tower Bell will toll as the Shriving Bell today. At the Pancake Supper three members of the laity will be honoured for their faithful service to the parish. They are extraordinary individuals -- Margaret Pichon who was Fr. Moore's administrative assistant, a brilliant photographer, and the soul who keeps the Parish website going -- Ron Thorp, a genius of a business manager and a spiritual Encourager to all -- and Elliott Goulas who has been responsible for buildings and grounds for many faithful years.

Most Anglicans remember the pancakes part but have forgotten what "Shrove" means and do not have Confession anywhere on their radar screens. Having lost Shrovetide and the 'Gesimas we become lost in a secular, diabolical Mardi Gras, and then we fall into Ash Wednesday exhausted, overfed, and uprepared for the sacred fast of the Great and Holy Season of Lent. Some day I hope our bishops in the Catholic Church will attend to this part of the liturgical year and offer the faithful the guidance that we need. One must prepare for Lent, and pre-Lent was just such a time. Shrovetide made it even clearer how one was to get ready for Lent -- all for the purpose of undertaking a holy fast unto the Lord.

Although I will not make it into the Confessional at Our Lady of Walsingham this day -- and although my body cannot engage in any exercise this day, I will endeavour to engage body and soul in spiritual exercises of repentance and reparation in order to prepare for an holy Lent. All of my old anglo-Catholic manuals still come in handy at this time of year, and they will keep good company with me till evening falls.

Lord Jesus Christ, Lead Us

Moses Draws Water From the Rock
Saint Edmund Church, Downham Market, Norfolk, England

Lord Jesus Christ, lead us, your little flock.
We all would journey to your promised land.
Increase our faith to trust you, Christ our Rock,
whose living waters quench the deserts' thirst.
Now to those waters guide us by your hand.

We do confess our selfish, prideful ways
serving our own wants not our neighbours' need.
Yet at this hour we turn from yesterdays
and sing a new song full of faith and hope.
Do, Lord, forgive and wash us clean indeed.

Our hearts' own treasure and our highest joy,
Jesus, we praise you, Saviour and our Lord.
Our souls and bodies, all our lives employ.
We sacrifice to you our wealth and power.
May what we give help others find you, Lord.

In that new city coming from above,
Lord, to your high feast we would gladly come.
For that great day, the triumph of your love,
we stand on guard with all your angels now.
Lord Christ, we pray to see your kingdom come.

Words: Copyright © 1995 Vincent Uher. All rights reserved.
Tune: Old 124th
Meter: 10 10 10 10 10

Holy Fire of Jesus' Spirit

Holy fire of Jesus' Spirit
purify my soul and heart.
Fire of love, consume my darkness.
Fire of hope, cleanse every part.
Light of heaven, burning brightly,
heal my wounds and make me whole.
Through thy mercy and compassion
light thy fire within my soul.

Jesus, Son of David, hear me.
Lord, have mercy. Save my life.
I confess I crucified thee.
Now I know thou art my life.
Change me here to bear thy glory;
let my blinded eyes see Light.
Make my broken heart thy temple
and abide there day and night.

God the Son of Mother Mary,
blest are all who keep thy word.
With thy light ablaze within me,
I proclaim what I have heard.
More than words will be my actions
shining bright to draw the world
through thy Sacred Heart to glory
in the Father of the Word.

Words: Copyright © 1999 by Vincent Uher. All rights reserved.
Tune: Hyfrydol
Meter: 87 87 D