Tuesday, May 30, 2006
Morning Offering Prayer

Almighty God, I thank you for your past blessings. Today, I offer myself - whatever I do, say or think - to your loving care. Continue to bless me, Lord. I make this morning offering in union with the divine intentions of Jesus Christ who offers himself daily in the holy Sacrifice of the Mass, and in union with Mary, his Virgin Mother and our Mother, who was always the faithful handmaid of the Lord. Amen.

Prayer Source: Paul and Leisa Thigpen, Building Catholic Family Traditions. (Our Sunday Visitor, 1999), p. 72.

Image Source: Believed to be in the Public Domain
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Monday, May 29, 2006
What is Death Like?

As Christians we know that death is not the end but rather the beginning of eternal life - whether in Heaven or Hell. My Catholic Reflections has a wonderful metaphor on death that I wholeheartedly recommend.

Image Source: Unknown, Believed to be in the Public Domain
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"Opus Dei And The Da Vinci Code": Documentary

I want to thank a reader for letting me know about an upcoming documentary on Opus Dei. This is the first documentary to be granted access to the Catholic organization, and it will air at 10 p.m. ET on Sunday, June 4, 2006, on the Hallmark channel.

Additionally, Faith & Values Media will be taping a panel discussion about the accuracies and inaccuracies of “The DaVinci Code.” It will air following an encore presentation of the documentary on Sunday, June 11, 2006, from 8-10 a.m. ET/PT (7-9 a.m. CT).

Panelists scheduled to appear include:

  • Amy-Jill Levine – professor of New Testament Studies, director of the Carpenter
  • Program in Religion, Gender, and Sexuality, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN;
  • Ed Murray – president and chief executive officer, Faith & Values Media, NYC;
  • Dick Staub – author, spiritual pundit and former radio talk show host, Seattle, WA

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Bowing vs. Genuflecting: When Each is Required at Mass


A genuflection, made by bending the right knee to the ground, which signifies adoration, and therefore it is reserved for the Most Blessed Sacrament (God Himself), as well as for the Holy Cross on Good Friday until the beginning of the Easter Vigil. A bow signifies reverence and honor shown to the persons themselves or to the signs that represent them. There are two kinds of bows: a bow of the head and a bow of the body.

Why Do We Genuflect?

We do this out of respect for the Lord Who is truly present before us. If a king or president was seated in front of us, we would respectfully acknowledge his presence; a bow is quite customary. The same is true yet in a much greater sense regarding the Lord, Who is the King of Kings, Who is really present in the Eucharist within the tabernacle. So, when we enter a Catholic church and before we sit down, we genuflect not toward the pew but toward the tabernacle. Genuflections should always be made while looking at the tabernacle and with a realization and internal acknowledgment that God Himself resides in that tabernacle. A laudable and pious devotion is to make the Sign of the Cross and a silent act of faith at the moment of genuflection. It could be as simple as “My God, I believe Thou art present” or “My Lord, I love Thee” or “Blessed be the Holy Trinity.”

What Is the Proper Way to Genuflect?

Single Genuflection: If the Lord is within the tabernacle it ought to have a covering of cloth and there will be a lit red candle in the sanctuary. If you see this, the Lord is indeed present and anytime you walk past the front of tabernacle, you ought to genuflect. This is also true if you walk from one side of the church to the other. So it’s not about entering the pew before Mass – it’s about crossing the sight of the Lord in the tabernacle. However, it is also proper to genuflect when we arrive and leave Our Lord’s presence, which is why we do make a genuflection when we enter the pew upon arriving and when we exit the pew to leave.

A single genuflection is always on the right knee and touching the right knee to the ground. Make sure you know that. It is always the right knee, which is done out of respect for God. Genuflections on the left knee are done only to human beings (e.g. human authorities) – the right knee is reserved for God alone.

There are also times during the Mass when the rubrics require a genuflection to be made. It is customary to genuflect when the Mystery of the Incarnation is mentioned during the Mass, for example during the Creed (et incarnátus est de Spíritu Sancto ex María Vírgine: et homo factus est) and during the Last Gospel (et verbum caro factum est). This act of reverence is also performed during the Te Deum prayer said during the Divine Office each morning and at some Gospel readings during the year.

Double Genuflection: This is done by bending down on both knees (kneeling) and profoundly bowing. When is this done? When the Lord’s true Body and Blood in the Eucharist is out of the tabernacle and exposed on the altar (usually in a monstrance). On such occasions, it is fitting to make a double genuflection. If you see people going to Eucharistic Adoration, or you see people leaving Mass early while the Holy Eucharist is still exposed upon the altar, make them aware that out of respect for God and out of obedience to the laws of the Church, a double genuflection is to be made.

When Do We Bow?

A bow of the head is made when the three Divine Persons are named together and at the names of Jesus, of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and of the Saint in whose honor Mass is being celebrated. This is the case outside of Mass as well. Even if the name of Jesus is said in a simple conversation, you bow your head slightly.

A bow of the body, that is to say a profound bow, is made to the altar; during the prayers Munda cor meum (Almighty God, cleanse my heart) and In spiritu humilitatis (Lord God, we ask you to receive); in the Roman Canon at the words Supplices te rogamus (Almighty God, we pray that your angel). The same kind of bow is made by the deacon when he asks for a blessing before the proclamation of the Gospel. In addition, the priest bows slightly as he speaks the words of consecration.
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Memorial Day, USA

Today in the United States we celebrate Memorial Day. On this day we have been asked to take a moment of silence at 3 o'clock to remember all that have served and given their lives for our freedom. Appropriately, 3 o'clock is the hour of Divine Mercy. I wanted to reflect briefly on Catholics serving in the military. Some people recommend Catholicmil.org. However, as with all modern "Catholic" webpages, be cautious as these are not traditional Catholic orders.

