Collect for Feast of Holy Family

COLLECT SERIES

COLLECT SERIES ICON.

FEAST OF HOLY FAMILY YEAR A

COLLECT

O God, who were pleased to give us the shining example of the Holy Family,

Graciously grant that we may imitate them in practicing the virtues of family life and in the bonds of charity,

And so, in the joy of your house, delight one day in eternal rewards.

Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,

who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

one God, for ever and ever.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS

In making this prayer tangible for during the week, the following reflection questions emerged:

1.    What is the shining example of the Holy Family?

2.    Why did God us the example of the Holy Family?

3.    What answer do I give to someone who mocks the Holy Family and/or who says they are irrelevant today?

4.    What are the virtues of family life?

5.    How will I practise the virtues of family life this coming week?

6.    What spiritual goals will I implement in this  coming year?

GOSPEL REFLECTION

THE HOLY FAMILY at the Manger.

Many scholars and priests choose to emphasise refugees, displaced families and the plight of their wellbeing on  this Feast of Holy Family.  However important this is, Matthew in today’s Gospel and throughout his Gospel wants to ensure we get the true message: Jesus, son of David, born in Bethlehem is Son of God.  This truth bears a promise which is a promise of a new world for all.  He emphasises this truth even further with the last line of the Gospel

“ He will be called a Nazarene’’.

Why is this sentence significant?  It connects Jesus the baby with Jesus the adult who suffered and died and rose again for us to bring us a new world to all.  In the Passion, the soldiers identify Christ as Jesus the Nazarene.

As we hear today’s Gospel, let the truth of who Jesus is take root in our hearts and do our part to make the promise of a new world for all a reality. We can make His kingdom come.

The other important aspect of today’s feast is of course family.  Family and marriage is increasingly under attack from media and society.  Yet in our own domestic or extended family or spiritual family, we can strengthen the bonds which hold us.  This can be done in prayer, in how we treat each other,  how we resolve conflict and forgive each other sincerely and particularly in the practical matters of family or parish life- contributing in ways that make a difference done with love.  It may be as simple as doing some dishes, keeping our rooms tidy or doing some shopping for someone who has come out of hospital. We need to invest time in each other.

That is what the holy family did- invested time in each other. Joseph, foster father of Jesus taught him the skills of carpentry whilst Mary nurtured Jesus as her child even though she knew He was the Saviour.  She took on motherhood with all its joys and challenges especially when she did not understand her Son’s destiny and behaviours.  Jesus played His part too. He was human as well as divine and He respected both Joseph and Mary as His earthly parents. He was obedient to them and respected their authority as parents.

On this feast of the Holy Family, why not offer a prayer of blessing for your own family and put your family under the protection of the Holy Family.  You could write your own family prayer and say it with them each week. You may add the practicalities of that week so that it is prayer and action done out of love for God and each other.

In that way, you will be contributing to the promise of Jesus to make a new world for all.

Christmas

CHRISTMAS

THE MANGER AT BETHLEHEM- HOLY LAND.

Christmas...

Hymns have tried to capture all the wonder

Books of wisdom leave it unexplained

Paintings have attempted to portray it

But its meaning will forever be contained

In the the words a mother whispered by a manger,

A word she heard God's angel first proclaim

JESUS...

All the shining Glory of Christmas is found 

within that holy, precious name.

JESUS IS THE REASON FOR THE SEASON.

Happy Christmas to all my readers. 

May you be truly blessed during Christmastide.

Want to enjoy some Music during Christmastide or give someone special a unique gift?  

I have composed music to 18 Christmastide Psalms, sung and played them and recorded them.  Go to talkingmusic.online to 

1. Listen to an excerpt of Psalm 95 -
   Today is born a Saviour Christ the Lord.
2. Sign up for a free track from Singable Sunday Psalms for Christmastide.
3. Head to online store to download and purchase Singable Sunday Psalms for Christmastide.

  Why not download Singable Sunday Psalms for Christmastide at talkingmusic.online 

Singable Sunday Psalms for Christmastide is a gift which keeps on giving. You will be able to listen and enjoy it the whole year.

Collect for 4th Sunday Advent Year A.

COLLECT SERIES

THE MASS  COLLECT SERIES ICON.

