A Catholic Life Podcast: Episode 114

In today’s episode for the A Catholic Life Podcast I cover how Catholics can and should observe Memorial Day

1. The Catholic Way to Observe Memorial Day
2. Memorial Day Prayer for Catholics
3. Rogation Day Abstinence and Ascension Holy Day Reminder

This episode is sponsored by PrayLatin.com. PrayLatin.com offers Latin prayer cards to learn and share prayers in the sacred language. Learn your basic prayers in Latin conveniently on the go. Practice your pronunciation with easy-to-follow English phonetic renderings of Latin words. PrayLatin.com offers prayer cards in various formats, including Latin-English rosary pamphlets with the traditional 15 mysteries. Shop for additional Latin resources like missal booklets, server response cards, and more. Visit PrayLatin.com today.

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Honoring Memorial Day the Traditional Catholic Way

The True Meaning of Memorial Day

First, it’s essential to understand what Memorial Day is actually about. It’s not just the unofficial start of summer, or a day for barbecues and mattress sales. Memorial Day is a solemn national day of remembrance for those who have died in military service to our country.

As Catholics, we’re especially equipped to understand the weight of sacrifice. After all, our faith is centered on the Cross—the ultimate act of self-sacrifice. So we can and should pause to reflect on the meaning of giving one’s life in service to others. As Our Lord Himself said, "Greater love than this no man hath, that a man lay down his life for his friends." (John 15:13)

But here’s where the Catholic lens deepens the meaning: we’re not just grateful in a vague patriotic way—we also see it as our duty to pray for the souls of the fallen.

The Spiritual Duty: Praying for the Dead

In the traditional Catholic worldview, remembering the dead isn’t just about memory—it’s about intercession.

Whether a soldier died in the 1860s or in the 2000s, their soul may still be in Purgatory. And if that’s the case, they need our prayers. Offering up our prayers, sacrifices, and Masses for them is one of the greatest works of mercy we can do.

So on Memorial Day, don’t just wave a flag—kneel down and pray.

Some suggestions:

• Pray the Rosary for the repose of the souls of all deceased veterans. The Sorrowful Mysteries are particularly appropriate.
• Offer a decade for unknown soldiers, those with no one to pray for them.
• Pray the traditional Requiem prayers such as: Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace. Amen.

If you can attend the Traditional Latin Mass, do so—and offer it for the souls of the fallen. You might even request a Requiem Mass from your priest, if it’s liturgically permissible.

The Church’s Teaching on Just War

As Catholics, we honor those who served—but we also recognize that war is not inherently noble. The Church has always taught that war is a last resort, and only just under certain strict conditions.

The Just War doctrine, developed by St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas, reminds us that not all wars are equal in morality. But even in unjust wars, soldiers may have acted in good faith—and still deserve our prayers.

It’s important to honor the individual sacrifice without glorifying warfare itself. In fact, Memorial Day can be a day not only to pray for the fallen, but to pray for peace. True peace, rooted in justice and charity—not mere political stability.

You might consider adding to your prayers: O God, who bringest wars to naught and shieldest by Thy power all who hope in Thee, overthrowing those who assail us; help Thy servants who implore Thy mercy; so that the fierce might of their enemies may be brought low, and we may never cease to praise and thank Thee. (From the Roman Missal)

Traditional Practices: Visiting Cemeteries

Another very Catholic way to observe Memorial Day is by visiting Catholic cemeteries, particularly those where veterans are buried.

This is in perfect harmony with the Church’s longstanding tradition of cemetery visits, especially during the month of November and on All Souls’ Day.

On Memorial Day, make it a point to:

• Visit the grave of a loved one who served.
• If none are nearby, choose a grave of a soldier and pray for him by name.
• Sprinkle holy water on the grave.
• Say the De Profundis (Psalm 129 in the Vulgate) or pray a Chaplet for the Dead.

These acts, while simple, are deeply traditional and spiritually fruitful.

Sanctifying the Civic Calendar

While the liturgical year governs the spiritual life of the Church, we also live in civil society. That means the civic calendar has an impact on our daily lives.

There’s no conflict, necessarily, between being a faithful Catholic and a patriotic citizen—as long as God and Church come first.

So yes, fly the flag. Be thankful for the freedoms we still enjoy, and those who preserved them. But sanctify the day through Catholic action:

• Begin the day with prayer.
• Attend Mass if possible.
• Pray for the dead.
• Teach your children the meaning of sacrifice and intercession.
• Share stories of faithful Catholic soldiers or chaplains, like Fr. Emil Kapaun, a Medal of Honor recipient and Servant of God who died ministering to fellow prisoners of war in Korea.

Avoiding the Trap of Secularization

A quick word of caution. It’s easy to let Memorial Day slide into mere sentimental patriotism—or worse, distraction and gluttony.

While it’s not wrong to enjoy a family barbecue or a day off, we should never forget why we have the day off. Memorial Day is about death and sacrifice. That doesn’t mean we must mourn—but it does mean we must remember.

In the words of Pope Pius XII: "The Lord has loved us unto death. And it is not right that we should love Him only in our spare time."

So yes, spend time with family—but lead them in prayer first. Teach them why we honor this day. And give the fallen what they need most: prayers for their souls.

An Eternal Perspective

Ultimately, Memorial Day invites us to think beyond this life.

Our prayers remind us that this life is passing—that death awaits us all—and that only what we do for Christ will last.

The fallen soldiers we honor are not gone forever, nor are they statistics. They are souls—immortal souls—many of whom made an act of sacrificial love.

Our job is to remember them not with mere nostalgia, but with Catholic action. And to prepare for our own death with the same seriousness, praying that we, too, might die in a state of grace, having lived a life of service to God and neighbor.

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St. Titus

 

Double (1954 Calendar): February 6

Memorial of Sts. Timothy and Titus (1969 Calendar): January 26

St. Titus was a fellow companion of St. Paul on apostolic missions. He was a convert from paganism and later served the Church as Bishop of Crete. It proved to be a difficult responsibility because of the inhabitants and spread of erroneous doctrines on the island of Crete. St. Paul's writings tell us that St. Titus rejoiced in the good in others and drew the hearts of men by his affectionate sympathy. At the age of 94, St. Titus died of natural causes. He lived in the state of virginity his entire life.

Dom Gueranger writes of St. Titus:

We are to celebrate, to-day, the Feast of a holy Bishop of the Apostolic Age—a Disciple of the Apostle St. Paul. Little is known of his life; but, by addressing to him one of his inspired Epistles, the Apostle of the Gentiles has immortalised his memory. Wheresoever the Faith of Christ has been or shall be preached, Titus’ name has been venerated by the Faithful; and as long as the world lasts, the holy Church will read to her children this Epistle, which was written, indeed, to a simple Bishop of the Isle of Crete, but was dictated by the Holy Ghost, and therefore destined to be a part of those Sacred Scriptures, which contain the Word of God. The counsels and directions given in this admirable Letter, were the rule of the holy Bishop, for whom St. Paul entertained a very strong affection. St. Titus had the honour of establishing the Christian Religion in that famous Island, which was one of the strongholds of Paganism. He survived his master, who was put to death by Nero. Like St. John, he sweetly slept in Christ at a very advanced age, respected and loved by the Church he had founded. As we have already observed, his life left but few traces behind it; but these few are sufficient to prove him to have been one of those wonderful men whom God chose as the directors of His infant Church.

Traditional Matins Reading:

Titus, Bishop of Crete, was initiated into the mysteries of the Christian faith by Paul the Apostle; and being prepared by the sacraments, he shed so bright a light of sanctity on the infant Church, that he merited to be chosen as one of the Disciples of the Doctor of the Gentiles. Being called to bear the burden of preaching the Gospel, so ardent and persevering was he in the discharge of that duty, that he endeared himself to St. Paul so much, as to make the Apostle say in one of his Epistles, that being come to Troas, to preach the faith in that city, he found no rest for his heart, because he found not there his brother Titus. And having, a short time after this, gone to Macedonia, he thus expresses his affection for his disciple in these terms: But God who comforteth the humble, comforted us by the coming of Titus.

Being sent to Corinth by the Apostle, he acquitted himself in this mission (which mainly consisted in collecting the alms given by the piety of the faithful towards alleviating the distress of the Hebrew Church) with so much prudence and patience, that he not only confirmed the Corinthians in the faith of Christ, but made them so desirous of a visit from Paul, who had been their first teacher in the faith, that they shed tears of long affection. After having undertaken several journeys, both by sea and land, in order to sow the seed of the divine word among people of various tongues and countries; and after having supported, with great firmness of soul, countless anxieties and fatigues, in order to plant the standard of the Cross;— he landed at the island of Crete in company with his master St. Paul. The Apostle made him Bishop of the Church which he had founded in that island; and it is not to be doubted but that Titus so discharged his duty as that he became a model to the Faithful, according to the advice given to him by his master, in good works, in doctrine, in integrity, in gravity.

Thus did he become a shining light, pouring forth the rays of Christian faith on them that were sitting in the darkness of idolatry and lies, as in the shadow of death. Tradition tells us that he passed into Dalmatia, where he laboured with extraordinary zeal to enlist that people under the banner of the Cross. At length, full of days and merit, in the ninety-fourth year of his age, he slept in the Lord the death of the just, on the vigil of the nones of January (January 4), and was buried in the Church in which the Apostle had appointed him Minister of the word. St. John Chrysostom and St. Jerome pass great eulogium upon this holy Bishop, and his name is inscribed in the Roman Martyrology on the day above mentioned; but the sovereign Pontiff Pius the Ninth ordered his Feast to be kept by the Universal Church.

Today is also the Commemoration of St. Dorothy. 

Prayer:

O God, Who didst adorn blessed Titus, Thy Confessor and Bishop, with apostolic virtues: grant by his merits and intercession that a life of duty and justice here below may win for us our heavenly home. Through our Lord.

Prayer Source: 1962 Roman Catholic Daily Missal

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Feast of the Translation of the Relics of St. Dominic

May 24th is in the Dominican Order the "Translation of our Holy Father St. Dominic." This feast is in some places of the Order greater in solemnity than St. Dominic's feast day on August 4th. Today recalls the translation of St. Dominic's relics 12 years after his death.

Breviarium SOP summarizes:

Today, in the 1962 Dominican Rite Calendar, we celebrate the feast of the Translation of the Relics of Our Holy Father St. Dominic.  Since today is the Vigil of the Ascension, only a commemoration of the feast is at Lauds.  This is one of the three (3) traditional feast days in the Dominican calendar that were dedicated to our holy Father St. Dominic.  The other two being his feast day (August 4) and the miraculous appearance of a painting attributed to him at the Convent of San Domenico in Soriano Calabria in 1530 (feast day September 15 in the 1909 calendar, and September 25 in later calendars).

From the Martyrology:

At Bologna, the transferal of the body of our Father St. Dominic. At the time of Pope Gregory IX his sacred body was transferred to a worthier place. In addition to the other miracles which occurred, his body gave forth an aroma of such great fragrance that all who were present were filled with a wonderful joy. Thus did God beautifully indicate how pleasing to Him was the excelling sanctity of His apostle.

The account of St. Dominic's translation from the Dominican Nuns at the Monastery of the Infant Jesus in Lufkin, TX:

St. Dominic died on August 6, 1221. For some reason (his successor as Master of the Order of Preachers, Blessed Jordan of Saxony, refers gently to the "brothers whose simplicity outweighed their prudence") he was simply buried in the church of St. Nicholas of the Vineyards in Bologna, Italy and more or less forgotten by the brethren, who were apparently too busy carrying on Dominic's work to think of Dominic himself! Some, as Blessed Jordan points out, disagreed with this policy, but they "offered no opposition because they were fainthearted." It doesn't speak well for the first followers of St. Dominic! Finally, twelve years after Dominic's death, Pope Gregory IX encouraged the brethren to move his body to a more suitable tomb. The brethren had misgivings about this, fearing that Dominic's body--which "had lain in a mean tomb exposed to the elements"--would be found decomposed. However, their fears were foolish. When the tomb was opened "a wonderful odor poured out from the opening and its fragrance caused astonishment among those present. Everyone shed tears and feelings of joy, of fear and of hope rose in all hearts." The body was taken to its new  tomb (or "translated", hence the name of today's memorial). Blessed Jordan writes, "This marvelous aroma, which the holy body breathed forth, was evidence to everyone how much the saint had truly been the aroma of Christ." This day, May 24, 1233, was the beginning of the canonization process of Dominic and it was completed on July 3, 1234, when he officially became St. Dominic. Since 1267 St. Dominic's remains have resided in this tomb in Bologna.

Collect:

O God, you were pleased to enlighten your church with the merits and teaching of the blessed Dominic, your confessor and our father; grant, at his intercession, that she may not be wanting in temporal help, and may always increase in spiritual growth. Through our Lord...

