SAINT AGNES CATHEDRAL 533 South Jefferson Springfield, MO 65806
EXTRAORDINARY FORM OF THE MASS (LATIN)
CELEBRANT: Father Jeffery Fasching
April 7th, 2013 Low Sunday (Octave of Easter)
Epistle: 1 Jn. 5: 4-10
Gospel: Jn. 20: 19-31
Mass schedule April 8th through April 12th
Monday: Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary—No Latin Mass
Tuesday: Feria of Paschaltide
Wednesday: Feria of Paschaltide
Thursday: Saint Leo the Great; Pope, Confessor & Doctor
Friday: Feria of Paschaltide
April 7th, 2013 is called Divine Mercy Sunday. A plenary indulgence is granted to those who take part in the prayers and devotions held in honor of Divine Mercy, or who, in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament exposed or in the tabernacle, recite the Our Father and the Creed, adding a devout prayer to the Merciful Lord Jesus (e.g., “Merciful Jesus, I trust in You!”).
Immediately following Mass today the Chaplet of Divine Mercy will be sung before the Blessed Sacrament Exposed followed by benediction. Christ institutes the Sacrament of Penance in today’s Gospel. Let us seek His Divine Mercy with trust and humility as we confess our sins.
The next pot-luck dinner will be held on Sunday, April 21st immediately following the 2:30pm Mass in the school cafeteria.
In Christ,
Father Jeffery Fasching
Prayers at the Foot of the Altar
Showing posts with label Tabernacle. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tabernacle. Show all posts
Sunday, April 7, 2013
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
The Immaculate Conception II
In response to many petitions that had been sent to Rome, after having consulted all bishops throughout the world and having received from them an overwhelmingly favorable response, Pope Pius IX, on December 8, 1854, promulgated the Bull “Ineffabilis Deus,” in which be solemnly defined the Immaculate Conception as a dogma of Catholic faith:
To the glory of the holy and undivided Trinity, to the honor and renown of the Virgin Mother of God…by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ…we declare, pronounce, and define: the doctrine which holds that the most Blessed Virgin Mary was preserved from all stain of original sin from the first moment of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege of almighty God, in consideration of the merits of Jesus Christ, savior of the human race, has been revealed by God and must, therefore later, Our Lady appeared to Saint Bernadette at Lourdes and identified herself with the words, “I am the Immaculate Conception.” When it was reported that many miracles were being performed at Lourdes, the faithful throughout the world took this to be a confirmation of the papal definition.
The question becomes “what relevance does this doctrine have for my own spiritual life?” We can find the answer to this question if we reflect on other questions: “Why was it God’s design to preserve Mary from every stain of sin?” “Why did He destine her to attain a degree of holiness far beyond that of any other mere creature?” “And why did God choose to reveal to us the special favors he bestowed upon the lowly handmaid of Nazareth?”
It was fitting that Mary be conceived without sin because she was destined to be the worthy, beloved Mother of the holy God. In preserving Mary from all sin, God prepared a holy tabernacle in which His Son was to dwell, a holy body from which He was to take His humanity, a holy Mother whom He could love with the fullness of His divine/human love. The Immaculate Conception is ultimately a reflection on the holiness of Christ, the incarnate Son of God, with whom Mary was destined to enter into such an intimate relationship.
Sin is alienation from God, disorder in one’s relation to God, a loss of the divine image, a defilement of one’s being. It was fitting that one who was to be the Mother of God never experience such alienation, disorder, loss, or defilement.
Since it was within the power of the Divine Son to bestow this privileged grace upon His dearly loved Mother, Christian piety has believed that so good a Son has done this for so beloved a mother. Here the scotistic principle, Quod potuit, quod decuit, hoc fecit, can rightly be applied. (What was possible, what was fitting, that God did for Mary)-Scotus.
