Please note from Monday, February 1st, 

Daily Mass at Domus Ecclesia

& broadcast Online

Monday - Friday 6pm

Saturday - Sunday 1230pm

Worship & Fellowship

Every Monday from 7.30pm

Prayer Chapel

Dorset Gardens Methodist Church

The Sunday called Septuagesima

The Church teaches us about virtue most clearly during Pre-Lent through her choice of readings for the Holy Eucharist. Today she asks us to consider temperance, hope, and justice. St. Paul speaks quite vividly about temperance in today’s Epistle. He compares the Christian’s struggle against the desires of the flesh to competition in the athletic contests so popular among the ancient Greeks. Just as the runner or boxer restrains his appetites for food, drink, and sexual relations so that he may earn a laurel crown and win human honour, so the Christian must govern his appetites with temperance, so that he may obtain the crown of glory and see God.

This is not to say that food, drink, and sexual desire are wicked things. They are gifts of God and, therefore, good. Nevertheless, they were made for certain purposes, and to use them either more or less than those purposes require, or even apart from those purposes, is a sin against temperance.

The abuse of food and drink is called gluttony. The abuse of sexual desire is lust. Fasting, which will be discussed in some detail on Ash Wednesday, is a useful discipline against both gluttony and lust.

Temperance is, for the Christian, a practical expression of hope. Hope, the desire of the faithful soul for the heavenly kingdom, makes itself felt in action by the prudent control of the bodily desires, lest they become entangled in the things of this world.

The opposite of hope is despair, which is born of sloth, a spiritual apathy or boredom. The slothful neither hope for heaven nor fear hell. It is no wonder that it is the bored who commit the wicked deeds which so unsettle our civilization today.

Today’s Gospel, the parable of the labourers in the vineyard, is about justice. Our Lord tells of the owner of a vineyard who hired labourers early in the morning, and then as he felt the need, at succeeding hours throughout the day. The first group agreed to work the whole day for a penny, which evidently they felt to be a fair wage. The succeeding groups all agreed to work what remained of the day for whatever the owner should feel was fair.

At the end of the day, the owner paid all the labourers a penny, whether they had worked only an hour or all day. The men hired earliest complained that this was not fair, but the owner in replying made two points. First, these men had received all that they were justly entitled to by their agreement with the owner. Secondly, his money was his to dispense as he wished. If he felt that it was fair to pay the last the same wage as the first, then it was his right to do so. In both cases, justice was satisfied.

Justice is shown in our steady determination to give each man his right or due. Justice comes from the principle that we are not valuable for what we do or own, but for what we are. Each of us was created by God for himself. Thus, we all have a right to whatever we need to help us grow closer to God. Since we are all equally deserving of this growth in the love of God, and we must all respect this fact, the basis for justice lies in the sanctity of the individual’ (Mortimer).

Justice governs all relations between and among people. It is thus the basis of all social life, governing the relations of individuals to their community, of the community to individual members, and of individual to individual.

Envy is the vice most opposed to justice, as it is to charity, for justice is the concrete expression of charity. Envy begrudges another what is rightly his. Covetousness is also directly opposed to justice, in so far as justice so often has to do with business and finance. Both vices can be seen in the reaction of the labourers hired earliest, and both are principal causes of the political and economic turmoil surrounding us today.

ST. TIMOTHY & ST. TITUS

Besides being saints and bishops in the early Church, these two men have something else in common. Both received the gift of faith through the preaching of St. Paul.

Timothy was born in Lycaonia in Asia Minor. His mother was a Jew and his father was a Gentile. When Paul came to preach in Lycaonia, Timothy, his mother and his grandmother all became Christians. Several years later, Paul went back to found Timothy grown up. He felt that Timothy had a call from God to be a missionary. Paul invited him to join him in preaching the Gospel. So it was that Timothy left his home and parents to follow Paul. He was soon to share in Paul's sufferings as well. They would have the joy of bringing the Word of God to many people. Timothy was the great apostle's beloved disciple, like a son to him. He went everywhere with Paul until he became bishop of Ephesus. Then Timothy stayed there to shepherd his people. As St. Paul, Timothy, too, died a martyr.

Titus was a Gentile nonbeliever. He, too, became Paul's disciple. Titus was generous and hard-working. He joyfully preached the Good News with Paul on their missionary travels. Because Titus was so trustworthy, Paul freely sent him on many "missions" to the Christian communities. Titus helped people strengthen their faith in Jesus. He was able to restore peace when there were arguments among the Christians. Titus had a special gift for being a peacemaker. Paul appreciated this gift in Titus and recognized it as the Holy Spirit's work. Paul would send Titus to iron out difficulties. When Titus would arrive among a group of Christians, the guilty ones would feel sorry. They would ask forgiveness and would make up for what they had done. When peace was restored, Titus would go back and tell Paul about the good results. This brought Paul and the first Christians much happiness. St. Paul made Titus bishop of the island of Crete, where he stayed until his death.

Timothy and Titus gave their whole life, their time and energy, to Jesus. They were true disciples of St. Paul. It's easy to overlook people like this or take them for granted. Let's say some prayers today for all who spread the Good News as Paul, Timothy and Titus did.

