Monastic Mumblings, a Friar's Journey

Gaudete Sunday

Gaudete Sunday is the third Sunday of Advent our Church Calendar. Light is growing, Darkness is receeding! The term Gaudete is from the Latin and means, "Rejoice". That  word appears in the entrance antiphon of Masses held on this day: Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, rejoice! The Lord is nearing, there is much to rejoice about.  For those of you who are parents, remember how it was when time for the baby to be born approached? Remember how though you knew it would change your life forever you simply couldn't  wait?  Well a Baby is coming that can change more than just our lives, He changes the entire world.

On this Sunday we light the rose colored Advent candle.  Advent is a penitential season of preparing for the coming of the Lord, this Sunday we  emphasize the joyous aspects of the coming of our Lord. 

It is also called Mothering Sunday, and in that tradition, may I offer the Magnificat of Our Lady using the Common Worship translation.

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour;

he has looked with favour on his lowly servant.

From this day all generations will call me blessed;

the Almighty has done great things for me and holy is his name.

He has mercy on those who fear him,

from generation to generation.

He has shown strength with his arm

and has scattered the proud in their conceit,

Casting down the mighty from their thrones

and lifting up the lowly.

He has filled the hungry with good things

and sent the rich away empty.

He has come to the aid of his servant Israel,

to remember his promise of mercy,

The promise made to our ancestors,

to Abraham and his children for ever.

Gaudete Sunday is the third Sunday of Advent our Church Calendar. Light is growing, Darkness is receeding! The term Gaudete is from the Latin and means, "Rejoice". That  word appears in the entrance antiphon of Masses held on this day: Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, rejoice! The Lord is nearing, there is much to rejoice about.  For those of you who are parents, remember how it was when time for the baby to be born approached? Remember how though you knew it would change your life forever you simply couldn't  wait?  Well a Baby is coming that can change more than just our lives, He changes the entire world.

On this Sunday we light the rose colored Advent candle.  Advent is a penitential season of preparing for the coming of the Lord, this Sunday we  emphasize the joyous aspects of the coming of our Lord. 

It is also called Mothering Sunday, and in that tradition, may I offer the Magnificat of Our Lady using the Common Worship translation.

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour;

he has looked with favour on his lowly servant.

From this day all generations will call me blessed;

the Almighty has done great things for me and holy is his name.

He has mercy on those who fear him,

from generation to generation.

He has shown strength with his arm

and has scattered the proud in their conceit,

Casting down the mighty from their thrones

and lifting up the lowly.

He has filled the hungry with good things

and sent the rich away empty.

He has come to the aid of his servant Israel,

to remember his promise of mercy,

The promise made to our ancestors,

to Abraham and his children for ever.

Twofold Coming of Jesus Christ

One thing about Advent is that it recalls for us a time before Jesus was here, and a time when He will come again.  There was a Archbishop of Jerusalem named Cyril who gave a great lesson on that topic,  so please read below from the Catecheses of Cyril of Jerusalem, 315-386 A.D.

We preach not one coming only of Jesus Christ, but a second also, far more glorious than the first.  The first revealed the meaning of His patient endurance; the second brings with it the crown of the divine kingdom.

Generally speaking, everything that concerns our Lord Jesus Christ is twofold.  His birth is twofold: one, of God before time began; the other, of the Virgin in the fulness of time.  His descent is twofold: one, unperceived like the dew falling on the fleece; the other, before the eyes of all, is yet to happen.

In His first coming He was wrapped in swaddling clothes in the manger.  In His second coming He is clothed with light as with a garment.  In His first coming he bore the cross, despising its shame; He will come a second time in glory accompanied by the hosts of angels.

It is not enough for us, then, to be content with His first coming; we must wait in hope of His second coming.  What we said at His first coming, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord”, we shall repeat at His last coming.  Running out with the angels to meet the Master we shall cry out in adoration, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord’.

The Savior will come not to be judged again but to call to judgment those who called Him to judgment.  He who was silent when He was first judged, will indict the malefactors who dared to perpetrate the outrage of the cross, and say, ‘These things you did and I was silent’.

He first came in the order of divine providence to teach men by gentle persuasion; but when He comes again they will, whether they wish it or not, be subjected to His kingship.

The prophet Malachi has something to say about each of these comings. ‘The Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple’.  That is the first coming.

Again, of the second coming he says, ‘And the angel of the covenant whom you seek.  Behold, the Lord almighty will come: but who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears?  For he is like a refiner’s fire and like fuller’s soap; he will sit like a refiners and a purifier’.  Paul pointed to the two comings when he wrote to Titus, ‘The grace of God has appeared for the salvation of all men, training us to renounce irreligion and worldly passions, and to live sober, upright, and godly lives in the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ’. You see how he has spoken of the first coming, for which he gives thanks, and of the second to which we look forward.

