St. Thomas of Canterbury

Image: The martyrdom of St Thomas from the St Thomas Altarpiece commissioned in 1424, from Meister Francke by the Guild of English Merchants in Hamburg

Double (1955 Calendar): December 29

Commemoration (1962 Calendar): December 29 (First Class in England and Wales)

Optional Memorial (1969 Calendar): December 29

St. Thomas of Canterbury (1118 - 1170) - also known as St. Thomas Becket - was Archbishop of Canterbury from 1162 to December 29, 1170, the date of his assassination.

St. Thomas Becket grew into a dispute with King Henry II of England when Henry II wished for St. Thomas Becket to sanction customers contrary to the liberties of the Church - an action that would undoubtedly make the Church subservient to the secular rule of the King.  In his defiance, St. Thomas Becket refused to consent to this request.  As a result, St. Thomas Becket - ever faithful to the Lord - was slain in the Cathedral in Canterbury on December 29, 1170.

As sings the Introit for today's Mass Propers: "Let us all rejoice in the Lord, celebrating a festal day in honor of blessed Thomas the Martyr: at whose martyrdom the Angels rejoice, and praise the Son of God.  Rejoice in the Lord, O ye just: praise becometh the upright."

Account of the Assassination according to Edward Grim:

The wicked knight leapt suddenly upon him, cutting off the top of the crown which the unction of sacred chrism had dedicated to God. Next he received a second blow on the head, but still he stood firm and immovable. At the third blow he fell on his knees and elbows, offering himself a living sacrifice, and saying in a low voice, 'For the name of Jesus and the protection of the Church, I am ready to embrace death.' But the third knight inflicted a terrible wound as he lay prostrate. By this stroke, the crown of his head was separated from the head in such a way that the blood white with the brain, and the brain no less red from the blood, dyed the floor of the cathedral. The same clerk who had entered with the knights placed his foot on the neck of the holy priest and precious martyr, and, horrible to relate, scattered the brains and blood about the pavements, crying to the others, 'Let us away, knights; this fellow will arise no more.

 Source: This Sceptred Isle: 55 BC - 1901: The Roman Invasion to the Death of Queen Victoria p.73 Christopher Lee

In 1173 — barely three years after his death — he was canonized by Pope Alexander III as a saint.  On July 12, 1174, Henry II visited the tomb of St. Thomas Becket in a display of public penance.

The Forgotten Importance of St. Thomas Becket's Day:

In the 1962 Missal, his feastday was reduced to a mere commemoration since the feria days in the Octave of Christmas were raised to the II class in 1960. However, in England and Wales, St. Thomas's feast is of the First Class and kept with a Commemoration of the Octave of Christmas. In Medieval England, the Feast of St. Thomas Becket (Dec 29) and the Feast of his translation (July 7) were Holy Days of Obligation as affirmed in Archbishop Islip’s list of days of obligation for England.

Collect:

O God, for the sake of Whose Church the glorious Bishop Thomas fell by the sword of ungodly men: grant, we beseech Thee, that all who implore his aid, may obtain the good fruit of their petition.  Through our Lord.

Prayer Source: 1962 Roman Catholic Daily Missal

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The Importance of Music in the Life of a Parish and How a Parish Can Start a Sacred Music Program

The Importance of Music in the Life of a Parish and How a Parish Can Start a Sacred Music Program

Guest Author of this article: Daniel

If you wish to contact the author, please leave comments in the comments box or email acatholiclife[at]gmail[dot]com.

+JMJ+

In the Catholic Book of Character, Edward Garesche S.J. indicates that whatever enters the imagination remains there until death, even if not always present to consciousness. We are therefore obliged to nourish the imagination with good and beautiful things that lead us to God. This summarizes the beneficence of having good music in our liturgies on a human level. Everything employed in the worship of God seeks firstly to glorify Him. Secondarily, though probably just as important, is its salutary effect on us.

The Gregorian Mass is saturated with symbols expressed through gestures, sounds, and smells for a reason which is at the very heart of religion: To bring mankind into an encounter with the Divine. Like our incomparable Savior, the Mass is composed of divine and human elements. Its divinity consists in the offering of the Son to the Father in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world. However, in order that we may more fully benefit from its effects, the Church draws our attention to this mystery by stimulating our imaginations with beautiful ritual, for the more beautiful something is, the closer it is to God, Who is Beauty Itself.

Until the reforms of the 1960s, it was generally accepted that only the most beautiful and holy music, especially Gregorian chant, was suitable for the solemnity of the Mass. With the introduction of the "folk Mass," however, music in the liturgy became intimately tied with the world, losing its holiness to secular influences and beauty to shallow popular forms. The imagination no longer had the opportunity to soar into the transcendent, but was dragged into the immanent.