THE CONVERSION OF ST PAUL, APOSTLE

This great apostle was a Jew, of the tribe of Benjamin. At his circumcision, on the eighth day after his birth, he received the name of Saul. His father was by sect a Pharisee, and a denizen of Tarsus, the capital of Cilicia: which city had shown a particular regard for the cause of the Caesars; on which account Cassius deprived it of its privileges and lands; but Augustus when conqueror, made it ample amends by honoring it with many new privileges, and with the freedom of Rome, as we read in the two Dions and Appian. Hence St. Paul, being born at Tarsus, was by privilege a Roman citizen, to which quality a great distinction and several exemptions were granted by the laws of the empire.[1]His parents sent him young to Jerusalem, where he was educated and instructed in the strictest observance of the law of Moses, by Gamaliel,[2] a learned and noble Jew, and probably a member of the Sanhedrin; and was a most scrupulous observer of it in every point. He appeals even to his enemies to bear evidence how conformable to it his life had been in every respect.[3] He embraced the sect of the Pharisees, which was of all others the most severe, though by its pride the most opposite to the humility of the gospel.[4] It was a rule among the Jews that all their children were to learn some trade with their studies, were it but to avoid idleness, and to exercise the body, as well as the mind, in something serious.[5] It is therefore probable that Saul learned in his youth the trade which he exercised even after his apostleship, of making tents.[6]

Saul, surpassing all his equals in zeal for the Jewish law and their traditions, which he thought the cause of God, became thereby a blasphemer, a persecutor, and the most outrageous enemy of Christ.[7] He was one of those who combined to murder St. Stephen, and by keeping the garments of all who stoned that holy martyr, he is said by St. Austin to have stoned him by the hands of all the rest to whose prayers for his enemies he ascribes the conversion of St.Paul:[8] "If Stephen," said he, "had not prayed, the church would never have had St. Paul."

After the martyrdom of the holy deacon, the priests and magistrates of the Jews raised a violent persecution against the church at Jerusalem, in which Saul signalized himself above others. By virtue of the power he had received from the high priest, he dragged the Christians out of their houses, loaded them with chains, and thrust them into prison.[9] He procured them to be scourged in the synagogues, and endeavored by torments to compel them to blaspheme the name of Christ. And as our Saviour had always been represented by the leading men of the Jews as an enemy to their law, it was no wonder that this rigorous Pharisee fully persuaded himself that <he ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth.>[10]

By the violences he committed, his name became everywhere a terror to the faithful. The persecutors not only raged against their persons, but also seized their estates and what they possessed incommon,[11] and left them in such extreme necessity, that the remotest churches afterwards thought it incumbent on them to join in charitable contributions to their relief. All this could not satisfy the fury of Saul; he breathed nothing but threats and the slaughter of the other disciples." Wherefore, in the fury of his zeal, he applied to the high priest and Sanhedrin for a commission to take up all Jews at Damascus who confessed Jesus Christ, and bring them bound to Jerusalem, that they might serve as public examples for the terror of others. But God was pleased to show forth in him his patience and mercy: and, moved by the prayers of St. Stephen and his other persecuted servants. for their enemies, changed him, in the very heat of his fury, into a vessel of election, and made him a greater mall in his church by the grace of the apostleship, than St.Stephen had ever been, and a more illustrious instrument of his glory.

He was almost at the end of his journey to Damascus, when, about noon, he and his company were all of a sudden surrounded by a great light from heaven, brighter than the sun.[12] They all saw the light, and being struck with amazement, fell to the ground.. Then Saul heard a voice, which to him was articulate and distinct; but not understood, though heard by the rest : <Saul, Saul, why dost thou persecute me>? Christ said not: Why dost thou persecute my disciples? but me: for it is he, their head, who is chiefly persecuted in his servants. Saul answered: <Who art thou, Lord>? Christ said: <Jesus of Nazareth, whom thou persecutes. It is hard for thee to kick against the goad>:—" tocontend with one so much mightier than thyself. By persecuting my church you make it flourish, and only prick and hurt yourself." This mild expostulation of our Redeemer, accompanied with a powerful interior grace, strongly affecting his soul, cured his pride, assuaged his rage, and wrought at once a total change in him. Wherefore, trembling and astonished, he cried out: <Lord, what wilt thou have me to do>? What to repair the past? What to promote your glory? I make a joyful oblation of myself to execute your will in every thing, and to suffer for your sake afflictions, disgraces, persecutions, torments, and every sort of death. The true convert expressed this, not in a bare form of words, nor with faint languid desires, nor with any exception lurking in the secret recesses of his heart; but with an entire sacrifice of himself, and an heroic victory over the world with its frowns and charms, over the devils with their snares and threats, and over himself and all inclinations of self-love; devoting himself totally to God. A perfect model of a true conversion, the greatest work of almighty grace!

Christ ordered him to arise and proceed on his journey to the city, where he should be informed of what he expected from him. Christ would not instruct him immediately by himself, but St.Austin observes,[13] sent him to the ministry[14] which he had established in the church, to be directed in the way of salvation by those whom he had appointed for that purpose. He would not finish the conversion and instruction of this great apostle, whom he was pleased to call in so wonderful a manner, but by remitting him to the guidance of his ministers; showing us thereby that his holy providence has so ordered it, that all who desire to serve him, should seek his will by listening to those whom he has commanded us to hear, and whom he has sent in his own name and appointed to be our guides. So perfectly would he abolish in his servants all self-confidence and presumption, the source of error and illusion.