COLLECT

The Collect for the 4^th Sunday of Advent Year A reads as follows:

Pour forth, we beseech you, O Lord your grace into our hearts,

That we, to whom the Incarnation of Christ your Son

Was made known by the message of an Angel,

May by His Passion and Cross be brought to the glory of His Resurrection

Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

One God for ever and ever.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS

In making this prayer tangible the following reflection questions emerged.

1.Why is this Angelus prayer used as a Collect on this 4^th Sunday of Advent?

2. What specific grace do I wish to receive from Jesus this Christmastide?

3.What does Jesus as God’s Son  being born mean for me?

4. What message does God wish to give me through His Angel?

5. Ponder the life of Jesus- born to be a Saviour of humanity through His Passion and death and to give me the glory of His Resurrection. What does this mean for my life this coming week?

GOSPEL REFLECTION

The Gospel is from Matthew 1:18-24. Here we learn how God does not do things our way but His.  If God had preserved the kingdom of Judah (which he could so easily have done), and if the Messiah, the son of David, were to be born in the royal palace in Jerusalem, it would be natural and we would almost say, more fitting the dignity of the Messiah.  Instead, God allowed the kingly line, and the throne of Judah, to disappear, and he chose a humble carpenter of Nazareth, a true descendant of David but a lowly one, to be the foster-father of his divine Son, when he took human nature and came on earth to "dwell among us."

Perhaps we may say or feel that we do not understand His ways.  Maybe we ask in prayer for something so very much needed and we  seemingly get no answer or a definite no to it. 

God does not value bank accounts or social standing but rather virtue. This is evident in the choice He made for the foster father of Jesus.  No king sat on the throne of Judah, not even David himself, who was more acceptable to God as foster-father for his Son, than Joseph, the carpenter of Nazareth.

The Church puts forth Joseph as our reminder to imitate Joseph and Mary who were the humblest of the humble, the kindliest of the kindly, and the greatest-ever believers in God's goodness and mercy. We can never hope to equal them, but we can follow them humbly.

This is the last Sunday of our preparation for Christmas, the anniversary of Christ's birth. Like Joseph, we can all feel unworthy of the honour of welcoming him into our hearts and our homes. We are indeed unworthy, not because we have little of this world's goods, but because we have so little humility, so little charity, so little faith and trust in God's goodness. Let us try to imitate Joseph and Mary.

We realise that we can never make ourselves worthy of HIs infinite love, but let us imitate Joseph and accept the honour which God is giving us, as we trust and work towards through growing in virtue that God will continue to make us daily  more worthy of Him by how we live our lives.

 In God’s eyes we are always worthy of Him.  After all, He loved us so much to be born for us, died and rose again for us- why .. so that we could be renewed once more as children of God and live with Him for ever in Heaven. 

The Saviour of the world was born

REFLECTION AND PRAYER SERIES.

My reflection and prayer series is about sharing reflections and Prayers which have impacted upon me and have provided food for thought. I hope that they will also nurture your soul and spirit.

My Scripture reflection is 

''Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you”’ 
(Luke 2:11)

Christ The Redeemer.

 

My post is called:

                                                              The Saviour of the world was born 

One night in Bethlehem, beneath a singing sky,

a royal prince gave up His throne,

a Shepherd came to seek His own.

The Saviour of the world was born

one night in Bethlehem.

Collect for 2nd Sunday Advent.

COLLECT SERIES

THE MASS: COLLECT SERIES ICON.

COLLECT

The Collect for the Second Sunday of Advent reads as follows:

Almighty and merciful God,

may no earthly understanding hinder those who set out in haste to meet Your Son, 

but may our learning of heaven wisdom gain us admittance to His company. 

Through our Lord Jesus Christ your Son, 

who lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit, 

one God for ever and ever.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS

In making this prayer tangible during the week the following reflection questions emerged.

1. What are the earthly hindrances which prevent us from my relationship with Jesus?

2.What one hindrance might I choose to eradicate with God's grace this Advent?

3. What does heaven's wisdom want to say to me this Advent?

4. How will I incorporate this wisdom into my life this coming week?

5. How is my spiritual goal for Advent progressing after the first week?  Does it need tweaking or do I need to choose a different goal?

PERSONAL NOTE

I am still in rehab after my mini stroke but the good news is that I will be coming home this week.  I am so looking forward to going home after 5 weeks since the stroke.  I have been fortunate in how the stroke has affected me and over time, there will be a full recovery. Unfortunately this does not happen immediately.  I have to wait.

