Be grateful in all things.

Maxim #29

The Second Vatican Council declared that the source and summit of the Christian life is found in the celebration of the Eucharist. It is where we come to be both fed and sent. The word Eucharist is derived from the Greek word that means to give thanks. Christians are by their very nature called to be thankful. It is sometimes easy to forget that everything we have is a gift from God. It continues to amaze me that all the gifts God has given me are not based upon anything other than his love. They are not withdrawn when I sin nor are they usually rewarded with increase if I complete a heroic act of faith. God’s love is pure gift.

May we always remember to give thanks for God’s’ great kindness and generosity to us each day.

On the seventh day of Christmas my true love gave to me, seven swans a-swimming.

Christmas is often a time associated with giving and receiving gifts. Today’s reflection on The 12 Days of Christmas centers around God’s gift to us of the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit.

The gifts of the Holy Spirit are received at Baptism and strengthened with the sacrament of Confirmation. The frequent reception of the Eucharist also fortifies these gifts. For those of you that may have forgotten what you learned in your CCD class on the Holy Spirit, here is the list.

1. Wisdom. Wisdom gives us the ability to see the world as it really is. It allows us to see God’s presence in our lives and in the things that surround us. As the rock group U2 once sang in their song Walk On, wisdom gives us the eyes that allow us to see “a place that has to be believed to be seen.”

2. Understanding. Understanding in this sense is not simply the ability to comprehend worldly things, but the gift of knowing the path to God. This gift allows us to comprehend fully what it means to live as a disciple of Christ without being confused by false prophets who would have us lead lives apart from Christ.

3. Counsel (or Right Judgment). This gift, simply put, is the ability to judge between what is right and what is wrong. In the best sense of the word it is also the gift of choosing what is right.

4. Fortitude (or Courage). This gift allows us to face our fears when we are persecuted for the sake of our faith. It is the gift seen in the lives of the early martyrs of the Church. It is certain that those who profess Christ with both words and deeds will be faced with persecution and temptation. This gift is sent to help us when we are called up to face evil.

5. Knowledge. This gift is not about simple facts that can be found in a book. The gift of knowledge centers upon our relationship with God and coming to know Him more deeply. In the same way we know our family and friends, we are to know God even more so.

6. Piety (or Reverence). Reverence is the gift that allows us to approach God with both confidence and humility. It is the gift that allows us to see that all we have comes from God. It is the gift that allows calls us to worship all that is holy in God.

7. Fear of the Lord (or Wonder and Awe). This gift is often misunderstood to mean we are to fear God’s punishment. A better description of this gift is the acknowledgment that God is God and we are creatures. It is the gift that is meant to keep us from trying to compete with God in the way Adam and Eve did in the Garden of Eden. It is the gift that allows us to see our true happiness lies only in God.

Perhaps the most important thing to note about these seven gifts is that from the time the first disciples received them, they were meant to be used in preaching the Gospel. Like the items packed for a journey, each of them is an essential tool for those of us sent into the world by Christ to announce the good news.

Photo by Tarsem Saini

Drop down dew from above, you heavens, and let the clouds rain down the Just One; let the earth be opened and bring forth a Savior. (Isaiah 45:8)

Entrance Antiphon for the 4th Sunday of Advent

It has been raining quite a bit here in East Tennessee this past week. Perhaps God is trying to remind us that even while the rush of the secular celebration of Christmas continues, we are called as Christians to wait in stillness for the coming of the Lord. Just as the people of Israel waited expectantly for the birth of Jesus, we await his birth within our hearts.

The new version of the Second Eucharistic Prayer begins,

“You are indeed Holy, O Lord, the fount of all holiness. Make holy, therefore, these gifts, we pray, by sending down your Spirit upon them like the dewfall, so that they may become for us the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

During the liturgy we don’t just pray for the Holy Spirit to descend upon the bread and wine placed upon the altar, but also that He will fall upon each of us, allowing our hearts to be watered with His grace. We pray that Christ the savior will be welcomed, unworthy as we are, to enter under our roof and find a home with us.

I’m praying for more rain this weekend.

One of the privileges that comes with ordination is having the responsibility to speak the words of the liturgy for the people of God. Each time we celebrate the Eucharist there are words which are properly spoken by the priest, by the deacon and by all those gathered. It seems to me that many times Catholics incorrectly assume that because the priest has more speaking parts, that he is responsible for carrying more of the load. In reality, we are all meant to be praying the prayers of the mass. The priest says out loud what it is we are praying for, but the mass is a communal prayer.

In addition to those parts of the liturgy that are spoken aloud, there are also prayers which the missal instructs the priest to pray quietly or inaudibly. One of these quiet prayers is the one quoted above, which is said by the priest after the distribution of communion while the purification of the vessels is being carried out. The new rendering of this prayer is one that I find full of beauty and depth and one of those I would highly recommend to all Catholics to put to memory. What a wonderful prayer. It could be said quietly along with the priest, who prays it in the name of us all. Just as we pray before receiving communion that Christ’s Body and Blood will heal our souls, we repeat the request after having received Him.

Are there prayers in the new Roman Missal that you have found particularly beautiful? Which ones are you still struggling with? Please share your thoughts here.

So….how did it go on day one of the New Roman Missal in your parish? Were you five for five in responding “And with your spirit?” Do you feel “right and just”? My biggest mistake seems to have been calling down the Holy Spirit upon the gifts a wee bit early, but I am pretty sure He knows when He is supposed to show up. All in all, I was happy to have to slow down and to focus more closely on what I was doing and praying. What about you? Please share how it went.