The convert, rising from the ground, found that, though his eyes were open, he saw nothing. Providence sent this corporal blindness to be an emblem of the spiritual blindness in which he had lived, and to signify to him that he was henceforward to die to the world, and learn to apply his mind totally to the contemplation of heavenly things.. He was led by the hand into Damascus, whither Christ seemed to conduct him in triumph. He was lodged in the house of a Jew named Judas, where he remained three days blind, and without eating or drinking. He doubtless spent his time in great bitterness of soul, not yet knowing what God required of him. With what anguish he bewailed his past blindness and false zeal against the church, we may conjecture both from his taking no nourishment during those three days, and from the manner in which he ever after remembered and spoke of his having been a blasphemer and a persecutor. Though the entire reformation of his heart was not gradual, as in ordinary conversions, but miraculous in the order of grace, and perfect in a moment; yet a time of probation and a severe interior trial (for such we cannot doubt but he went through on this occasion) was necessary to crucify the old man and all other earthly sentiments in his heart, and to prepare it to receive the extraordinary graces which God designed him.

There was a Christian of distinction in Damascus, much respected by the Jews for his irreproachable life and great virtue; his name was Ananias. Christ appeared to this holy disciple, and commanded him to go to Saul, who was then in the house of Judas at prayer: Ananias trembled at the name of Saul, being no stranger to the mischief he had done in Jerusalem, or to the errand on which he was set out to Damascus. But our Redeemer overruled his fears, and charged him a second time to go to him, saying: <Go, for he is a vessel of election to carry my name before Gentiles and kings, and the children of Israel: and I will show him how much he has to suffer for my name.> For tribulation is the test and portion of all the true servants of Christ. Saul in the mean time saw in a vision a man entering, and laying his hands upon him, to restore his sight. Ananias, obeying the divine horder, arose, went to Saul, and laying his hands upon him, said: <BrotherSaul, the Lord Jesus who appeared to thee on thy journey, hath sent me that thou mayest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost.> Immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and he recovered his eyesight. Ananias added: <The God of our fathers hath chosen thee that thou shouldst know his will and see the just one, and shouldst hear the voice from his mouth: and thou shalt be his witness unto all men to publish what thou hast seen and heard. Arise, therefore, be baptized and washed from thy sins, invoking the name of the Lord.> Saul then arose, was baptized, and took some refreshment. He stayed some few days with the disciples at Damascus, and began immediately to preach in the synagogues, that Jesus was the Son of God, to the great astonishment of all that heard him, who said: <Is not this he who persecuted at Jerusalem those who invoked the name of Jesus, and who is come hither to carry them away prisoners>? Thus a blasphemer and a persecutor was made an apostle, and chosen to be one of the principal instruments of God in the conversion of the world.

St. Paul never recalled to mind this his wonderful conversion, without raptures of gratitude and praise to the divine mercy. The church, in thanksgiving to God for such a miracle of his grace, from which it has derived such great blessings, and to commemorate so miraculous an instance of his almighty power, and to propose to penitents a perfect model of a true conversion has instituted this festival, which we find mentioned in several calendars and missals of the eighth and ninth centuries, and which Pope Innocent III commanded to be observed with great solemnity. It was for some time kept a holyday of obligation in most churches in the West; and we read it mentioned as such in England in the council of Oxford in 1222 in the reign of king Henry III.[14]

Endnotes

1 Acts, xxi. 29, xxii. 3.

2 Ibid, xxvi 3.

3 Ibid, xxvi 4.

4 Ibid, xxvi 5.

5 Rabbi Juda says, "That a parent who neglects his duty, is as criminalas if he taught his son to steal." See Grotius and Sanctius on Acts xviii.3.

6 These tents were for the use of soldiers and mariners, and were made ofskins sewn together. Some think that his business was that of making tapestryand hangings for theatres.

7 Ga. i. 14.

8 Serm. 301.

9 Ibid. 116, c. 4. Acts, vi.

10 Acts, viii. 3, xxii. 4, xxvi. 10.

11 Acts, xxvi. 9.

12 Heb. x. 32.

13 Acts, x. 1.

14 Acts, ix. xxii. xxvi.

15 Qn. Evang. 1, 2, c. 40, et praef. 1, de doctr. Christ. p. 32.

16 St. Austin doubts not but Ananias was a bishop, or at least a priest. TheGreeks give him a place on their calendar on the 1st of October, and style himbishop of Damascus and martyr.

17 Conc. Labbe, t. xi. p. 274.

St. Vincent of Saragossa

Vincent of Saragossa was one of the Church's three most illustrious deacons, the other two being Stephen and Lawrence. He is also Spain's most renowned martyr. Ordained deacon by Bishop Valerius of Saragossa, he was taken in chains to Valencia during the Diocletian persecution and put to death. From legend we have the following details of his martyrdom.

After brutal scourging in the presence of many witnesses, he was stretched on the rack; but neither torture nor blandishments nor threats could undermine the strength and courage of his faith. Next, he was cast on a heated grating, lacerated with iron hooks, and seared with hot metal plates. Then he was returned to prison, where the floor was heavily strewn with pieces of broken glass. A heavenly brightness flooded the entire dungeon, filling all who saw it with greatest awe.

