Ruminations of an Amateur Monastic
Today is the second “O” antiphon, O Adonai. It has been a long time since I’ve sung these properly, perhaps two years, and I very much miss chanting Vespers in community. One of my great hopes is that our chapel will be finished this time next year, so that we may pray these antiphons there. These videos, which I will […]
» Read moreWisdom! Advent is drawing to its close, and it’s time again for the O Antiphons. These antiphons are part of the prayers at the liturgical hour of Vespers for the 17th through the 23rd of December – the 24th is of course the Christmas Vigil itself. They are ancient prayers, possibly dating back to the earliest days of the Christian […]
» Read moreOne of the things I love about the Church is our sense of time – the grandeur of the procession of the seasons and holy days, each in turn. Some holy days are so holy that a single day can’t contain them. Take Easter, for instance. The ancient tradition of the Church is to add an entire week to the […]
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Today we celebrate the institution of the Eucharist on what is (more or less) the anniversary of the Last Supper. Pope Benedict, in his book Jesus of Nazareth: Holy Week: From the Entrance Into Jerusalem To The Resurrection, spends some time discussing whether this was a traditional Passover meal, or whether perhaps it was celebrated the day before the date […]
» Read moreFor this First Sunday in Lent, I thought it might be opportune to post the Lenten Regulations for the Archdiocese of Seattle published in the “Northwest Catholic Progress” this week. I’m very encouraged that the regulations not only give the bare minimums, but also some encouragement to do more, as you are able. I have not seen the recommendation to […]
» Read moreLeading up to the great celebration of the mysteries of the death and resurrection of Christ during Holy Week, the Church calls us to forty days of penitence. The Lenten Season of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving has been observed by Christians since Apostolic times. Indeed, Christ himself retreated to the desert for forty days, where he was tempted by the […]
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