Such a description of these reforms might sound ridiculous. Why is music so important that I should view recent history with this perspective? The Second Vatican Council responds in the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy that music is the most esteemed of the Church's liturgical arts, as it most directly speaks to the soul. That is, music, more than any other element of the liturgy, affects the imagination, having the power to raise our thoughts to heavenly things or lower them to worldly distractions. When we raise our minds to God, we are praying; music therefore has a direct correlation to our life of prayer. Therefore man has a greater potential for holiness when he is nourished with the bread of beauty in the worship of God.

This is why the return to beautiful liturgical music in recent years is such a good thing and so important. One could almost say our salvation depends on it. If we do not conceive heaven as being someplace beautiful, then we will not want to go there. We are drawn toward things that please us; only God, Who is infinitely pleasing, can satisfy our infinite longings, but we cannot know this if He is shrouded and blocked out by ugliness. It is imperative, then, that all parishes begin the process of restoring beauty - dare I say, God Himself - to their liturgies. Through music, the liturgy can become more God-like, greatly sanctifying its participants and, consequently, the world.

Such a noble task rests with church musicians in cooperation with their pastors. Establishing or reorganizing a parochial music program can appear a daunting task. In considering the challenges, though, musicians should always keep in mind that there is no obstacle too great for God's grace to overcome. Be sure to complement all your efforts with prayer.

Having a supportive pastor is essential in enacting meaningful and enduring changes. It is through his preaching and teaching of orthodoxy that a congregation will be able to appreciate the gradual changes that you will implement. Depending on your situation, this might be the most difficult part of the process and will require more prayer.

Once you have the support of your pastor, your primary concern will be to address the twofold challenge of teaching your choir good vocal technique and acclimating the congregation to proper liturgy. Concerning the former, if you do not know where to start, it is good to keep in mind that the two most important components of good singing are breath control and unity of vowels. Regarding the latter, I offer my own experience.

For the purpose of training both choir and congregation, it is best to begin with hymns, avoiding a complete switch from one style of worship to another. This also permits your choir some time to begin learning the art of singing chant. Some good sources of hymnody include the Traditional Roman Hymnal - one of the best in my opinion, the St. Gregory Hymnal, the Westminster Hymnal - text and music are separate here, and the Adoremus Hymnal. Hymns are the best way for your choir to practice good singing and for the congregation to become accustomed to orthodox text and beautifully crafted melodies.

You should use chant hymns that have been harmonized - such as Creator of the Stars of Night or Of the Father's Love Begotten, for example - whenever possible in order to prepare the way for the propers. When you believe your choir is ready, you may start adding simple propers. One of the best sources of free online chants and chant resources is www.musicasacra.com. I have found the Anglican Use Gradual - approved for use in the Mass - wonderfully suited to novice singers and congregations. They use psalm tones and high English, making them accessible yet exalted.

If you have attained these heights in your liturgies, then your parish is well on its way to fostering great holiness among its parishioners. From here, the paths are as varied as the branches of a Christmas tree. You may choose to employ polyphonic music of the renaissance, modern compositions (www.canticanova.com is a good place to find some of these), or simple hymns. The sky is your limit and the rubrics your foundation.

St. Cecelia, pray for us!

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Extra Copy of "This is the Faith" for Sale

Long-time readers of the blog will know that I have been a strong supporter of the book, This Is the Faith by Canon Francis Ripley.

I have mentioned the text in several posts before:

Wedding Feast of Cana
Sacrament of Baptism
Non-Catholics, I want to hear from you
Organized Religion


For this reason, I wanted my readers to know that I have an extra copy of "This is the Faith" which is still in plastic wrap. It is in perfect mint condition and has never been opened.
For $18.00 USD, I am willing to ship the text to any location within the 48 continental states.

If you are interested, please comment below and/or send me an email message.

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Christmas 2009 Urbi et Orbi

The same comments regarding last year also apply to this year, namely that the Holy Father will not wear cope and mitre for the Urbi et Orbi blessing

To forestall any rash comments, this is not without precedent, as may be seen from the accompanying picture of Pius XII imparing the Urbi et Orbi blessing on Easter 1952. The choice would seem to be connected to the fact that the Pope does not publicly celebrate the Missa in die, and is therefore not vested prior to the blessing. Msgr. Marini explains that it is "a solemn benediction which is not connected to a particular liturgical rite."

Source: NLM

Text:

"Lux fulgebit hodie super nos, quia natus est nobis Dominus.

A light will shine on us this day, the Lord is born for us"
(Roman Missal, Christmas, Entrance Antiphon for the Mass at Dawn)

The liturgy of the Mass at Dawn reminded us that the night is now past, the day has begun; the light radiating from the cave of Bethlehem shines upon us.