After this he was placed on a soft bed in the hope that lenient treatment would induce apostasy, since torture had proven ineffective. But strengthened by faith in Christ Jesus and the hope of everlasting life, Vincent maintained an invincible spirit and overcame all efforts, whether by fire, sword, rack, or torture to induce defection. He persevered to the end and gained the heavenly crown of martyrdom. —The Church's Year of Grace, Pius Parsch

St. Anastasius

Also commemorated today, the Martyrology relates: At Bethsaloen in Assyria, St. Anastasius, a Persian monk, who after suffering much at Caesarea in Palestine from imprisonment, stripes, and fetters, had to bear many afflictions from Chosroes, king of Persia, who caused him to be beheaded. He had sent before him to martyrdom seventy of his companions, who were drowned in a river. His head was brought to Rome, at Aquæ Salviæ, together with his revered image, by the sight of which demons are expelled, and diseases cured, as is attested by the Acts of the second Council of Nicea. The saint was venerated highly in Rome.

At the Mass of the Vigil of the Nativity...

TUESDAY JANUARY 4th 2010 545pm Domus Ecclesia

SOLEMN BLESSING OF WATER - With the commemoration of Christ's baptism there was associated in the Orient from ancient times not only the custom of blessing baptismal water in the churches but also of solemnly blessing a nearby river or fountain in honor of the Lord's baptism. In Palestine it was the Jordan, of course, that received this blessing in a most colorful and solemn ceremony. Thousands of pilgrims would gather on its shores to step into the water after the rite, submerging three times to obtain the great blessing. In Egypt the Nile was thus blessed for many centuries...

In the cities of East Rome [Byzantium], Epiphany water was blessed in the church and given to the people to take home. Saint John Chrysostom claimed that this water was known to stay fresh through the whole year and even longer.

The Russians and other Slavs of the Greek Rite [Byzantine rite] observe the "blessing of water" on the twenty-fifth day after Easter (always a Wednesday) which they call "Mid-Pentecost." Priests and people walk in procession to a well or river, the water is solemnly blessed, and the faithful fetch a good supply to keep during the year.

In the Latin Church this blessing of water was introduced in the fifteenth century. The present rite of solemn blessing is to be performed on the vigil of Epiphany. The prayers, replacing older formulas, date from the year 1890. After the texts of the blessing the Roman Ritual gives the following instruction: "This blessed water should be distributed to the faithful, to be devoutly used by them in their homes, and also for the sick ones."

At the Mass of the Feast of the Epiphany...

WEDNESDAY JANUARY 6th 2010 6pm Domus Ecclesia

PROCLAMATION OF FEASTS - One of the special traditions connected with Epiphany was the publication on January 6 of the annual letter of the Patriarch of Alexandria announcing the date of Easter for the current year (epistola festalis). The scholars of Alexandria wereconsidered most competent to make the difficult computations and observations necessary to determine this date, and thus the whole East followed their findings, which were sent to all churches by the Patriarch. In the sixth century, the fourth Council of Orleans (541) ordered the same procedure in the West. During the Middle Ages the dates of other movable feasts used to be added to the date of Easter and be solemnly read to the people on Epiphany Day. This ancient custom is still observed in some cathedrals as a traditional solemnity on January 6 at the end of Pontifical Mass.

BLESSING OF HOMES - The Roman Ritual also provides a beautiful and impressive rite of blessing the homes of the faithful on the Feast of the Epiphany. This blessing is usually given by the pastor. After reciting the Magnificat, the priest sprinkles the rooms with holy water and incenses them, then recites the prayers... After the blessing the initials of the legendary names of the Magi -- Gaspar, Melchior and Baltasar -- are written with white chalk on the inside of the door, framed by the number of the year, and all symbols are connected by the cross: 20+G+M+B+__. To sanctify even the chalk for this writing, there is a special "Blessing of Chalk on the Feast of the Epiphany" in the Rituale Romanum.

If you would like your home blessed or would like Epiphany Water &/or Chalk to bless your home yourself, please contact the Parish Office on 01273 774889 to arrange either for a member of the Clergy to attend your home and bless it for you, or to collect Water/Chalk from Domus Ecclesia if you are unable to attend Mass on the 6th.

St Stephen Protomartyr

Stephen's name means "crown," and he was the first disciple of Jesus to receive the martyr's crown. Stephen was a deacon in the early Christian Church. The apostles had found that they needed helpers to look after the care of the widows and the poor. So they ordained seven deacons, and Stephen is the most famous of these.

God worked many miracles through St. Stephen and he spoke with such wisdom and grace that many of his hearers became followers of Jesus. The enemies of the Church of Jesus were furious to see how successful Stephen's preaching was. At last, they laid a plot for him. They could not answer his wise argument, so they got men to lie about him, saying that he had spoken sinfully against God. St. Stephen faced that great assembly of enemies without fear. In fact, the Holy Bible says that his face looked like the face of an angel.

The saint spoke about Jesus, showing that He is the Savior, God had promised to send. He scolded his enemies for not having believed in Jesus. At that, they rose up in great anger and shouted at him. But Stephen looked up to Heaven and said that he saw the heavens opening and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.

