Traditional Hymn: O BREAD OF HEAVEN

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Holy God,

Holy and Mighty,

Holy and Immortal,

Have mercy upon us.

Holy Mass in the Cathedral of the Most Precious Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ, 

City of Westminster, England, 18 September 2010

O Bread of Heaven

Words: St Alphonsus Liguori

Translation: Rev. E. Vaughan C.SS.R.

Music: Tynemouth - H. F. Hemy

Performed by: Westminster Cathedral Choir

O Bread of Heaven, beneath this veil

Thou dost my very God conceal:

My Jesus, dearest treasure, hail!

I love Thee and, adoring, kneel;

Each loving soul by Thee is fed

With Thine own Self in form of Bread.

O food of life, Thou Who dost give

The pledge of immortality;

I live, no 'tis not I that live;

God gives me life, God lives in me:

He feeds my soul, He guides my ways,

And every grief with joy repays.

O Bond of love that dost unite

The servant to his living Lord;

Could I dare live and not requite

Such love - then death were meet reward:

I cannot live unless to prove

Some love for such unmeasured love.

Beloved Lord, in Heaven above

There, Jesus, Thou awaitest me,

To gaze on Thee with endless love;

Yes, thus I hope, thus shall it be:

For how can He deny me Heaven,

Who here on earth Himself hath given?

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Abominations and Other Things in the News

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On this Thursday after Ash Wednesday, it is time to consider abominations in the news, but I do so without commentary:

Jon Rappaport:

(1) ALERT!: New Vaccines Will Alter Your DNA

(2) Genetically Modified People: What Could Go Wrong?


Articles About Bill Gates:

(3) 4 Times Bill Gates Said That Vaccines Would Reduce World Population

(4)  How India became Bill Gates' guinea pig: A conspiracy as recounted by the main actors (a speculative article worth considering)


Also, I suggest perusal of The Solari Report by Catherine Austin Fitts. She covers financial matters and financial madness as well as a host of related issues with sometimes very surprising insights one would read or hear nowhere else:

(5) The Deep State & Trump Budget Politics with Richard Dolan


(6) Joseph Farrell, PhD Oxon, has some pointed commentary about the sale of the Danish vaccine company to a Saudi group with clear ties to jihadist terrorists:




And the article that spawned Dr. Farrell's commentary: link

 O Lord, save the world.

Anglican Patrimony: On the Eucharist [R. Somerset Ward]

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Holy God,

Holy and Mighty,

Holy and Immortal,

Have mercy upon us.

R. Somerset Ward and Bede Griffiths, Guildford Cathedral, England

"Holy Communion"

To Jerusalem

Of the Blessed Sacrament of the Body and Blood of Christ we may well say with the Patriarch Jacob, “This is none other than the Gate of heaven,” for assuredly at the consecration a door is opened into Heaven and through it comes the Lord of Love bearing His Life to men.

Nevertheless this sight is not for all eyes to see, and it is with Christians at the Eucharist as it was with the blind man healed by our Lord ; at first they see nothing but hear a voice ; then they see but dimly “men as trees walking” ‘ and lastly they see the Glory that is there.  Let us, therefore, set down in poor words that which happens in the Blessed Sacrament, and then the way to know it. 

It is hard for us who live in this world, manifest to our senses, to know that it is a prison ; that we are bound by earthly bodies in a circular prison while all round the outside of our prison is freedom and the other and true world : the world of eternal life.   Nevertheless so it is, nor are there any ways by which we may escape from prison into the true life save three : prayer, the Blessed Sacrament, and death.  in all these ways a soul may leave the body and pass through a door opened in the shell of the prison into the world of eternal life.  In the first two ways the soul must return from its excursion, but in the third it remains.  We may not compare these ways, for in order to make comparison we need to know the whole extent of each and no human being may do this.  Nevertheless we may say that each in its order is more universal than the one before it.

