52 "Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of our fathers, praiseworthy and exalted above all forever; And blessed is your holy and glorious name, praiseworthy and exalted above all for all ages.
53 Blessed are you in the temple of your holy glory, praiseworthy and glorious above all forever.
54 Blessed are you on the throne of your kingdom, praiseworthy and exalted above all forever.
55 Blessed are you who look into the depths from your throne upon the cherubim, praiseworthy and exalted above all forever.
56 Blessed are you in the firmament of heaven, praiseworthy and glorious forever.
57 Bless the Lord, all you works of the Lord, praise and exalt him above all forever.
58 Angels of the Lord, bless the Lord, praise and exalt him above all forever.
59 You heavens, bless the Lord, praise and exalt him above all forever.
60 All you waters above the heavens, bless the Lord, praise and exalt him above all forever.
61 All you hosts of the Lord, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever.
62 Sun and moon, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever.
63 Stars of heaven, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever.
64 Every shower and dew, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever.
65 All you winds, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever.
66 Fire and heat, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever.
67 [Cold and chill, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever.
68 Dew and rain, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever.
69 Frost and chill, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever.
70 Ice and snow, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever.
71 Nights and days, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever.
72 Light and darkness, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever.
73 Lightnings and clouds, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever.
74 Let the earth bless the Lord, praise and exalt him above all forever.
75 Mountains and hills, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever.
76 Everything growing from the earth, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever.
77 You springs, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever.
78 Seas and rivers, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever.
79 You dolphins and all water creatures, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever.
80 All you birds of the air, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever.
81 All you beasts, wild and tame, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever.
82 You sons of men, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever.
83 O Israel, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever.
84 Priests of the Lord, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever.
85 Servants of the Lord, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever.
86 Spirits and souls of the just, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever.
87 Holy men of humble heart, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever.
88 Hananiah, Azariah, Mishael, bless the Lord; praise and exalt him above all forever. For he has delivered us from the nether world, and saved us from the power of death; He has freed us from the raging flame and delivered us from the fire.
89 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his mercy endures forever.
90 Bless the God of gods, all you who fear the Lord; praise him and give him thanks, because his mercy endures forever."
*****
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Monday, June 27, 2011
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Roman Missal, Third Edition - The People's parts at Mass
For updates on our parish preparations click - http://bit.ly/o5SuPn
Welcome to our series of brief explanations of the "changes" that will come to the Mass beginning November 26/27 - the First Sunday of Advent. The first thing to note is that the word "changes" is not a good one, but it's probably unavoidable.
The Mass is not changing! The English translation is being updated.
All the parts of the Mass remain; all the prayers remain in the same place; and all the roles of priests, deacons, lectors, cantors, extraordinary ministers of the Eucharist, altar servers, musicians, ushers and congregation members remain the same. What "changes" are the English words.
Here's the first response we'll look at...
NEW TRANSLATION:
When the priest/deacon says "the Lord be with you" or "peace be with you," the new response will be "and with your spirit."
COMMENTARY:
Here is what the US Bishops give as a commentary. (see our website homepage http://www.saintbenedicts.com/ -which has a link to the US Bishops' full website. This will be available through Advent 2011).
At the beginning of Mass, immediately after the Sign of the Cross, the celebrant extends one of three different liturgical greetings to the people. The one that is perhaps most commonly used is “The Lord be with you.” It is a familiar line that will remain unchanged with the new translation.
However, our new response will be the first major change in the Order of Mass. Instead of “And also with you,” we will now be saying, “And with your spirit.” This new response will also be made at the four other times during Mass when this dialogue occurs: at the reading of the Gospel, at the beginning of the Eucharistic Prayer, during the Sign of Peace (when the priest says, “The peace of the Lord be with you always”), and at the conclusion of Mass.
Why the change? At the most basic level, “And with your spirit” is the proper translation of the original Latin text: “Et cum spiritu tuo.” By correctly expressing this dialogue in English, we are actually aligning our translation with that of all the other major language groups, which have long been translating the Latin properly. For example, in Spanish, the response is “Y con tu espíritu.”