His hearers plugged their ears and refused to listen to another word. They dragged St. Stephen outside the city of Jerusalem and stoned him to death. The saint prayed, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!" Then he fell to his knees and begged God not to punish his enemies for killing him.

After such an expression of love, the holy martyr went to his heavenly reward. His feast day is December 26th.

"Boxing Day"

There are a number of stories behind the origin of the term 'Boxing Day'. It used to be customary for employers to give their employees or servants a gift of money or food in a small box on this day. This is still customary for people who deliver letters or newspapers, although the gift may be given before Christmas Day. In feudal times, the lord of the manor would gather all those who worked on his land together on this day and distribute boxes of practical goods, such as agricultural tools, food and cloth. This was payment for the work that they had done throughout the passed year. Other stories relate to servants being allowed to take a portion of the food left over from the Christmas celebrations in a box to their families and the distribution of alms from the Church collection box to poor parishioners. These traditions have evolved into the Christmas hampers that many large employers distribute, although these are now often distributed in the week before Christmas.

CHRISTMASS EVE

1030pm The Office of Readings

11pm Blessing of the Crib &
First Mass of the Nativity

CHRISTMASS DAY

930am Morning Prayer

10am  Second Mass of the Nativity
12 noon  Third Mass of the Nativity

All Masses will be broadcast online http://stcuthmans.camstreams.com

O King of the Gentiles and the Desired of all, you are thecornerstone that binds two into one.  Come, and save man whom youfashioned out of clay.

Isaiah 28:16: "Therefore, thus says the Lord God: See, I am layinga stone in Zion, a stone that has been tested, a precious cornerstone asa sure foundation".

Ephesians 2:14: "He it is who is our peace, and who made the two ofus one by breaking down the barrier of hostility that kept us apart".

The earlier antiphons have already alluded to the Messiah coming notonly to Israel  but to convert the gentile nations and redeem themfor his own. Now this sixth antiphon clearly addresses the savior as theking of the gentiles (Jer.10:7) and the Desired One of the nations. The Messiah is the cornerstone on whom our spiritual foundations are laid,but on whom unbelievers stumble (Matt. 21:42).  This cornerstone unitesand binds Jew and gentile into one, making peace between them.

The plea is that God save all humanity, all his creation that he formedfrom the dust of the earth (Gen.2:7).  We yearn for him once againto breathe the breath of his new life into us.

O Rising Dawn, Radiance of the Lighteternal and Sun of Justice: come and enlighten those who sit in darknessand in the shadow of death.

Isaiah 9:1: "The people who walked in darkness haveseen a great light. Upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom a light hasshone".Malachi 3:20: "For you who fear my name, therewill arise the sun of justice with its healing rays".

2 Peter 1:19: "Keep your attention closely fixedon it, as you would on a lamp shining in a dark place, until the firststreaks of dawn appear and the morning star rises in your heart".

This title is variously translated "morning star","Dayspring", "rising sun", "radiant dawn", "orient".  All beautifullyexpress the idea of light shattering the darkness of night, of sin anddeath, of sickness and despair, with its brightness bringing healing andwarmth to cold hearts.  Jesus is indeed the true light, the radianceof his Father's splendor. The church prays this petition daily inthe Benedictus, joining in the words of Zechariah: "He, the Dayspring,shall visit us in his mercy to shine on those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death"  (Luke 1:78-79).

O Key of David and Scepter of the House ofIsrael; you open and no man closes; you close and no man opens.  Come,and deliver from the chains of prison those who sit in darkness and inthe shadow of death.

Isaiah 22:22: "I will place the key of the Houseof David on his shoulder. When he opens, no one shall shut; when he shuts,no one shall open.

Revelation 3:7: "To the presiding spirit of thechurch in Philadelphia write this: 'The holy One, the true, who wieldsDavid's key, who opens and no one can close, who closes and  no onecan open'".

Isaiah 42:6-7: "I formed you, and set you as acovenant of the people, a light for the nations, to open the eyes of theblind, to bring out prisoners from confinement, and from the dungeon thosewho live in darkness".

The key and scepter are traditional symbols ofkingly power and authority. Christ, the anointed one, is the heir of Davidand possessor of the kingdom. Jesus himself also made use of this symbol,showing the propheticrelationship of the earthly kingdom of David to thekingdom of God.  All power and authority was given to him after theresurrection, and he entrusted this power to "bind and to loose" to Peterand the ministers of his church.

In the closing petition we look to Jesus to unlockthe fetters of sin that  keepus s tightly chained.  It is hewho frees us from our captivity.  We recall the deliverance proclaimedby the psalmist of old: "they dwelt in darkness and gloom, bondsmen inwant and in chains,...and he led them forth fromdarkness and gloom andbroke their bonds asunder" (Psalm 107: 10, 14).

O Root of Jesse, you stand as a sign for thepeoples; before you kings shall keep silence and to you all nations shallhave recourse.  Come, save us, and do not delay.

Isaiah 52:13, 15; 53:2: "See, my servant shallprosper...So shall he startle many nations, because of him kings shallstand speechless. ...He grew up like a sapling before him, like a shoot".

