This morning's homily by Father Ian was wonderful! The Gospel passage was taken from John 20:11-18. I learned something about Mary Magdalene I never knew before. As a protestant previously I rarely heard sermon about the godly women in scripture. Today I learned that Mary Magdalene is known as the Apostle to the Apostles (apostolorum apostola). The reason? She was the first person who saw Jesus after His resurrection. In the scripture passage:
"But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb; and she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had been lying, one at the head and the other at the feet. They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to him in Hebrew, “Rabbouni!” (which means Teacher). " (John 20:11-16)
Jesus appeared to her but she initially did not recognize Him. But when she called her by her name "Mary" she immediately recognized Him! Oh it was such a love filled moment! You see, Mary Magdalene was the sinful woman with the "alabaster jar of ointment" described in Luke 7:36-50. Jesus used the story of "A certain creditor had two debtors; one owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty." to explain to Simon the Pharisee (who invited Him to dinner) this important lesson: "Therefore, I tell you, her sins, which were many, have been forgiven; hence she has shown great love. But the one to whom little is forgiven, loves little." How little do I show love to Jesus! How little do I think my sins need to be forgiven!
What happened after Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene was remarkable! "Mary Magdalene went
and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”; and she told
them that he had said these things to her."
That's why she is the apostle to the apostles!!! She was sent by the Lord to announce the Good News to the eleven apostles, who were hiding! That's why she is Saint Mary Magdalene!
"When Jesus had risen from the dead early on the
Sunday morning, he appeared first to Mary Magdalen, from whom he had
cast out seven devils, alleluia."
Tuesday, 23 April 2019
Friday, 19 April 2019
Maundy Thursday Reflection
I reviewed something I wrote two years ago "Jesus washed Judas' feet - a New Commandment!" in which I reflected:
"The word Maundy comes from the Latin phrase "Mandatum novum do vobis ut diligatis invicem sicut dilexi vos" ("A new commandment I give unto you: That you love one another, as I have loved you, that you also love one another." John 13:34) by which Jesus explained to the Apostles the significance of his action of washing their feet"
Having learned some Latin now, I now understand how Maundy comes from the Latin word Mandatum; do vobis = (I) give you; and that the words diligatis and dilexi are from the same root word for "love" (dilectio) but the different conjugation (endings of the words) turn them into a command and an active verb respectively. It's interesting that the Greek translation of John 13:34 uses the Greek word "agapaō" (a self giving type of love), which the Latin word does not seem to convey. Anyway, Latin is really a very sophisticated language but hard to learn well.
I have tried to take advantage of the many special church events during Lent, including spending an hour each Wednesday between 10-11pm before the Blessed Sacrament. It has been especially meaningful this year because of my illness and also a particular family conflict which causes a lot of heart ache. We have been receiving a lot of support from the Courage-Encourage community. In fact my wife and I have signed up to go to this year's conference in Chicago this summer. I am quite looking forward to that.
In the homily Father Joseph gave on the Passover with the Disciples passage, he pointed out two things I didn't know before:
1. When Jesus told His disciples, “Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me.” And they became greatly distressed and began to say to him one after another, “Surely not I, Lord?” He answered, “The one who has dipped his hand into the bowl with me will betray me. " what Jesus meant was that the betrayer was one of His close friends who shared meals with Him. That's why the "Agony in the Garden" brought so much pain not only because of the imminent suffering Jesus was going to face, but also because one of His closest friends would betray Him!
2. When Judas, who betrayed him, said, “Surely not I, Rabbi?” He replied, “You have said so.” Jesus was giving Judas one more chance to repent. He merely pointed it out to him that he could still decide to choose good rather than evil. Judas knew that Jesus knew. Judas knew that he would be betraying God who is all knowing.
That's why all the more significant was that Jesus washed even Judas' feet as a demonstration of what the New Commandment is like - on Maundy (command) Thursday.
Jesus taught us that we should love God and love our neighbors as ourselves. But He gave us a New Commandment on Maundy Thursday that we should love others as He has loved us. And how did He prove that love to us?