So in the Blessed Sacrament there is opened, before each Christian, a door.  Through this door our Lord Himself enters this world. I beseech you to consider this a moment.  We know that our Lord is in all things our perfect example.  Here daily He sets before us an example of perfect humility.  In all the glory of His Ascended Majesty, the Judge of all the world comes to us, not as in Bethlehem for all the race, but for a few poor dazed and blind souls gathered together to meet Him.  While they wait there, battling with distracting thoughts, cold and with little love, He lowers Himself in exquisite pity to come to their prison for love of them.  Truly He does, Himself, that which He requires of us in the Day of Judgement, for we are sick and He visits us, we are in prison and He comes unto us.

Nor is this all, for He Himself brings with Him the food of life.  All life is in Him, and from this overflowing store He feeds the sick prisoners, giving them life and strength for their bodies in His Body and for their souls in His blood.  It is this Eternal Life, from the world of eternal life, which keeps alive the soul of the world ; which glows and vibrates in each soul, lighting something in other souls, and feeding the spiritual life of the world.  Daily is the prison of the world of our senses broken into by the victorious Lord, daily are the souls therein filled with the life which will enable them to break out of it into their true home, the world of eternal life.

It would, however, be a narrow view of this great means of grace which limited its purpose to this world of ours.  For the life which proceeds from the other world is like a wave which, passing through the door, floods those who receive it, and then like a wave recedes, drawing them with it through the gate.

Many are they who know these things to be true yet long to experience them.. It were well that they should remember in the first place that in general the approach to any spiritual experience is by a long and slow growth ; that, above all, long training and practice are needed.  This seems to be especially true of the Blessed Sacrament : for it is usually only by slowly learning devotion and concentration, by a long desire, and by the constant frequenting of this Holy Communion that the soul comes to the experience.  First comes the conviction, the certainty, that there is a Presence in the Blessed Sacrament.  Then perchance the soul is aware on certain occasions of a direct message at the time of Communion and this may happen frequently.  Then very dimly the Presence becomes more real, bringing a new sense of awe.  While, finally, for those happy few whom God brings to this state, comes the frequent entry into the world of eternal life, the overpowering sense of the entering Lord, and the moment of blissful Communion. 

There is no royal way for those who seek the full revelation of this Sacrament.  It is only by patient discipline and long practice that clear sight comes.  I held as more important than they are, but I append a few maxims which may assist the soul.

I.  It is Desire which is they key to the door of experience.

2.  True desire manifests itself in patience and perseverance.

3.  Perseverance is chiefly shown in maintaining constant standard in preparation for Holy Communion, and thanksgiving after it.

4.  Distracting thoughts are not sins unless they are consciously persisted in.

5.  It is as well to have certain places in the service at which the attention is always specially concentrated (e.g., Prayer for Church militant.  Sanctus.  Prayer of Oblation) ; this serves as a safeguard against vagueness.

6.  The true experience may be known by the joy and vitality it brings.

7. There is no way to prolong experience beyond the time our Lord wills, but we can remove all hindrances to its prolongation on our part by complete and constant surrender.

It is painful to write words on this subject knowing their poverty and how little they touch even the fringe of that which is in this Sacrament. Nevertheless I pray that all who read them may be aware of the open door, and of the Lord Who enters, of the life He brings, and, if it be His will, of the world from which He comes.

+O Lord, save the world

Fr Apostolos Hill, Doxastikon for Judgement Sunday/Meatfare Sunday

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Holy God,

Holy and Mighty,

Holy Immortal One,

Have mercy upon us.

(Book of Common Prayer 1979)

These settings below are from the sacred tradition and sacred patrimony of the Eastern Orthodox Churches.  There is a recording by Fr. Apostolos Hill entitled "Gates of Repentance" which has an excellent version of the Doxasticon for Judgement Sunday chanted in English by Fr. Apostolos.  The recordings by Fr. Apostolos Hill are a revelation regarding Orthodox chant in English. I think, dear Reader, you will want to look into those Orthodox recordings (See Liturgica.com). You also may be interested to hear a sermon of his from the Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Phoenix, Arizona, USA: link.