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Easter Monday & Easter Tuesday as Holy Days of Obligation

When writing about the rank of days in the Catholic Liturgical calendar, there are various ways to label them. In the modern Church, they will use the terms solemnity, feast, memorial, or optional memorial. In the 1962 Missal, we have First, Second, Third, or Fourth Class feastdays. But before the 1962 Missal up until the changes made by Pope Pius XII in 1955, there were from least to most important: Simples, Semidoubles, Lesser Doubles or also known as Doubles, Greater Doubles, Doubles of the second class, and lastly Doubles of the first class.   Using the traditional pre-1955 calendar, we notice something very interesting about Easter Monday and Easter Tuesday. Easter Monday and Tuesday are doubles of the first class whereas the rest of the Easter Octave is a semi-double.  Even with the variation in rank, the Easter Octave is privileged and no other feastday may occur in the Octave.    But what's unique about Easter Monday and Easter Tuesday is that no other saints are commemorated those days in the Mass or the Divine Office.
Why the special treatment for Easter Monday and Easter Tuesday? It is because they were universal holy days of obligation for a very long time. Easter Tuesday was not dropped from the list until 1771 by Pope Clement XIV; Easter Monday was dropped from the universal list at the beginning of the 20th century but is still a Holy Day of Obligation in many places to this very day. In Catholic European countries, it is still common to have Easter Monday off as a paid holiday.

The unequaled Dom Gueranger, in his seminal work, The Liturgical Year, writes:

So fervently did the faithful of those times appreciate and love the Liturgy, so lively was the interest they took in the newly made children of holy mother Church, that they joyfully went through the whole of the services of this week. Their hearts were filled with the joy of the Resurrection, and they thought it but right to devote their whole time to its celebration. Councils laid down canons, changing the pious custom into a formal law. The Council of Mâcon, in 585, thus words its decree: ‘It behoves us all fervently to celebrate the feast of the Pasch, in which our great High Priest was slain for our sins, and to honour it by carefully observing all it pre-scribes. Let no one, therefore, do any servile work during these six days (which followed the Sunday), but let all come together to sing the Easter hymns, and assist at the daily Sacrifice, and praise our Creator and Redeemer in the evening, morning, and mid-day.’ 

The Councils of Mayence (813) and Meaux (845) lay down similar rules. We find the same prescribed in Spain, in the seventh century, by the edicts of kings Receswind and Wamba. The Greek Church renewed them in her Council in Trullo; Charlemagne, Louis the Good, Charles the Bald, sanctioned them in their Capitularia; and the canonists of the eleventh and twelfth centuries, Burchard, St Ivo of Chartres, Gratian, tell us they were in force in their time. Finally, Pope Gregory IX inserted them in one of his decretals in the thirteenth century. But their observance had then fallen into desuetude, at least in many places. The Council held at Constance, in 1094, reduced the solemnity of Easter to the Monday and Tuesday. 

The two great liturgists, John Beleth in the twelfth, and Durandus in the thirteenth century, inform us that, in their times, this was the practice in France. It gradually became the discipline of the whole of the western Church, and continued to be so, until relaxation crept still further on, and a dispensation was obtained by some countries, first for the Tuesday, and finally for the Monday. In order fully to understand the Liturgy of the whole Easter Octave (Low Sunday included), we must remember that the neophytes were formerly present, vested in their white garments, at the Mass and Divine Office of each day. Allusions to their Baptism are continually being made in the chants and Lessons of the entire week.

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Holy Tuesday Traditional Mass Propers

You may download a PDF of the Holy Monday, Holy Tuesday, and Spy Wednesday Mass propers in the pre-1955 rubrics by clicking here. Today's stational church is at St. Prisca.

Vestments: Violet

INTROIT (Gal. 6:14)

But it is fitting that we should glory in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, in whom is salvation, life, and resurrection for us, by whom we are saved and delivered. Ps. 66:2. May God have mercy on us and bless us; may He let his face shine upon us; and may He have mercy on us. But it is fitting . . .

COLLECT

Almighty and Eternal God, grant that we may celebrate the sacred rites of our Lord's passion in such a manner that we may be worthy of Your pardon. Through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord . . .

LESSON (Jer. 11:18-20)

In those days, Jeremiah said, "But thou, O Lord, hast shewn me, and I have known: then thou shewedst me their doings. And I was as a meek lamb, that is carried to be a victim: and I knew not that they had devised counsels against me, saying: 'Let us put wood on his bread, and cut him off from the land of the living, and let his name be remembered no more.' But thou, O Lord of Sabaoth, who judgest justly, and triest the reins and the hearts, let me see thy revenge on them: for to thee have I revealed my cause."

GRADUAL (Ps. 34:13, 1-2)

But I, when they were afflicting me, clothed myself in sackcloth, humbled myself with fastings, and prayed with head bent low. V. Fight, O Lord, against those who fight me, war upon me. Tale Your sword and shield, and rise up to help me.

GOSPEL (Mark 14:1-72; 15:1-46)

In the Pre-1955 rubrics, the Passion starts with the 1st verse of the 14th chapter of the Gospel according to St. Mark. Starting with the Missal in 1955, and preserved in the 1962 Missal, is the omission of the first 31 verses:

Now the feast of the pasch, and of the Azymes was after two days; and the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might by some wile lay hold on him, and kill him. But they said: Not on the festival day, lest there should be a tumult among the people. And when he was in Bethania, in the house of Simon the leper, and was at meat, there came a woman having an alabaster box of ointment of precious spikenard: and breaking the alabaster box, she poured it out upon his head. Now there were some that had indignation within themselves, and said: Why was this waste of the ointment made? For this ointment might have been sold for more than three hundred pence, and given to the poor. And they murmured against her

But Jesus said: Let her alone, why do you molest her? She hath wrought a good work upon me. For the poor you have always with you: and whensoever you will, you may do them good: but me you have not always. She hath done what she could: she is come beforehand to anoint My body for burial. Amen, I say to you, wheresoever this gospel shall be preached in the whole world, that also which she hath done, shall be told for a memorial of her. And Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, went to the chief priests, to betray him to them.

Who hearing it were glad; and they promised him they would give him money. And he sought how he might conveniently betray him. Now on the first day of the unleavened bread, when they sacrificed the pasch, the disciples say to him: Whither wilt thou that we go, and prepare for thee to eat the pasch? And he sendeth two of his disciples, and saith to them: Go ye into the city; and there shall meet you a man carrying a pitcher of water, follow him; And whithersoever he shall go in, say to the master of the house, The master saith, Where is my refectory, where I may eat the pasch with my disciples? And he will shew you a large dining room furnished; and there prepare ye for us.

And his disciples went their way, and came into the city; and they found as he had told them, and they prepared the pasch. And when evening was come, he cometh with the twelve. And when they were at table and eating, Jesus saith: Amen I say to you, one of you that eateth with me shall betray me. But they began to be sorrowful, and to say to him one by one: Is it I? Who saith to them: One of the twelve, who dippeth with me his hand in the dish.

And the Son of man indeed goeth, as it is written of him: but woe to that man by whom the Son of man shall be betrayed. It were better for him, if that man had not been born. And whilst they were eating, Jesus took bread; and blessing, broke, and gave to them, and said: Take ye. This is my body. And having taken the chalice, giving thanks, he gave it to them. And they all drank of it. And he said to them: This is my blood of the new testament, which shall be shed for many. Amen I say to you, that I will drink no more of the fruit of the vine, until that day when I shall drink it new in the kingdom of God.

And when they had said an hymn, they went forth to the mount of Olives. And Jesus saith to them: You will all be scandalized in my regard this night; for it is written, I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep shall be dispersed. But after I shall be risen again, I will go before you into Galilee. But Peter saith to him: Although all shall be scandalized in thee, yet not I. And Jesus saith to him: Amen I say to thee, today, even in this night, before the cock crow twice, thou shall deny me thrice. But he spoke the more vehemently: Although I should die together with thee, I will not deny thee. And in like manner also said they all.

Continuing with verse 32:

At that time, they came to a farm called Gethsemani. And Jesus saith to his disciples: "Sit you here, while I pray." And he taketh Peter and James and John with him: and he began to fear and to be heavy. And he saith to them: "My soul is sorrowful even unto death. Stay you here and watch." And when he was gone forward a little, he fell flat on the ground: and he prayed that, if it might be, the hour might pass from him. And he saith: "Abba, Father, all things are possible to thee: remove this chalice from me; but not what I will, but what thou wilt."

And he cometh and findeth them sleeping. And he saith to Peter:"Simon, sleepest thou? Couldst thou not watch one hour? Watch ye: and pray that you enter not into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." And going away again, he prayed, saying the same words. And when he returned, he found them again asleep (for their eyes were heavy): and they knew not what to answer him. And he cometh the third time and saith to them: "Sleep ye now and take your rest. It is enough. The hour is come: behold the Son of man shall be betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise up: let us go. Behold, he that will betray me is at hand."

And while he was yet speaking, cometh Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve: and with him a great multitude with swords and staves, from the chief priests and the scribes and the ancients. And he that betrayed him had given them a sign, saying: "Whomsoever I shall kiss, that is he. Lay hold on him: and lead him away carefully." And when he was come, immediately going up to him he saith: "Hail, Rabbi!" And he kissed him. But they laid hands on him and held him. And one of them that stood by, drawing a sword, struck a servant of the chief priest and cut off his ear. And Jesus answering, said to them: "Are you come out as to a robber, with swords and staves to apprehend me? I was daily with you in the temple teaching: and you did not lay hands on me. But that the scriptures may be fulfilled."Then his disciples, leaving him, all fled away. And a certain young man followed him, having a linen cloth cast about his naked body. And they laid hold on him. But he, casting off the linen cloth, fled from them naked.

And they brought Jesus to the high priest. And all the priests and the scribes and the ancients assembled together. And Peter followed him afar off, even into the court of the high priest. And he sat with the servants at the fire and warmed himself. And the chief priests and all the council sought for evidence against Jesus, that they might put him to death: and found none. For many bore false witness against him: and their evidences were not agreeing. And some rising up, bore false witness against him, saying: "We heard him say, I Will destroy this temple made with hands and within three days I will build another not made with hands." And their witness did not agree. And the high priest rising up in the midst, asked Jesus, saying: "Answerest thou nothing to the things that are laid to thy charge by these men?" But he held his peace and answered nothing. Again the high priest asked him and said to him: "Art thou the Christ, the Son of the Blessed God?" And Jesus said to him: "I am.

And you shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of the power of God and coming with the clouds of heaven." Then the high priest rending his garments, saith: "What need we any further witnesses? You have heard the blasphemy. What think you?" Who all condemned him to be guilty of death. And some began to spit on him and to cover his face and to buffet him and to say unto him: "Prophesy." And the servants struck him with the palms their hands.

Now when Peter was in the court below, there cometh one of the maidservants of the high priest. And when she had seen Peter warming himself looking on him, she saith: "Thou also wast with Jesus of Nazareth." But he denied, saying: "I neither know nor understand what thou sayest." And he went forth before the court; and the cock crew. And again a maidservant seeing him, began to say to the standers by: "This is one of them." But he denied again. And after a, while they that stood by said again to Peter: "Surely thou art one of them; for thou art also a Galilean." But he began to curse and to swear, saying: "I know not this man of whom you speak." And immediately the cock crew again. And Peter remembered the word that Jesus had said unto him: "Before the cock crow twice, thou shalt thrice deny me." And he began to weep.

And straightway in the morning, the chief priests holding a consultation with the ancients and the scribes and the whole council, binding Jesus, led him away and delivered him to Pilate. And Pilate asked him: "Art thou the king of the Jews?" But he answering, saith to him: "Thou sayest it." And the chief priests accused him in many things. And Pilate again asked him, saying: "Answerest thou nothing? Behold in how many things they accuse thee." But Jesus still answered nothing: so that Pilate wondered.

Now on the festival day he was wont to release unto them one of the prisoners, whomsoever they demanded. And there was one called Barabbas, who was put in prison with some seditious men, who in the sedition had committed murder. And when the multitude was come up, they began to desire that he would do as he had ever done unto them. And Pilate answered them and said: "Will you that I release to you the king of the Jews?" For he knew that the chief priests had delivered him up out of envy. But the chief priests moved the people, that he should rather release Barabbas to them. And Pilate again answering, saith to them: "What will you then that I do to the king of the Jews?" But they again cried out: "Crucify him." And Pilate saith to them: "Why, what evil hath he done?" But they cried out the more: "Crucify him."

And so Pilate being willing to satisfy the people, released to them Barabbas: and delivered up Jesus, when he had scourged him, to be crucified. And the soldiers led him away into the court of the palace: and they called together the whole band. And they clothed him with purple: and, platting a crown of thorns, they put it upon him. And they began to salute him: "Hail, king of the Jews." And they struck his head with a reed: and they did spit on him. And bowing their knees, they adored him. And after they had mocked him, they took off the purple from him and put his own garments on him: and they led him out to crucify him. And they forced one Simon a Cyrenian, who passed by coming out of the country, the father of Alexander and of Rufus, to take up his cross. And they bring him into the place called Golgotha, which being interpreted is, The place of Calvary.