But God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8)
"The word Maundy comes from the Latin phrase "Mandatum novum do vobis ut diligatis invicem sicut dilexi vos" ("A new commandment I give unto you: That you love one another, as I have loved you, that you also love one another." John 13:34) by which Jesus explained to the Apostles the significance of his action of washing their feet"
Having learned some Latin now, I now understand how Maundy comes from the Latin word Mandatum; do vobis = (I) give you; and that the words diligatis and dilexi are from the same root word for "love" (dilectio) but the different conjugation (endings of the words) turn them into a command and an active verb respectively. It's interesting that the Greek translation of John 13:34 uses the Greek word "agapaō" (a self giving type of love), which the Latin word does not seem to convey. Anyway, Latin is really a very sophisticated language but hard to learn well.
I have tried to take advantage of the many special church events during Lent, including spending an hour each Wednesday between 10-11pm before the Blessed Sacrament. It has been especially meaningful this year because of my illness and also a particular family conflict which causes a lot of heart ache. We have been receiving a lot of support from the Courage-Encourage community. In fact my wife and I have signed up to go to this year's conference in Chicago this summer. I am quite looking forward to that.
In the homily Father Joseph gave on the Passover with the Disciples passage, he pointed out two things I didn't know before:
1. When Jesus told His disciples, “Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me.” And they became greatly distressed and began to say to him one after another, “Surely not I, Lord?” He answered, “The one who has dipped his hand into the bowl with me will betray me. " what Jesus meant was that the betrayer was one of His close friends who shared meals with Him. That's why the "Agony in the Garden" brought so much pain not only because of the imminent suffering Jesus was going to face, but also because one of His closest friends would betray Him!
2. When Judas, who betrayed him, said, “Surely not I, Rabbi?” He replied, “You have said so.” Jesus was giving Judas one more chance to repent. He merely pointed it out to him that he could still decide to choose good rather than evil. Judas knew that Jesus knew. Judas knew that he would be betraying God who is all knowing.
That's why all the more significant was that Jesus washed even Judas' feet as a demonstration of what the New Commandment is like - on Maundy (command) Thursday.
Jesus taught us that we should love God and love our neighbors as ourselves. But He gave us a New Commandment on Maundy Thursday that we should love others as He has loved us. And how did He prove that love to us?
But God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8)
Monday, 25 March 2019
Hail Mary, Full of Grace
A brief update: I haven't felt as good for many months! I am on Day 13 of Cycle 20. I took myself off my medications for about a week. I have regained some appetite and food actually can be enjoyable! I have not gained much weight but I am good with my energy and I am back on the computer and driving a bit more. Praise God! After tomorrow it will be a new record, God willing! With lots of prayers, especially prayer to St. Jude - may Cycle 20 be the last!
In the hallway by the entrance of my home hangs this picture depicting the Annunciation:
(Annunciazione Fra' Giovanni da Fiesole detto il Beato Angelico - Firenze, Museo di San Marco)
Today is the "Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord" - March 25, exactly 9 months before the birth of Jesus. The Gospel passage read during Mass was taken from Luke 1:26-38 - recounting the visit and announcement made by the Archangel Gabriel to Mary. It was very significant how Gabriel addressed Mary in Luke 1:28 (as recorded in the original Greek by Dr. Luke): "chairō charitoō ho kyrios meta sy" which is translated to Latin (Vulgate) "Ave gratia plena: Dominus tecum: benedicta tu in mulieribus", and in English (the NRSVCE translation) "Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you". So where is the "Hail Mary, Full of Grace" that I say every time I recite the "Hail Mary" prayer? Dr. Geraghty gave this answer from the EWTN.com site. Dr. David Anders (one of the best bible teachers I know, a convert from Calvinism to Catholicism) has this (at the 30 minute mark of the 1 hour video) to say about the common misconception of praying to Mary.
Father Ian gave a beautiful homily on this passage. He quoted someone's survey of bookstores - the most popular section is full of self-help books. These books all encouraged us to look within ourselves to find strength to deal with the anxiety of life. Instead, from this scripture passage, we find that Mary trusted the angel Gabriel and looked to God instead. "For nothing will be impossible with God.". This commentary by Karoline Lewis is very encouraging. She calls it "The Impossible Possibility of God". And I quote, "Any sermon on this text worth its weight will somehow create, expand, and eventually resolve, to a certain extent, and as much as is theologically possible, the tension between "How can this be" and "Let it be with me according to you word." It will move us from the absence of God (1:34), to the presence of God (1:35), to the fulfillment of the promises of God (1:36). To collapse "Here I am" too quickly into our idealistic notions of answering God's call reduces Mary to simply a pawn in some sort of divine play and further marginalizes her.