The Bible and the Liturgy do not, however, speak to us about a natural light, but a different, special light, which is somehow directed to and focused upon "us", the same "us" for whom the Child of Bethlehem "is born". This "us" is the Church, the great universal family of those who believe in Christ, who have awaited in hope the new birth of the Saviour, and who today celebrate in mystery the perennial significance of this event.

At first, beside the manger in Bethlehem, that "us" was almost imperceptible to human eyes. As the Gospel of Saint Luke recounts, it included, in addition to Mary and Joseph, a few lowly shepherds who came to the cave after hearing the message of the Angels. The light of that first Christmas was like a fire kindled in the night. All about there was darkness, while in the cave there shone the true light "that enlightens every man" (Jn 1:9). And yet all this took place in simplicity and hiddenness, in the way that God works in all of salvation history. God loves to light little lights, so as then to illuminate vast spaces. Truth, and Love, which are its content, are kindled wherever the light is welcomed; they then radiate in concentric circles, as if by contact, in the hearts and minds of all those who, by opening themselves freely to its splendour, themselves become sources of light. Such is the history of the Church: she began her journey in the lowly cave of Bethlehem, and down the centuries she has become a People and a source of light for humanity. Today too, in those who encounter that Child, God still kindles fires in the night of the world, calling men and women everywhere to acknowledge in Jesus the "sign" of his saving and liberating presence and to extend the "us" of those who believe in Christ to the whole of mankind.

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Image Source: Unknown

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Midnight Mass Celebrated by Fr. Daniel Couture

Midnight Mass, celebrated by Fr. Daniel Couture, SSPX.  Photos are from True Restoration Photos and True Restoration via Facebook.

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Mass of Christmas Day Celebrated at St. Jude Roman Catholic Church

A child is born to us, and a Son is given to us: Whose government is upon His shoulder: and His Name shall be called, the Angel of Great Counsel. -- (Ps.97. 1). Sing ye to the Lord a new canticle: because He hath done wonderful things. V.: Glory be to the Father . . . A child is born to us . . .

Grant, we beseech Thee, almighty God, that the new birth of Thine only-begotten Son in the flesh may set us free, who are held by the old bondage under the yoke of sin. Through the same Jesus Christ, Thy Son, who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God . . . 

God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spoke in times past to the fathers by the prophets, whom He hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also He made the world: Who being the brightness of His glory and the figure of His substance, and upholding all things by the word of His power, making purgation of sins, sitteth on the right hand of the Majesty on high: being made so much better than the angels as He hath inherited a more excellent name than they. For to which of the angels hath He said at any time: Thou art my Son, today have I begotten Thee? And again: I will be to Him a Father, and He shall be to Me a Son? And again, when He bringeth in the first begotten into the world, He saith: He that maketh His angels spirits, and His ministers a flame of fire. But to the Son: Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of justice is the sceptre of Thy kingdom. Thou hast loved justice and hated iniquity: therefore God, Thy God, hath anointed Thee with the oil of gladness above Thy fellows. And: Thou in the beginning, O Lord, didst found the earth: and the works of Thy hands are the heavens. They shall perish, but Thou shalt continue: and they shall all grow old as a garment: and as a vesture shalt Thou change them and they shall be changed: but Thou art the selfsame, and Thy years shall not fail.

All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God: sing joyfully to God, all the earth. V.: The Lord hath made known His salvation: He hath revealed His justice in the sight of the Gentiles.

Alleluia, alleluia. V.: A sanctified day has shone upon us: come ye Gentiles and adore the Lord: for this day a great light hath descended upon the earth. Alleluia

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was in God's presence, 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.There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. This man came for a witness, to testify concerning the Light, that all might believe through Him. He was not the Light, but he was to testify concerning the Light. That was the true Light, which enlighteneth every man that cometh into this world. He was in the world, and the world was made by Him, and the world knew Him not. He came unto His own, and His own received Him not. But as many as received Him to them He gave power to become sons of God, to them that believe in His Name, who are born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.[Here all kneel.] And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us: and we saw His glory, the glory as of the Only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

Images of the Mass of Christmas Day Celebrated at St. Jude Roman Catholic Church (SSPX).  Photos are the property of Jim, the Photographer via Flickr.

Text: Parts of the Propers from the 3rd Mass of Christmas

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Pope Pius XII Midnight Mass of 1944

A solis ortus cardine ad usque terrae limitem, Christum canamus Principem, natum Maria Virgine. Beatus auctor saeculi servile corpus induit: ut carne carnem liberans, ne perderet quos condidit.

Christmas Message of His Holiness Venerable Pope Pius XII, 1942.