And they gave him to drink wine mingled with myrrh. But he took it not. And crucifying him, they divided his garments, casting lots upon them, what every man should take. And it was the third hour: and they crucified him. And the inscription of his cause was written over: "THE KING OF THE JEWS." And with him they crucify two thieves: the one on his right hand, and the other on his left. And the scripture was fulfilled, which saith: "And with the wicked he was reputed." And they that passed by blasphemed him, wagging their heads and saying: "Vah, thou that destroyest the temple of God and in three days buildest it up again: Save thyself, coming down from the cross." In like manner also the chief priests, mocking, said with the scribes one to another: "He saved others; himself he cannot save. Let Christ the king of Israel come down now from the cross, that we may see and believe." And they that were crucified with him, reviled him.

And when the sixth hour was come, there was darkness over the whole earth until the ninth hour. And at the ninth hour, Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying: "Eloi, Eloi, lamma sabacthani?" Which is, being interpreted: "My God, My God, Why hast thou forsaken me?"And some of the standers by hearing, said: "Behold he calleth Elias." And one running and filling a sponge with vinegar and putting it upon a reed, gave him to drink, saying: "Stay, let us see if Elias come to take him down." And Jesus, having cried out with a loud voice, gave up the ghost. [Here pause and kneel]

And the veil of the temple was rent in two, from the top to the bottom. And the centurion who stood over against him, seeing that crying out in this manner he had given up the ghost. said: "Indeed this man was the son of God." And there were also women looking on afar off: among whom was Mary Magdalen and Mary the mother of James the Less and of Joseph and Salome,

Who also when he was in Galilee followed him and ministered to him, and many other women that came up with him to Jerusalem.

And when evening was now come (because it was the Parasceve, that is, the day before the sabbath), Joseph of Arimathea, a noble counsellor, who was also himself looking for the kingdom of God, came and went in boldly to Pilate and begged the body of Jesus. But Pilate wondered that he should be already dead. And sending for the centurion, he asked him if he were already dead.

And when he had understood it by the centurion, he gave the body to Joseph. And Joseph, buying fine linen and taking him down, wrapped him up in the fine linen and laid him in a sepulchre which was hewed out of a rock. And he rolled a stone to the door of the sepulchre.

OFFERTORY ANTIPHON (Ps. 139:5)

Save me, O Lord, from the hands of the wicked; preserve me from the unjust.

SECRET 

O Lord, may this Sacrifice revive us more quickly because of our salutary fast which we offer with it. Through Our Lord . . .

COMMUNION ANTIPHON (Ps. 68:13-14)

They who sit at the gate were working against me, and the wine-bibbers made me the butt of their songs. But I, O Lord, do pray to You; in Your good time, O God, show me Your great mercy.

POSTCOMMUNION 

Almighty God, let Your sanctifying grace cure our inclination to evil and provide us with a never-failing remedy. Through Our Lord . . .

PRAYER OVER THE PEOPLE

O God, by Your mercy prevent us from falling into the habits of our old selves and make us increase in new holiness. Through Our Lord . . .

Read more >>

How to Live a Liturgical Life

Part 1: The Sacredness of Time

Under the Old Law that we study in the Old Testament, God’s people observed annual ceremonies commemorating important events in salvation history which prefigured the completion of the Old Law through Christ. Similarly, Holy Church commemorates important mysteries, events, and persons, using an annual cycle of prayers, scriptures, hymns, and various spiritual disciplines. In the same way, each of the 12 months has a unique focus and each day of the week has a unique focus as well. Even in the day, the hours of the day are divided up into the canonical hours. In so doing, all time is devoted to God since He alone created all time and redeemed all of time.

Unlike the pagan religions which often view time as an endless cycle of death and rebirth, the Christian view of time is linear. While God alone has always existed and has no beginning, time had a beginning. There was a first day on earth. And there will be a last day. There will be a day ultimately when the sun will rise for the last time and when it will set for the last time. Time will end. And God Himself will end it as time belongs to Him. It is our duty to honor God in time.

The Catholic Day

Each day is comprised of the Canonical Hours during which priests, religious sisters and brothers, and any laypeople who want to pray the set prayers for those hours. Called the Divine Office, or the Breviary, these 7 prayers throughout the day are a primary means by which we sanctify time. We will discuss the breviary at a much greater extent later in this talk.

Furthermore, the day is further consecrated to God by the Angelus Prayers. Traditionally said at 6AM, Noon, and 6PM the Angelus is a means by which we consecrate time to God, invoke the Blessed Mother, and honor the Incarnation. For this reason, church bells will often ring at noon and at 6 PM as a call to prayer for the Angelus. 6am is usually too early for bells to ring so most parishes don’t ring them then, nevertheless 6 am is the first time for the Angelus each day.

In fact, Mother Teresa and other missionary nuns have remarked that the sight of seeing Catholics fall to their knees to pray the Angelus when the Angelus bell sounded brought about many conversions. One former Hindu who converted and became a nun remarked that the sight of seeing Catholics instantly fall to their knees to offer those prayers even in the market at noon left such an impact on her that it brought about her conversion. We can have a similar impact by keeping the sacredness of the Catholic Liturgical Day.

The Angelus is traditionally prayed kneeling on everyday of the week except Sundays and except during Pascaltide (that is the 50 days of the Easter Season). On Sundays and during Easter time, you instead make a genuflection on your right knee at the mention of the Incarnation. If you are not familiar with the Angelus prayers, I would direct you to go online and find those prayers, save them, and start saying them daily. Even if you are not up at 6 AM or you are busy at precisely noon, you may still say them. In that case, you can pray the Angelus Prayers before your breakfast and likewise offer the next two prayers before lunch and before dinner respectively.

Some Catholics might also pray a Morning Offering Prayer upon awaking and make a Nightly Examination of Conscience just before bed. If you are not familiar with these practices look them up as well. In such a way, we can consecrate the day and time to God, the author of time.

The Catholic Week

All time belongs to God Himself as He has redeemed all time, and we see the sacredness of time chiefly on Sunday.  Just as we are to pay a tithe, a share of our earnings, for the poor and for the Church’s needs, so too we are required to pay a tithe of our time to God in the form of Sunday Mass.

We read in the Baltimore Catechism the clear teaching of the Church on the sacredness of Sunday time:

“By the third Commandment we are commanded to keep holy the Lord's day and the holy days of obligation, on which we are to give our time to the service and worship of God. Holy days of obligation are special feasts of the Church on which we are bound, under pain of mortal sin, to hear Mass and to keep from servile or bodily labors when it can be done without great loss or inconvenience. Whoever, on account of their circumstances, cannot give up work on holydays of obligation should make every effort to hear Mass and should also explain in confession the necessity of working on holy days.”

The Third Commandment explicitly forbids servile work on Sundays. We cannot mow the lawn, we cannot move to a new apartment on Sunday, we cannot paint, we cannot perform physical work that is servile – that is work that would have been done by a servant in past eras. Yet, the Church further commands that all Sundays — and all other Holy Days of Obligation — are mandatory days of Mass attendance. The Sacredness of Sunday requires not only abstaining from certain actions but also the doing of other ones. Missing Mass on one of these days without a grave reason — such as grave illness or the inability to reasonably obtain transportation— is a mortal sin. If you were not able to attend the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass for a good reason, you should still read the Missal for that day and pray the prayers from the Missal or watch an online broadcast of the Mass. There are several sites which broadcast daily the Traditional Mass. These activities though do not fulfill your obligation. If you are not able to make it to Mass for a legitimate reason, the obligation to attend Mass is lifted for you that day. But these pious activities can still help our own spiritual edification.

Sunday is also a day in which to participate in communal Rosary, Vespers, and Benediction services. Sunday is the day on which the Faithful should be most willing to read Catholic newspapers, books, and magazines. Listen to Catholic podcasts or You-Tube videos. Study catechism and supplemental religious education lessons. It is a day of rest from physical work so that we can give this tithe of our time to God.

And it should also be underscored that only attendance at the Catholic Mass fulfills our Sunday obligation. Attending a protestant service does not. In fact, attending a non-Catholic form of worship is sinful. If you were to go with a friend to say a Lutheran service on Sunday instead of Mass, you would have two mortal condemning your soul – first the missing of Sunday Mass and second, the taking part in false worship of other religions. The Church’s teachings on this are clear.

Likewise, only the Catholic religion rightfully understands that not only Sunday but the entire week is devoted to God.

Let’s take for instance Fridays. Fridays are penitential days in remembrance of our Lord’s brutal torture, crucifixion, and death on Friday. And we are required to perform penance on all Fridays of the year.

One of the most common caricatures of Catholics is our frequent eating of fish on Fridays. Yet, few non-Catholics understand this practice at all. And the sad truth is that many Catholics nowadays fails to properly observe these practices since abstinence from meat is actually required all year long - NOT just during Lent.

Let's take a few minutes to understand this practice.

Let me summarize these requirements. Catholics are required without exception to abstain from meat on Fridays in Lent. And Catholics are also required to abstain from meat on all Fridays of the year unless the Bishops Conference of that area allows an alternative penance to be performed. This is a novelty though. Many faithful Catholics however choose just to honor the tradition of abstaining from all meat on Fridays year-round instead of substituting an alternative. That is what I do and what I encourage you to do as well. Due note, in Lent there is no substituting allowed.

Back when I was in college, I had a roommate who one Friday in Lent said he was going to a party that Friday so he would just abstain from meat on Thursday instead.  You can’t do that. It’s Friday. Christ died on Friday. And having to eat a salad and not a burger is a small sacrifice. If you can’t do that, how can you resist the tempting sins of the flesh? The same is true for Sundays. You can’t say, I’m really busy on Sunday so I’ll just go to Mass before class on Monday morning to fulfill my obligation. It doesn’t work that way.

The Church had over the past several hundred years lessened the discipline of Lent significantly little by little over the centuries. We would do well to return to forty days of abstinence from meat and animal products while also observing them as days of fast. Returning simply to the fast as practiced in 1917 is still a shadow of the fast as formerly practiced by our ancestors and forefathers in the Faith.

So, we can live a Catholic liturgical life in part by 1. Going to Mass on Sundays and Holy Days, 2. Refraining from all servile work (manual work, cleaning, physical labor) on Sundays and Holy Days, and 3. Abstaining from meat on all Fridays of the year unless a dispensation is offered.

But these are the minimums. These are the requirements. To truly live a liturgical life, we cannot be satisfied with only not sinning against these laws. We have to want to enter deeper into the liturgical life. And we can do that by honoring each day of the week. Sunday is devoted to the Resurrection and Friday is dedicated to the Passion of Christ, but there are still 5 other days in the week.

Mondays are devoted to the Holy Ghost and the Souls in Purgatory. Do you pray to the Holy Ghost for guidance especially on Mondays? Do you pray for the souls in purgatory on Mondays? Have you made it a custom to visit a nearby cemetery on Mondays to pray for the dead there?

Tuesdays are devoted to the Holy Angels. Do you make sure you pray to your guardian angel on Tuesdays? We can also pray the Chapel of St. Michael the Archangel on Tuesdays. If you not familiar with that, look it up online. The Chapel of St. Michael is a devotion that few Catholics are aware of anymore. Tuesdays are also dedicated to the Holy Face and also to St. Anthony of Padua and St. Dominic.

Wednesdays are devoted to St. Joseph. What devotions can you do on Wednesday to honor St. Joseph? After all, after the Blessed Virgin Mary, he is given the highest veneration among all the saints.

Thursdays are devoted to the Blessed Sacrament. Can you visit your local church, chapel, or Shrine for Adoration? Even if the Sacred Host is in the Tabernacle, God is still there, and we can and should make an effort to honor Him on Thursdays in the Adorable Sacrament of the Altar. This of course is on Thursday since our Lord instituted the Sacrament on Thursday. And what’s interesting, is that traditionally seminaries were closed not only on Sundays but also on Thursdays. Thursdays in honor of the institution of the Blessed Sacrament and of the priesthood. That is a custom that has also fallen by the wayside.

And lastly Saturdays are devoted to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Do we invoke her in a special way on Saturdays? Do we especially make sure we pray the Rosary then? Do we honor the First Saturday devotion?

These are real questions that I ask you to consider. How can you better live out the Catholic Liturgical Week?

The Catholic Month

And just as we considered the Catholic Day and the Catholic Week, each month of the year has a specific focus as well:

January is devoted to the Holy Name and the Childhood of our Lord
February is devoted to the Holy Family
March is devoted to St. Joseph
April is dedicated to the Blessed Sacrament
May is in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary
June is devoted to the Sacred Heart of our Lord
July is dedicated to His Precious Blood
August is in honor of the Immaculate Heart
September is dedicated to the Seven Sorrows of Mary
October is in honor of both the Holy Rosary and the Holy Angels
November is dedicated to praying for the Poor Souls in Purgatory
And December is dedicated to the Immaculate Conception

In regard to these months, how often do we give these any thought? Do you pray the Litany of Loreto in May or the Litany of the Sacred Heart in June? Do we make special devotions to the Precious Blood in July? Do we honor the dead and make special satisfaction for souls in November? If you are truly serious about living a Catholic liturgical life, I ask you to look up these monthly devotions and live them out.

Part 2: An Overview of the Catholic Liturgical Year

After considering the liturgical day, week, and month, we come now to the second part of this talk: The Catholic Liturgical Year. Running concurrently with the weekly and monthly devotions is the annual liturgical calendar.