In World War II, there were 3,220 priests ministering to our troops overseas. In today’s Global War against terrorism, there are less than 325 priests. That is 100 less priests than just two years ago. We desperately need vocations to the military to serve as priests. Pray for traditional vocations to the priesthood.

So, please take a brief moment of silence to remember all that gave their lives for our freedom, and please pray for vocations for priests in the military.

Image Source: Mass on the Battlefield, Believed to be in the Public Domain
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Sunday, May 28, 2006
3rd Day of the Novena to the Holy Spirit

Today is the 3rd Day of the Novena for the Gifts of the Holy Spirit.

Image Source: Unknown, Believed to be in the Public Domain
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Prayer to Jesus in the Sacrament of the Altar

Dear Jesus, present in the Sacrament of the Altar, be forever thanked and praised. Love, worthy of all celestial and terrestrial love, Who, out of infinite love for me, ungrateful sinner, didt assume our human nature, didt shed Thy most precious blood in the cruel scourging, and didt expire on a shameful cross for our eternal welfare! Now, illumined with lively faith, with the outpouring of my whole soul and the fervor of my heart, I humbly beseech Thee, through the infinite merits of Thy painful sufferings, give me strength and courage to destroy every evil passion which sways my heart, to bless Thee in my greatest affliction, to glorify Thee by the exact fulfillment of all my duties, supremely to hate all sin, and thus to become a saint.

Prayer Source: Catholic Online

Image Source: Believed to be in the Public Domain
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Pope Benedict XVI Visits Auschwitz

(Pawel Kopczynski/Reuters)

Right now I'm watching Pope Benedict XVI's visit to Auschwitz, the death camp of WWII. As he entered, our Holy Father stopped at Wall of Death, where the Nazis killed thousands of prisoners. Then he placed a lighted candle before the wall. 32 survivors stood to greet Benedict XVI, most of them Catholic, and he put his hands on the head of one woman. The Holy Father also visited the dark cell in the basement of one of the buildings, the place where St. Maximilian Kolbe was executed by the Nazis after he voluntarily took the place of a condemned prisoner so that the prisoner could be spared and return to his family. Pope Benedict XVI stopped to pray in the cell, standing before a candle placed there by John Paul II during a 1979 visit.

The pain is so evident at that place of death. From Auschwitz, Pope Benedict XVI arrived at Birkenau, the very close death camp accompanying Auschwitz. There he stopped at each marker to pray for the victims of the Nazis and meditate on the scope of this tragedy. He looked at each of the nationalities on the markers.

This is his third visit to Auschwitz, his first as pope. As he walked back to his chair, during the ecumenical service, a beautiful rainbow appeared behind him. The sky is think gray with the lone rainbow shining through. Following this, a group of young people came and each placed a candle on each of the markers, and the Holy Father prayed for God's forgiveness for the horrors committed by the Nazis.

Psalm 22 and Psalm 23 were then solemnly sung to all present [believed to be the modern Psalm numbering, not the traditional Catholic numbering of the Psalms]. A member of the Orthodox church, the Roman Catholic Church, and a rabbi each spoke praying for God's forgiveness. Let us pray for God's forgiveness for all of the sins committed by the Nazis in WWII. [This instance of ecumenism is unfortunate though]
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Pope Benedict XVI in Poland - Day Three

Yesterday, Saturday, May 27, 2006, Pope Benedict XVI visited the birthplace of Pope John Paul ll in Wadowice. Pope Benedict XVI accompanied with Cardinal Dziwisz, the longtime secretary of John Paul ll, visited The Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, the place of John Paul ll's baptism. Benedict XVI also journeyed to Pope John Paul ll's boyhood home in the city. In Wadowice, the Holy Father spoke to nearly 30,000 people gathered.

Pope Benedict XVI requested prayers for the canonization of John Paul ll: "I wished to stop precisely here, in the place where his faith began and matured, to pray together with all of you that he may soon be elevated to the glory of the altars."

After that stop, Pope Benedict XVI journeyed to Kalwaria Zebrzydowska, the shrine that John Paul ll frequently went to pray. He said, "I hope that Providence will soon grant us the beatification and canonization of our beloved Pope John Paul II." Continuing the journey of remembrance, Benedict XVI went to the Divine Mercy shrine a Lagiewniki where he took part in Eucharistic adoration and prayed before the relics of St. Faustina. St. Faustina was the one that received the apparitions of Christ concerning the Divine Mercy of our Lord. The Holy Father then addressed the sick saying they are "...united to the Cross of Christ, but at the same time the most eloquent witnesses to the mercy of God."

Pope Benedict XVI ended Saturday with a meeting with the youth. There, to the nearly 1 million gathered in Krakow's Blonie Park, our Holy Father reminded them not to be discouraged by the people who reject the claims of Jesus Christ. He reminded them that St. Peter faced the same anguish. He reminded them not to join the secular world in viewing Christ "a king of the past."

Sunday he is going to visit Auschwitz-Birkenau, the death camp in Poland.

Above Photo Source: Petr David Josek, AP

Photos of his visit with the youth:

(REUTERS/Peter Andrews)

(AFP/Vincenzo Pinto)
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Saturday, May 27, 2006
2nd Day of the Holy Spirit Novena

Today is the second day of the Novena to the Holy Spirit. Veni Creator Spiritus!

Image Source: Believed to be in the Public Domain
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