Hence it is that by the faith we profess, which has just been handed on to you, we believe in him ‘who ascended into heaven and took his seat at the right hand of the Father.  He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead; and his kingdom will have no end’.

Our Lord Jesus Christ will, then, come from heaven.  He will come in glory at the end of this world on the last day.   Then there will be an end to this world, and this created world will be made new.

Christmas Meme

1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate?
Chocolate!
2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree?
Wrap them!
3. Colored lights on tree/house or white?
Love the multicolored ones
4. Do you hang mistletoe?
no...can Monks do that? ;)
5. When do you put your decorations up?
Early to mid Advent
6. What is your favorite holiday dish?
Oyster dressing made by my sister-in-law
7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child?
My brother and I desperatly trying to figure out the contents of the packages
8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa?
My parents never did the "Santa" thing
9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve?
Yes, from my closest family memebers
10. How do you decorate your Christmas Tree?
sort of haphazardly...
11. Snow! Love it or Dread it?
Love it
12. Can you ice skate?
No one needs to see that...
13. Do you remember your favorite gift?
Yes, a ring my wife gave me the year before she died
14. What’s the most important thing about the Holidays for you?
Memories-family
15. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert?
Pumpkin pie with REAL whipped cream 
16. What is your favorite holiday tradition?
Midnight Mass
17. What tops your tree?
Angel
18.Which do you prefer giving or Receiving?
Giving
19. What is your favorite Christmas Song?
It is really an Advent song, O come, O come, Emmanuel
20. Candy Canes! Yuck or Yum?
eh..

Now I hereby tag Recovering Pharisee, Caught in the Middle, the Benedictine Baptist, Soul food Dude

The Dark Night of The Soul

14 December John of The Cross

St. John is most often remembered today by his writings, including "Dark night of the soul" that I want to consider today.

Juan de Ypres y Alvarez was born in 1542. Juan was brought up in an orphanage and ordained in 1567 after joining the Carmelite Friars. He later on became involved with Teresa of Avila, a Carmelite Nun and mystic.   

During his life he endured imprisonment at Toledo during a disagreement among the Carmelites and suffered terribly because of the ordeal. He was imprisoned for more than nine months in a narrow, stifling cell. There his love for Jesus grew in intensity. He eventually escaped and fled to another Monastery. He had written some poems at Toledo, and now he wrote them down, with commentaries to explain their spiritual significance.

"The dark night of the soul" has entered our general conversation but do we ever think about it and consider it's meaning in our lives?  Is there a time when suffering or extreme conditions in our life can bring us closer to God? 

There is a time when deep prayer can change us and transform our relationship to God. I can tell you that I have had a couple of these experiences, and I don't consider such a severe test of faith to be an entirely negative experience. 

What about my readers? In this season of Light overcoming Darkness, do you feel that suffering can bring you closer to God?  Do you think the American Church gives us space to engage the suffering side of our journey in faith?

O God, by Whose grace Your servant John of the Cross, kindled with the flame of Your love, became a burning and a shining light in Your Church: Grant that we also may be aflame with the spirit of love and discipline, and walk before You as children of light; through Jesus Christ our Lord, Who lives and reigns with You, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Prepare the Way

The season of Advent confronts each of us with an important question. One that is rarely considered in this time of year.  But I want to ask it.

During Advent, the days that lead up to Christmas are we preparing our hearts and spirits to celebrate a holy day—the day God came into the world as Word made Flesh? Or with the rest of the secular culture are we bustling about in a burst of frenzied shopping, holiday headaches and heartburn, a 10-pound weight gain, horrific shopping mall traffic, and the economic disaster that January brings?

The second candle is burning in our wreath, Light is growing, overcoming the darkness. Jesus is drawing nigh. John the Baptist tells us that the time that Isaiah told us about is happening, prepare a way... the Lord is coming!

For long centuries past, the Church has always called for a penitential time before Christmas to help us to prepare for the coming of Christ.  My question for you is this: how do YOU prepare your heart to receive Christ when He comes once again this Christmas? I am not talking about adding yet another item to an already over the top schedule, I am talking about your heart, my heart.  What is in there, does it need a sweeping out before Company comes?

Do you look at Christmas as a Holy Day that can change your life, or is it another empty, over consumed, typically American holiday? I would like the burning in my heart to be from the Spirit, not too much of my Mom's excellent cooking!

Calm in the storm

Today, Saturday, Dec 9. Contemplative Outreach 's Tulsa chapter, in collaboration with the Benedictine Sisters of Osage Monastery are offering their monthly Silent Saturday gathering for centering and contemplative prayer.

I know many Christians are interested in a more Contemplative or Ancient version of worship and I find this to be a wonderful opportunity to experience a time of peace in this bustling season.

We will gather in the Monastery  around 8:00 am to have Centering Prayer and Lectio Divina.  We will then have some hours of silence, simplicity and contemplation on our own.