Through the liturgical year, we re-live the life of Christ each year starting with His coming and ending with the end of time. The Church runs on a special schedule all year long, with special days focused on different events in the life of Christ. In fact, many protestants are shocked to learn that Catholics have Mass daily – not just on Sundays. And they are even more shocked when they learn about the hundreds of feast days we have throughout the year. Whereas many of them will celebrate Christmas and Easter, a Catholic sees nearly every day of the year dedicated in some way to a unique saint or mystery of the Faith.

Every year the Catholic Church remembers certain key events — the birth of Christ, the death of Christ, His Resurrection and Ascension. The birth and death of Christ are preceded by a time of preparation — Advent and Lent respectively.

Advent is the beginning of the liturgical year and is an approximate four week long time of preparation for the birth of Christ. It begins around the end of November. Advent ends with Christmas.

Christmas is always celebrated on December 25th. The Reverend Dom Prosper Gueranger, an abbot who lived until 1875, wrote a long series of reflections on the different seasons of the year in fifteen volumes (although he did not live to complete his monumental work). Father Gueranger’s Liturgical Year volumes are the gold-standard in knowledge on the liturgical year. If you could buy just one set of books on the Liturgical Year, save up and buy his volumes. They are incredible.  For instance, Father Gueranger wrote about the characteristics of Christmas when he wrote:

“It is twofold: it is joy, which the whole Church feels at the coming of the divine Word in the Flesh; and it is admiration of that glorious Virgin, who was made the Mother of God. There is scarcely a prayer, or a rite, in the Liturgy of this glad Season, which does not imply these two grand Mysteries: - an Infant-God, and a Virgin-Mother” (Gueranger, 4)

And Father Gueranger has lengthy reflections for every single traditional feast day in the year. Now, Christmas itself is not only a single day but an entire season. And after it we have, the third season: time after epiphany.

After the Christmas and Epiphany seasons, the Church enters Lent, a time of repentance. Lent is actually preceded by a period of pre-Lent called Septuagesima and then Lent officially begins on Ash Wednesday. This observance is on the Wednesday forty-six days before Easter and features the imposition of blessed ashes. The priest traces the sign of the cross on each person’s forehead (though he does so on the head at the place of tonsure for clerics not their foreheads) while saying “Remember man that you are dust, and unto dust you shall return”. It is a day of mandatory fasting and abstinence. This sets the tone for the entire Lenten season. As the Saint Joseph Sunday Missal urges us:

“The ashes on your forehead have only as much meaning as you are giving them. Make this symbolism a meaningful beginning of a time of penance, preparing to celebrate the paschal mystery of our Lord’s death and resurrection” (Saint Joseph Sunday Missal, 233).

The Lenten season is penitential, so we are asked to devote time to spiritual and corporal acts of mercy as well as prayer, fasting, and the giving of alms. In all of these ways, we can make satisfaction for sins if we are in the state of grace. Catholics often give up something for Lent such as candy or watching television although, as we will discuss later, much greater sacrifices are needed and asked for. The notion that Catholics are only asked to give up chocolate for Lent is scandalous. The sacrifices of our forefathers in the Faith puts the modern Catholic to shame.

Catholics should also participate in additional prayers such as attending extra Masses during the week or making the Stations of the Cross on Fridays. This is also a particularly important time to confess our sins to a priest and receive God’s mercy in the Sacrament of Confession. Lent is traditionally forty days of fasting and forty days without meat.

The final two weeks of Lent are traditionally called Passiontide, and Lent culminates in the second week of Passiontide, called Holy Week, which commemorates the final days of our Lord’s life on earth before His Crucifixion. Palm Sunday starts Holy Week and on that day, we commemorate Christ’s triumphant entry into Jerusalem. Many of the crowd who shouted “Hosanna” and placed palms before His path only a few days later demanded His death. The Liturgy for Palm Sunday shows us the great immutability of human beings. How fast we are to forget.

On Holy Thursday we remember the Institution of the Holy Eucharist and on Good Friday, God Himself is crucified. Good Friday is also a day of required fasting and abstinence and is the most somber day in the entire year. The day after, Holy Saturday, is a day of mourning and quiet. God has died and sleeps in the tomb. We then arrive at the most joyous celebration of the entire year, the crowning joy of the liturgical life: Easter Sunday!

Easter bursts forth as we hear of the Lord’s rising from the dead, the greatest proof of His own divinity. Astonished, His Apostles and disciples first hear of His resurrection and then see His risen body. The Easter Season is a period of joy for us as well and lasts for fifty days, eclipsing the long forty days of fasting and penance during Lent.

Jesus would not stay with His Apostles for long but ascended to heaven. We celebrate this forty day after Easter Sunday on Ascension Thursday. However, our Lord promised not to leave us as orphans but to send the Holy Ghost. The Apostles gathered in Jerusalem, waiting for the Holy Ghost. And we celebrate the coming of the Holy Ghost on Pentecost Sunday, 50 days after Easter Sunday. Trinity Sunday occurs the Sunday after Pentecost to honor the Blessed Trinity and begins the period called Time after Pentecost. And that season will run until we begin it all over again with Advent.

Thus, to summarize, there are traditionally 2 Liturgical Cycles and 7 Liturgical Seasons: The first cycle is the Christmas Cycle and includes Advent, Christmastide, and the time after the Epiphany.  The second cycle is the Easter Cycle and includes Septuagesima, Lent, Pascaltide (also called Eastertide), and the Time after Pentecost.

It’s also important to realize that each rite in the Church (Roman, Maronite, Chaldean, etc.) has its own calendar, and some have multiple uses or forms (e.g. within the Roman rite are the Traditional Roman Calendar of 1962, the Traditional Catholic Calendar in place in 1954, the modern Roman Calendar of 1969 that your typical parish down the road would use, and the Anglican Use Calendar). Even within the same use or form, there are variations according to local customs. For instance, the patron saint of a church or of the cathedral would be ranked higher in that calendar for that local jurisdiction.

It’s also important to define some important aspects of the liturgical year before we can do more a deep dive into it. And for those definitions, I’m relying on a good summary presented by TraditionalMass.info, a website that I’d encourage all of you to get to know well.

The Liturgical Year

Whereas civil calendars presently start on January 1st (even though that was not always the case), Church calendars begin four Sundays before Christmas (not counting Christmas itself), so that the date of the Church’s “new year” varies from late November to early December. There is also a lunar element to how celebrations in our liturgical year are determined. The lunar element is in the method of calculating the date of Easter, from which the other variable feastdays follow. Easter Sunday is calculated as the first Sunday after the First Full Moon after the Vernal Equinox.

Holy Days and Feasts

It’s a very common term when we are discussing the liturgical life. But what exactly do they mean? Although the terms “holy day” and “feast” are sometimes used interchangeably, they have distinct meanings.

In fact, our English word “holiday” is based on the concept of a “holy day”. A holy day in the general sense, is any day the Church has set apart for a regularly recurring public ceremonial observance. It finds expression primarily in the Mass and Divine Office, which have special prayers, and sometimes special ceremonies (such the distribution of candles on February 2nd) or special disciplines (such as fasting in Lent), for each holy day. In this sense, every feast day is a holy day.

Sunday is the primary holy day; its weekly ceremonial observance replaces that of the Jewish Sabbath.

However, sometimes “holy day” is short for “holy day of obligation,” as in the expression “Sundays and holy days.”

A feast, in the general sense, can also mean a holy day or set of holy days commemorating a particular person, event, or mystery of the Catholic Religion. Feast, when we are discussing the liturgical year, does not mean a large dinner gathering.

A feast may fall on a Sunday, either regularly (e.g. Easter Sunday) or coincidentally (in which case either the Sunday or the feast takes precedence depending on their liturgical ranks). For example, what happens when St. James’ feastday falls on a Sunday? Which takes precedence? Does that change if your parish is the Church of St. James or if the Cathedral in our Diocese is the Cathedral of St. James? These are questions that someone who wants to live a liturgical life should keep in mind.

On the modern (1969) calendar in the Novus Ordo, a “feast” in a narrower sense is a holy day of lesser rank than a “solemnity” and greater than a “memorial.”

Ranks have changed over the past several decades. In the modern Church, they will use the terms solemnity, feast, memorial, or optional memorial. In the 1962 Missal, we have First, Second, Third, or Fourth Class feastdays. But before the 1962 Missal up until the changes made by Pope Pius XII in 1955, there were from least to most important: Simples, Semidoubles, Lesser Doubles or also known as Doubles, Greater Doubles, Doubles of the second class, and lastly Doubles of the first class.

Temporal and Sanctoral Cycles

Feasts are listed in liturgical books according to two different, concurrent annual cycles.

The Proper of Seasons, or Temporal Cycle traces the earthly life of Our Lord Jesus Christ. It consists mainly of Sundays related to the various liturgical seasons. This maps onto the 7 liturgical seasons contained in the two cycles we previously discussed: the Christmas Cycle and the Easter Cycle. It starts with Advent then goes through Christmas, Epiphany, Septuagesima, Lent, Easter, and Time after Pentecost.

There is also the Proper of Saints, called the Sanctoral Cycle, which is the annual cycle of feasts not necessarily connected with the seasons. We commemorate and ask the intercession of those holy men and women who set a marvelous example that we should all strive to imitate. We also commemorate various events and mysteries of the faith in the Sanctoral Cycle.

Fixed and Moveable Feasts

Besides Sundays, holy days are generally associated with a liturgical calendar in one of two ways:

• We have Fixed Feasts which generally fall on the same date each year, e.g. Christmas on Dec 25th. (Though as an exception in some cases, a fixed feast, in spite of its name, can be moved if it coincides with a moveable feast of greater rank.)
• Moveable Feasts may shift a few days forward or backward from year to year, mainly depending on the date of Easter for that year. (Pentecost, for example, is 49 days after Easter.)

Easter Sunday is “moveable” only insofar as its date varies somewhat depending on the lunar cycle; otherwise it cannot be moved, as it is the highest feast and the basis for many others.

Vigils 

We also have vigils. The term “vigil” is used in several ways. It may refer to an entire day before a major feast day (e.g. the Vigil of Christmas is all day on Dec 24th). This kind of vigil is a feast day in itself. Before the changes to the Roman calendar in 1955, nearly all feasts of the apostles were preceded by a Vigil Day (some of which were days of required fasting but those requirements generally disappeared in the 1700s).

Finally, a Sunday Mass anticipated on a Saturday evening is sometimes, though incorrectly, called a vigil. This practice though is a novelty and not part of Catholic Tradition, so I always encourage Catholics to never attend such “vigil masses” on Saturday evenings.

Ferias

Lastly, we have ferias. A weekday with no feast associated with it is called a feria or ferial day (from the Latin feria meaning “free day”). On such a day, in the traditional rite, the priest generally offers the Mass of the previous Sunday or a Votive Mass of his choice. He may choose to honor the mystery of that day (for instance, on a ferial Wednesday he may be offering a Votive Mass of St. Joseph) but he may offer a Votive Mass for any saint. He may also generally, exceptions aside, offer a Requiem Mass.

So now that we have some essential definitions down, I’d like to walk through a guided meditation on the Liturgical Year in our time left. Again, this material will come from the Liturgical Year Course offered on CatechismClass.com and is just the tip of the iceberg. There are so many insightful meditations in the liturgical year for us to consider that this is just a small piece of that.

Part 3: Details of the Catholic Liturgical Year 

Note: Much of this section is taken from the affordable and extensive online course on the Liturgical Year offered by CatechismClass.com.

Advent

To many in our world today, Advent is extinct. Christmas starts around Thanksgiving with in-store sales and Christmas carols and ends on December 26th. To a Catholic, this borders on blasphemy.

With the First Sunday of Advent, the Church now begins anew the liturgical year.  In the words of Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen, it is in one liturgical year that the Church re-lives the 33 years of Christ’s life – thirty years obeying, three years teaching, and three hours redeeming.  Advent is a unique season of its own, not an extension of Christmas. It is neither an appropriate time to sing Christmas carols, nor is it a time for Christmas parties.

Advent is a time of penance in anticipation for the Nativity of Our Blessed Lord.  But it is also a time to help us remember that we must always be prepared for the Final Judgment and the Second Coming of Christ.

Advent as a season is quite ancient. The season itself went through slow development, taking form back in the 4th century and reaching a definite form in Rome by 6th century. Advent starts on the Sunday nearest Nov 30th (Saint Andrew’s feastday) and formed the beginning of the liturgical year by the 10th century. It started earlier at one time (as early as Nov 11th) because it was fashioned after Lent, so it had forty days originally in some areas, and even earlier in other areas (starting in September) which forms the basis of the monastic fast. However, by the 6th to 7th centuries the number is set as a span of four Sundays. And the 1962 Missal preserves most of the ancient Masses of this season even though they are not in the Novus Ordo.

And while the modern Catholic will be generally familiar with Advent, the main part of Advent that they will be largely ignorant of is the Advent Embertide Fast. Ember days (in Latin the Quatuor Tempora, meaning four times) are the days at the beginning of the seasons ordered by the Church as days of fast and abstinence.