In the examples below, you will find that there is no anaemic chanting here. This is full throated, full bodied crying out to and rejoicing in God. Below are two settings that will illustrate well the power and vitality of sacred chant in the Orthodox Church. The first is from the Slavic sacred chant, and the second is from the sacred chant in Greek:

Неделя Месопустна, "Слава" на Хвалитех, глас 1
Meatfare Sunday, Doxastikon
Sunday of the Last Judgment (Meatfare Sunday)
Doxastikon, mode 1
Byzantine Chant Ensemble "Trisagion"

Orthros: Lauds and Doxastikon

For Meatfare/Judgement Sunday

Athanasios Gkoulias, cantor

Saint George Greek Orthodox Church

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Kyrie eleison imas.

Anglican Patrimony: Dismissal of the Catechumens (Nyasaland)

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Holy God,

Holy and Mighty,

Holy and Immortal,

Have mercy upon us.

Nyasaland Liturgy


After the reading of the Gospel and before the Nicene Creed:


Priest  
You catechumens, pray to the Lord.


Catechumens   
Lord, have mercy upon us. 
Lord, have mercy upon us.  
Lord, have mercy upon us.


Priest   You Christians, pray for the Catechumens.
People  Lord, have mercy upon them.


Priest   Make them to know thy truth.
People  Lord, have mercy upon them.


Priest   Reveal to them the Gospel of Righteousness.
People  Lord, have mercy upon them.


Priest   Grant them a new heart and a prepared spirit.
People  Lord have mercy upon them.


Priest   Lead them into thy Holy Church.
People  Lord, have mercy upon them.


Priest   
You Catechumens, worship the Lord.


Catechumens  
Thou art our God; and we praise thee.  
Thou art our God and we praise thee.  
Thou art our God and we praise thee.


Priest   
Let us pray.

Almighty God, who dost daily give to thy Church new Children; grant to these Catechumens that they truly increase in knowledge and in faith, till they are born again in Holy Baptism and made thy children by adoption and grace; through Jesus Christ, our Redeemer.  Amen.

Priest   
You Catechumens, depart in peace.

+O Lord, save the World.

Twiggling with Sursum Corda

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Holy God,

Holy and Mighty,

Holy and Immortal,

Have mercy upon us.

Recently an acquaintance wrote to me appalled by the version of Sursum Corda that her denomination is now using or permitting.  This reminded me of a similar reaction to a bit of liturgical twiggling in another denomination that I found supremely offensive ...which led me back to some old posts on Tonus  Peregrinus.  I found several posts to this blog and have cobbled them together to elaborate upon this theme. [Note: Sursum corda means Lift up your hearts.]

VARIATION, CREATIVITY, 
AND BASELESS INNOVATION

Am I opposed to new compositions? No. I oppose "new" for the sake of it being "new". I oppose "change" for the sake of "change".

An example of what I cannot abide:

        God is with you.
            God's with you too.
        Open your hearts to God.
            Our hearts and minds are God's.
        Give thanks to the Most High God.
            Give praise to God all the Earth.

Honestly, there are two worthy kernels in the above, but clad in its ultra-feminist avoidance of the word 'Lord' (or the masculine pronoun) it sounds more like something one would see on a bumper-sticker or a t-shirt than a sacred dialogue spoken at Holy Mass. A 'tree liturgy' perhaps...

What could I accept? Something Biblical, sound theological reasoning, a measure of Anglican or Eastern Orthodox provenance, and a wise sense of limiting its application. My example below meets these criteria -- if not entirely successfully -- and was meant to be employed in place of Sursum Corda during Ascensiontide and upon the Festival of the Assumption:

                   The Lord is here.
                           Our God is with us.
                   Lift your hearts to Heaven
                           where Christ the Lord doth reign.
                   All flesh shall behold his Glory.
                           All who seek shall adore his Face.

What could you accept in variation in the liturgical order? Is there any legitimate way to provide variety and variation without resorting to "Or this", that dreadful rubric (or bluebric if we are speaking of the ASB 1980). Although we seem to prefer propositions phrased as Entweder/Oder, we often seem happiest when Both/And is the final result. 

