The greater your misery....

“In the same way does the Lord act when he wishes to demonstrate his mercy, and he will do so also for us, oh souls redeemed at the price of living blood; so, do not be doubtful. Are difficulties encountered while in service to God? Then God will open a way through that sea; he will take away those obstacles. Keep going ahead, you will have no impediments. You have behind you all the demons of hell pursuing you, very vehement temptations that threaten you with destruction. But, Nolite timere (do not be afraid). God will arrest their fury and will lead you to a place of rest. In your defense, your holy advocates watch over you; your Guardian Angel is there to assist you; Mary most holy spreads her mantle of protection over you; Jesus crucified extends his open arms to you. He waits to welcome you in the sacraments of penance; he comes to meet you, nourish you and strengthen you in the sacrament of the Eucharist. Already he holds out to you the indestructible crown of glory that will make you eternally happy. What more could you wish for? In your difficulties, so de Sales asserts, repeat frequently to yourself that this is the road that leads to heaven. I see the port and I am certain that the storms will not be able to stop me from reaching it. The greater your misery, so much greater will be the triumph of divine goodness.”

from St Gaspar's Letter No. 62 to Countess Lucrezia Ginnasi, April 29, 1813

posted by Fr. Jeffrey Keyes, C.PP.S. on 8:46 AM link

. . .

Who Will Join Me?

It is time to boycott Samual Adams.

posted by Fr. Jeffrey Keyes, C.PP.S. on 1:44 AM link

. . .

Gaspar on Mysterium Fidei

So, is there not anyone who will, through this sacred, solemn cult, procure adoration in compensation, and preach to the people its glories, bringing to their attention that in this devotion we have a compendium of faith itself; that is why, in the consecration of the chalice, we say: "mysterium fidei"; and, consequently therein lies the salvation of souls.

Letter of St. Gaspar to Leo XII, July 29, 1825

posted by Fr. Jeffrey Keyes, C.PP.S. on 12:42 PM link

. . .

Mysterium Fidei
Mystery of Faith

There seems to be an epidemic of priests making it up as they go along. I do not mean to be rigid on this matter. There is a great deal of freedom in the celebration of the Eucharist, especially where the Sacramentary states, “in these or similar words…” But there are many other places where the presider does not have that freedom yet arrogates it to himself rather freely.

This morning I attended Mass in Hayward where my Mother and Dad live, and went to Breakfast with them afterwards.

Some of the freedoms the priest took were less offensive than this one: At the consecration of the Mass when the text is, Let us proclaim the mystery of faith, the priest said, Let us proclaim what we believe.

I am sorry, Father, but what our poor human minds are able to comprehend and believe is infinitely smaller than the Mysterium Fidei.

I am beginning to believe that this monkeying with the liturgy may be the next level of abuse. I would invite readers to post in conversations below some of their pet peeves about what priests change in the liturgy on their own authority.

Lex orandi, lex credendi. What was prayed today was certainly less than what is believed.

posted by Fr. Jeffrey Keyes, C.PP.S. on 12:40 PM link

. . .

There are limits

Samuel Adams has been known among friends to be my favorite beer. But they are limits to what is acceptable behavior and I am preparing to join a boycott of their beer and other products if they do not respond favorably in this current situation. Rod Dreher of the National Review reports that Sam Adams is the sponsor of the show that put on a sex act in St. Patrick’s Cathedral on the Feast of the Assumption. The stunt was part of a contest called "Sex for Sam," which has in the past, at least, been sponsored by the Boston Brewing Company, makers of Samuel Adams beer. Sam Adams Website is here, and remarks or questions can be sent here. They can also be reached by phone1-800-372-1131

Silence is assent.

posted by Fr. Jeffrey Keyes, C.PP.S. on 12:28 AM link

. . .

