Madonna del Rosario

Caravaggio

1607
Oil on canvas, 364,5 x 249,5 cm
Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna

In its huge scale and multi-figured design the grandest of Caravaggio's paintings, this may have been commissioned by the Duke of Modena in 1605 and undertaken in Naples. It was offered to the Duke of Mantua in 1607 and was bought by a consortium of Flemish artists, including Rubens, by whom it was offered to the Dominican church in Antwerp.

The theme is Dominican. St Dominic and his friars spread the devotion of the rosary; and here the Madonna, as Queen of Heaven, issues orders to the saint to her right, who clutches a rosary, and the Dominican St Peter Martyr to her left. Beside St Peter Martyr stands the most famous of Dominican theologians, St Thomas Aquinas.

Madonna, Child and saints form a heavenly triangle concealed from the classically costumed suppliants at the front, who kneel in prayer with arms outstretched to St Dominic, while a donor in modern ruff and doublet eyes the viewer. The column to the left and the curtain overhead add to the formality of the scene. Caravaggio achieves an elaborate ordering and interlocking of forms that heralds the typical Baroque altarpiece.

Source

The Word Among Us

Meditation: Esther C:12,14-16,23-25

How often have you been faced with a challenge that you have tackled through the sheer force of your own will and strength, as if you were a pillar of self-reliance?

From our first years, we are taught to approach life this way, and while that’s a good thing, it can lead us to forget how much we need God. The temptation is to live as if we are in a closed universe, not dependent upon anyone else. Could this be the reason we sometimes fail?

The Book of Esther teaches us that we are not alone, and that we should never feel as if it all depends on us. As her prayer reveals, she believed that God really does guide us and give us wisdom to deal with difficult situations. Sometimes he answers with unmistakable miracles. But at other times, he helps us through more subtle, natural means. In Esther’s case, God used the love of a husband for his wife to save the Jewish people from extermination. This is one example of how his guidance can come to us in the whisper of a gentle breeze or in the words of a trusted friend.

While it is true that God wants to give us good things and to help us as we navigate through life, it is also up to us to entrust our lives to him with complete reliance on his goodness and providence. Esther humbled herself before God in faithful surrender as she prayed, “Help me, who am alone and have no help but you” (Esther C:14). She did not expect a miracle but knew that God would work through her. She prayed that God would give her courage to speak the words that she would need.

The next time you find yourself in a difficult situation, take Esther as your model. Stop and pray. Ask God for what you need, and listen to your heart. Take the advice of the writer of Proverbs: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, on your own intelligence rely not” (Proverbs 3:5). Expect him to speak to you clearly, truthfully, and peaceably (James 3:17). Don’t stay stuck in a rut; stand with confidence on his word and move forward. As you follow the path that seems the best to you, you will undoubtedly meet Jesus along the way.

“Lord, I put my life in your hands. Stay by my side always, and help me to trust in your presence, peace, and direction at every step of my journey.”

Psalm 138:1-3,7-8; Matthew 7:7-12

Vultus Christi

I Will Do Them Mercy, If Only They Will Receive It

By

Father Mark

on March 5, 2009 7:59 AM |

For this Thursday of Adoration and Reparation for Priests, here is a particularly poignant passage from The Dialogue of Saint Catherine of Siena. The image is Giovanni da Paola's Saint Catherine of Siena Receiving Holy Communion from the Hand of Christ. Saint Catherine receives Holy Communion with her arms crossed over her breast, just as Eastern Christians do today. In the classic iconography of the Annunciation, this is the gesture of the Virgin Mary giving her assent to the Archangel Gabriel and receiving the Word in her womb. In the panel on the right a priest stands at the altar offering Holy Mass. Note the little Friar Preacher kneeling on the altar step.

Ministers of the Sun

I have shown you, dearest daughter, a sample of the excellence of good priests (for what I have shown you is only a sample of what that excellence really is), and I have told you of the dignity in which I have placed them, having elected them for My ministers, on account of which dignity and authority I do not wish them to be punished by the hand of seculars on account of any personal defect, for those who punish them offend Me miserably. But I wish seculars to hold them in due reverence, not for their own sakes, as I have said, but for Mine, by reason of the authority which I have given them. Wherefore this reverence should never diminish in the case of priests whose virtue grows weak, any more than in the case of those virtuous ones of whose goodness I have spoken to you; for all alike have been appointed ministers of the Sun--that is of the Body and Blood of My Son, and of the other Sacraments.

Priests in A Condition of Light

This dignity belongs to good and bad alike--all have the Sun to administer, as has been said, and perfect priests are themselves in a condition of light, that is to say, they illuminate and warm their neighbors through their love. And with this heat they cause virtues to spring up and bear fruit in the souls of their subjects. I have appointed them to be in very truth your guardian angels to protect you; to inspire your hearts with good thoughts by their holy prayers, and to teach you My doctrine reflected in the mirror of their life, and to serve you by administering to you the holy Sacraments, thus serving you, watching over you, and inspiring you with good and holy thoughts as does an angel.