Sincerely in Christ,
Rev. Jeffery A. Fasching
To the glory of the holy and undivided Trinity, to the honor and renown of the Virgin Mother of God…by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ…we declare, pronounce, and define: the doctrine which holds that the most Blessed Virgin Mary was preserved from all stain of original sin from the first moment of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege of almighty God, in consideration of the merits of Jesus Christ, savior of the human race, has been revealed by God and must, therefore later, Our Lady appeared to Saint Bernadette at Lourdes and identified herself with the words, “I am the Immaculate Conception.” When it was reported that many miracles were being performed at Lourdes, the faithful throughout the world took this to be a confirmation of the papal definition.
The question becomes “what relevance does this doctrine have for my own spiritual life?” We can find the answer to this question if we reflect on other questions: “Why was it God’s design to preserve Mary from every stain of sin?” “Why did He destine her to attain a degree of holiness far beyond that of any other mere creature?” “And why did God choose to reveal to us the special favors he bestowed upon the lowly handmaid of Nazareth?”
It was fitting that Mary be conceived without sin because she was destined to be the worthy, beloved Mother of the holy God. In preserving Mary from all sin, God prepared a holy tabernacle in which His Son was to dwell, a holy body from which He was to take His humanity, a holy Mother whom He could love with the fullness of His divine/human love. The Immaculate Conception is ultimately a reflection on the holiness of Christ, the incarnate Son of God, with whom Mary was destined to enter into such an intimate relationship.
Sin is alienation from God, disorder in one’s relation to God, a loss of the divine image, a defilement of one’s being. It was fitting that one who was to be the Mother of God never experience such alienation, disorder, loss, or defilement.
Since it was within the power of the Divine Son to bestow this privileged grace upon His dearly loved Mother, Christian piety has believed that so good a Son has done this for so beloved a mother. Here the scotistic principle, Quod potuit, quod decuit, hoc fecit, can rightly be applied. (What was possible, what was fitting, that God did for Mary)-Scotus.
Sincerely in Christ,
Rev. Jeffery A. Fasching
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Sincere Repentance
From a homily written in the second century:
We should repent of our sins while we are still on earth...we must wholeheartedly repent of sins committed in the body and make it possible for the Lord to save us while there is time. When we have left this world, we shall no longer be able to repent and confess our sins. We must do the will of the Father, keep our bodies pure, and observe the commandments of the Lord, for this is the way to obtain eternal life...In other words, in order to obtain eternal life, we must remain pure and keep the seal of our baptism undefiled.
...Our bodies are the temple of God, and as such we must guard them, for even as we were called in the body, so shall we also be judged in the body...
Sincerely in Christ,
Rev. Jeffery A. Fasching
We should repent of our sins while we are still on earth...we must wholeheartedly repent of sins committed in the body and make it possible for the Lord to save us while there is time. When we have left this world, we shall no longer be able to repent and confess our sins. We must do the will of the Father, keep our bodies pure, and observe the commandments of the Lord, for this is the way to obtain eternal life...In other words, in order to obtain eternal life, we must remain pure and keep the seal of our baptism undefiled.
...Our bodies are the temple of God, and as such we must guard them, for even as we were called in the body, so shall we also be judged in the body...
Sincerely in Christ,
Rev. Jeffery A. Fasching
Friday, July 1, 2011
The Sacred Heart of Jesus Christ and Humility
God put us all on this earth to become saints. The choice is ours. Not one single saint in heaven lacked the virtue of humility. The Angels in Heaven fell from grace because of their lack of humility. We must always strive to keep ourselves in a state of humility. We simply cannot be saved without the virtue of humility.
Jesus Christ Himself says to learn from Him not because He worked miracles, but because He is gentle and humble of heart. "Learn from Me, because I am meek and humble of heart." (Matt. 11:29). Jesus gives us all the power to learn humility from Him.
On this feast day of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, there are an infinite number of qualities worthy of imitating when it comes to our Savior Jesus Christ, but He only asks that we imitate His humility.
Christ's infinite and burning desire to always remain with us is manifested in the Blessed Sacrament of the Altar. Christ waits for our visit. He humbles Himself because His delight is to be with the sons of men.
Today let us take advantage of our Lord's presence in the tablernacle. Let us not be indifferent. Let us pray for those who are.
