Things could be worse

I didn't sleep well . . . as usual.
There's about 7" or 8" of snow on the ground, heavy wet stuff
(The temp. is 30º and the humidity is 78%),
and my knees hurt, along with a few other things.
But I feel just great,
because I went to confession yesterday.

Little notes

I was delighted and surprised to see, at the Mass for the First Sunday of Advent, that Father wore violet vestments!

At my age, soon to be 68 (already 68 if you count conception), things go wrong.  I have trouble with back, knees, feet, etc.  I'm happily surprised on any day everything works right all at once.

One thing that helps me put up with all that is to simply remind myself that no matter how much I hurt, Jesus hurt worse.  The Morning Offering is especially helpful here too.

Speaking of which, the Morning Offering is one of my regular prayers.  Also Hail Holy Queen, the Prayer to St. Michael, and the Memorare.  Also meatless Fridays.  It's just easier for me to go back to the practices of my childhood.  Keeps life simple.

Trouble is that a tuna sub from Subway, or a veggie pizza from my favorite joint, isn't really a penance!
Hmmmmmm.

The Way of the Cross according to St. Alphonsus Liguori has become my favorite devotion.  I'm trying to memorize it so I can pray myself to sleep with it.  I can't imagine it doing any harm at all to meditate on the sufferings of Jesus.  We were purchased at a great price, says St. Paul.  (I think St. Paul.)

O O O O O O O

Sapientia

Adonai

Radix Jesse

Clavis David

Oriens

Rex Gentium

Emmanuel 

Be alert!

Watch and wait!

Veni, veni Emmanuel!

The O Antiphons 6 - Third and Fourth Sundays

EMMANUEL,

Rex et legifer noster,

exspectatio Gentium,

et Salvator earum:

veni ad salvandum nos, Domine, Deus noster.

O Emmanuel,

our King and our Lawgiver,

Longing of the Peoples ;

yea ; and salvation thereof :

Come to save us, O Lord our God !

The O Antiphons 5 - Third and Fourth Sundays

REX GENTIUM,

et desideratus earum,

lapisque angularis,

qui facis utraque unum:

veni, et salva hominum,

quem le limo formasti.

O King of the peoples,

and desire thereof;

O Cornerstone,

that makest one of two:

come to save man

whom Thou hast made of the dust of the earth.

The O Antiphons 4 - Third and Fourth Sundays

CLAVIS DAVID

et sceptrum domus Israel;

qui aperis, et nemo claudit;

claudis, et nemo aperit;

veni, et educ vinctum de domo carceris,

sedentem in tenebris, et umbra mortis.

O Key of David, and Scepter of the house of Israel;

that openest and no man shutteth;

shuttest and no man openeth :

come to bring out the prisoner from the prison,

and them that sit in darkness, and in the shadow of death.

ORIENS,

splendor lucis aeternae,

et sol justitiae :

veni, et illumina sedentes in tenebris,

et umbra mortis.

O Dayspring,

Brighness of the everlasting light,

Sun of Justice,

come to give light to them

that sit in darkness and the shadow of death!

The O Antiphons - where?

I am really embarrassed, because the old prayerbook, from which I've been copying the Antiphons, has gone missing. And I missed last weekend too. Big time bummer.

Reminds me of some little thing I wrote down in December 1984 about the anguish of waiting.

The night is empty, dark, and cold.
I trudge along the road
Rememb'ring dimly being told
So long ago when I was young
From dark like this new hope has sprung.
The memory's old and faint and pale
Has little power to lift my load
And free me from my inner jail.

Second Sunday of Advent - O Come, Divine Messiah!

This has long been one of my favorite Advent carols, and last night at Mass at Our Lady of Lourdes, the old French-Canadian parish on the east bank of the Mississippi River, near Sault Saint-Antoine de Padue (the Saint Anthony Falls), the choir (and I) sang two verses in French (my Grand-Père Gosselin was a French-Canadian-Ojibwe mix) . . . and here they are. Note the urgency of Venez, venez, venez ! -- "Come, come, come!"

Refrain:

Venez divin Messe,

Sauvez nos jours infortunés ;

Vous êtes notre vie,

Venez, venez. venez !

Ah! Descendez, hâtez vos pas,

Sauvez les hommes du trépas ;

Secourez-nous, ne tardez pas !