Although Ember Days are no longer considered required in mainstream Catholicism following Vatican II, they can - and should - still be observed by the Faithful. In fact, many Traditional priests encourage the Faithful to observe the days. Ember Days are set aside to pray and offer thanksgiving for a good harvest and God's blessings. If you are in good health, fast during these three days and pray the additional prayers prescribed in the Breviary. Remember the words from the Gospel: "Unless you do penance, you shall likewise perish" (Luke 13:5). We are called to do penance throughout the year, and we can do that by uniting to the traditional times of penance which have nearly all been forgotten.

I now with some slight modifications quote from the New Advent encyclopedia:

“They were definitely arranged and prescribed for the entire Church by Pope Gregory VII (who reigned from 1073-1085) for the Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday after December 13th (St Lucia), after Ash Wednesday, after Whitsunday (another name for Pentecost Sunday), and after September 14th (The Exaltation of the Cross).  

“The purpose of their introduction, besides the general one intended by all prayer and fasting, was to thank God for the gifts of nature, to teach men to make use of them in moderation, and to assist the needy.  The "Liber Pontificalis" ascribes to Pope Callistus (who reigned from 217-222) a law ordering the fast, but probably it is older. Pope Leo the Great considers it an Apostolic institution. When the fourth season was added cannot be ascertained, but Gelasius (around 495) speaks of all four. This pope also permitted the conferring of priesthood and deaconship on the Saturdays of ember week--these were formerly given only at Easter.” 

By observing these Ember Days in Advent, we truly live a more liturgical life. Not a single day of the year should pass when we do not feel a connection with the Liturgical Calendar. To do so, to neglect the feast days and fast days before us, is to live as orphans. Just as we keep these holy days, so too in Heaven there are holy days. It is our purpose in life to make it to Heaven, and Heaven will have feast days. If we do not feel within ourselves a desire to unite with the Church and honor and praise Almighty God through the Liturgical Year, we are not living truly Catholic lives.

Lent

Lent is a period of 40 days of penance (excluding the Sundays of Lent in the number) in preparation for the solemn celebration of the Lord's Resurrection on Easter Sunday. Our Lord, before beginning His earthly public ministry, fasted and prayed for 40 days and 40 nights. As the Gospel continually reaffirms, penance is an important part of repentance. And the Lord gave us the example of fasting for 40 days and nights. The concept of 40 days existing as preparation was seen by the Prophet Elijah, who fasted and journeyed to Horeb for 40 days (1 Kings 19:8). There are dozens of other references to the number 40 in the Old Testament.

For those Catholics who wish to more closely follow the ancient customs of the Church, Lent is a time of austere penance undertaken to make reparation to God for sin (our own sins and those of others), to grow in virtue and good works, and to comfort the heart of our Savior much offended by the proliferation of sin and filth increasing by the day.

Yet, there are very few Catholics who undertake the true discipline of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. You, the remnant of the Catholic Faith, must observe the strictest of Lents. If you don’t, who will?

How many of us observe all 40 days as true fast days and not just Ash Wednesday and Good Friday?  Yet our ancestors did.  In fact, it was forbidden to eat meat or any animal products (e.g., eggs, dairy, cheese, butter, olive oil, or even fish) through all of Lent, even on Sundays!  How many of us are making this kind of intense sacrifice?  How many of us are finding the time during Lent to pray the Rosary every day or go to Daily Mass more often or at least pray the Stations of the Cross each Friday?

We live in sad, pitiful times when few souls even care to observe Lent.  The prophetic words of Pope Benedict XIV are coming true when he said:

“The observance of Lent is the very badge of Christian warfare. By it we prove ourselves not to be enemies of Christ. By it we avert the scourges of divine justice. By it we gain strength against the princes of darkness, for it shields us with heavenly help. Should men grow remiss in their observance of Lent, it would be a detriment to God’s glory, a disgrace to the Catholic religion, and a danger to Christian souls. Neither can it be doubted that such negligence would become the source of misery to the world, of public calamity, and of private woe.” 

And yet, how many people indulge in public sin, lust, and gluttony on Fat Tuesday in a mockery of our ancestors?  Nowadays, few Catholics fast for all forty days.  Yet, people are engaging in eating on Shrove Tuesday like they were.  It is a mockery of the Faith!  How many people are fasting by "light eating" on Ash Wednesday and then indulging on cheeseburgers on the Thursday after Ash Wednesday on a Lenten feria day!

Even the great liturgist Father Dom Guaranger wrote of the excesses and sinfulness of Mardi Gras in his own time.  And how much worse it is in our own times than his back in the 1800s! He said in part:

“How far from being true children of Abraham are those so-called Christians who spend Quinquagesima (The Sunday before Ash Wednesday) and the two following days in intemperance and dissipation, because Lent is soon to be upon us!...”

It is a shame.   It is a public scandal.  And our Lord Himself has asked for reparation. In an approved apparition of our Blessed Lord to Mother Pierina in 1938, the Lord said:

“See how I suffer. Nevertheless, I am understood by so few. What gratitude on the part of those who say they love Me. I have given My Heart as a sensible object of My great love for man and I give My Face as a sensible object of My Sorrow for the sins of man. I desire that it be honoured by a special feast on Tuesday in Quinquagesima (Shrove Tuesday – the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday). The feast will be preceded by novena in which the faithful make reparation with Me uniting themselves with my sorrow.”

Thus, our Lord wished for us to make amends on the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday, the last day of the period of Septuagesima, and yet so few people know of this. Living a liturgical life necessitates that we live true Lents. 40 Days of Fasting and abstinence from meat. And that we care enough to learn of these traditions. So when next Lent comes, I ask you – how can you observe a truly Catholic Lent? And what will you be able to do on the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday in reparation for the sins of those who give in to carnal lusts on Mardi Gras?

The great Fr. Gueranger provides hundreds of meditations for Lent. Regarding the true uniqueness of the Lenten season, Fr. Gueranger writes:

“Each feria of Lent has a proper Mass; whereas, in Advent, the Mass of the preceding Sunday is repeated during the week. This richness of the lenten liturgy is a powerful means for our entering into the Church's spirit, since she hereby brings before us, under so many forms, the sentiments suited to this holy time... All this will provide us with most solid instruction; and as the selections from the Bible, which are each day brought before us, are not only some of the finest of the sacred volume, but are, moreover, singularly appropriate to Lent, their attentive perusal will be productive of a twofold advantage.”

After having given consideration to Advent, Lent, and Ember Days, I wish to share a final reflection on Rogation Days, another element of our liturgical life that has fallen by the wayside.

Rogation Days are the four days set apart to bless the fields and to invoke God's mercy on all of creation. The 4 days are April 25th, which is called the Major Rogation (and is only coincidentally the same day as the Feast of St. Mark); and the three days preceding Ascension Thursday, which are called the Minor Rogations days (i.e., the Lesser Litanies). Traditionally, on these days, the congregation marches the boundaries of a parish, blessing every tree and stone, while chanting or reciting a Litany of Mercy, usually the Litany of the Saints.

These were long before the 1962 Missal, days of fasting and abstinence from meat. The requirement for abstinence was universally kept for some time but the fasting was kept only in some locations (e.g. the Churches in Gaul where the Rogations days originated from as well as by St. Charles Borromeo in Milan). The Church Universal did not mandate days of fasting in the Easter Season so these days were often observed by abstinence from meat. Of course, keeping them as fast days is certainly in the proper spirit of penance, as St. Charles Borromeo's example shows us.

Besides keeping these days of penance, we can join in these processions. We can also pray special Rogation Days prayers. I personally try to go to a field of crops on April 25th where I pray the Litany of Saints in keeping with the liturgical spirit for the Major Rogation and say some additional prayers appropriate for the day.

Father Christopher Smith, a priest of the Diocese of Charleston, South Carolina has put together a beautifully illustrated guide explaining both the Rogations and Ember Days, with a number of very useful quotes from various liturgical sources.

Part 4: Living a Liturgical Life through the Mass & the Office

The entire year helps us to commemorate Jesus’ life and the work of the Holy Trinity. Through the Mass, meditation, prayers, acts of mercy, and devotions, we become closer to God. The Mass and all prayers are ultimately for the sole purpose of the worship of the Trinity. Our purpose in life is ultimately orientated to the worship of the Holy Trinity. The Mass, the greatest act of Catholic worship, at its core is the greatest worship that can be given to the Trinity because the Mass is the re-presentation of Jesus Christ on the Cross to God the Father. And we know from our attendance at Mass that the Mass is the chief way we come into contact with the liturgical life.

Mass is not a mere obligation. It is a privilege. It is the ability to worship God in the manner He wishes to be worshiped. It is the most perfect prayer and we have the unique privilege if we are in the state of grace to unite our prayers and sacrifices with the One Sacrifice of Christ on the Cross at the altar during Mass. There is no prayer more in line with a Catholic liturgical life.

But I am also a strong proponent of the Divine Office. Through the Divine Office we can sanctify our day and live in uniformity with the liturgical year. Now, I’m not suggesting that all of you are called to the priesthood and religious life, but I suspect that among us here are souls that God has called to this life. And to you, those chosen by God to consecrate your entire lives to His service, you will have the awesome privilege to pray the Divine Office 7 times a day. Traditional Orders will start the divine office in the night – I’ve seen schedules for it to begin at 3 AM.

Why do we pray the Divine Office 7 times a day? This is in part from the words of King David in the Psalms: “Seven times a day I rose to sing thy praises.” And we can do so likewise.

But for those of you called to married life or single life, you too can and should, according to your abilities, pray the Divine Office. Now, there are several versions of the Divine Office. We have the modern Liturgy of the Hours used by the Novus Ordo and which uses the new calendar. That is one that I do not recommend. There is also the 1962 Breviary. Or there is the Office as said in 1955, when Pope Pius XII made a number of changes to the rankings of the feastdays and changed the number of octaves drastically. There is also the version that I pray, the pre-1955 version that is the version promulgated by Pope St. Pius X in Divino Afflatu in 1911.

In the modern Liturgy of the Hours, they removed some of the hours and changed some of the naming. Traditionally, the hours were:

• Matins and Lauds: Technically they can be said at different times but are usually said together very early in the morning (even before sunrise)
• Prime: This office is said usually around sunrise
• Then we have the daytime hours of Terce, Sext, and None
• Then we come to evening and have Vespers
• Then we conclude the day with Compline at night before bed

Nowadays, Matins has been replaced by the Office of Readings which is said at anytime of the day. Lauds is usually just known as morning prayer. Vespers is called evening prayer. Compline is known as night prayer. But the actual prayers in these hours has been changed significantly, in addition to using the New Calendar.

So what I encourage all of you – even those who are not called to the consecrated religious life – is to pray a few of those offices a day. Start the day with the readings from Matins. That will only take a few minutes if you read the last nocturn’s readings on the saint whose feastday is that day. Then pray Lauds or Prime. That can take around 10 – 15 minutes.  If you can, take time in your day to pray the Angelus and/or the Sext prayer at Noon.  Before dinner, say the Angelus again and spend 10 – 15 minutes praying Vespers and thanking God for the great blessings of the day. And finally, end your day before bed by praying Compline, which includes in it a short examination of conscience.

What I really recommend to those starting out with incorporating the Divine Office into their life is to use the online website: divinum officium.  In that site you can choose for instance Divino Afflatu or the 1960 rubrics and then click on the hour you want to pray. All of the prayers will be on that page and there is no guesswork. The site is well-formatted for using it on a desktop, laptop, tablet, or even a mobile phone. They even have an app. I would recommend this as an easy way to start living a liturgical life.

And lastly, familiarize yourself with the liturgical year. If you go to Google and search: a catholic life feastdays. The top listing should be a listing that I have put together and updated throughout the years. It is the traditional pre-1955 Catholic calendar with various meditations for the sanctoral cycle and some days in the temporal cycle. Study. Learn.  Care about our Catholic heritage.  Learn about the devotions to St. Nicholas on December 6th, learn about the feast of St. Martin on November 11th which is known as Martinmas. What’s interesting is that Martinmas used to be one of the last times in the year we would have outdoor processions before winter.  And that is one reason the anti-Catholic President Woodrow Wilson put Armistice Day (Veterans Day) there so that it could help block out that Catholic feastday.

I’m shocked when I learn of Catholics who are not aware that February 2nd is the feast of Candlemas and the last day of the Christmas season, or that on February 3rd we get our throats blessed in honor of St. Blasé, or that wine is traditionally blessed by our priests for us on December 27th, the feast of St. John. These are just a few of the hundreds of ways we can live out the liturgical year. So spend time and immerse yourself into the Traditional Catholic liturgical year’s customs.  Learn about the unique indulged prayers that occur on select days throughout the liturgical year.

It is no coincidence that the Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary is on the Octave Day of the Assumption. It is no coincidence that the Transfiguration celebrated on August 6th is 40 days before the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. And it is no coincidence that there are 40 days between the Assumption and St. Michael’s feastday – a time known as St. Michael's Lent. It was during this time that St. Francis of Assisi observed a second Lenten fast of 40 days in honor of St. Michael and for his protection. Part of this ancient tradition even remains today in the form of the monastic fast.