They Are My Christs

See, then, that besides the dignity to which I have appointed them, how worthy they are of being loved; when they also possess the adornment of virtue, as did those of whom I spoke to you, which are all bound and obliged to possess, and in what great reverence you should hold them, for they are My beloved children and shine each as a sun in the mystical body of the holy Church by their virtues, for every virtuous man is worthy of love, and these all the more by reason of the ministry which I have placed in their hands. You should love them therefore by reason of the virtue and dignity of the Sacrament, and by reason of that very virtue and dignity you should hate the defects of those who live miserably in sin, but not on that account appoint yourselves their judges, which I forbid, because they are My Christs, and you ought to love and reverence the authority which I have given them.

Badly Ordered Priests

You know well that if a filthy and badly dressed person brought you a great treasure from which you obtained life, you would not hate the bearer, however ragged and filthy he might be, through love of the treasure and of the lord who sent it to you. His state would indeed displease you, and you would be anxious through love of his master that he should be cleansed from his foulness and properly clothed. This, then, is your duty according to the demands of charity, and thus I wish you to act with regard to such badly ordered priests, who themselves filthy and clothed in garments ragged with vice through their separation from My love, bring you great Treasures--that is to say, the Sacraments of the holy Church--from which you obtain the life of grace, receiving Them worthily (in spite of the great defects there may be in them) through love of Me, the Eternal God, who send them to you, and through love of that life of grace which you receive from the great treasure, by which they administer to you the whole of God and the whole of Man, that is to say, the Body and Blood of My Son united to My Divine nature.

Pray for Them and Not Judge Them

Their sins indeed should displease you, and you should hate them, and strive with love and holy prayer to re-clothe them, washing away their foulness with your tears--that is to say, that you should offer them before Me with tears and great desire, that I may re-clothe them in My goodness, with the garment of charity. Know well that I wish to do them grace, if only they will dispose themselves to receive it, and you to pray for it; for it is not according to My will that they should administer to you the Sun being themselves in darkness, not that they should be stripped of the garment of virtue, foully living in dishonor; on the contrary I have given them to you, and appointed them to be earthly angels and suns, as I have said. It not being My will that they should be in this state, you should pray for them, and not judge them, leaving their judgment to Me.

If They Do Not Accept the Breadth of My Mercy

And I, moved by your prayers, will do them mercy if they will only receive it, but if they do not correct their life, their dignity will be the cause of their ruin. For if they do not accept the breadth of My mercy, I, the Supreme Judge, shall terribly condemn them at their last extremity, and they will be sent to the eternal fire.

Vultus Christi

Esther: An Image of the Church

By

Father Mark

on March 4, 2009 9:03 PM |

Thursday of the First Week of Lent

Esther C:12, 14-16, 23-25
Psalm 137: 1-2ab, 2cde-3, 7c-8
Matthew 7:7-12

Women of Lent

Yesterday the queen of Sheba, today Queen Esther: the liturgy directs our gaze to these women of the Bible, that we might recognize in them the mystery of the Church, and in the Church see ourselves. The editors of the First Reading omitted, for whatever reason, the highly significant second verse of the fourteenth chapter of Esther:

She took off her splendid apparel and put on the garments of distress and mourning, and instead of costly perfumes she covered her head with ashes and dung, and she utterly humbled her body, and every part that she loved to adorn she covered with her tangled hair (Vg Est 4: 17).

Having given this description of Esther, the text goes on to say, "and she prayed to the Lord God of Israel" (Est 14:3).

Esther: Icon of the Lenten Church

Esther comes to us today as an icon of the Lenten Church, the penitent Church, the praying Church. We see her "prostrate upon the ground, together with her handmaids" (Vg Est 4: 17p), praying "from morning until evening"(Vg Est 4:17p): a community of women in prayer. We are reminded too of that other icon of the Lenten Church, venerated in the East as one of the patrons of Great Lent, Saint Mary of Egypt. She, like Esther, took off her splendid apparel, put on the garments of distress and mourning, utterly humbled her body, and prayed. In Esther, we see a prototype of the Church, the "utterly humbled" Body of Christ, the Bride forever associated to His priesthood of mediation. In Saint Mary of Egypt, we see an antetype, a reflection of the great feminine archetype going back to Eve and perfected in the mystery of the Church.

The Bride of Christ

In knowing herself, a woman comes to know the mystery of the Church; and in knowing and reverencing the mystery of the Church, the Body and Bride of Christ, a woman comes to know and reverence her true self. It is the gift and office of man to receive woman in the mystery of her otherness even as Christ receives and honours His bride the Church.