Somehow, someway, a sermon on this text will negotiate the radical transformation in only three short verses, from peasant girl to prophet, from Mary to mother of God, from to denial to discipleship. In a very real way, this is the appropriate transition from Advent to Christmas. Mary's story moves us all from who we think we are to what God has called us to be, from observant believer to confessing apostle. Moreover, remarkably, impossibly, Mary's story demands that we acknowledge the very transformation of God. It is no small journey to go from our comfortable perceptions of God to God in the manger, vulnerable, helpless, dependent. Yet, this is the promise of Christmas."
In the hallway by the entrance of my home hangs this picture depicting the Annunciation:
Today is the "Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord" - March 25, exactly 9 months before the birth of Jesus. The Gospel passage read during Mass was taken from Luke 1:26-38 - recounting the visit and announcement made by the Archangel Gabriel to Mary. It was very significant how Gabriel addressed Mary in Luke 1:28 (as recorded in the original Greek by Dr. Luke): "chairō charitoō ho kyrios meta sy" which is translated to Latin (Vulgate) "Ave gratia plena: Dominus tecum: benedicta tu in mulieribus", and in English (the NRSVCE translation) "Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you". So where is the "Hail Mary, Full of Grace" that I say every time I recite the "Hail Mary" prayer? Dr. Geraghty gave this answer from the EWTN.com site. Dr. David Anders (one of the best bible teachers I know, a convert from Calvinism to Catholicism) has this (at the 30 minute mark of the 1 hour video) to say about the common misconception of praying to Mary.
Father Ian gave a beautiful homily on this passage. He quoted someone's survey of bookstores - the most popular section is full of self-help books. These books all encouraged us to look within ourselves to find strength to deal with the anxiety of life. Instead, from this scripture passage, we find that Mary trusted the angel Gabriel and looked to God instead. "For nothing will be impossible with God.". This commentary by Karoline Lewis is very encouraging. She calls it "The Impossible Possibility of God". And I quote, "Any sermon on this text worth its weight will somehow create, expand, and eventually resolve, to a certain extent, and as much as is theologically possible, the tension between "How can this be" and "Let it be with me according to you word." It will move us from the absence of God (1:34), to the presence of God (1:35), to the fulfillment of the promises of God (1:36). To collapse "Here I am" too quickly into our idealistic notions of answering God's call reduces Mary to simply a pawn in some sort of divine play and further marginalizes her.
Somehow, someway, a sermon on this text will negotiate the radical transformation in only three short verses, from peasant girl to prophet, from Mary to mother of God, from to denial to discipleship. In a very real way, this is the appropriate transition from Advent to Christmas. Mary's story moves us all from who we think we are to what God has called us to be, from observant believer to confessing apostle. Moreover, remarkably, impossibly, Mary's story demands that we acknowledge the very transformation of God. It is no small journey to go from our comfortable perceptions of God to God in the manger, vulnerable, helpless, dependent. Yet, this is the promise of Christmas."
Sunday, 17 March 2019
The Angelus
The first time I Heard this prayer was at the Canadian Martyr Church which had a 12:30pm Mass every Tuesday to Friday. It was a convenient place to worship before my afternoon work at the Convalescent Care Program at Shalom Village in the Westdale Village, Hamilton. Father Marcus always lead this prayer prior to opening the Mass. I have since then developed a habit of praying multiple times during the day by setting the alarm on my Apple watch to go off at:
In this 19th century work by the French painter Jean-Francois Millet, a farming couple prays the Angelus at dusk.
So this is the prayer and it’s (italic) Latin translation (also my way of learning Latin - directly via prayers and scriptures that I am familiar with):
- 10:02am (Luke 10:2 in combination with the highlighted country in Operation World)
- 11:55am (The Angelus)
- 3pm (Jesus said, ”It is Finished!” in John 19:30)
- 4:29pm (Ephesians 4:29)
In this 19th century work by the French painter Jean-Francois Millet, a farming couple prays the Angelus at dusk.
So this is the prayer and it’s (italic) Latin translation (also my way of learning Latin - directly via prayers and scriptures that I am familiar with):
V. The Angel of the Lord declared unto Mary, (Angelus Domini nuntiavit Mariae.)
R. And she conceived of the Holy Spirit. (Et concepit de Spiritu Sancto.)
Hail Mary, full of grace. Our Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. *Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.
