April 1, 2010
Maunday Thursday Musings
Tonight’s Liturgy takes us back in time to salvific moments—a commemoration of the Institution of Holy Eucharist (His precious body and blood to be our spiritual food), Institution of the New Commandment of Love exemplified through his washing of the feet of his disciples and the Institution of Priesthood through which He perpetuates sacramental grace to all of humanity.
We thank the Lord for His eternal presence with us in the Holy Eucharist and remind ourselves of His mandate in the Discourse on Bread of Life: Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelled in me, and I in him. As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me. This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever.
(John 6:53-58)
“Do this in remembrance of Me” is a command that the Lord gave His Apostles. And St. Paul himself speaks of this in the epistle appointed for tonight:
23For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, that the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread: And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, this cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come. Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.(1 Corinthians 11:23-27)
We think of all our clergy, deacons, priests and bishops who have accepted this great calling of servitude. In our church, we have clergy who have served the Lord in His faithful for fifty or more years. May we never fail to recognize the responsibility and the accountability of this office.
We are miserable offenders who are constantly in need of purification and Divine forgiveness. St. Paul the Apostle reminds us:
But we have this treasure in earthen vessels that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us. We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body (2 Corinthians 7-10)
May we resolve to be faithful true shepherds after the heart of the Good Shepherd. May He find us still serving upon His coming. May we continue to celebrate the Catholic Faith and Orders that we have inherited through the Apostolic Succession and Anglican Tradition.
Posted by frleo at 5:29 PM | Comments (0)
March 17, 2008
St. Patrick's Day
Any festival has its cultural connotations and often we get carried away by its external celebrations while losing the perspective of the essentials. We could easily get lost in the revelry.St. Patrick's Day is associated with a man who loved God and His people immensely.
And yet, if we know the heart of this man who loved Christ immensely and said the following prayer, "St. Patrick's Breastplate", we certainly can imitate St. Patrick and become the kind of the missionary who was aglow with zeal for God and for the people. We can become time and again aware of immense love of God for each of us.
St. Patrick's Breastplate is contained in the ancient Book of Armagh, from the early ninth century. along with Patrick's authentic "Confession." St. Patrick's Breastplate is his prayer to strengthen himself with God's protection as he prepared to confront and convert Loegaire, high king of Ireland. Whether we are Irish or not, we certainly can be catholic (the faith that is universally accepted) at heart!
I bind to myself today
The strong virtue of the Invocation of the Trinity:
I believe the Trinity in the Unity
The Creator of the Universe.
I bind to myself today
The virtue of the Incarnation of Christ with His Baptism,
The virtue of His crucifixion with His burial,
The virtue of His Resurrection with His Ascension,
The virtue of His coming on the Judgement Day.
I bind to myself today
The virtue of the love of seraphim,
In the obedience of angels,
In the hope of resurrection unto reward,
In prayers of Patriarchs,
In predictions of Prophets,
In preaching of Apostles,
In faith of Confessors,
In purity of holy Virgins,
In deeds of righteous men.
I bind to myself today
The power of Heaven,
The light of the sun,
The brightness of the moon,
The splendour of fire,
The flashing of lightning,
The swiftness of wind,
The depth of sea,
The stability of earth,
The compactness of rocks.
I bind to myself today
God's Power to guide me,
God's Might to uphold me,
God's Wisdom to teach me,
God's Eye to watch over me,
God's Ear to hear me,
God's Word to give me speech,
God's Hand to guide me,
God's Way to lie before me,
God's Shield to shelter me,
God's Host to secure me,
Against the snares of demons,
Against the seductions of vices,
Against the lusts of nature,
Against everyone who meditates injury to me,
Whether far or near,
Whether few or with many.
I invoke today all these virtues
Against every hostile merciless power
Which may assail my body and my soul,
Against the incantations of false prophets,
Against the black laws of heathenism,
Against the false laws of heresy,
Against the deceits of idolatry,
Against the spells of women, and smiths, and druids,
Against every knowledge that binds the soul of man.
Christ, protect me today
Against every poison, against burning,
Against drowning, against death-wound,
That I may receive abundant reward.
Christ with me, Christ before me,
Christ behind me, Christ within me,
Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ at my right, Christ at my left,
Christ in the fort, [i.e., at home]
Christ in the chariot seat, [i.e., travelling by land]
Christ in the poop. [i.e., travelling by water]
Christ in the heart of everyone who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks to me,
Christ in every eye that sees me,
Christ in every ear that hears me.
I bind to myself today
The strong virtue of an invocation of the Trinity,
I believe the Trinity in the Unity
The Creator of the Universe.
Romans 8:28 rings again: For those who love God all things will turn unto good.
St. Patrick's own younger days in slavery, gave him the vision to proclaim the triune God to the people of Ireland in symbols and concepts that were very near and dear to their heart. If you see Shamrock today, don't forget that it is the sign St. Patrick used to explain God the Father, Son and Holy Ghost.
May St. Patrick's Breastplate be our own prayer as we wake ourselves each morning to a new day
And here is the video that narrates a portion from St. Patrick's Diary:
Posted by frleo at 8:44 AM | Comments (0)
November 29, 2004
ADVENT: COMING IN HUMILITY, COMING IN GLORY
The Holy Season of Advent symbolises the need to be ready for the two fold coming of Jesus. Jesus' coming in humility 2,000 years ago and His glorious Second Coming (The Parousia). The collect for the day sums up these two comings. This beautiful and moving prayer was written specifically for the The Book of Common Prayer (1549) by Archbishop Thomas Cranmer is addressed to the Holy Trinity (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) and the themes reflected in the epistle and the Gospel, cast away the works of darkness, and put upon us the armour of light, and Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility; that in the last day, when he shall come again in his glorious majesty to judge both the quick and the dead
We need to be ready when He comes, found doing our duty faithfully. The following story is self explanatory--It's the story of Colonel Davenport, Speaker of the Connecticut House of Representatives back in 1789. One day, while the House was in session, the sky of Hartford suddenly grew dark and gloomy. Some of the representatives looked out the windows and thought this was a sign that the end of the world had come. An uproar ensued with the representatives calling for immediate adjournment. But Davenport rose and said, Gentlemen, the Day of Judgment is either approaching or it is not. If it is not, there is no cause for adjournment. If it is, I choose to be found doing my duty. Therefore, I wish that candles be brought. Candles were brought and the session continued.
We need to be vigilant but avoid being paranoid or complacent. This is a period of reconciliation with God and neighbor, penance and preparation for His Coming. Will the Son of Man find enough faithfulness in us when He comes?
Posted by frleo at 9:35 AM
June 19, 2004
Combined Morning Prayer
To appreciate the richness of the Liturgy and enhance better participation, we are combining Morning Prayer with Holy Communion in accordance with the rubrics of BCP 1928. We welcome you to this liturgical celebration and want your input. This will be in effect from the Second Trinity Sunday -- June 20th.
Posted by frleo at 10:14 AM