Isaiah prophesied a restoration of David's throne - a new branch budding out of the old root.  Christ is the root of Jesse in a two-fold sense: he is the descendant of David, who was the youngestson of Jesse, and he inherited the royal throne.  The angel foretoldto Mary, "The Lord God will give him the throne of David his father. He will rule over the house of Jacob forever and his reign will be withoutend" (Luke 1:32-33).

Our hearts more and more urgently cry out forGod's reign to extend over all humanity: "Come, save us, and do not delay".

O Adonai and Ruler of the House of Israel,you appeared to Moses in the fire of the burning bush and on Mount Sinaigave him your law.  Come, and with outstretched arm redeem us.

Exodus 3:2: "An angel of the Lord appeared tohim in fire flaming out of a bush.  As he looked on, he was surprisedto see that the bush, though on fire, was not consumed".

Exodus 6:6: "Therefore say to the Israelites: I am YWYH.  I will free you from the enforced labor of the Egyptiansand will deliver you from their slavery.  I will rescue you by my outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment".

"Adonai" is Hebrew for "my Lord", and was substituted by devout Jews for the name "YHWH", out of reverence.  With this second antiphon we progress from creation to the familiar story of God manifesting himself by name to Moses and giving his law to Israel as theirway of life.  We are also reminded of the Israelites' deliverancefrom bondage under pharaoh - a foreshadowing of our own redemption from sin.  The image of God's arm outstretched in power to save his chosen people also brings to mind the later scene of Jesus with his arms outstretchedfor us on the cross.

O Wisdom, you came forth from the mouth ofthe Most High and, reaching from beginning to end, you ordered all things mightily and sweetly.  Come, and teach us the way of prudence.

This antiphon, like all the others to follow, is based on a composite of Scripture texts.

Sirach 24:3:  "From the mouth of the MostHigh I came forth, and like mist covered the earth".

Wisdom 8:1: "She reaches from end to end mightilyand governs all things well".

Wisdom is here personified, present with God at the beginning of creation.  This is a prefigurement of Jesus, theeternal Word of God, the "logos" John described in the opening of his gospel. Wisdom is the foundation of fear of the Lord, of holiness, or right living:it is wisdom whom we bid to come and teach us prudence.  The cry "Come"will be repeated again and again, insistent and hope-filled.

Praising the Names of Jesus: 

The Antiphons of Advent

by Jeanne Kun

It is especially in the final week of Advent thatour attention is fixed on the messianic promises proclaimed by the ancientprophets of Israel.  A distinctive feature of the Liturgy of the Hoursin this week preceding the Christmas vigil is the antiphon sung at Vespers(evening prayer) before and after the recitation of the Magnificat. Originally incorporated into the monastic office in the Middle Ages, theseantiphons, often called the "Greater Antiphons" or the "O Antiphons", arealso echoed in the daily lectionary as the verse for the gospel acclamationduring this week.  They add a mood of eager expectation to the liturgythat builds throughout these seven days and climaxes at Christmas.

The O Antiphons have been described as "a uniquework of art and a special ornament of the pre-Christmas liturgy, filledwith the Spirit of the Word of God".  They "create a poetry that fillsthe liturgy with its splendor", and their composer shows "a magnificentcommand of the Bible's wealth of motifs".  The antiphons are, in fact,a collage of Old Testament types of Christ.  Their predominant themeis messianic,  stressing the hope of the Savior's coming.  Jesusis invoked by various titles, mainly taken from the prophet Isaiah. The sequence progresses historically, from the beginning, before creation,to the very gates of Bethlehem.

In their structure, each of the seven antiphonsfollows the same pattern, resembling a traditional liturgical prayer. Each O Antiphon begins with an invocation of the expected Messiah, followedby praise of him under one of his particular titles.  Each ends witha petition for God's people, relevant to the title by which he is addressed,and the cry for him to "Come".

The seven titles attributed to Jesus in the antiphonsare Wisdom (Sapientia in Latin), Ruler of the House of Israel (Adonai),Root of Jesse (Radix), Key of David (Clavis), Rising Dawn(Oriens), King of the Gentiles (Rex). and Emmanuel. In Latin the initials of the titles make an acrostic which, when read backwards.means: "Tomorrow I will be there" ("Ero cras").  To the medieval mindthis was clearly a reference to the approaching Christmas vigil.

Today the O Antiphons are most familiar to usin the hymn "O come, O come Emmanuel".  Each verse of the hymn parallelsone of the antiphons. In addition to their use in the Liturgy of the Hoursand the gospel acclamation, they have been popularly incorporated intochurch devotions and family prayer.  An Advent prayer service foruse at home, in school, or in the events of parish life can be built aroundthe singing or recitation of the antiphons, accompanied by the relatedScripture readings and prayers.  They can be prayed at family dinnertimes or with the lighting of the Advent wreath, with a short explanationof their biblical background.   The titles can also be depictedby simple symbols - for example, on banners and posters or in bulletin illustrations - to help us to reflect on these Advent themes. 

The Conception of the

Blessed Virgin Mary

The doctrine of the immaculate conception holds that Mary is the one fully human being preserved from original sin because she is the Mother of God. Grace intervened at the very instant in which her life began, preventing sin from touching her in any way, and so making her holy and immaculate from the moment of her conception. This made her worthy, and suggests that she was divinely chosen, to be the Mother of God. Christ preserved Mary from sin because she was his Mother; as Ambrose taught, ‘Christ chose this vessel into which he was about to descend, not of earth, but of heaven; and he consecrated it a temple of purity.’