But even beyond the linguistic, the recovery of the word “spirit” also carries Scriptural meaning. One form or other of “The Lord be with you” appears multiple times in the Bible, including the greeting given by the Archangel Gabriel to Mary at the Annunciation: “Hail, favored one! The Lord is with you” (Lk 1:28). Then, in the Pauline epistles, multiple variations of “The Lord be with your spirit” are employed as parting words to different church communities. Understood together, this liturgical dialogue in the Mass is an exchange whereby all present – both Priest and congregation – ask that the Holy Spirit (whom we call “the Lord, the giver of life” in the Nicene Creed) establish a stronger communion among us.
*****
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Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Visit to Ste. Therese Shrine - A Parishioner's Experience
A few weeks ago, we visited our oldest son and his family for a long weekend in Michigan and as usual, we attend Sunday mass at the National Shrine of the Little Flower in Royal Oak, Michigan. It is truly a religious experience to be in this beautiful church.
Shrine of the Little Flower was founded in 1925, just prior to the canonization of St.Therese of Lisieux. St. Therese was known as "The Little Flower". It was one of the first churches in the world dedicated in her honor. It is a vibrant parish with 4,300+ registered families and 3 schools with over 1,000 students. The Shrine was designated a National Shrine by the National Conference of Catholic Bishops in 1998.
Therese Martin was born to Louis Martin and Zelie Guerin on January 2, 1873. At the age of 15, she entered the Carmelite convent at Lisieux, France. With the religious name of Sr. Therese of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face, she lived a hidden life of prayer. She was gifted with a great intimacy with God. Through sickness and darkness, she remained faithful, rooted in God's powerful love. She died on September 30, 1897 at the age of 24. The inspiration of her life and her powerful ptresence from heaven touched so many people so quickly that she was solemnly canonized on May 17, 1925 by Pope Pius XI. Had she lived, she would have only been 52 years old at the time of her canonization. On the 100th anniversary of her death, Pope John Paul II designated St. Therese a Doctor of the Church.
Here is a picture that I took while we were there -
Shrine of the Little Flower was founded in 1925, just prior to the canonization of St.Therese of Lisieux. St. Therese was known as "The Little Flower". It was one of the first churches in the world dedicated in her honor. It is a vibrant parish with 4,300+ registered families and 3 schools with over 1,000 students. The Shrine was designated a National Shrine by the National Conference of Catholic Bishops in 1998.
Therese Martin was born to Louis Martin and Zelie Guerin on January 2, 1873. At the age of 15, she entered the Carmelite convent at Lisieux, France. With the religious name of Sr. Therese of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face, she lived a hidden life of prayer. She was gifted with a great intimacy with God. Through sickness and darkness, she remained faithful, rooted in God's powerful love. She died on September 30, 1897 at the age of 24. The inspiration of her life and her powerful ptresence from heaven touched so many people so quickly that she was solemnly canonized on May 17, 1925 by Pope Pius XI. Had she lived, she would have only been 52 years old at the time of her canonization. On the 100th anniversary of her death, Pope John Paul II designated St. Therese a Doctor of the Church.
Here is a picture that I took while we were there -
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
St. Justin - on the Mass
June 1st is the feast day of St. Justin, Martyr. He is a patron saint of philosophers and his words describing the Mass - written around the year AD 155 - are quoted in the Catechism of the Catholic Church (below). I have included paragraphs 1346 and 1347.
The Mass of all ages
1345 As early as the second century we have the witness of St. Justin Martyr for the basic lines of the order of the Eucharistic celebration. They have stayed the same until our own day for all the great liturgical families. St. Justin wrote to the pagan emperor Antoninus Pius (138-161) around the year 155, explaining what Christians did:
On the day we call the day of the sun, all who dwell in the city or country gather in the same place.
The memoirs of the apostles and the writings of the prophets are read, as much as time permits.
When the reader has finished, he who presides over those gathered admonishes and challenges them to imitate these beautiful things.
Then we all rise together and offer prayers* for ourselves . . .and for all others, wherever they may be, so that we may be found righteous by our life and actions, and faithful to the commandments, so as to obtain eternal salvation.