(Ave Maria, gratia plena; Dominus tecum: benedicta tu in mulieribus, et benedictus fructus ventris tui Iesus. * Sancta Maria, Mater Dei ora pro nobis peccatoribus, nunc et in hora mortis nostrae. Amen.)
(Ave Maria, gratia plena; Dominus tecum: benedicta tu in mulieribus, et benedictus fructus ventris tui Iesus. * Sancta Maria, Mater Dei ora pro nobis peccatoribus, nunc et in hora mortis nostrae. Amen.)
V. Behold the handmaid of the Lord. (Ecce ancilla Domini,)
R. Be it done unto me according to Your Word. (Fiat mihi secundum verbum tuum.)
Hail Mary, etc...
V. And the Word was made flesh, (Et Verbum caro factum est,)
R. And dwelt among us. (Et habitavit in nobis.)
Hail Mary, etc...
V. Pray for us, O holy Mother of God. (Ora pro nobis, sancta Dei Genetrix,)
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. (Ut digni efficiamur promissionibus Christi.)
Let us pray:
Pour forth, we beseech You, O Lord,
Your Grace into our hearts;
that as we have known the incarnation of Christ,
your Son by the message of an angel,
so by His passion and cross
we may be brought to the glory of His Resurrection.
Through the same Christ, our Lord.
(Oremus. Gratiam tuam, quaesumus, Domine, mentibus nostris infunde; ut qui, Angelo nuntiante, Christi Filii tui incarnationem cognovimus, per passionem eius et crucem ad resurrectionis gloriam perducamur. Per eumdem Christum Dominum nostrum.)
(Oremus. Gratiam tuam, quaesumus, Domine, mentibus nostris infunde; ut qui, Angelo nuntiante, Christi Filii tui incarnationem cognovimus, per passionem eius et crucem ad resurrectionis gloriam perducamur. Per eumdem Christum Dominum nostrum.)
Amen.
Sunday, 3 March 2019
Jesus’ Teaching about Divorce - learning in Latin and Greek
Well it’s been a couple of weeks of learning Latin. I spent about 30 minutes to an hour a day, Monday to Friday, watching Visual Latin - learning mostly grammar and some vocabulary in Latin. Today I will try to use what I learned so far an important lesson from Jesus - in Latin! The passage in Matthew 19 concerning divorce also has a lot to say about the meaning of marriage itself. So here it goes...
Jesus was asked in Matthew 19:3 "Some Pharisees came to him, and to test him they asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any cause?”".
Notice that they asked the question to “test him”. To answer this, Jesus first brought them back to what was foundational in understanding God’s intention for creating human - "in His own image" and "male and female" (Genesis 1:27). He then explained the biblical meaning of marriage (Matthew 19:5):
"For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh?" ;
which is translated into Latin: "Propter hoc (For this) dimittet (let go) homo patrem (a father), et matrem (and mother), et adhaerebit (cleaves) uxori suae (his wife), et erunt duo (the two) in carne una (one flesh)."
The translation is pretty straight forward except for the word "cleaves" which is "adhaerebit" in Latin; which according to the Latin Dictionary from Notre Dame can mean "adhere, stick, cling/cleave to; hang on; be attached/concerned/involved;". In the original Greek the word is
"kollaō (κολλάω)" which is translated in the Strong's Bible Dictionary as "to glue, glue to, glue together, cement, fasten together; hence universally, to join or fasten firmly together; in the N. T. only the passive is found, with reflexive force, to join oneself to, cleave to;"
I think I am getting the picture! That's why Jesus further said in verse 6: "Since they are no longer two but one, let no one split apart what God has joined together.".
Marriage is meant to be permanent. That's why the Catholic Church makes it into a sacrament between two baptized Catholics. A sacrament is the "Outward signs of inward grace, instituted by Christ for our sanctification". For a marriage to succeed, we need Jesus' instilling grace into the lives of the married couple. Catholic.com has this to say about the Sacrament of Marriage.
I am thankful for my wife who lead me back to the Catholic Church!
Jesus was asked in Matthew 19:3 "Some Pharisees came to him, and to test him they asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any cause?”".