I would also direct you to fisheaters.com and click on “Being Catholic” at the top. And from there, you will find dozens of articles on practical tips of living out the liturgical life.

A truly Catholic life is a liturgical life.  Make time now to help the Church uncover what so few Catholics keep anymore. And through our collective keeping of the Catholic liturgical life (the Angelus, feastdays, the divine Office, Ember Days, Rogation Days, Sunday rest, Friday penance, and more) we truly give honor to Almighty God who is worthy of all liturgical worship and honor per omni secula seculorum.

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Memorial Day Prayer for Catholics

COMMEMORATION OF THE DEAD 

Remember, O Lord, Thy servants, who have gone before us with the sign of faith and rest in the sleep of peace. 

To these, O Lord, and to all who rest in Christ, grant, we pray Thee, a place of refreshment, of light, 

and of peace. Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen. 

PRAYER FOR THE WAR 

Our Father, Who art in Heaven: give us, we pray Thee, the courage and the strength to stamp out the threat of paganism and slavery that hangs over the world today. 

Be merciful to all those who have died in the service of our country. 

Console those who have lost their loved ones in the struggle. 

Help our fighting men to be always clean of heart and therefore unafraid. 

Soothe the wounded in battle. 

Sustain the courage of those who suffer persecution for conscience' sake. 

Have pity on all who have been insulted, robbed, tortured, defiled, enslaved by their conquerors. 

Grant wisdom to our leaders, civil and military, that they may most effectively direct our efforts, at home and abroad. 

Teach us all to walk humbly with Thee, so that we may be worthy to conquer, and having conquered may build a peace with justice, under the Fatherhood of God. 

Amen.

Source and More Prayers at Catholic Tradition.

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What Does the Bible Really Teach?

Note: The following material is largely quoted from A Step Towards Heaven: An Introduction to Religion

Maybe you've seen the stands of books near train stations, bus stops, or the like with people who are Jehovah Witnesses?  They often given out a small book called "What Does the Bible Really Teach?"  If you are interested in what the Bible does really teach, then read out for a concise summary:

The Bible is the inspired word of God.  It contains two main sections – the first is the Old Testament while the second is the New Testament.   The Old Testament contains books collected by the Israelites written in Hebrew, Greek and Aramaic.  The New Testament was written by the Apostles and their followers, usually in Greek. 

There are many different types of literature in both the Old and New Testaments such as poetry, history, wisdom and apocalyptic.  However, even though the Old and New Testaments come from two different sources and contain different types of literature, the Bible is still one book.  The Old Testament foretells the events in the New Testament and the New Testament harkens back to the Old Testament.  Both books contain the word of God.  The First Vatican Council (convoked in 1868) stated -

“These [the Old and New Testament] the Church holds to be sacred and canonical;… because having been written by the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, they have God for their author, and have been delivered as such to the Church itself.”  (McNabb. pg. 21)

The Bible is made up of the Old Testament and the New Testament.  The Old Testament contains 46 books –

Pentateuch: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy;

Historical books: Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 Samuel, 2 Samuel, 1 Kings, 2 Kings, 1 Chronicles, 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Tobit, Judith, Esther, 1 Maccabees, 2 Maccabees;

Sapiential books: Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon, Wisdom, Sirach;

Prophetic books: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Baruch, Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi.

The above list is by the type of book rather than a list of how the books appear in the Bible.  We shall give a sample of each type of literature.

Pentateuch

The first five books of the Bible tell the stories most people know.  The creation of the world -

“In the beginning God created heaven, and earth.  And the earth was void and empty, and darkness was upon the face of the deep; and the spirit of God moved over the waters.  And God said: Be light made. And light was made. And God saw the light that it was good; and he divided the light from the darkness.  And he called the light Day, and the darkness Night; and there was evening and morning one day”.  (Genesis 1: 1-5)

The creation of the first woman -

“Then the Lord God cast a deep sleep upon Adam: and when he was fast asleep, he took one of his ribs, and filled up flesh for it.  And the Lord God built the rib which he took from Adam into a woman: and brought her to Adam.  And Adam said: This now is bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called woman, because she was taken out of man.  Wherefore a man shall leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they shall be two in one flesh.” (Genesis 2: 21-24)

Genesis also tells about the fall of Adam and Eve, their expulsion from Paradise and the murder of Abel by Cain.  We also hear the story of Noah (Noe) in Genesis 6: 11-15.

“And the earth was corrupted before God, and was filled with iniquity.  And when God had seen that the earth was corrupted (for all flesh had corrupted its way upon the earth,) He said to Noe: The end of all flesh is come before me, the earth is filled with iniquity through them, and I will destroy them with the earth. Make thee an ark of timber planks: thou shalt make little rooms in the ark, and thou shalt pitch it within and without. And thus shalt thou make it: The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits: the breadth of it fifty cubits, and the height of it thirty cubits.”   

After Noah’s family and the animals have survived the flood, God makes a covenant with Noah in Genesis 9: 11-17.

“I will establish my covenant with you, and all flesh shall be no more destroyed with the waters of a flood, neither shall there be from henceforth a flood to waste the earth.  And God said: This is the sign of the covenant which I give between me and you, and to every living soul that is with you, for perpetual generations.  I will set my bow in the clouds, and it shall be the sign of a covenant between me, and between the earth.  And when I shall cover the sky with clouds, my bow shall appear in the clouds:  And I will remember my covenant with you, and with every living soul that beareth flesh: and there shall no more be waters of a flood to destroy all flesh.  

“And the bow shall be in the clouds, and I shall see it, and shall remember the everlasting covenant, that was made between God and every living soul of all flesh which is upon the earth.  And God said to Noe: This shall be the sign of the covenant which I have established between me and all flesh upon the earth.”

The covenant is very important as it is the unifying theme connecting all of the books of the Old Testament.  The Old Testament contains hundreds of characters and dozens of stories taking place in different countries written in different styles of literature.  Books of today have a love story or the conquest of a kingdom as a unifying theme.  The Old Testament unites its many different books with how well (or how badly) the characters keep their covenants with God.  Whether it is Adam and Eve breaking the covenant or Noah and God forming a new covenant – we understand that this is the one subtext that is behind all of the stories in the Old Testament.  The Israelites will form other covenants with God through Abraham and Moses while at other times they will break God’s laws and have to be called back through the Prophets.

As Genesis continues, we hear the story of the tower of Babel and then Abram (who later became Abraham).   In Genesis 12:1-5 we hear that God tells Abram to leave his home -

“And the Lord said to Abram: Go forth out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and out of thy father's house, and come into the land which I shall shew thee.  And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and magnify thy name, and thou shalt be blessed.  I will bless them that bless thee, and curse them that curse thee, and IN THEE shall all the kindred of the earth be blessed:  So Abram went out as the Lord had commanded him, and Lot went with him: Abram was seventy-five years old when he went forth from Haran.  And he took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother's son, and all the substance which they had gathered, and the souls which they had gotten in Haran: and they went out to go into the land of Chanaan.”

Sarai eventually becomes Sarah and bears Abraham a son named Isaac.  Isaac marries Rebecca and has two sons – Esau and Jacob.  Jacob tricks Isaac into giving him the inheritance instead of Esau who was the eldest (Esau had previously promised to let Jacob have the inheritance for a meal when Esau was very hungry.)  Jacob flees from his brother (who is an excellent hunter) and lays down to sleep –

“And when he was come to a certain place, and would rest in it after sunset, he took of the stones that lay there, and putting under his head, slept in the same place.  And he saw in his sleep a ladder standing upon the earth, and the top thereof touching heaven: the angels also of God ascending and descending by it;  And the Lord leaning upon the ladder, saying to him: I am the Lord God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac; the land, wherein thou sleepest, I will give to thee and to thy seed.  And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth: thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and IN THEE and thy seed all the tribes of the earth SHALL BE BLESSED.  And I will be thy keeper whithersoever thou goest, and will bring thee back into this land: neither will I leave thee, till I shall have accomplished all that I have said.”   (Genesis 28: 11-15)

As we can see this is another covenant – now between God and Jacob.  Jacob has twelve children, including Joseph.  Jacob is given the name of Israel in Genesis 35: 9-12 -

“And God appeared again to Jacob, after he returned from Mesopotamia of Syria, and He blessed him, Saying: Thou shalt not be called any more Jacob, but Israel shall be thy name. And He called him Israel. 

“And said to him: I am God Almighty, increase thou and be multiplied. Nations and peoples of nations shall be from thee, and kings shall come out of thy loins.  And the land which I gave to Abraham and Isaac, I will give to thee, and to thy seed after thee.”

Joseph (of the many-colored coat) is the next story to be told.  Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers and then became the Pharaoh’s vizier after correctly interpreting the ruler’s dream.  Joseph’s brothers visit Egypt because of a famine in their own land and do not even recognize him.  After threatening them with prison for a theft they did not commit, Joseph confesses who he is and welcomes them.  Israel goes down to see his son in Egypt before he dies.  Genesis ends with Joseph’s death.

The book of Exodus tells the story of Moses.  The Israelites multiply in Egypt but are put into slavery.  The Pharaoh even orders that all of the male children be thrown into the river Nile.  To escape this, Moses’ Mother hides him in a basket and puts him into the river close to where the Pharaoh’s daughter is bathing.  The Pharaoh’s daughter raises Moses as her own child and Moses grows up with every privilege.  Eventually Moses learns of his heritage and goes to see the Israelite settlements.  While there, he sees an overseer beating one of the Israelite slaves.  In defending the slave, Moses kills the overseer and is forced to flee out of Egypt.  Moses works as a shepherd and is visited by God as we hear in Exodus 3: 1-10 -

“Now Moses fed the sheep of Jethro his father in law, the priest of Madian: and he drove the flock to the inner parts of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, Horeb.  And the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he saw that the bush was on fire and was not burnt.  And Moses said: I will go and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt.  And when the Lord saw that he went forward to see, He called to him out of the midst of the bush, and said: Moses, Moses. And he answered: Here I am.   And He said: Come not nigh hither, put off the shoes from thy feet: for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.    

“And He said: I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. Moses hid his face: for he durst not look at God.  And the Lord said to him: I have seen the affliction of My people in Egypt, and I have heard their cry because of the rigour of them that are over the works:  And knowing their sorrow, I am come down to deliver them out of the hands of the Egyptians, and to bring them out of that land into a good and spacious land, into a land that floweth with milk and honey, to the places of the Chanaanite, and Hethite, and Amorrhite, and Pherezite, and Hevite, and Jebusite. For the cry of the children of Israel is come unto Me: and I have seen their affliction, wherewith they are oppressed by the Egyptians.  But come, and I will send thee to Pharao, that thou mayst bring forth my people, the children of Israel out of Egypt.”

Moses is not eager to go to Pharaoh.  He gives all sorts of excuses but God encourages him -

“Moses said to God: Lo, I shall go to the children of Israel, and say to them: The God of your fathers hath sent me to you. If they should say to me: What is His name? what shall I say to them?  God said to Moses: I AM WHO AM. He said: Thus shalt thou say to the children of Israel: HE WHO IS, hath sent me to you.  And God said again to Moses: Thus shalt thou say to the children of Israel: The Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me to you: This is My name for ever, and this is My memorial unto all generations.”  (Exodus 3:13-15)

Moses speaks to the Pharaoh but the Egyptian ruler will not give up the Israelites easily.  Twelve plagues are sent to the Egyptians – the water is turned into blood, frogs, gnats, flies invade Egypt.  Illness comes to the cattle and boils on both man and beast.  Hail pelts the land.  Different calamities occur until the last and most terrible plague – the first child shall be killed.  To prevent the Israelite’s children from being killed, God gives specific instructions to Moses which he passed on –

“And Moses called all the ancients of the children of Israel, and said to them: Go take a lamb by your families, and sacrifice.  And dip a bunch of hyssop in the blood that is at the door, and sprinkle the transom of the door therewith, and both the door cheeks: let none of you go out of the door of his house till morning.  For the Lord will pass through striking the Egyptians: and when he shall see the blood on the transom, and on both the posts, he will pass over the door of the house, and not suffer the destroyer to come into your houses and to hurt you.  Thou shalt keep this thing as a law for thee and thy children forever.  And when you have entered into the land which the Lord will give you as He hath promised, you shall observe these ceremonies.”  (Exodus 12:21-25)

This is the origin of the feast of Passover.  After the death of his first born, the Pharaoh allows the Israelites to leave Egypt.  Moses receives the 10 Commandments from God and the Israelites finally reach the Promised Land.

Historical

The historical books continue the history of the Israelites from the conquest of Canaan to the siege of Jerusalem.  Joshua led the people after Moses.  They fought several battles – perhaps the most famous being that of Jericho.  The Israelites were able to carve out a kingdom and the land was divided by lots to the 12 tribes – each tribe having the name of one of Israel’s sons.

This group of books contains the beautiful story of Ruth.   During a time of famine in Bethlehem, a family immigrates to Moab.  The two sons marry Moabite women – Ruth and Orpah.  Tragically, the two sons and the father all die, leaving the mother, Naomi, and the two wives without husbands.  Naomi decides that she will return home to Bethlehem.   She tells the two girls to return to their homes but they protest that they wish to go with her.