At 12:00 noon we regather for joint Centering prayer for a half hour, then communal lunch.  The rest of the group will continue on the remainder of the day, I unfortunately have to leave then.

This season is so wound up in consumption and bustle. It is wonderful to stop, be quiet, and to welcome silence and simplicity into our lives.

Holy Spirit,
open our hearts and minds to the
lived experience of
Your Indwelling Presence.
May we live our lives from the Divine Creator,
ever aware of the Source of every breath,
our every movement,
the awe of every moment.

Infuse us with simplicity of heart, mind, and body.
Infuse our lives with simplicity of Presence.
Infuse us with simple gratitude
for the gift of our very lives.

Come, thou long-expected Jesus

Come, thou long-expected Jesus, born to set thy people free;
Free from our fears and sins release us, let us find our rest in thee.

Here is a great Advent Devotional site from my friend Tim Youmans

www.followingthestar.org

Come, Lord Jesus , come.

Why Advent?

What is Advent anyway, and why on earth should modern Americans celebrate a season designed centuries ago by people long dead?

In secular, modern America, Christmas pretty much begins in earnest the Friday after Thanksgiving and comes to screeching halt shortly after the presents are ripped open, tossed a side and a large meal is eaten on December 25th.  This sudden end leaves a gaping hole in our Spirits, there is little of Christ, or of the story of the Incarnation in the whole time period.

Without Advent, Christmas itself is cheapened and diluted. According to the ancient cadences of the Church year, there are twelve days appointed for the celebration of Christmas, from December 25th through January 5th. These days are full of meaning to fully illustrate to our hearts the Incarnation of Christ. Feast days of St. Stephen the first martyr, St. John the Evangelist, the Holy Innocents, the Holy Name, ending with Epiphany on Jan 6th. If the celebration of Christmas ends after dinner on December 25th, we will lose all these important days and the mysteries they show forth for us.

If Christmas is celebrated from the beginning of December on, we ignore Advent and lose it completely. Advent sets before us the panorama of God's plan for all of history, a plan that does NOT end in the first coming of Christ, but in His second coming. Without Advent, Christmas is just a sentimental story about a baby, snowmen and Santa.

Advent gives us a time and sense of preparation, we see the hope of the Hebrews as they looked forward to the Messiah, and we ourselves look forward to His return and full Redemption of the whole world.

Dec 6 St. Nicholas of Myra

As a Christian parent, ever wonder what to tell your kids about Santa Claus? Well how about telling them the real story behind the modern tradition of Santa!

Saint Nicholas was born in 260 AD into a wealthy family living in Patera, a coastal town in what is now Turkey. He became Bishop of Myra in the fourth century, and there are many stories of his love for God and for his neighbor.

Through his priesthood in the early Christian faith, he came to be recognized for his generosity to all those in trouble. In his good-doing role as priest, one story tells of Nicholas, who took pity on a girl in his parish whose family had no dowry. Had Nicholas not intervened, this would have prevented her from marrying. He made a parcel of money from his family's coffers and donated it anonymously to the young woman and her future by throwing it in through the open window (or, when the story came to be told in colder climates, down the chimney), where it is said to have landed in her stocking. This is why we put gifts and especially "gold" coins in stockings.   I put gold covered chocolate coins in my kids stockings every year, even to this day and repeat this story.

Bishop Nicholas did this type of anonymous giving more than once, and he became known for late night gifts, and the granting of wishes. That is why, if we give a gift to someone today without saying whom it is from, it can be called "a present from Saint Nicholas (or Santa Claus)", because while we may or may not know the recipient, God does and loves them!

He was also fearless in defending those innocents falsely accused and about to be put to death by a corrupt Roman Judge. That is a strong man of God, not some silly, jolly elf!

During the reign of the Roman emperor Diocletian, Bishop Nicholas was imprisoned and tortured for his beliefs but he never forsook his faith. The new Emperor Constantine eventually released him. Tradition has it that Bishop Nicholas attended the Council of Nicaea in 325 with many other bishops, a meeting that produced what we today call "The Nicene Creed". The beloved bishop died in 343AD and his body buried in the cathedral at Myra.

The name St Nicholas lives in the hearts of people all over the world, young and old alike. He may be known as Santa Claus and Father Christmas today, but he was a real man, whose faith and actions point us to the Christ born in this world for us.

Taken from a biography by James Kiefer

† Almighty God, Who in Your love gave to Your servant Nicholas of Myra a perpetual name for deeds of kindness on land and sea: Grant, we pray, that Your Church may never cease to work for the happiness of children, the safety of sailors, the relief of the poor, and the help of those tossed by tempests of doubt or grief; through Jesus Christ our Lord, Who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

A Time of Quiet

Bob Carlton gifts us with powerful Advent meditation...