Introducing Our Chaplet

The rosary is a familiar form of prayer. Its repetition establishes a rhythm that steadies our hearts and minds. By involving our hands as we move along the beads, a rosary helps us tune out distractions. Young and old can pray a rosary. No book, no special place, are needed! For these reasons, many religious traditions have prayers that use beads, Buddhists and Sufis (the mystical branch of Islam) as well as Christians.

Throughout the centuries, Christians have employed a variety of rosaries. Each rosary is designed to slowly immerse us in a particular spirituality or tradition. In the earliest centuries, monks used stones and strings of beads as aids to prayer and meditation on Scripture, including Lectio Divina or Divine Reading. The fifteen decade rosary, which brings together the major stories of the Christian mystery in the Joyful, Sorrowful, and Glorious mysteries, is a Dominican tradition that dates to the 13th century.

The Precious Blood Rosary or Chaplet is OUR rosary. This is the means of meditation on the principal blood-sheddings of Jesus that Saint Gaspar, our founder, so readily promoted. The Precious Blood Chaplet was composed by Father Francesco Albertini. He was a canon of the church of San Nicola in Carcere in Rome, which was privileged to have a relic of the Precious Blood. His devotion to the Precious Blood inspired Albertini to found the Arch-Confraternity of the Precious Blood, the forerunner of the Union of the Blood of Christ. Albertini invited Father Gaspar del Bufalo, a canon of the near-by church of San Marco, to preach the inaugural sermon for the Arch-Confraternity on December 8, 1808.

Albertini wanted to compose a prayer for the Union, a prayer that would combine giving thanks to God for the gift of Jesus' most precious blood and intercession on behalf of the world. To prepare himself to undertake this responsibility, Albertini sought the solace of a retreat. In his account of this retreat, Albertini recounts how he was directly confronted by evil and inspired by meditating on the image of the cross. The fruit of this encounter is our community's Chaplet of the Precious Blood.

The Chaplet has seven mysteries, according to a traditional listing of the seven significant times Jesus shed his blood -- the Circumcision, The Agony in the Garden, the Scourging at the Pillar, The Crowning with Thorns, the Carrying of the Cross, Jesus Dies on the Cross, and the Piercing with the Lance. Devotion to Jesus' seven blood-sheddings goes back much farther than our community's founding. The heart of the chaplet is 33 Our Fathers, in honor of the number of years Jesus is believed to have lived among us. The first six mysteries consist of five "Our Father's" followed by a "Glory be" and the last mystery has three "Our Father's" to complete the total of 33. Following each mystery is a verse and response. Verse: “Come then, Lord, help your people.” Response: “Bought with the price of your own blood.” These are drawn from the conclusion of the church's great hymn Te Deum. The Chaplet was approved by the Sacred Congregation of Rites on May 31, 1809 and 'indulgenced' October 18th, 1815(1)

The Chaplet was one of the tools that St. Gaspar used in the preaching of missions. References to the chaplet are found in hundreds of Gaspar’s letters. It was the central means he had of inviting the people to pray the mysteries of the Precious Blood, and to provide a focus for the teaching during the mission. In a letter to Pope Gregory XVI in March of 1831, Gaspar points out the chaplet as one of the points in the missionary’s method of life. At the beginning of each day, one Missionary would lead the gathered faithful in the Chaplet while another offered the Mass. In an era when the Mass was in Latin and most people could not read the Chaplet enabled the people to enter more fully into the mystery which was being celebrated.

Each of the Mysteries is taken from the Scriptures and is a great place for us to reflect on the meaning found there. The mystery of his Circumcision reminds us how Jesus and his family followed the law, and how the Son of God was incorporated into the family of a particular people in a particular place and time. The Agony in the Garden reminds us how we too seek to take up God’s will in every struggle. The Piercing with a Lance reminds us of the beginning of the sacraments. To pray over these mysteries slowly immerses us into the same mysteries that gave life to Gaspar’s preaching.
Prayer was at the center of Gaspar’s life, and the chaplet bears fruit in immersing us in the mysteries of the Most Precious Blood. “Here is the fruit that I experience within myself as the result of this visitation of God; … I have come to realize more and more how needful I am of establishing myself in God's ways and how urgent prayer is, even though I must say that it has always been my delight; I would like to help sanctify the whole world.” (2)

A version of the chaplet, with scripture verses for each Our Father, is available on-line from the Province of the Pacific here.