Notice that they asked the question to “test him”. To answer this, Jesus first brought them back to what was foundational in understanding God’s intention for creating human - "in His own image" and "male and female" (Genesis 1:27). He then explained the biblical meaning of marriage (Matthew 19:5):
"For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh?" ;
which is translated into Latin: "Propter hoc (For this) dimittet (let go) homo patrem (a father), et matrem (and mother), et adhaerebit (cleaves) uxori suae (his wife), et erunt duo (the two) in carne una (one flesh)."
The translation is pretty straight forward except for the word "cleaves" which is "adhaerebit" in Latin; which according to the Latin Dictionary from Notre Dame can mean "adhere, stick, cling/cleave to; hang on; be attached/concerned/involved;". In the original Greek the word is
"kollaō (κολλάω)" which is translated in the Strong's Bible Dictionary as "to glue, glue to, glue together, cement, fasten together; hence universally, to join or fasten firmly together; in the N. T. only the passive is found, with reflexive force, to join oneself to, cleave to;"
I think I am getting the picture! That's why Jesus further said in verse 6: "Since they are no longer two but one, let no one split apart what God has joined together.".
Marriage is meant to be permanent. That's why the Catholic Church makes it into a sacrament between two baptized Catholics. A sacrament is the "Outward signs of inward grace, instituted by Christ for our sanctification". For a marriage to succeed, we need Jesus' instilling grace into the lives of the married couple. Catholic.com has this to say about the Sacrament of Marriage.
I am thankful for my wife who lead me back to the Catholic Church!
Sunday, 24 February 2019
Love Your Enemies
The weather today was predicted to be quite bad - "Wind warning in effect. Blowing snow advisory in effect. Wind southwest 60 km/h gusting to 110. High 9 with temperature falling to plus 1 this afternoon... Tonight...Flurries at times heavy. Local amount 2 to 4 cm...Wind chill minus 10 in the evening and minus 18(!) overnight." Ouch!!!
That’s why we went to church last night! Father Ian was particularly on fire! He read from the Gospel passage Luke 6:27-38 which has the main theme of “Love your Enemies”. He told us this is perhaps one of Jesus’ hardest sayings and He meant what he said! Although “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also; and from anyone who takes away your coat do not withhold even your shirt. Give to everyone who begs from you; and if anyone takes away your goods, do not ask for them again.”(vss 27-30) is so against our fallen nature, Jesus will not ask us to do something we can not do. He promises grace through His sacraments. We are to be patient with ourselves as we allow the Holy Spirit to work in us to enable us to accomplish what seems impossible. We may not be able to accomplish this in this short life time but we will see evidence of transformation. First we must acknowledge that this is Jesus best intention for us and submit to His authority. We then ask the Spirit to speak to our heart each time we encounter our enemy. Whenever we do our Examination of Conscience we will be quick to discover our deficiencies. We then go to confession and repent of our sins and ask God to give us the grace we need to change. God intends to recreate us following His divine nature. I so look forward to this... when His work in me is done! May His Name be praised!
Father Ian then pointed out in the Old Testament passage we also read today (1 Samuel 26:2-23) where King David demonstrated what loving your enemy looked like.
Finally, this is a wonderful homily from Father Jordan Schmidt on the same passage:
http://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/jesus-means-what-he-says
What I appreciate the most is his explanation of the New Testament passage we also read today
(1 Corinthians 15:45-49 - this link combines both the English and Greek versions): "Paul again uses the word eikōn to explain that we resemble our spiritual origin just as we resemble our earthly one: “Just as we have borne the image of the earthly one, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly one” (vs 49). In other words, by taking on flesh and becoming like us, Jesus Christ enables us to become like him. Indeed, the salvific life of grace transforms us into a new creation — a new image of our heavenly origin — and when we are so transformed, we are able to imitate Jesus Christ by complying with his commands to love our enemies and pray for them. "
AMEN!!!