So my advent is very much about waiting for full recovery and being patient with myself. Both of these are not my forte normally.  I can wait for others patiently and I can be incredibly patient with other people. However, waiting and being patient with myself is whole different story.  I have normally so much energy and i make things happen.   I am very much goal driven and motivated. So, waiting patiently and not seeing any/much improvement is frustrating and very difficult to accept.

Still we can learn something when we need to and gradually, I can still learn new skills- new attitudes or hone old ones in a new way.

Missing daily Mass has been a huge blow over these last 5 weeks. Still I have had communion on some days and have watched Mass on TV and I also found Mass streamed from St James The Great Pettswood in UK.  Obviously, it does not replace Mass for those physically able to be at Mass.  However, for the sick and house bound, it is an amazing service.  It is also helpful because I am able to watch it at night in Australia whilst of course the UK is in northern hemisphere.

Not that I wish any of you to be ill, however it is good to know how you can still access Mass should this occur. This is one option   .http://www.stjamespettswood.org/

If you wish to buy my CD for Advent and Christmastide, it is available on www.talkingmusic.online in my onlinestore.  There are the accompanying ebooks as well.  Have a look.  The advent psalms are accompanied on piano whilst the Christmastide Psalms are accompanied on the organ.  I did this to create variety and choice for a wide audience.

I composed the music, played, sung and recorded   Singable  Sunday Psalms for Advent and Singable Sunday Psalms for Christmastide.  It would make a great gift.

Looking for some reflections on Advent?  I have written extensively on this topic over 10 years so why not check out some of these past posts/series.

Collect for First Sunday of Advent Year A

COLLECT SERIES

The Mass: Collect Series.

HAPPY NEW YEAR.

COLLECT

The Collect for the First Sunday of Advent Year A  reads as follows:

Grant your faithful, we pray, almighty God, 

the resolve to run forth to meet your Christ 

with righteous deeds at his coming, 

so that, gathered at his right hand,

they may be worthy to possess the heavenly Kingdom. 

Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, 

who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, 

one God, for ever and ever.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS

In making this prayer tangible for during the week the following reflection questions emerged:

1. As we begin Advent, what is my resolve spiritually?

2. How do we intend to carry out my resolve during Advent- what is my plan?

3. How do I want to meet Christ at Christmas in a different way than last year?

4. Take time to make a spiritual stock take and consider my current level of spirituality and what areas I need to address?

5. What righteous deeds might I carry out this coming week that will be pleasing to God?

PERSONAL NOTE

I am still in hospital and not yet well enough to do a complete blog post. Nevertheless, I want to say happy new year to my readers and wish you a wondrous time in Advent.

If you are looking for blog posts to read, you will be able to find them in the search or categories.  Over the ten years as a blogger for this site, I have talked about the Advent wreath and its traditions, the Jesse tree, the names of the Candles of the advent wreath and lots more.  Why not take a look.

If you are wanting something different then why not check catholic culture 

I have composed, played/sung and recorded  Singable Sunday Psalms for Advent and Christmastide.  These  ebooks and digital CDs are available in my online store (digital download) at talkingmusic.online 

Solemnity of the Feast of Christ the King

Collect for Christ the King.

The Collect for the Feast of Christ the King reads as follows:

Almighty ever-living God,

whose will is to restore all things

in Your beloved Son, the King of the Universe

grant, we pray, that the whole creation set free from slavery,

may render Your majestic service,

and ceaselessly proclaim Your praise.

 Pope Pius XI universally instituted The Feast of Christ the King in 1925 in his encyclical Quas Primas. Pius XI, and the rest of the Christian world, witnessed the rise of dictatorships in Europe, and saw Catholics being taken in by these earthly leaders. Pope Pius connected the denial of Christ as king to the rise of secularism, since at the time of Quas Primas, secularism was on the rise, and many Christians, even Catholics, were doubting Christ's authority, as well as the Church's, and even doubting Christ's existence.

It is interesting to observe that just as the Feast of Corpus Christi was instituted when devotion to the Eucharist was at a low point, the Feast of Christ the King was instituted during a time when respect for Christ and the Church was waning, when the feast was most needed. In fact, it is still needed today, as these problems have not vanished, but instead have worsened.