My Dear Children of the Whole World:

As the Holy Christmas Season comes round each year, the message of Jesus, Who is light in the midst of darkness, echoes once more from the Crib of Bethlehem in the ears of Christians and re-echoes in their hearts with an ever new freshness of joy and piety. It is a message which lights up with heavenly truth a world that is plunged in darkness by fatal errors. It infuses exuberant and trustful joy into mankind, torn by the anxiety of deep, bitter sorrow. It proclaims liberty to the sons of Adam, shackled with the chains of sin and guilt. It promises mercy, love, peace to the countless hosts of those in suffering and tribulation who see their happiness Shattered and their efforts broken in the tempestuous strife and hate of our stormy days.

The church bells, which announce this message in every continent, not only recall the gift which God made to mankind at the dawn of the Christian Era; they also announce and proclaim a consoling reality of the present, a reality which is eternally young, living and life-giving; it is the reality of the "True Light which enlighteneth every man that cometh into this World," and which knows no setting. The Eternal Word, Who is the Way, the Truth and the Life, began His mission of saving and redeeming the human race by being born in the squalor of a stable and by thus ennobling and hallowing poverty.

He thus proclaimed and consecrated a message which is still, today, the Word of Eternal Life. That message can solve the most tortuous questions, unsolved and insoluble for those who bring to their investigations a mentality and an apparatus which are ephemeral and merely human; and those questions stand up, bleeding, imperiously demanding an answer, before the thought and the feeling of embittered and exasperated mankind.

The watchword "I have compassion on the multitude" is for Us a sacred trust which may not be abused; it remains strong, and impelling in all times and in all human situations, as it was the distinguishing mark of Jesus.

The Church would be untrue to herself, ceasing to be a mother, if she turned a deaf ear to her children's anguished cries, which reach her from every class of the human family. She does not intend to take sides for any of the particular forms in which the several peoples and States strive to solve the gigantic problems of domestic order or international collaboration, as long as these forms conform to the law of God. But on the other hand, as the "Pillar and Ground of Truth" and guardian, by the will of God and the mandate of Christ, of the natural and supernatural order, the Church cannot renounce her right to proclaim to her sons and to the whole world the unchanging basic laws, saving them from every perversion, frustration, corruption, false interpretation and error.

This is all the more necessary for the fact that from the exact maintenance of these laws, and not merely by the effort of noble and courageous wills, depends in the last analysis the solidity of any national and international order, so fervently desired by all peoples. We know the qualities of courage and sacrifice of those peoples, and We also know their straitened conditions and their sorrow; and in this hour of unspeakable trial and strife We feel Ourselves bound to each and every one of them without exception, by a deep, all-embracing, unmovable affection, and by an immense desire to bring them every solace and help which is in any way at Our command.

Image Source: Worshippers standing on top of confessional booth to view unprecedented Christmas midnight mass conducted by Pope Pius XII fr. the high altar; the first time since Charlemagne's coronation that a Pope has said Midnight Mass at St. Peter's Cathedral. December 1944, Taken by Margaret Bourke-White

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Christmas Day Chants

These are some of the prayers said at the Tridentine Masses for the Mass of Christmas day. Please pray along to these beautiful chants:

Christmas (Day Mass) - Introit: Puer
Christmas (Day Mass) - Gradual: Viderunt omnes
Christmas (Day Mass) - Alleluia
Christmas (Day Mass) - Offertory: Tui sunt
Christmas (Day Mass) - Communion: Viderunt omnes
Christmas - Vespers Hymn: Christe redemptor omnium 

Image Source: Annunciation by Domenico Beccafumi, 1545-1546

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Jesus Christ is the Second Adam - St. Leo the Great

“Dearly beloved brethren, if we study attentively the history of the creation of our
race, we shall find that man was made in the image of God, that his ways also might be an imitation of the ways of his Maker. This is the natural, real, and highest dignity which we are capable of attaining, that the goodness of the Divine nature should have a reflection in us, as in a mirror. As a means of reaching this dignity, we are daily offered the grace of our Saviour, for as in the first Adam all men are fallen, so in the Second Adam can all men be raised up again… And we know from the Apostle John how God fulfilled His promise,. We know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know Him That is True, and be in Him That is True, even in
His Son.”

St. Leo the Great

Image Source: Nativity by François Boucher, 18th Century

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Moral Theology By Rev. Heribert Jone

I recently received an email that from a reader of the blog that included two scanned copies from the book Moral Theology by Rev. Heribert Jone on the topic of fasting.

(click for a larger, clear preview of this text)

The copy is a reprint of Reverend Jone's classic 18th English edition. A handbook for the busy priest that will boggle the mind with its organization, thoroughness and detail. Hand pocket size. Every priest [ and I might add seminarian] should have a copy of this text at his fingertips. There is no other book like it! Also of note, this 610 page book comes with an imprimatur.

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