I recall that the Joint Liturgical Group had proposed an embolism (no not a medical condition but rather an insertion into the text) as an alternative to 'Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again.' which I think I recall correctly as:

                     Christ is Victor. 
                     Christ is King.
                     Christ is Lord of all.

I thought it was far superior to what ICEL came up with, but it never went anywhere in the liturgical revisions in the various churches, as far as I know. Sometimes a clever idea dies in committee. Sometimes it is used in trial form but forgotten. And then some liturgical archaeologist comes along, remembers it, dusts it off, and the time proves right for it.

BUT WHAT DOES IT MEAN

               The Lord is here.
                        Our God is with us.
               Lift your hearts to Heaven
                        where Christ the Lord doth reign.
               All flesh shall behold his Glory.
                        All who seek shall adore his Face.

A kind email asked that I explain what was the merit in the above alternative to Sursum Corda (an alternative intended for Ascensiontide and Assumption). I can only offer what I see as the merit in the work. Often times I will read a commentary or statement by the writer that is very theologically unpalatable to me, yet sometimes even Balaam's ass does prophesy. So, out of ill intention something good may come. Joseph teaches us in the Torah "You meant it for evil, but God meant it for good." It is in this spirit that I look at liturgical composition -- divorced from its author, required to stand on its own Biblical and theological merit, is consistent with the patristic witness, and judged as to whether or not it is successful as oral communication.

Now what follows is purely my own interpretation:

The text asserts that the Lord is present where we are, and it reminds us also that the Lord is on His throne of glory in heaven. it is rare to have both in one dialogue or prayer. We tend to veer off either toward an immanent view or on the other hand a transcendent view of God and His location. Here both truths are declared and upheld together.

Secondly, the dialogue locates us "here" but calls us to a heavenly place. We rise up from the mundane to the divine.

The third is that the final versicle and response is prophetic drawing as it does from Isaiah (And all flesh shall see it together ... surely, you have sung this during performances of Händel's Messiah). The response actually touches upon several scriptures including the Apocalypse.

The worship of God's Face is older than the First Temple, and in that First Temple the shewbread which was shaped like a face (panim) came to be associated with and viewed as participating in that glorious Divine Presence. It is rare that we have a text that reaches into the past to First Temple worship, traverses the present Eucharistic Sacrifice, and looks forward to the heavenly consummation and bliss of the Wedding Supper of the Lamb.

Nota Bene: The text can actually be pointed to the plainsong normally used in North America for Sursum Corda whether Canon Douglas' version or Healey Willan's.

Another Note: many of us have experienced in Anglican worship the English alternative Dominus vobiscum "The Lord is here. His Spirit is with us." But most of us cannot abide it as it sounds like the opening words at a seance or some Spiritualist meeting. "The Lord is here. Our God is with us." on the other hand is far more profound bringing as it does the Gospel Proclamation of the Incarnation into the Eucharistic Dialogue.

I hope this short reflexion will be helpful for any of you, dear Readers, who wondered what good I could find in this alternative. As for the execrable first modern example I used, it did contain the lifting up of "hearts and minds" which has good Syriac background to it. But the negatives so far outweigh any positives, that I don't think I need to discuss that further.

+Dominus vobiscum

A "Must Read" List ...

For converts to the Church of Rome from the Anglican churches

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Holy God,

Holy and Mighty,

Holy Immortal One,

Have mercy upon us.

(The Book of Divine Worship)

The following was first posted in A.D. 2012. I reprint it today with an update appended to the end of the blog

This post has in mind those Anglican converts who will serve as clergy, catechists and Sunday School teachers in the Roman Catholic Church. It can be a very great shock to the psyche to realise that one was taught something not true and that one has dutifully taught that same falsehood to others.  Some prefer to refer to such things as "misconceptions".  Others prefer to call them damned lies.    The reality is that Anglican converts must 'unlearn' the official story taught by Anglicanism with regard to its origins in the era of Henry VIII and Elizabeth I and then set out to learn what is the truth of the matter. 

My interest is not in supporting claims or battling contentions.  I am interested in Anglican converts educating themselves and discovering the whole truth of Anglican origins.  I believe the only way to achieve this is through committed self-study, and to that end I provide something of a 'required reading list' in this post.