Pope Pius hoped the institution of the feast would have various effects. They were:

1. That nations would see that the Church has the right to freedom, and immunity from the state (Quas Primas, 32).
2. That leaders and nations would see that they are bound to give respect to Christ (Quas Primas, 31).
3. That the faithful would gain strength and courage from the celebration of the feast, as we are reminded that Christ must reign in our hearts, minds, wills, and bodies (Quas Primas, 33).

Today, the same distrust of authority exists, although the problem seems to have deteriorated. Individualism has been embraced to such an extreme, that for many, the only authority is the individual self. The idea of Christ as ruler is rejected in such a strongly individualistic system. Also, many balk at the idea of kings and queens, believing them to be oppressive. Some even reject the titles of "lord" and "king" for Christ because they believe that such titles are borrowed from oppressive systems of government. However true these statements might be (some kings have been oppressive), these individuals miss the point: Christ's kingship is one of humility and service. The following two scripture quotes support this view.  Jesus said:

'You know that those who are recognized as rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones make their authority over them felt. But it shall not be so among you. Rather, whoever wishes to become great among you will be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you will be the slave of all. For the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many (Mark 10:42-45, NAB).
and also:
'Pilate said to Jesus, "Are you the King of the Jews?"... Jesus answered, "My kingdom does not belong to this world. If my kingdom did belong to this world, my attendants would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not here." So Pilate said to him, "Then you are a king?" Jesus answered, "You say I am a king. For this I was born and for this I came into the world,to testify to the truth (John 18:33b, 36-37).

Jesus knew the oppressive nature of secular kings, and in contrast to them, He connected His role as king to humble service, and commanded His followers to be servants as well. In other passages of Scripture, His kingdom is tied to His suffering and death. While Christ is coming to judge the nations, His teachings spell out a kingdom of justice and judgment balanced with radical love, mercy, peace, and forgiveness. 

 Christ the King Sunday used to be celebrated on the last Sunday of October, but since the calendar reforms of 1969, the feast falls on the last Sunday of Ordinary Time, which is the Sunday before Advent. It is fitting that the feast celebrating Christ's kingship is observed right before Advent, when we liturgically wait for the promised Messiah (King).

As we celebrate this solemnity, we may thank God that Pope Pius XI' instituted this  feast of Christ the King because it reminds us that our allegiance is to our spiritual ruler in heaven as opposed to earthly supremacy in whatever form it takes in our lives.

When we celebrate Christ as King, we are not celebrating an oppressive ruler, but one willing to die for humanity and whose "loving-kindness endures forever." Christ is the king that gives us true freedom, freedom in Him. Christ radically redefined and transformed the concept of Kingship.

As we celebrate this feast, we may wish to look back at our spiritual year. We may ask ourselves whether Christ has been king of our hearts throughout the year and if not, resolve to make Him King of our hearts. 

Why not lift up your heart to the King of Kings as you listen to Hallelujah chorus by Handel. 

Prayer during illness

Since Friday 8/11/19, I have been in hospital and ended up with a mini stroke and other health related issues.

This is the reason there have been no blog posts and podcasts.  Added to that, I just got my computer recently from a kind soul who went and brought it in for me to hospital. Actually I don t feel like doing that much. So forgive me for keeping posts short.

However the question I would like to pose is how do you pray when you are sick? Do you try to pray or just stay still and sense God's presence?

I suppose there are million and one ways but what I am finding is that even the basic Our Father and Hail Mary which is so basic and something I would say everyday  is just a muddle. I start out with the  Our Father and end up with the Hail Mary or Glory be.

Even though my health right now is not riveting, it made me wonder how people pray when they are a lot sicker than I am.

It also made me realise how important prayer is when you are well. It is as though you have some in the bank for such an occasion.  Obviously I dont mean that literally, but I am sure you know what I mean.

So I have had days of muddled basic prayers- the intention is there but the connections are missing. So perhaps one has to go with the intention.

Then do you say '' I will wait or do I persevere with muddled prayers''.  I have to ask myself why it is so hard to pray when I am sick. It raised the question of how Jesus must have felt in the Garden of Gethsemane- how did He pray at that time knowing the disciples would betray Him and He would have to walk the road of Calvary by Himself.

Sorry if post sounds rambling- but it is the best I can do right now.  I guess I would love to remind myself and my readers to pray well when you can especially when you are well, because although I have plenty of time on my hands I do not have the ideal conditions to pray as I would like.

One thing that has been a life saver is having the Bible on the phone. Just surfing the New Testament for some inspiration has been good too. Three cheers for technology I have to say in this regard.