When the prayers are concluded we exchange the kiss.
Then someone brings bread and a cup of water and wine mixed together to him who presides over the brethren.
He takes them and offers praise and glory to the Father of the universe, through the name of the Son and of the Holy Spirit and for a considerable time he gives thanks (in Greek: eucharistian) that we have been judged worthy of these gifts.
When he has concluded the prayers and thanksgivings, all present give voice to an acclamation by saying: 'Amen.'
When he who presides has given thanks and the people have responded, those whom we call deacons give to those present the "eucharisted" bread, wine and water and take them to those who are absent.
1346 The liturgy of the Eucharist unfolds according to a fundamental structure which has been preserved throughout the centuries down to our own day. It displays two great parts that form a fundamental unity:
- the gathering, the liturgy of the Word, with readings, homily and general intercessions;
- the liturgy of the Eucharist, with the presentation of the bread and wine, the consecratory thanksgiving, and communion.
The liturgy of the Word and liturgy of the Eucharist together form "one single act of worship"; The Eucharistic table set for us is the table both of the Word of God and of the Body of the Lord.
1347 Is this not the same movement as the Paschal meal of the risen Jesus with his disciples? Walking with them he explained the Scriptures to them; sitting with them at table "he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them."
Friday, May 27, 2011
Respect Life - Walking the walk!
“We are called to act with justice; we are called to love tenderly; we are called to serve one another: To walk humbly with God”
This song was ringing in my ears the whole way over to church. I was attending an 8am Mass for Respect Life and I was going to meet a woman who was scheduled to have an abortion but because of the wonderful ministry of the “sidewalk pray group” she changed her mind and was due with a baby boy in two weeks. Why was I meeting her? I crochet baby blankets on behalf of the Respect Life Committee here at St. Benedict Church and was going to give her my latest blankets.
I was nervous but excited all at the same time. I just wanted to hug this woman and I indeed did just that. I never met her before. She was in the pew with her other two children – both daughters. I introduced myself and told her I was a mother of four boys. She smiled. I held her hand and said that I made this blanket with love in hopes to keep her son warm. Tears naturally filled my eyes and we just looked at each other and I gave her a hug and told her “I love you”. She said “I love you too”…and then, the Mass was about to start so I grabbed her hand one more time.
I most likely will never see her again or her baby. I did give her my phone number and address in case she ever needed anything – babysitting, clothes, money or just a friend. It was the right thing to do. During the Mass, I prayed for her to continue to have strength. Some long days and nights are ahead of her. She deserves a chance to be successful. After the baby is born, she needs to find employment, then child care perhaps, etc…. her journey will continue. I will keep praying for her. I will never forget her face.
If you don’t think you have time to make a difference in Respect Life, think again. There are so many ways to get involved in building the Kingdom of God. I found a way to help and all it involves is a little extra time at home. It’s something small but I know God values the small things we do. If were not “serving” someone daily, then were missing an opportunity to grow in our Faith. Consider how you can serve Respect Life.
Sincerely ~Maura MacDonald
*****
For more information on St.Benedict's Respect Life ministry - http://bit.ly/fhTvw3
This song was ringing in my ears the whole way over to church. I was attending an 8am Mass for Respect Life and I was going to meet a woman who was scheduled to have an abortion but because of the wonderful ministry of the “sidewalk pray group” she changed her mind and was due with a baby boy in two weeks. Why was I meeting her? I crochet baby blankets on behalf of the Respect Life Committee here at St. Benedict Church and was going to give her my latest blankets.
I was nervous but excited all at the same time. I just wanted to hug this woman and I indeed did just that. I never met her before. She was in the pew with her other two children – both daughters. I introduced myself and told her I was a mother of four boys. She smiled. I held her hand and said that I made this blanket with love in hopes to keep her son warm. Tears naturally filled my eyes and we just looked at each other and I gave her a hug and told her “I love you”. She said “I love you too”…and then, the Mass was about to start so I grabbed her hand one more time.