NOTES
(1)Gaspare del Bufalo, Alejandro Rey, CPPS, Vol 1, pg 353
(2)Gaspar del Bufalo, Letter #3785 to Sr. Maria Giuseppa Pittorri,

posted by Fr. Jeffrey Keyes, C.PP.S. on 3:54 PM link

. . .

Hospitality

Hospitality endures forever. It was great to be reminded this morning of an absolutely delightful parish. St. Basil Parish in Vallejo is a vibrant parish in Northern California. I had the privilege to preach a parish mission there in March of 2002. The Pastor, Fr. Leon, is a warm and devoted priest and is always saying how grateful he is to be working in such a place. The people were very devoted and attended the mission in large numbers. I was also delighted see the chapel full on weekday mornings for Mass.

Check out their parish bulletin for August 18 to see a notice of The New Gasparian.

Welcome to all the parishioners of St Basils, Vallejo who visit here.

posted by Fr. Jeffrey Keyes, C.PP.S. on 12:03 PM link

. . .

The rest of the day Sunday was a little more uplifting.

posted by Fr. Jeffrey Keyes, C.PP.S. on 2:52 AM link

. . .

Rant Mode Back On...

I suppose before I begin I should confess to having entered the church building this morning with less than an open mind. Lack of hospitality to visitors is probably the biggest sin, and I was still a bit miffed at the fact that the music ministers had told me last Thursday the reason they could not provide worship aids for visitors was because it was “too expensive.”

My sister who was spending the weekend with me here in the Mountains said to me during Mass, “Now I know what you are talking about. How can they be so exclusive?”

So I decided to just grin and bear it. Besides, I was curious to see how this particular priest would handle this Sunday’s Gospel, probably one of the more difficult passages in the lectionary to preach on. Being grateful that I was on vacation this week and did not have to preach on this gospel was enabling me to be very generous and cut him a great deal of slack.

Church building: B
(Beautiful building, it is very nice for the mountain setting. Uh, Father, how come the holy oils are given the same prominence as the Sacred Eucharist? Yes, the oils are holy, but the Eucharist is the real presence, par excellence. We would have liked to give the setting an “A”)

Liturgy: D-
Lectors: A+
Choir: A+
Music Ministry: F
Preaching: F
Hospitality: F

The Mass opened with “Come, Worship the Lord” by John Michael Talbot. It is not necessarily good music, but the Choir and congregation did a good job. The presider said good morning before he made the sign of the cross (one of my pet peeves) and then welcomed the many visitors. The choir sang the Kyrie and the Gloria to very happy music that was unknown to me. Many in the choir and congregation sang this music by heart, but most of us were silent. The first reader did an excellent job and then the choir began the psalm immediately without a moment of silence. The psalm setting was an OCP original, again not the best musically, but prayed well by assembly and choir. An elder cantor did a very good job. The second reading was read exceptionally well. It is one of St. Paul’s famous run-on sentences and the reader communicated it well. The Alleluia was sung by congregation and assembly. I was mute because it was a melody I had never heard before, and it was a bit convoluted musically.

The priest read the gospel and then told the assembly that in order to keep the heat down in the church between masses they were going to omit the homily. He then spent the next ten minutes making several announcements, all having to do with money. I could feel any sense of good will draining from my body.

My sister tells me that she is not expert but she gets it and wonders how they can be so inhospitable. She says it would be uncharitable to describe the rest of the liturgy. She is probably right.

Ok, Rant mode off.

My sister and I are going para-sailing.

posted by Fr. Jeffrey Keyes, C.PP.S. on 3:50 PM link

. . .