Well I hope this post starts you thinking too- how do we pray when we are sick?

No 114 How did Jesus conduct Himself in regard to the law of Israel.

COMPENDIUM SERIES.

 

Jesus the Teacher: Compendium Series icon.

No 114.  How did Jesus conduct Himself in regard to the law of Israel? (CCC 577-582,592)

WHAT DOES THE COMPENDIUM SAY?

Compendium states:

Jesus did not abolish the law given by God to Moses on Mount Sinai but He fulfilled it by giving it its definitive interpretation. He himself was the Divine Legislator who fully carried out this Law.  Furthermore, He was the faithful Servant, He offered by means of his expiatory death the only sacrifice capable of making atonement for all the ‘’transgressions committed by men under the First Covenant” ( Heb 9:15).

What does this mean for me?

1.            I can thank God every day for His saving plan of redemption for all of humanity and that my redemption came at a great price- the suffering, death and resurrection. My redemption came through His blood.

2.            I can be thankful that Jesus, in His humanity did not deny who He truly is- the Son of God.

3.            I can draw inspiration from Jesus to stay true to my own identity as a child of God through adoption.

Questions to consider.

1.      How can I appreciate the saving plan of God- the Paschal Mystery in my life every day?

2.      How do I build up the Church – what contribution do I make?

3.      Why is important to understand why the Jewish leaders handed Jesus over to Pilate?

4.      How would I explain to someone who asked me what does the death of Jesus mean to you today?

Collect for 31st Sunday of Year C

THE COLLECT SERIES

the Mass: The Collect Series Icon.

The Collect for the 31st Sunday of Year reads as follows:

Almighty and merciful God,

by whose gift your faithful offer You right and praiseworthy service,

grant, we pray, that we may hasten without stumbling

to receive the things you have promised.

Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,

who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

one God, for ever and ever.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS.

In making this prayer tangible for during the week, the following reflection questions emerged.

  1.  What is right and praiseworthy service in God’s eyes? 

  2.  What is right and praiseworthy service in my eyes?

3.     What are the things that God has promised me?
4.     What are the stumbling blocks to me receiving these promises?
5.     What is my current prayer life/spiritual life like?
      Does it need an overhaul or just tweaking here and there?
6.    How will I give God right and praiseworthy service this coming week?.

GOSPEL REFLECTION.

Today’s reflection is directly taken from www.catholicculture.org

The Gospel is from the Gospel of Matthew 23:1-12. As this picture of the Pharisees is painted by none other than Christ himself, we can have no doubt but that the description given is the truth and nothing but the truth. In spite of their great knowledge of "the law and the prophets"—the divine revelation God had given to the Chosen People—and of their many strict observances of that law, they were not pleasing to God. All their good works and all their learning were spoiled by the vice of pride which made them seek earthly glory for themselves and prevented them from giving glory or thanks to God. Their religion was an empty external cloak which they used to attract attention and honor to themselves. Internally, they were so full of their own importance that there was no room for God in their hearts.

Our divine Lord warned his disciples, and through them all of us, to avoid that pernicious vice of pride. It should not be hard for any true Christian to avoid this vice. We know that every material and spiritual talent we have has been given us by God, so we must give glory to God for any gifts we possess and not to ourselves. St. Paul reminds us of this fact when he asks us: "What have you that you have not received, and if you have received it why glory in it as if it were your own?" We owe everything we have to God and we should use all the gifts he has given us for his honor and glory, and for that purpose alone.

Do we always do this? Are we never tempted to look down on our less fortunate brothers? If we have got on well in our temporal affairs do we attribute our success to our own skill and hard work or do we thank God for the opportunities he gave to us and not to others. If, aided by God's grace, we are keeping his commandments, do we show contempt for those who give in to temptations which we did not have to meet?

The best of us can profit from an examination of conscience along these lines. If our external observance of the Christian rule of life is motivated solely by love and gratitude to God all is well. But if our hearts are far from God and our motives in our religious behaviour is self-glorification, we are in a dangerous position. The sinners and harlots of Christ's day repented and were received into his kingdom; the Pharisees, unable to repent, were left outside.

Excerpted from The Sunday Readings by Fr. Kevin O'Sullivan, O.F.M.

I have written a series called The Virtue series (this is the first post of the series) which you may find helpful and/or on my podcast where I have completed a few episodes of this series.