“Do not so, my daughters, I beseech you: for I am grieved the more for your distress, and the hand of the Lord is gone out against me.  And they lifted up their voice, and began to weep again: Orpha kissed her mother in law and returned: Ruth stuck close to her mother in law.  And Noemi said to her: Behold thy kinswoman is returned to her people, and to her gods*, go thou with her. 

* To her gods: Noemi did not mean to persuade Ruth to return to the false gods she had formerly worshipped: but by this manner of speech, insinuated to her, that if she would go with her, she must renounce her false gods and return to the Lord the God of Israel. (commentary by Bishop Challoner)
 
“She answered: Be not against me, to desire that I should leave thee and depart: for whithersoever thou shalt go, I will go: and where thou shalt dwell, I also will dwell. Thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God.  The land that shall receive thee dying, in the same will I die: and there will I be buried. The Lord do so and so to me, and add more also, if aught but death part me and thee. Then Noemi, seeing that Ruth was steadfastly determined to go with her, would not be against it, nor persuade her any more to return to her friends: So they went together and came to Bethlehem.”(Ruth 1: 13-19)

Ruth’s story has a happy ending.  She begins to glean the leftover wheat from Naomi’s kinsman Boaz.  Boaz notices Ruth and they eventually marry.  Ruth is King David’s great - grandmother.

The historical books also tell about King Saul and King David.  Samuel had anointed David to be the next King after Saul and Saul was jealous as we read in 1 Samuel 18:6-9 -

“Now when David returned, after be slew the Philistine, the women came out of all the cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet king Saul, with timbrels of joy, and cornets. And the women sung as they played, and they said: I Saul slew his thousands, and David his ten thousands.  And Saul was exceeding angry, and this word was displeasing in his eyes, and he said: They have given David ten thousands, and to me they have given but a thousand; what can he have more but the kingdom?  And Saul did not look on David with a good eye from that day and forward.”

Saul even tried to kill David.  David was able to escape but there was now war between the two men until Saul and all of his sons were killed by the Philistines.   David goes on to fight against the Philistines, free Jerusalem and reign over Israel.  His son, Solomon, continues the dynasty and builds a beautiful temple to God.

The books of the First and Second Kings continue the story of the kings.  Unfortunately, Israel falls into decline as the kingdom splits into two and begins to drift away from God. 
There are many other stories in the historical books – Judith, Esther, Samson and Delilia - which teach us more about the relationship between God and man.

Sapiential

These are the books concerning wisdom such as the psalms.  King David wrote approximately 80 of the 150 psalms with other writers including Moses, Heman the Ezrahite, Ethan the Ezrahite, Solomon, Asaph, and the sons of Korah.  There are also a few that do not have any named author. 

The Book of Wisdom is also a sapiential book.  According to legend, Solomon wrote the Book of Wisdom and the Song of Songs.  The following inspirational passage is from the Book of Wisdom, Chapter 3:1-5 –

“But the souls of the just are in the hand of God, and the torment of death shall not touch them.  In the sight of the unwise they seemed to die: and their departure was taken for misery:  And their going away from us, for utter destruction: but they are in peace.  And though in the sight of men they suffered torments, their hope is full of immortality. Afflicted in few things, in many they shall be well rewarded: because God hath tried them, and found them worthy of Himself.” 

Proverbs also belong to this section.  Proverbs are short sayings such as this example from Proverbs 6:16-20 –

“Six things there are, which the Lord hateth, and the seventh his soul detesteth: Haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood,  A heart that deviseth wicked plots, feet that are swift to run into mischief,  A deceitful witness that uttereth lies, and him that soweth discord among brethren.  My son, keep the commandments of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother.”

The book of Job is also part of the Sapiential books.  Job tells the story of a wealthy, good man who has a wife and several daughters and sons as we hear in Chapter 1 of Job, verses 1-3 –

“There was a man in the land of Hus, whose name was Job, and that man was simple and upright, and fearing God, and avoiding evil.  And there were born to him seven sons and three daughters.  And his possession was seven thousand sheep, and three thousand camels, and five hundred yoke of oxen, and five hundred she asses, and a family exceeding great: and this man was great among all the people of the east.”

Satan and God meet one day in heaven and start to talk about Job.  God praises Job.  Satan states that of course Job is good – look how successful he is.  God gives Satan permission to do anything to Job except he may not harm Job.  Satan destroys the sheep by fire, the Chaldeans plunder the camels, the Sabeans take all of the oxen and asses and, worst of all, Job’s children are all killed when a violent wind destroys the house.  Faced with this horrendous turn of events, Job reacts -

“Then Job rose up, and rent his garments, and having shaven his head fell down upon the ground and worshipped.

“And said: Naked came I out of my mother' s womb, and naked shall I return thither: the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away: as it hath pleased the Lord so is it done: blessed be the name of the Lord. In all these things Job sinned not by his lips, nor spoke he any foolish thing against God.”  (Job 1:20-22)

Satan is not satisfied.  He asks God for permission to touch Job personally and this is granted.  Satan then afflicts Job with terrible boils from head to foot.  Still, Job is patient and says to his wife –

“If we have received good things at the hand of God, why should we not receive evil? In all these things Job did not sin with his lips.” (Job 2:10)

Job’s three friends – Alpas, Baldad and Sophar – come to comfort him.  They sit with him on the ground for seven days in silence for they see his grief.  Finally Job speaks (Job 3:11-13) -
“Why did I not die in the womb, why did I not perish when I came out of the belly? Why received upon the knees? Why suckled at the breasts? For now I should have been asleep and still, and should have rest in my sleep.”

Job’s friends say that he must have committed some sin for God to punish him so drastically.  Job denies this, stating that he is innocent.  Finally, God Himself speak in Job 38:2-19 -

“Then the Lord answered Job out of a whirlwind, and said: Who is this that wrappeth up sentences in unskillful words? Gird up thy loins like a man: I will ask thee, and answer thou Me.  Where wast thou when I laid up the foundations of the earth? tell Me if thou hast understanding.  Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who hath stretched the line upon it? 

“Upon what are its bases grounded? or who laid the corner stone thereof,  When the morning stars praised me together, and all the sons of God made a joyful melody? Who shut up the sea with doors, when it broke forth as issuing out of the womb: When I made a cloud the garment thereof, and wrapped it in a mist as in swaddling bands? I set my bounds around it, and made it bars and doors:

“And I said: Hitherto thou shalt come, and shalt go no further, and here thou shalt break thy swelling waves.  Didst thou since thy birth command the morning, and shew the dawning of the day its place?  And didst thou hold the extremities of the earth shaking them, and hast thou shaken the ungodly out of it?  The seal shall be restored as clay, and shall stand as a garment: From the wicked their light shall be taken away, and the high arm shall be broken. 

“Hast thou entered into the depths of the sea, and walked in the lowest parts of the deep? Have the gates of death been opened to thee, and hast thou seen the darksome doors?  Hast thou considered the breadth of the earth? tell me, if thou knowest all things?  Where is the way where light dwelleth, and where is the place of darkness:”

I have quoted from Job in length so you can see the great beauty of the language.  God is telling Job of the things He has done.  Job cannot possibly understand the ways of a God who is so far above him.  Job answers in Chapter 42:1-6 -

“Then Job answered the Lord, and said: I know that thou canst do all things, and no thought is hid from Thee. Who is this that hideth counsel without knowledge? Therefore I have spoken unwisely, and things that above measure exceeded my knowledge. Hear, and I will speak: I will ask thee, and do thou tell me. With the hearing of the ear, I have heard Thee, but now my eye seeth Thee.

“Therefore I reprehend myself, and do penance in dust and ashes.” 

Job has a happy ending.  He has more children, he regains his wealth and lives a long time.
The book of Job discusses the meaning of suffering.  Job realizes that suffering is not caused by his sins even though his friends insist that he must have done something wrong.  In the New Testament Jesus shows us that suffering has redemptive value.

The friends of Job tell him that Job’s sins caused his suffering but Job believes they are wrong.  When different opinions occur in the story, which one should we believe is right?   We cannot interpret the Bible ourselves but the Church has researched, written about and analyzed these passages for generations.  This is why we study the Bible with commentaries – so that we understand how the Church interprets the various passages.

Prophetical

The prophetical books are the books of the prophets.  The prophets are constantly bringing the people back to God.  The office of prophet is not hereditary; it is not passed from father to son.  The prophet receives a message from God which must be transmitted to the Israelites.  The words to Jeremiah are typical of this message which reminds the people of the covenant - 

“And the Lord said to me: Proclaim aloud all these words in the cities of Juda, and in the streets of Jerusalem, saying: Hear ye the words of the covenant, and do them:  For protesting I conjured your fathers in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt even to this day: rising early I conjured them, and said: Hearken Ye to my voice: And they obeyed not, nor inclined their ear: but walked everyone in the perverseness of his own wicked heart: and I brought upon them all the words of this covenant, which I commanded them to do, but they did them not.  And the Lord said to me: A conspiracy is found among the men of Juda, and among the inhabitants of Jerusalem.  They are returned to the former iniquities of their fathers, who refused to hear my words: so these likewise have gone after strange gods, to serve them: the house of Israel, and the house of Juda have made void my covenant, which I made with their fathers.”  (Jeremiah 11:6-10)

Or, here are the words of Ezeckiel as he tells of his commission from God in Ezeckiel 2:1-5 –

“This was the vision of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. And I saw, and I fell upon my face, and I heard the voice of one that spoke. And he said to me: Son of man, stand upon thy feet, and I will speak to thee.  And the spirit entered into me after that he spoke to me, and he set me upon my feet: and I heard him speaking to me,  And saying: Son of man, I send thee to the children of Israel, to a rebellious people, that hath revolted from me, they, and their fathers, have transgressed my covenant even unto this day.  And they to whom I send thee are children of a hard face, and of an obstinate heart: and thou shalt say to them: Thus saith the Lord God: If so be they at least will hear, and if so be they will forbear, for they are a provoking house: and they shall know that there hath been a prophet in the midst of them.” 

As you can see from both examples, the emphasis is on the covenant between the Israelites and God. Prophets also foretold the future.  For instance, in Isaiah we hear of the coming of Jesus Christ –

“Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign. Behold a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and his name shall be called Emmanuel.”  (Isaiah 7:14)

As with every book of the Bible, there are also stories such as Jonah and the whale as well as Daniel and the lion.

New Testament

There are 27 books in the New Testament – Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts, Romans, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians, 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, Hebrews, James, 1 Peter, 2 Peter, 1 John, 2 John, 3 John, Jude, and Revelation

The New Testament begins with the four Gospels written by Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.  We will quote from the Gospels throughout these lessons as they tell us about the life of Jesus.  Each of the four Evangelists wrote for a different audience and these audiences varied dramatically in terms of culture.  The four Gospels allow us to see Jesus through the eyes of four different writers and the end result is a richer narrative.

Each of the four Evangelists (Gospel writers) has a symbol – Matthew is shown as a winged man, Mark is a lion, Luke is an ox, and John is an eagle.  

Matthew is shown as a winged man because he starts with Jesus’ genealogy from Abraham – thus emphasizing His human heritage.  Mark is represented by a lion – a symbol of strength and courage - because his Gospel details the royal dignity of Jesus.  Luke is an ox which is a figure of sacrifice and strength because he talked about the priesthood of Jesus and the ox is a symbol of His sacrifice.  John is an eagle because his Gospel emphasizes the divine nature of Christ.

Mark wrote the first Gospel around 65 to 70 AD shortly after the persecutions by Nero.  There were probably two main reasons for him to do this.  First, many of the eye-witnesses had died in the persecutions and second, the faith was spreading across the world and a reliable, written account of Jesus’ life was needed.  Mark was not an eye-witness but he knew both Paul and Peter and travelled with them.  Mark’s portrayal of Jesus is dramatic and human.  We start at the Jordan River at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry (Mark 1:1-6) –

“The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.  As it is written in Isaias the prophet: Behold I send my angel before thy face, who shall prepare the way before thee.  A voice of one crying in the desert: Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight his paths. John was in the desert baptizing, and preaching the baptism of penance, unto remission of sins.  And there went out to him all the country of Judea, and all they of Jerusalem, and were baptized by him in the river of Jordan, confessing their sins.”

Jesus is thoughtful towards others – not only of their spiritual needs but of their physical needs (Mark 8:1-5) –

“In those days again, when there was a great multitude, and had nothing to eat; calling His disciples together, He saith to them:  I have compassion on the multitude, for behold they have now been with Me three days, and have nothing to eat. And if I shall send them away fasting to their home, they will faint in the way; for some of them came from afar off.  And His disciples answered him: From whence can any one fill them here with bread in the wilderness? And He asked them: How many loaves have ye? Who said: Seven.”

Jesus goes on to multiply these seven loaves and a few fish to feed the multitude.  However, Mark does not portray Jesus as always gentle but at times moved to righteous anger.  When Jesus went to the temple in Jerusalem, He saw people selling and buying items (Mark 11:15-17) -

“And they came to Jerusalem. And when He was entered into the temple, He began to cast out them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the chairs of them that sold doves. 