There is little scriptural basis for this doctrine because scripture does not speak explicitly about Mary's conception, and theological opposition to the doctrine might be found in the claim, in Romans 5, that all humans have shared in original sin. Nevertheless, the doctrine was important in the East, as theologians such as John of Damascus made it central to the idea of Mary as Theotokos, or God-bearer. Devotion to Mary spread to the West and the immaculate conception was increasingly debated in the later Middle Ages; some theologians, notably Aquinas, opposed it on the grounds that through natural (human) conception, original sin is transmitted, and therefore Mary cannot be exempt from the law of original sin, but the Council of Basle (1439) declared it in accordance with the Catholic faith, reason, and scripture.

The doctrine was increasingly depicted in woodcuts, paintings, and sculpture from the fifteenth century onwards, and was very popular with seventeenth-century Spanish painters such as El Greco. One popular image was that of the tiny Mary, visible in her mother Anne's womb, with rays of divine grace descending from God onto her. Another, frequently depicted, was of Christ and Mary trampling the serpent: this became especially popular with seventeenth- and eighteenth-century artists, and a variation on that theme, with Christ plunging a pointed cross into the mouth of the serpent, was much propagated by Franciscans and Jesuits.

The Roman Catholic Church continued to cultivate the doctrine, not least through its various religious orders. In 1476 Sixtus IV approved the feast with its own Mass and Office, and in 1708 Clement XI extended it to the Universal Church and made it a feast day of obligation (December 8). In 1854, Pius IX declared that the doctrine ‘has been revealed by God and is therefore to be believed by all the faithful’. He thus exhibited the authority of the church's Magisterium, and that of himself as Pope, in interpreting divine revelation, in the case of a doctrine for which there was little evidence in the Scriptures, or even patristic evidence.

For the lack of Scriptural and Patristic evidence, Old Catholics have maintained belief in the Immaculate Conception of the BVM to be a matter of personal opinion.  Pope Sixtus IV whilst approving a Mass for the feast of the Conception ruled out any pronouncement of doctrine, desiring not to make of devout Catholics heretics for not believing something not revealed in Scripture or Tradition.  Some Old Catholics observe the Feast as of the Immaculate Conception, others observe it under the more ancient title of the Feast of the Conception.

St Andrew APOSTLE & MARTYR

After Christ's resurrection and the descent of the Holy Ghost, St. Andrew preached the gospel in Scythia, as Origen testifies. Sophronius, who wrote soon after St. Jerome and translated his catalogue of illustrious men and some other works into Greek, adds Sogdiana and Colchis. The odoret tells us that he passed into Greece; St. Gregory Nazianzen mentions particularly Epirus and St. Jerome, Achaia. St. Paulinus says this divine fisherman, preaching at Argos, put all the philosophers there to silence. St. Philastrius tells us, that he came out of Pontus into Greece, and that in his time people at Sinope were persuaded that they had his true picture, and the pulpit in which he had preached in that city.

The Muscovites have long gloried that St. Andrew carried the gospel into their country as far as the mouth of the Borysthenes, and to the mountains where the city of Kiou now stands, and to the frontiers of Poland. If the ancients mean European Scythia, when they speak of the theatre of his labours, this authority is favourable to the pretensions of the Muscovites. The Greeks understand it of Scythia, beyond Sebastopolis in Colchis, and perhaps also of the European; for they say he planted the faith in Thrace, and particularly at Byzantium, afterwards called Constantinople. But of this we meet with no traces in antiquity.

Several Calendars commemorate the feast of the chair of St. Andrew at Patrae, in Achaia It is agreed that he laid down his life there for Christ. St. Paulinus says, that having taken many people in the nets of Christ he confirmed the faith which he had preached by his blood at Patrae. St. Sophronius, St. Gaudentius, and St. Austin assure us that he was crucified; St. Peter Chrysologus says, on a tree; Pseudo-Hippolytus adds, on an olive-tree. In the hymn of Pope Damasus it is barely mentioned that he was crucified.  When the apostle saw his cross at a distance, he is said to have cried out, "Hail, precious cross, that hast been consecrated by the body of my Lord, and adorned with his limbs as with rich jewels. I come to thee exulting and glad: receive me with joy into thy arms. O good cross, that hast received beauty from our Lord's limbs; I have ardently loved thee; long have I desired and sought thee: now thou art found by me, and art made ready for my longing soul; receive me into thy arms, taking me from among men, and present me to my master; that he who redeemed me on thee, may receive me by thee."

The body of St. Andrew was translated from Patrae to Constantinople in357, together with those of St. Luke and St. Timothy, and deposited in the Church of the Apostles, which Constantine the Great had built a little before. St. Paulinus and St. Jerome mention miracles wrought on that occasion. The churches of Milan, Nola, Brescia, and some other places, were at the same time enriched with small portions of these relics, as we are informed by St. Ambrose, St. Gaudentius, St.Paulinus, &c.