That’s why we went to church last night! Father Ian was particularly on fire! He read from the Gospel passage Luke 6:27-38 which has the main theme of “Love your Enemies”. He told us this is perhaps one of Jesus’ hardest sayings and He meant what he said! Although “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also; and from anyone who takes away your coat do not withhold even your shirt. Give to everyone who begs from you; and if anyone takes away your goods, do not ask for them again.”(vss 27-30) is so against our fallen nature, Jesus will not ask us to do something we can not do. He promises grace through His sacraments. We are to be patient with ourselves as we allow the Holy Spirit to work in us to enable us to accomplish what seems impossible. We may not be able to accomplish this in this short life time but we will see evidence of transformation. First we must acknowledge that this is Jesus best intention for us and submit to His authority. We then ask the Spirit to speak to our heart each time we encounter our enemy. Whenever we do our Examination of Conscience we will be quick to discover our deficiencies. We then go to confession and repent of our sins and ask God to give us the grace we need to change. God intends to recreate us following His divine nature. I so look forward to this... when His work in me is done! May His Name be praised!
Father Ian then pointed out in the Old Testament passage we also read today (1 Samuel 26:2-23) where King David demonstrated what loving your enemy looked like.
Finally, this is a wonderful homily from Father Jordan Schmidt on the same passage:
http://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/jesus-means-what-he-says
What I appreciate the most is his explanation of the New Testament passage we also read today
(1 Corinthians 15:45-49 - this link combines both the English and Greek versions): "Paul again uses the word eikōn to explain that we resemble our spiritual origin just as we resemble our earthly one: “Just as we have borne the image of the earthly one, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly one” (vs 49). In other words, by taking on flesh and becoming like us, Jesus Christ enables us to become like him. Indeed, the salvific life of grace transforms us into a new creation — a new image of our heavenly origin — and when we are so transformed, we are able to imitate Jesus Christ by complying with his commands to love our enemies and pray for them. "
AMEN!!!
Sunday, 17 February 2019
Te Deum - time to learn Latin!
I have been feeling a bit better lately. Just returned from a vacation which took me to Yuma, Arizona (to visit my wife's aging aunt) and then to San Diego for our annual California holiday. My symptoms of Cyclic Vomiting Syndrome (the diagnosis on which my specialist doctors have more or less agreed) have been milder and much more tolerable, although I haven't put on much weight yet despite a fairly good appetite on most days. My energy has also improved quite a bit and I have been able to drive for longer distances. Now if only I can get back on my bike! Well the plan is to try that after Easter. I am really looking forward to it.
One of the many blessings through the last few months has been an increase awareness of how blessed my life has been and that this suffering I am going through has brought more clarity on my life's meaning and purpose; and the brevity of it. I have been more regular in my spiritual reading and prayers (including daily praying the St. Jude Novena and Novena to Our Lady the Undoer of Knots!). My wife helps with the reading and praying whenever I am too incapacitated to do so by myself. Although I have resigned from all but one clinical responsibilities (I now only look after 25 patients in a nursing home) I have tried to keep my brain active. I am learning Italian and Mandarin on top of German using the Duolingo App every day! I still get involved with my longstanding eHealth related projects (https://worldoscar.org/) mostly via email and teleconferences.
Now on to today's topic. In my daily reading of the Office of Readings I frequently end the day with Te Deum. According to this site: Te Deum, also sometimes called the Ambrosian Hymn because of its association with St. Ambrose, is a traditional hymn of joy and thanksgiving. First attributed to Sts. Ambrose, Augustine, or Hilary, it is now accredited to Nicetas, Bishop of Remesiana (4th century). It is used at the conclusion of the Office of the Readings for the Liturgy of the Hours on Sundays outside Lent, daily during the Octaves of Christmas and Easter, and on Solemnities and Feast Days. The petitions at the end were added at a later time and are optional. A partial indulgence is granted to the faithful who recite it in thanksgiving and a plenary indulgence is granted if the hymn is recited publicly on the last day of the year. And the original with English translation look like this:
Now have a listen to the Gregorian chant of Te Deum: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQ9nBRKjwMg
It got me interested in learning Latin in order to more fully appreciate the scripture text. A little while ago I asked my pastor to direct me to an online course but while still waiting for his response I found this The Vulgate Latin Course! It uses the online textbook by William Dodds and Dwane Thomas has produced a series of online video to accompany it! And here is the online Vulgate - the Latin bible translation which I will be reading from. I am quite excited about this and will report what I learn on this blog in the future.