“And He suffered not that any man should carry a vessel through the temple; And He taught, saying to them: Is it not written, My house shall be called the house of prayer to all nations? But you have made it a den of thieves.”

From Jesus’ last words, it seems that the sellers were even cheating the buyers within the temple itself. 

Mark’s Gospel is the shortest of the four Gospels.

The next Gospel was written about AD 80 by the Apostle Matthew although there are also scholars who argue that Matthew wrote his Gospel first.

Matthew wrote for a Jewish audience and his Gospel emphasizes how Jesus fulfills the Old Testament. Matthew’s Gospel opens with a genealogical list (Matthew 1:1-6) –

“The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham:  Abraham begot Isaac. And Isaac begot Jacob. And Jacob begot Judas and his brethren. And Judas begot Phares and Zara of Thamar. And Phares begot Esron. And Esron begot Aram. And Aram begot Aminadab. And Aminadab begot Naasson. And Naasson begot Salmon. And Salmon begot Booz of Rahab. And Booz begot Obed of Ruth. And Obed begot Jesse.” “And Jesse begot David the king…”

At the end of the list is Joseph, Jesus’ foster-father who features pre-dominantly in the infancy narrative of Matthew.  Again and again, Matthew quotes from the Old Testament to prove that Jesus is indeed the Messiah as in Matthew 2:3-6. 

“And king Herod hearing this, was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.  And assembling should together all the chief priests and the scribes of the people, he inquired of them where Christ be born.  But they said to him: In Bethlehem of Juda. For so it is written by the prophet:

“And thou Bethlehem the land of Juda art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come forth the captain that shall rule my people Israel.”

In the above passage, for instance, Matthew quotes from Micah 5:2. 

Matthew shows Jesus as a teacher.  Jesus is the new Moses explaining the faith.  Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount is a continuation and fulfillment of the commandments given by Moses.

Luke was a Greek writing for the Greeks. 

Luke was not an eye-witness but gathered together as much information as he could as he states in the beginning of his Gospel –

“Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to set forth in order a narration of the things that have been accomplished among us; According as they have delivered them unto us, who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word:  It seemed good to me also, having diligently attained to all things from the beginning, to write to thee in order, most excellent Theophilus, That thou mayest know the verity of those words in which thou hast been instructed.”

Luke’s narrative was based on Mark’s Gospel but also contains much original information.  Luke is the only Evangelist who writes of John the Baptist’s nativity, describes the Annunciation and records the Magnificat prayer.  

Luke emphasizes the miracles of Jesus and several of Jesus’ parables such as the Good Samaritan and the Prodigal Son are unique to Luke.  The parable of the Prodigal Son is in Luke, Chapter 15:11-32 –

“And He said: A certain man had two sons:  And the younger of them said to his father: Father, give me the portion of substance that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his substance.  And not many days after, the younger son, gathering all together, went abroad into a far country: and there wasted his substance, living riotously.  And after he had spent all, there came a mighty famine in that country; and he began to be in want.  And he went and cleaved to one of the citizens of that country. And he sent him into his farm to feed swine. 

“And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks the swine did eat; and no man gave unto him.  And returning to himself, he said: How many hired servants in my father's house abound with bread, and I here perish with hunger?  I will arise, and will go to my father, and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee:  I am not worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.  And rising up he came to his father. And when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and was moved with compassion, and running to him fell upon his neck, and kissed him.  

“And the son said to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, I am not now worthy to be called thy son. And the father said to his servants: Bring forth quickly the first robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet: And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it, and let us eat and make merry: Because this my son was dead, and is come to life again: was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry. Now his elder son was in the field, and when he came and drew nigh to the house, he heard music and dancing:

“And he called one of the servants, and asked what these things meant.  And he said to him: Thy brother is come, and thy father hath killed the fatted calf, because he hath received him safe.  And he was angry, and would not go in. His father therefore coming out began to entreat him.  And he answering, said to his father: Behold, for so many years do I serve thee, and I have never transgressed thy commandment, and yet thou hast never given me a kid to make merry with my friends:  But as soon as this thy son is come, who hath devoured his substance with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf. 

“But he said to him: Son, thou art always with me, and all I have is thine. But it was fit that we should make merry and be glad, for this thy brother was dead and is come to life again; he was lost, and is found.” 

This parable tells the story of a young man who wasted everything he had and then returned to his father.  Instead of scolding him, the father runs to him in his haste to forgive him.  Not only that, but the father throws a party to celebrate his son’s return.  When the older son protests, the father does not get angry but explains his reasoning to him.  Jesus tells us this parable to teach us how our Father in heaven reacts to our repentance.  God will not scold or scorn us.  Instead, His graces fly out to us when we are truly sorry for our sins and determine not to sin again - as the younger brother did when he returned home.  Jesus’ parables are short, memorable stories that teach us lessons.

Luke also tells of the second thief that hung beside Jesus at the crucifixion and asked for forgiveness.  Jesus assured the thief that he would be with Him in Paradise.  

The Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke are called the synoptic Gospels.  The synoptic Gospels contain many of the same narration often with the same words and in the same sequence.  As mentioned before, this is because both Matthew and Luke adopted information from Mark although both Gospels also have some independent material.  The Gospel of John is completely different.  For instance, this is how John’s Gospel begins (John 1:1–5) -

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God.  All things were made by Him: and without Him was made nothing that was made.  In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.”

John emphasizes Jesus’ divinity.  John does not mention the nativity of Jesus nor does he repeat the parables.  Instead, Jesus teaches us about the attributes of God as in John, Chapter 10, verses 11-15 –

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd giveth his life for his sheep.  But the hireling, and he that is not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and flieth: and the wolf catcheth, and scattereth the sheep: And the hireling flieth, because he is a hireling: and he hath no care for the sheep. I am the good shepherd; and I know mine, and mine know me. As the Father knoweth Me, and I know the Father: and I lay down My life for My sheep.”   

Jesus here compares Himself to a Good Shepherd who watches over His sheep; He will even give His life for His sheep.   Jesus is not like the hired hand who will desert the sheep when a wolf attacks.   Jesus will protect us and save us.  Jesus also compares Himself to a Vine –

“I am the true vine; and my Father is the husbandman.  Every branch in Me, that beareth not fruit, He will take away: and every one that beareth fruit, He will purge it, that it may bring forth more fruit.  Now you are clean by reason of the word, which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abide in the vine, so neither can you, unless you abide in Me.  I am the vine: you the branches: he that abideth in Me, and I in him, the same beareth much fruit: for without Me you can do nothing.

“If any one abide not in Me, he shall be cast forth as a branch, and shall wither, and they shall gather him up, and cast him into the fire, and he burneth.  If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you shall ask whatever you will, and it shall be done unto you. In this is My Father glorified; that you bring forth very much fruit, and become My disciples. As the Father hath loved Me, I also have loved you. Abide in My love.  If you keep My commandments, you shall abide in My love; as I also have kept My Father' s commandments, and do abide in His love.

“These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may be in you, and your joy may be filled. This is My commandment, that you love one another, as I have loved you.  Greater love than this no man hath, that a man lay down his life for his friends.  You are My friends, if you do the things that I command you.  I will not now call you servants: for the servant knoweth not what his lord doth. But I have called you friends: because all things whatsoever I have heard of My Father, I have made known to you.”

We can see the profound language that John uses to describe Jesus’ love for us.  Many readers find John especially conducive to meditation.

Acts

The Acts of the Apostles are also addressed to Theophilus – the same person as the Gospel of Luke.  It is therefore thought that Luke also wrote the Acts.  Acts covers the early days of the Church starting with the Ascension of Jesus.  Luke tells of Peter who preached an influential sermon on Pentecost after being inspired by the Holy Spirit.   We read about some of the early Christians who sold their goods and distributed money to those who needed it.  We hear of St. Stephen, the first martyr of the faith, and how he defended himself at his trial.  Unfortunately, Stephen is condemned in Acts 7:56-59 -

“And they crying out with a loud voice, stopped their ears, and with one accord ran violently upon him.  And casting him forth without the city, they stoned him; and the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man, whose name was Saul. And they stoned Stephen, invoking, and saying: Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.  And falling on his knees, he cried with a loud voice, saying: Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep in the Lord. And Saul was consenting to his death.”

As we see from the above passage, Saul persecuted the Christians in the beginning.  In fact he was on his way to Damascus to do this when he was suddenly converted –

“And as he went on his journey, it came to pass that he drew nigh to Damascus; and suddenly a light from heaven shined round about him.  And falling on the ground, he heard a voice saying to him: Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou Me?  Who said: Who art Thou, Lord? And He: I am Jesus whom thou persecutest.”

After this experience from Acts 9:3-5, Saul was converted to Christianity.  He changed his name to Paul, visited Jerusalem to be sanctioned by the Apostles and then continued to travel and preach for the rest of his life.  He was scourged, beaten, imprisoned and ship-wrecked but persevered.   Acts ends with his arrival, as a prisoner, in Rome.
 

Epistles

The next few books of the New Testament are Epistles or letters.  Most of these are from St. Paul to communities or individuals that he has previously visited or planned to visit.   He explains a doctrine or mediates a dispute.  In an especially beautiful passage, St. Paul wrote to the Thessalonians about the resurrection of the dead.  (First Epistle of Saint Paul to the Thessalonians 4:12-17) –

“And we will not have you ignorant, brethren, concerning them that are asleep, that you be not sorrowful, even as others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died, and rose again; even so them who have slept through Jesus, will God bring with Him. For this we say unto you in the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who remain unto the coming of the Lord, shall not prevent them who have slept.  For the Lord Himself shall come down from heaven with commandment, and with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God: and the dead who are in Christ, shall rise first.

“Then we who are alive, who are left, shall be taken up together with them in the clouds to meet Christ, into the air, and so shall we be always with the Lord.  Wherefore, comfort ye one another with these words.”

There are also letters by St. James, St. Peter, St. John and St. Jude.

Revelations

This is the last book of the Bible.  It was written by John who was living on Patmos at this time.  It is uncertain as whether this John was the Evangelist John or another John.  Revelation contains intricate and symbolic language which is difficult for most of us to understand.  However, when it was written during the 90s A.D. this type of writing would have been comprehensible to its readers. 

People would have known its conventions and what to expect.  It is not meant to be taken literally – which is a common reason why many who read it without guidance from the Church interpret it incorrectly.

At the time Revelation was written, the Jewish people had revolted against the Romans (66-73 A.D.) and the temple in Jerusalem had been destroyed.   Emperor Domitian was in power until September 18, 96 A.D. when he was stabbed to death.  Emperor Nero, who had persecuted the Christians and had been stabbed to death in 68 A.D., was rumored to be alive and eager to return to the throne to continue harassing the Christians.  We sense this unrest and devastation throughout the book.  There is urgency and tension as John opens the seven seals and then the seven trumpets are blown.    

The last words in the Bible are from Revelation 22:21 – “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.  Amen.”

Summary

In summary, the Bible teaches us spiritual truths, not scientific ones. The Bible is also one part of Divine Revelation - the other part is Tradition.  This Tradition is found preserved only in the Catholic Church - the religion founded by Jesus Christ.

The Books that are included in the Bible were set over 1,700 years ago.  See the article "The Canon of Scripture" by Sebastian Fama for a more thorough explanation of why the Catholic Bible is the one that contains all the truly divinely inspired Books.

Catholics are taught not to independently interpret the Bible but, we are encouraged to read the Bible.  The Church even attaches special spiritual gifts to those who do so. During the Middle Ages, most people could not read and the word of God was taught verbally and through pictures.  Indeed, that is one reason we have beautiful stained glass windows in Cathedrals.   Yet even from the earliest days of the Church, the Church Fathers encouraged their followers who were literate to read the Bible.  

In relatively recent history, the encyclical Divino Afflante Spiritu by Pope Pius XII in 1943 encouraged Catholics to read and study the Bible.  Pope Pius XII starts by emphasizing the importance of Holy Scripture –

“Inspired by the Divine Spirit, the Sacred Writers composed those books, which God, in His paternal charity towards the human race, deigned to bestow on them in order "to teach, to reprove, to correct, to instruct in justice: that the man of God may be perfect, furnished to every good work."1 This heaven-sent treasure Holy Church considers as the most precious source of doctrine on faith and morals. No wonder therefore that, as she received it intact from the hands of the Apostles, so she kept it with all care, defended it from every false and perverse interpretation and used it diligently as an instrument for securing the eternal salvation of souls, as almost countless documents in every age strikingly bear witness.” (Pope Pius XII. 1943)

Order a copy of the Bible for yourself.  I recommend either the Douay Rheims Bible or the RSV-CE Bible.  You can read the Douay Rheims online for free even. Also, it's important to have an approved and scholarly Bible Commentary on hand.  So please bookmark this free resource: Haydock's Bible Commentary.

But remember, we do not believe in sola-scriptura.  Scripture and Tradition are the two means of Divine Revelation.  After all, there was no Bible for the first 300 years of Christianity and even the Bible says not everything is contained in the Bible (see 2 Thessalonians 2:15 and John 21:25)!

Source: The above material is quoted a highly recommended book: A Step Towards Heaven: An Introduction to Religion.

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