I most likely will never see her again or her baby. I did give her my phone number and address in case she ever needed anything – babysitting, clothes, money or just a friend. It was the right thing to do. During the Mass, I prayed for her to continue to have strength. Some long days and nights are ahead of her. She deserves a chance to be successful. After the baby is born, she needs to find employment, then child care perhaps, etc…. her journey will continue. I will keep praying for her. I will never forget her face.
If you don’t think you have time to make a difference in Respect Life, think again. There are so many ways to get involved in building the Kingdom of God. I found a way to help and all it involves is a little extra time at home. It’s something small but I know God values the small things we do. If were not “serving” someone daily, then were missing an opportunity to grow in our Faith. Consider how you can serve Respect Life.
Sincerely ~Maura MacDonald
*****
For more information on St.Benedict's Respect Life ministry - http://bit.ly/fhTvw3
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Newly Confirmed: A Reflection
Newly Confirmed - A Reflection by Claire Marie Faith Kirby.
That’s the definition you get on www.dictionary.com. But for Catholics, the sacrament of Confirmation is so much more. During Confirmation, we firmly pledge our faith as adults.
We say YES to so much:
yes to God the Father,
God the Son,
and God the Holy Spirit;
yes to carrying out the will of God in everything we do;
yes to love over hate, to hope over doubt, to life over death.
From the moment we are Confirmed, we acknowledge that we truly want to live as Jesus did, most definitely and assuredly.
I was Confirmed Wednesday, May 11th, just about two weeks ago. Once a month since September, Sister Virginia had been teaching me and the other Confirmation candidates exactly what the sacrament was about. We talked about saying “yes” to God and becoming adults in the Church, but I don’t think this fully impacted me until my Confirmation night. For all those months, I hadn’t really been looking forward to Confirmation; it was just something everyone in the Church went through—nothing too exciting. I admit, in the minutes before I left to go to the church around 6:20 that night, I was way more concerned with finding my shoes and fixing my hair than I was with becoming an adult in the Church.
However, once the Mass actually started, I started to realize…I was about to be a full-fledged, legitimate adult member of the Catholic Church. This was, in fact, something to be excited about! I could no longer think that I was too young to be active in the parish; no longer could I sit back and watch. Once Bishop Kmiec blessed and anointed me with oil, I was fully initiated. I am now Claire Marie Faith Kirby, and I’ve come to realize that the time to act for God is right here, right now. Not someday, not when I’m older. You can never be too young—or too old—to bring God’s goodness and kindness to others. More than anything, Confirmation has helped me realize this, and I’m ready to go out and spread God’s will.
“Confirm (verb): to acknowledge with definite assurance.”
That’s the definition you get on www.dictionary.com. But for Catholics, the sacrament of Confirmation is so much more. During Confirmation, we firmly pledge our faith as adults.
We say YES to so much:
yes to God the Father,
God the Son,
and God the Holy Spirit;
yes to carrying out the will of God in everything we do;
yes to love over hate, to hope over doubt, to life over death.
From the moment we are Confirmed, we acknowledge that we truly want to live as Jesus did, most definitely and assuredly.
I was Confirmed Wednesday, May 11th, just about two weeks ago. Once a month since September, Sister Virginia had been teaching me and the other Confirmation candidates exactly what the sacrament was about. We talked about saying “yes” to God and becoming adults in the Church, but I don’t think this fully impacted me until my Confirmation night. For all those months, I hadn’t really been looking forward to Confirmation; it was just something everyone in the Church went through—nothing too exciting. I admit, in the minutes before I left to go to the church around 6:20 that night, I was way more concerned with finding my shoes and fixing my hair than I was with becoming an adult in the Church.
However, once the Mass actually started, I started to realize…I was about to be a full-fledged, legitimate adult member of the Catholic Church. This was, in fact, something to be excited about! I could no longer think that I was too young to be active in the parish; no longer could I sit back and watch. Once Bishop Kmiec blessed and anointed me with oil, I was fully initiated. I am now Claire Marie Faith Kirby, and I’ve come to realize that the time to act for God is right here, right now. Not someday, not when I’m older. You can never be too young—or too old—to bring God’s goodness and kindness to others. More than anything, Confirmation has helped me realize this, and I’m ready to go out and spread God’s will.
Saturday, May 21, 2011
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