Before I end this blog, here is the well known translation of the Te Deum, which, though not literal, preserves much of the spirit and force of the original. Except for the seventh stanza, which is a rendering of verses 20 and 21 by Msgr. Hugh Thomas Henry (1862-1946), it was written by Fr. Clarence Alphonsus Walworth (1820-1900):
HOLY God, we praise Thy Name
Lord of all we bow before Thee;
all on earth Thy scepter claim,
all in heaven above adore Thee;
Infinite Thy vast domain,
everlasting is Thy reign.
HARK, the loud celestial hymn
angel choirs above are raising;
Cherubim and Seraphim
in unceasing chorus praising,
fill the heavens with sweet accord;
Holy, Holy, Holy Lord!
LO, the Apostolic train
Join, Thy sacred name to hallow:
prophets swell the loud refrain,
and the white-robed Martyrs follow;
and, from morn till set of sun,
through the Church the song goes on.
HOLY Father, Holy Son,
Holy Spirit, Three we name Thee,
While in essence only One,
undivided God we claim Thee:
and, adoring, bend the knee
while we own the mystery.
THOU art King of glory, Christ:
Son of God, yet born of Mary;
for us sinners sacrificed,
and to death a tributary:
first to break the bars of death,
Thou has opened heaven to faith.
FROM Thy high celestial home,
Judge of all, again returning,
we believe that Thou shalt come
in the dreaded Doomsday morning;
when Thy voice shall shake the earth,
and the startled dead come forth.
THEREFORE do we pray Thee, Lord:
help Thy servants whom, redeeming
by Thy Precious Blood out-poured,
Thou hast saved from Satan's scheming.
Give to them eternal rest
in the glory of the Blest.
SPARE Thy people, Lord, we pray,
by a thousand snares surrounded:
keep us without sin today,
never let us be confounded.
Lo, I put my trust in Thee;
never, Lord, abandon me.
One of the many blessings through the last few months has been an increase awareness of how blessed my life has been and that this suffering I am going through has brought more clarity on my life's meaning and purpose; and the brevity of it. I have been more regular in my spiritual reading and prayers (including daily praying the St. Jude Novena and Novena to Our Lady the Undoer of Knots!). My wife helps with the reading and praying whenever I am too incapacitated to do so by myself. Although I have resigned from all but one clinical responsibilities (I now only look after 25 patients in a nursing home) I have tried to keep my brain active. I am learning Italian and Mandarin on top of German using the Duolingo App every day! I still get involved with my longstanding eHealth related projects (https://worldoscar.org/) mostly via email and teleconferences.
Now on to today's topic. In my daily reading of the Office of Readings I frequently end the day with Te Deum. According to this site: Te Deum, also sometimes called the Ambrosian Hymn because of its association with St. Ambrose, is a traditional hymn of joy and thanksgiving. First attributed to Sts. Ambrose, Augustine, or Hilary, it is now accredited to Nicetas, Bishop of Remesiana (4th century). It is used at the conclusion of the Office of the Readings for the Liturgy of the Hours on Sundays outside Lent, daily during the Octaves of Christmas and Easter, and on Solemnities and Feast Days. The petitions at the end were added at a later time and are optional. A partial indulgence is granted to the faithful who recite it in thanksgiving and a plenary indulgence is granted if the hymn is recited publicly on the last day of the year. And the original with English translation look like this:
| TE DEUM laudamus: te Dominum confitemur. Te aeternum Patrem omnis terra veneratur. Tibi omnes Angeli; tibi Caeli et universae Potestates; Tibi Cherubim et Seraphim incessabili voce proclamant: Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus, Dominus Deus Sabaoth. Pleni sunt caeli et terra maiestatis gloriae tuae. Te gloriosus Apostolorum chorus, Te Prophetarum laudabilis numerus, Te Martyrum candidatus laudat exercitus. Te per orbem terrarum sancta confitetur Ecclesia, Patrem immensae maiestatis: Venerandum tuum verum et unicum Filium; Sanctum quoque Paraclitum Spiritum. Tu Rex gloriae, Christe. Tu Patris sempiternus es Filius. Tu ad liberandum suscepturus hominem, ...Virginis uterum. Tu, devicto mortis aculeo, aperuisti credentibus regna caelorum. Tu ad dexteram Dei sedes, in gloria Patris. Iudex crederis esse venturus. Te ergo quaesumus, tuis famulis subveni: ... sanguine redemisti. Aeterna fac cum sanctis tuis in gloria numerari. V. Salvum fac populum tuum, Domine, et benedic hereditati tuae. R. Et rege eos, et extolle illos usque in aeternum. V. Per singulos dies benedicimus te. R. Et laudamus nomen tuum in saeculum, et in saeculum saeculi. V. Dignare, Domine, die isto sine peccato nos custodire. R. Miserere nostri, Domine, miserere nostri. V. Fiat misericordia tua, Domine, super nos, quemadmodum speravimus in te. R. In te, Domine, speravi: non confundar in aeternum. |