Sincerely in Christ,
Rev. Jeffery A. Fasching
Jesus Christ Himself says to learn from Him not because He worked miracles, but because He is gentle and humble of heart. "Learn from Me, because I am meek and humble of heart." (Matt. 11:29). Jesus gives us all the power to learn humility from Him.
On this feast day of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, there are an infinite number of qualities worthy of imitating when it comes to our Savior Jesus Christ, but He only asks that we imitate His humility.
Christ's infinite and burning desire to always remain with us is manifested in the Blessed Sacrament of the Altar. Christ waits for our visit. He humbles Himself because His delight is to be with the sons of men.
Today let us take advantage of our Lord's presence in the tablernacle. Let us not be indifferent. Let us pray for those who are.
Sincerely in Christ,
Rev. Jeffery A. Fasching
Monday, April 4, 2011
Pray
Pray, pray and pray some more! Our whole lives should be a prayer. We can pray absolutely any time during the day no matter what else we may be occupied with at the time. We have only to open our hearts up to the Almighty God and call Him to mind. This in itself is a prayer. When we offer to God our various activities during the day we are saying a prayer. When we feel discouraged for a lack of success and we turn to God we are offering a prayer. When things are going well for us and we call to mind God's presence in thanksgiving we pray.
Prayer takes many forms depending upon the disposition of the individual and the state of life one has embraced. However, remember that there is absolutely no substitute for prayer before the Blessed Sacrament. There is no substitute for Eucharistic Adoration. Our Lord waits for us in the tabernacle and it is His delight to remain there among His creatures. How great our need is of Him! We must pray to be among His chosen friends to faithfully give Him homage and make reparation for the coldness and indifference He is shown in the Blessed Sacrament.
Sincerely in Christ,
Rev. Jeffery A. Fasching
Prayer takes many forms depending upon the disposition of the individual and the state of life one has embraced. However, remember that there is absolutely no substitute for prayer before the Blessed Sacrament. There is no substitute for Eucharistic Adoration. Our Lord waits for us in the tabernacle and it is His delight to remain there among His creatures. How great our need is of Him! We must pray to be among His chosen friends to faithfully give Him homage and make reparation for the coldness and indifference He is shown in the Blessed Sacrament.
Sincerely in Christ,
Rev. Jeffery A. Fasching
Monday, January 24, 2011
Eucharistic Adoration
There is absolutely no substitute for prayer before the Blessed Sacrament exposed. Eucharistic adoration is an immeasurable treasure that the Church offers so that we may place ourselves literally at the feet of Jesus Christ. We have the opportunity every day to choose the "better part" as Mary did in order to be with our Lord and Savior. Few things are more pleasing to our Lord. I do not know of any better way to draw from a treasure of infinite graces than Eucharistic adoration.
Is Eucharistic adoration a regular part of our spriritual discipline? Do we allow ourselves to accept the invitation from Christ Himself to come before him humbly and place ourselves at His feet? Do we strive to calm our hearts and minds and listen to our Creator Who desires ardently to communicate His graces and mysteries to us?
We should take every opportunity possible to pray in this manner. The most active and productive saints were always among the most contemplative because they availed themselves to allow the grace of Jesus Christ their Lord to take over their lives.
Have we yet taken this step?
Sincerely in Christ,
Rev. Jeffery A. Fasching
Is Eucharistic adoration a regular part of our spriritual discipline? Do we allow ourselves to accept the invitation from Christ Himself to come before him humbly and place ourselves at His feet? Do we strive to calm our hearts and minds and listen to our Creator Who desires ardently to communicate His graces and mysteries to us?
We should take every opportunity possible to pray in this manner. The most active and productive saints were always among the most contemplative because they availed themselves to allow the grace of Jesus Christ their Lord to take over their lives.
Have we yet taken this step?
Sincerely in Christ,
Rev. Jeffery A. Fasching
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
The Immaculate Conception
Both the Angel Gabriel and Elizabeth pronounce Mary blest among women because she has been chosen to be the Mother of the Lord. The Christian faithful, recognizing how singularly Mary has been blest by God, have regarded her as wholly pleasing to God, and thus free from sin.