There is but one book I would insist a convert should read from cover to cover:

The Other Face:

Catholic Life

Under Elizabeth I

Collected and Edited

By Philip Caraman

This may seem an obscure choice, but I am one who is most moved by primary sources rather than scholarly reflexions and historical recreations.  After reading this book—after taking in the martyrdom of St. Margaret Clitherow if nothing else—the convert will want to learn as much as possible about the truths they were not taught as Anglicans.

From this point, my required reading list turns to Eamon Duffy:

• The Stripping of the Altars
• Saints, Sacrilege, and Sedition (Kindle version available)

The Voices of Morebath

Marking the Hours

The Church of Mary Tudor (Duffy and Loades)

Fires of Faith (Kindle version available) 

The first two in the list above are essential:  The Stripping of the Altars and Saints, Sacrilege, and Sedition. Although I am inclined to list other books, let me summarise in a shorter form what I have said above would form the very minimum for a reading list:

The Other Face — Philip Caraman

The Stripping of the Altars — Eamon Duffy

Saints, Sacrilege, and Sedition — Eamon Duffy

 

(The temptation to go on with a much longer list is very great, but I will only suggest that one could go on and read Dr. Christopher Haigh's English Reformations or  Professor J. J. Scarisbrick's The Reformation and the English People.)   

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[Update: Ash Wednesday A.D. 2017]

Before one enters into the communion of any Church or denomination, one must soberly consider the fact that there is no Eden in our fallen world.  There will still be human beings wherever one goes who treat others shabbily, there will be bishops, priests, and deacons who hurt the Witness of the Body of Christ, there will be clergy who lie, there will be Laity who do not know their Faith, there will be Laity who are rude, crude, and socially unacceptable.  In other words, wherever one pitches his tent in the Body of Christ, one will find a hospital in this broken world, a hospital for the soulsick and the lost.

I was reconciled to the See of St Peter when Pope St John Paul II sat upon the Papal Throne.  It could be said to a great degree that his witness and his writings are essential to understanding why I found a home in the Church of Rome.  I will be honest in stating that had Pope Francis been the pope at the time of my enquiry into the Roman Catholic Church, I would have waited.  It is not at all clear to me what is happening in Rome and throughout the Catholic Church, and such chaos does not indicate the godly order that obtains when the Holy Spirit is leading the Church into all truth as Sacred Scripture teaches us.

I am reminded of the state of things when Jesus spoke his most difficult teaching and enormous numbers abandoned him. The Lord turned to His apostles and asked them if they two would turn and leave.  Peter (Kepha) alone said in reply "Lord, to whom shall we go?  You have the words of eternal life." So for all of us, let us turn to the Lord Jesus Christ and listen to him.  

A papal reign can be thought of in brackets, put into parantheses within the totality of the Church's history.  Some of those "reigns" led to outright schism. Some led to the election of multiple claimants to the See of St Peter (the antipopes).  The "reign" of Pope Bergoglio will bear its fruit: adding the name of St. Joseph to the Canon of the Mass, raising St Mary Magdalene's day to a Feast of same rank as the Apostles.  Additionally, the current Pope's reign will also leave a residue of items that will remain within the brackets of his "reign" and will be dealt with by his successors and some will be set aside quietly and some will be overturned by official Papal acts in the future.

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Ashes, Ashes we all fall down

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A Note on Ashes:

(1) The Maronite Catholic Church (in Communion with the See of St. Peter) distributes ashes upon the head on ASH MONDAY which is the beginning of Great Lent in that Church.

(2) The Roman Rite of the Roman Catholic Church distributes ashes upon the forehead in the shape of a cross on ASH WEDNESDAY which marks the dawn of the Lenten Season.

(3) In the Ambrosian Rite of the Roman Catholic Church (i.e., the Church of Milan) ashes are distributed upon the head on the First Sunday in Lent.

(4) The Personal Ordinariates erected by Pope Benedict XVI for persons and churches of Anglican heritage and patrimony distribute ashes upon the forehead in the shape of a cross on ASH WEDNESDAY.