O GOD, we praise Thee: we acknowledge Thee to be the Lord. Everlasting Father, all the earth doth worship Thee. To Thee all the Angels, the Heavens and all the Powers, all the Cherubim and Seraphim, unceasingly proclaim: Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of Hosts! Heaven and earth are full of the Majesty of Thy glory. The glorious choir of the Apostles, the wonderful company of Prophets, the white-robed army of Martyrs, praise Thee. Holy Church throughout the world doth acknowledge Thee: the Father of infinite Majesty; Thy adorable, true and only Son; and the Holy Spirit, the Comforter. O Christ, Thou art the King of glory! Thou art the everlasting Son of the Father. Thou, having taken it upon Thyself ... didst not disdain the Virgin's womb. Thou overcame the sting of death and...to believers the Kingdom of Heaven. Thou sitest at the right hand of God, in the glory of the Father. We believe that Thou shalt come to be our Judge. We beseech Thee,...Thy servants ... redeemed with Thy Precious Blood. Make them to be numbered with Thy Saints in everlasting glory. V. Save Thy people, O Lord, and bless Thine inheritance! R. Govern them, and raise them up forever. V. Every day we thank Thee. R. And we praise Thy Name forever, yea, forever and ever. V. O Lord, deign to keep us from sin this day. R. Have mercy on us, O Lord, have mercy on us. V. Let Thy mercy, O Lord, be upon us, for we have hoped in Thee. R. O Lord, in Thee I have hoped; let me never be put to shame. |
Now have a listen to the Gregorian chant of Te Deum: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQ9nBRKjwMg
It got me interested in learning Latin in order to more fully appreciate the scripture text. A little while ago I asked my pastor to direct me to an online course but while still waiting for his response I found this The Vulgate Latin Course! It uses the online textbook by William Dodds and Dwane Thomas has produced a series of online video to accompany it! And here is the online Vulgate - the Latin bible translation which I will be reading from. I am quite excited about this and will report what I learn on this blog in the future.
Before I end this blog, here is the well known translation of the Te Deum, which, though not literal, preserves much of the spirit and force of the original. Except for the seventh stanza, which is a rendering of verses 20 and 21 by Msgr. Hugh Thomas Henry (1862-1946), it was written by Fr. Clarence Alphonsus Walworth (1820-1900):
HOLY God, we praise Thy Name
Lord of all we bow before Thee;
all on earth Thy scepter claim,
all in heaven above adore Thee;
Infinite Thy vast domain,
everlasting is Thy reign.
HARK, the loud celestial hymn
angel choirs above are raising;
Cherubim and Seraphim
in unceasing chorus praising,
fill the heavens with sweet accord;
Holy, Holy, Holy Lord!
LO, the Apostolic train
Join, Thy sacred name to hallow:
prophets swell the loud refrain,
and the white-robed Martyrs follow;
and, from morn till set of sun,
through the Church the song goes on.
HOLY Father, Holy Son,
Holy Spirit, Three we name Thee,
While in essence only One,
undivided God we claim Thee:
and, adoring, bend the knee
while we own the mystery.
THOU art King of glory, Christ:
Son of God, yet born of Mary;
for us sinners sacrificed,
and to death a tributary:
first to break the bars of death,
Thou has opened heaven to faith.
FROM Thy high celestial home,
Judge of all, again returning,
we believe that Thou shalt come
in the dreaded Doomsday morning;
when Thy voice shall shake the earth,
and the startled dead come forth.
THEREFORE do we pray Thee, Lord:
help Thy servants whom, redeeming
by Thy Precious Blood out-poured,
Thou hast saved from Satan's scheming.
Give to them eternal rest
in the glory of the Blest.
SPARE Thy people, Lord, we pray,
by a thousand snares surrounded:
keep us without sin today,
never let us be confounded.
Lo, I put my trust in Thee;
never, Lord, abandon me.
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