Voyez couler nos larmes ;

Grand Dieu, si Vous nous pardonnez,

Nous n'aurons plus d'alarmes :

Venez, venez, venez !

(Refrain)

Si Vous venez, Roi glorieux,

Nous Vous verrons, victorieux,

Fermer l'enfer, ouvrir les cieux.

Soyez-nous secourable ;

Les cieux nous furent destinés ;

Venez Sauveur aimable,

Venez, venez, venez!

(Refrain)

The O Antiphons 3 - Second Sunday of Advent

RADIX JESSE,

qui stas in signum populorum,

super quem continebunt reges os suum,

quem Gentes deprecabuntur :

veni ad liberandum nos, jam noli tardare.

O Root of Jesse,
who standest as an ensign for the people,
at whom the kings shall shut their mouths,
whom the peoples shall seek :
come to deliver us, do not delay.

The O Antiphons 2

ADONAI et Dux domus Israel,

qui Moysi in igne flammae apparuisti,

et in Sina legem dedisti:

veni ad redimendum nos in brachio extento.

O Adonai and Ruler of the house of Israel,

who didst appear unto Moses in the burning bush,

and gavest him the law at Sinai:

come to redeem us with outstretched arm!

The O Antiphons 1

SAPIENTIA, quae ex ore Altissimi prodiisti,
attingens a fine usque ad finem,
fortiter suaviterque disponens omnia:
veni ad docendum nos viam prudentiae.

O WISDOM that comest out of the mouth of the Most High,
reaching from one end to another,
mightily and smoothly ordering all things,
come to teach us the way of prudence!

Thoughts while watching it snow

I went outside with my breakfast coffee to have my filthy evil see-gar, and while watching it snow (it's +12F, -10C), it occurred to me . . .

"Now at this time Caesar Augustus issued a decree for a census of the whole world to be taken. This census -- the first -- took place while Quirinus was governor of Syria, and everyone went to his own town to be registered. So Joseph set out from the town of Nazareth in Galilee and traveled up to Judaea, to the town of David called Bethlehem, since he was of David's house and line, in order to be registered together with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child."

According to Jim Bishop (The Day Christ Died and The Day Christ was Born) it is about ninety miles from Nazareth to Bethlehem, and the Holy Family traveled this on foot (well, Jesus didn't, but you know what I mean).

And for what?

The spiritual reason they went to Bethlehem was so Jesus would be born there, to fulfill the prophecy, of course. (That should go without saying.)

The worldly reason they went there, was so Caesar Augustus would know how many subjects he had, so he could tax them.

Even had he known about this young carpenter and his very pregnant wife traveling ninety miles on foot, would he have cared? Somehow I doubt it. Caesar didn't give orders for his subjects' convenience.

And that, folks, is what imperial government is like. It sure isn't "of the people, by the people, and for the people."

Advent

The earliest ecclesiastical novena of which we have record is the Christmas novena, which commemorates the nine months during which the Christ-child was carried in the womb of His Mother.
---Blessed be God; a complete Catholic Prayer Book, 1925. A gift from my grandmother to her sister Mary



SHEPHERD who rulest Israel, Thou who leadest Joseph like a sheep, come to guide and comfort us.

WISDOM, who comest out of the mouth of the Most High, that reachest from one end to another, and orderest all things mightily and sweetly, come to teach us the way of prudence!

ADONAI and Ruler of the House of Israel, Who didst appear to Moses in the burning bush and gavest him the law in Sinai, come to redeem us with an outsretched arm!

ROOT OF JESSE, who standest for an ensign of the people, at Whom the kings shall shut their mouths, Whom the Gentiles shall seek, come to deliver us, do not tarry.

KEY OF DAVID and Sceptre of the House of Israel, that openeth and no man shutteth, and shutteth and no man openeth, come to liberate the prisoner from the prison, and them that sit in darkness, and in the shadow of death.

DAYSPRING, Brightness of the everlasting light, Son of justice, come to give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death!

KING OF THE GENTILES, yea, and desire thereof! O Cornerstone, that makest of two one, come to save man, whom Thou has made out of the dust of the earth!

EMMANUEL, our King and our Lawgiver, Longing of the Gentiles, yea, and salvation thereof, come to save us, O Lord our God!

THOU that sittest upon the cherubim, God of hosts, come, show Thy face, and we shall be saved.