(5) The member churches of the Anglican Communion generally distribute ashes upon the forehead on ASH WEDNESDAY although some Anglicans never employ ashes on Ash Wednesday.

(6) This ritual ceremony is original and peculiar to the Latin rite of the Church of Rome and some churches in Communion with the See of St Peter. The Eastern and Oriental Orthodox do not employ this ritual.

(7) Most Eastern Catholic Churches in communion with the See of St Peter do not distribute ashes at the start of Lent since they have their own unique ancient liturgical traditions to mark the beginning of the Great Lent.

 And now for another item:

The following appeared on another blog, and although LENT IS HERE, it is very useful for Latin Catholics and others:

Click (or double-click) on the image above for a larger version

1967 Impostition of Ashes (Scottish Episcopal) [Anglican Patrimony]

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ASH WEDNESDAY

THE BLESSING AND IMPOSITION OF ASHES

The ceremony normally takes place before the Eucharist.

Ashes made from the Palms of the previous Palm Sunday are placed in a suitable receptacle at t he Epistle side of the Altar, or on a table in the Chancel so that the priest faces the people.

1      Blessing of Ashes

The priest blesses the ashes as follows:

        The Lord be with you; 
        And with thy spirit.   

        Let us pray. 

        O God,
        who desirest
        not the death of a sinner,
        but rather that he should repent;
        mercifully look upon the weakness of man's nature;
        and of thy loving kindness
        vouchsafe to bless these ashes
        to be marks of our penitence;
        that we, acknowledging that we are but dust
        and unto dust must soon return,
        may receive forgiveness of all our sins
        and the reward which thou hast promised
        to them that are penitent;
        through Jesus Christ our Lord.
        Amen.


2     Imposition of Ashes
 
The celebrant then receives the imposition of ashes from another priest if one is present, otherwise the celebrant imposes ashes on himself. After this the people come forward and kneel at the Altar rails. Holding the vessel containing the ashes in his left hand, the priest dips the thumb of his right hand into the ashes and signs the forehead of each in turn with the sign of the Cross saying:
 
        Remember, O man, thou art but dust
        and unto dust shalt thou return.


3     Collect

When all have received the ashes the priest cleanses his hands and returns to the Epistle side of the Altar and says the following:

        The Lord be with you;
        And with thy spirit.

        Let us pray.

        O Lord Jesus Christ,
        before whose judgment seat we must all appear;
        grant, we beseech thee,
        that when the books are opened in that day
        the faces of thy servants
        may not be ashamed:
        through thy merits, O blessed Saviour,
        who livest and reignest
        with the Father and the Holy Spirit,
        one God, world without end.
        Amen.

The Holy Eucharist follows

Services and Ceremonies for Ash Wednesday and Holy Week 

1967

The Scottish Episcopal Church

The Anglican Communion

From an Australian Anglican Liturgy for Ash Wednesday [Anglican Patrimony]

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A LITURGY FOR ASH WEDNESDAY

GATHERING IN GOD’S NAME

An Invocation, or an Acclamation such as follows, may be said before or after the greeting.

Blessed be the Lord who forgives all our sins,
            whose mercy endures for ever.

The priest greets the congregation

The Lord be with you.
             And also with you. 
 

The following Sentence may be used 

As far as the east is from the west, so far has God set our sins from us.

Lord, have mercy.                  Kyrie eleison. 
Christ, have mercy.                Christe eleison. 
Lord, have mercy.                  Kyrie eleison. 

and/or

Holy God, holy and mighty, holy and immortal, 
have mercy on us.

The priest says

Let us pray.

Silence

Almighty and everlasting God,
you hate nothing that you have made,
and you forgive the sins of all who are penitent:
create and make in us new and contrite hearts,
that we, worthily lamenting our sins,
and acknowledging our brokenness,
may obtain of you, the God of all mercy,
perfect remission and forgiveness;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns 
with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.
Amen.

 A Liturgy for Ash Wednesday

authorised by

The Anglican Church of Australia

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