However, the Scriptures do not directly affirm that Mary was absolutely free from every stain of sin, personal or original, and that she always remained perfectly sinless. But Catholic piety and devotion have recognized that the Mother of God always was and always remained most pleasing to God and completely free from any stain of sin.
Mary was highly favored of God in that she was chosen to be the Mother of His Incarnate Son. The Catholic faithful have followed their instinct of faith in believing that God did not permit sin to touch her who was to be the living tabernacle and Mother of the Word Incarnate. They spontaneously understood that so good a Son endowed so good a Mother with the riches of His grace so that she always remained completely free of sin and most holy and beloved in his sight.
As we celebrate Mary's Immaculate Conception, we must take into account the explicit teaching of Saint Paul that all humans need redemption because they have inherited a condition of sin from Adam. The fact that Mary was never infected by sin of any kind does not mean that she did not need redemption. It means, rather, that she has experienced a more perfect redemption which has preserved her from actual contamination of sin.
Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us.
Sincerely in Christ,
Rev. Jeffery A. Fasching
However, the Scriptures do not directly affirm that Mary was absolutely free from every stain of sin, personal or original, and that she always remained perfectly sinless. But Catholic piety and devotion have recognized that the Mother of God always was and always remained most pleasing to God and completely free from any stain of sin.
Mary was highly favored of God in that she was chosen to be the Mother of His Incarnate Son. The Catholic faithful have followed their instinct of faith in believing that God did not permit sin to touch her who was to be the living tabernacle and Mother of the Word Incarnate. They spontaneously understood that so good a Son endowed so good a Mother with the riches of His grace so that she always remained completely free of sin and most holy and beloved in his sight.
As we celebrate Mary's Immaculate Conception, we must take into account the explicit teaching of Saint Paul that all humans need redemption because they have inherited a condition of sin from Adam. The fact that Mary was never infected by sin of any kind does not mean that she did not need redemption. It means, rather, that she has experienced a more perfect redemption which has preserved her from actual contamination of sin.
Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us.
Sincerely in Christ,
Rev. Jeffery A. Fasching
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
The Birth of Mary
From a Sermon by Saint Thomas of Villanova, Bishop:
"For a long time I have wondered and been at a loss to understand why the evangelists should have spoken at such length about John the Baptist and the other apostles, and yet told us so little about the Virgin Mary, who in life and distinction excels them all. Being at a loss, as I say, to understand this, all I can think is that it pleased the Holy Spirit that it should be so. It was by the providence of the Holy Spirit that the evangelists kept silent, because the glory of the Virgin, as we read in the psalms, was all within, and could more truly be thought of than described. The outline of her life: that Jesus was born of her, is enough to tell her whole story. What more do you seek for in the Virgin? It is enough for you that she is the Mother of God. What beauty, I ask you, what virtue, what perfection, what grace, what glory does not belong to the Mother of God?"
In Christ,
Rev. Jeffery A. Fasching
"For a long time I have wondered and been at a loss to understand why the evangelists should have spoken at such length about John the Baptist and the other apostles, and yet told us so little about the Virgin Mary, who in life and distinction excels them all. Being at a loss, as I say, to understand this, all I can think is that it pleased the Holy Spirit that it should be so. It was by the providence of the Holy Spirit that the evangelists kept silent, because the glory of the Virgin, as we read in the psalms, was all within, and could more truly be thought of than described. The outline of her life: that Jesus was born of her, is enough to tell her whole story. What more do you seek for in the Virgin? It is enough for you that she is the Mother of God. What beauty, I ask you, what virtue, what perfection, what grace, what glory does not belong to the Mother of God?"
In Christ,
Rev. Jeffery A. Fasching
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Prayer and the Blessed Sacrament
There is no substitue for prayer before the Blessed Sacrament. Although there are in fact many forms of prayer, none will produce the wonderful effects in our lives the way that actually visiting Christ's true presence in the tabernacle is capable of. When we come before Christ in the tabernacle He is always glad to receive our adoration. He is ready to bestow graces upon us in adundance. How can we possibly neglect our Lord who eagerly awaits our visit?
In Christ,
Rev Jeffery A. Fasching
In Christ,
Rev Jeffery A. Fasching
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