It is the common opinion that the cross of St. Andrew was in the formof the letter X, styled a cross decussate, composed of two pieces of timber crossing each other obliquely in the middle. That such crosses were sometimes used is certain; yet no clear proofs are produced as to the form of St. Andrew's cross. It is mentioned in the records of the duchy of Burgundy, that the cross of St. Andrew was brought out of Achaia and placed in the nunnery of  Weaune, near Marseilles. It was thence removed into the abbey of St. Victor, in Marseilles, before the year 1250, and is still shown there. A part thereof, enclosed in a silver case gilt, was carried to Brussels by Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy and Brabant, who, in honour of it, instituted the Knights of the Golden Fleece, who for the badge of their Order, wear a figure of this cross, called St. Andrew's cross, or the cross of Burgundy.

The Scots honour St. Andrew as principal patron of their country, and their historians tell us that a certain abbot, called Regulus, brought thither from Patrae in 369, or rather from Constantinople some years later, certain relics of this apostle, which he deposited in a church which he built in his honour with a monastery called Abernethy, where now the city of St. Andrews stands. Usher proves that many pilgrims resorted to this church from foreign countries, and that the Scottish monks of that place were the first who were called Culdees.[3] Hungus, King of the Picts, soon after the year 800, in thanksgiving for a great victory which he had gained over the Northumbrians, gave to this church the tenth part of all the land of his dominions. Kenneth II, King of the Scots, having overcome the Picts, and entirely extinguished their kingdom in North Britain, in 845, repaired and richly endowed the Church of St. Regulus, or Rueil, in which the arm of St. Andrew was reverently kept. The Muscovites say he preached the faith among them,and honour him as the principal titular saint of their empire. Peter the Great instituted under his name the first and most noble order of knighthood, or of the blue ribbon; leaving the project of a secondOrder of St. Alexander Newski, or of the red ribbon, to be carried into execution by his widow.

Legends of St. Andrew

What is the meaning of Advent, and what do we understand by the term?

The word Advent signifies coming, and by it is understood the visible coming of the Son of God into this world, at two different times.

It was when the Son of God, conceived of the Holy Ghost in the womb of the immaculate Virgin Mary, was born, according to the flesh, in the fullness of time, and sanctified the world by His coming, for which the patriarchs and prophets had so longed (Gen. 49:10; Is. G4:1; Lk. 10:24).

Since Christ had not yet come, how could the Just of the Old Law be saved?

Immediately after their sin, God revealed to our first parents that His only-begotten Son would become man and redeem the world (Gen. 3:15). In the hope of this Redeemer and through His merits, all in the old covenant who participated in His merits by innocence or by penance, and who died in the grace of God, were saved, although they were excluded from heaven until the Ascension of Christ.

When will the second coming of Christ take place?

At the end of the world when Christ will come, with great power and majesty, to judge both the living and the dead.

What is Advent, and why has the Church instituted it?

Advent is that solemn time, immediately preceding Christmas, instituted by the Church in order that we should, in the first place, meditate on the Incarnation of Christ, the love, patience and humility which He has shown us, and prove our gratitude to Him, because He came from the bosom of His heavenly Father into this valley of tears, to redeem us; secondly, that we may prepare ourselves by sincere repentance, fasting, prayer, alms-deeds, and other works pleasing to God, for the coming of Christ and His birth in our hearts, and thus participate in the graces which He has obtained for us; finally, that He may be merciful to us, when He shall come again as judge of the world. "Watch ye, for ye know not at what hour your Lord will come" (Mt. 5:42). "Wherefore be you also ready; because at what hour you know not, the Son of man will come" (Mt. 24:44).

How was Advent formerly observed?

Very differently from now. It then commenced with the Feast of St. Martin, and was observed by the faithful like the Forty Days' Fast, with strict penance and devotional exercises, as even now most of the religious communities do to the present day. The Church has forbidden all turbulent amusements, weddings, dancing and concerts, during Advent. Pope Sylverius ordered that those who seldom receive Holy Communion should, at least, do so on every Sunday in Advent.

How should this solemn time be spent by Christians?

They should recall, during these four weeks, the four thousand years in which the just under the Old Law expected and desired the promised Redeemer, think of those days of darkness in which nearly all nations were blinded by saran and drawn into the most horrible crimes, then consider their own sins and evil deeds and purify their souls from them by a worthy reception of the Sacraments, so that our Lord may come with His grace to dwell in their hearts and be merciful to them in life and in death.

Further, to awaken in the faithful the feelings of repentance so necessary for the reception of the Savior in their hearts, the Church orders that besides the observance of certain fast days, the altar shall be draped in violet, that Mass shall be celebrated in violet vestments, that the organ shall be silent and no Gloria sung. Unjust to themselves, disobedient to the Church and ungrateful, indeed, to God are those Christians who spend this solemn time of grace in sinful amusements without performing any good works, with no longing for Christ's Advent into their hearts.

What are Rorate High Masses, and why are they celebrated?

They are the solemn high Masses celebrated in some countries in commemoration of the tidings brought to the Blessed Virgin by the Archangel Gabriel, announcing to her that she was to become the Mother of God; they derive their name from the words of the Introit in the Votive Mass, Rorate coeli desuper. They are celebrated very early in the morning because the Blessed Virgin preceded our Lord, as the aurora precedes the rising sun.

O God, who by Thy gracious Advent hast brought joy into this world,

grant us, we beseech Thee, Thy grace to prepare ourselves

by sincere penance for its celebration and for the Last Judgment. Amen.