It is in the recognition and reception of woman -- among them, Eve, Esther, the Virgin Mother Mary, and Saint Mary of Egypt -- that man and, in particular, the priest, discovers himself as one called to a sacrificial love for the Church, to holiness, and to the life of repentance and prayer. This is why the liturgical calendar shines with the memory of so many holy women. Each of them says in her own voice, "Whosoever sees me sees the Church." This is why Esther is given us today. She is an icon of the Lenten Church, praying in a body that is "utterly humbled."

She Fled to the Lord

We learn from Esther,among other things, that prayer is flight towards and not flight from. "Esther, the queen, seized with deathly anxiety, fled to the Lord" (Est 14:1). This is the flight of the wise virgins with lighted lamps towards the bridegroom (Mt 25:6-7). In every Holy Mass, this is the flight of the Church towards Christ and with Christ towards the Father, in the Holy Spirit. "Let our hearts be lifted high! We hold them before the Lord!"

The Eucharistic Pattern of Prayer

The Responsorial Psalm is the continuation of Esther's prayer. In the psalm, Esther's prayer becomes eucharistic: "I give Thee thanks, O Lord, with my whole heart; on the day I called for help, Thou didst answer me." The psalm, with its movement of praise, memorial, and petition, models the Eucharistic Prayer:

Praise: "I give Thee thanks” (Ps 137:1).
Memorial: "On the day I called for help, Thou didst answer me" (Ps 138:3).
Petition: "Forsake not the work of Thy hands" (Ps 138:8).

In just a few moments, this will be the pattern of our prayer at the altar.

The Prayer of Christ

In the Gospel, the teaching of Our Lord perfects the example of Esther. "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you" (Mt 7:7). The Mass is the Church obeying the teaching of Jesus on prayer, or rather, it is Christ the Eternal Priest together with His Bride and Body, the Church, addressing the Father, asking Him for "good things" (Mt 7:11), and receiving the Holy Spirit (Lk 11:13).

In the Eucharist, the stewardship of Adam and Eve over the "good things" of creation is restored and wonderfully renewed. The "good things" (Mt 7:11) spoken of by Jesus are an echo of the Creator's words in Genesis: "And God saw everything that He had made, and behold, it was very good" (Gen 1:31).

Good Things and Holy Gifts

The mission of the Church is to take up the "good things" of creation and to make them ready for the Eucharist. At the altar of the Holy Sacrifice, bread and wine mixed with water are set apart as signs of "the good things" that fill the earth. These "good things" brought to the altar by the Church for the Holy Sacrifice, are given back to her changed by the power of the Holy Spirit into the mysteries of Christ's adorable Body and precious Blood.

Father, the Hour Has Come

Queen Esther prayed, "Make Thyself known in this time of our affliction" (Est 14:12). The Eucharist is Esther's prayer is wonderfully answered. Our Lord Jesus Christ makes Himself known in the breaking of the bread (Lk 24:35), and transfigures the time of our affliction, already here and now, into the Hour of His glory. "Father, the hour has come, glorify Thy Son so that the Son may glorify Thee" (Jn 17:1).

Lauds -- Morning Prayer

Morning Prayer (Lauds)

If this is the first Hour that you are reciting today, you should precede it with the Invitatory Psalm.

O God, come to my aid.

– O Lord, make haste to help me.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,

as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,

world without end.

Amen.

A suitable hymn may be inserted at this point.

Psalm 56 (57)
Morning prayer in time of affliction
Awake, lyre and harp: I will awaken the dawn.
Have mercy on me, God, have mercy. My soul flies to you for refuge. I will hide in the shelter of your wings until the time of ambush is past. I will cry to God the Most High, to the God who cares for me. He will send help from heaven to set me free. He will disgrace those who trample me underfoot. He will send forth his mercy and faithfulness. My soul lies among lion-cubs that would devour the children of men. Their teeth are spears and arrows, their tongues are pointed swords. May you be exalted above the heavens, O God; let your glory cover the whole earth. They prepared a trap for my feet; my soul was bent double under its burden; they dug a pit in front of me – but they fell into it themselves. My heart is ready, God. My heart is ready. I will offer you music and song. Awake, my glory, awake, lyre and harp. I will awaken the dawn. I will proclaim you among the peoples, Lord, and make music for you among the nations, for your mercy reaches as high as the heavens, your faithfulness to the clouds. May you be exalted above the heavens, O God; let your glory cover the earth. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
Awake, lyre and harp: I will awaken the dawn.

Canticle	Jeremiah 31
The joy of those whom God sets free
Good things will fill my people to overflowing, says the Lord.
All you nations, listen to the word of the Lord, proclaim it in the farthest islands: “He who scattered his people Israel has brought them back together. He will care for them as a shepherd tends his flock.” For the Lord has redeemed Jacob and freed him from the hand of his conqueror. They will come and sing praises on Mount Zion, they will flood in to receive the good things of the Lord, grain, and wine, and oil, and the young of both herd and flock. Their spirit will be like a richly watered garden, and they will hunger no more. The young girl will dance for joy, young men and old men too. “I will turn their weeping into gladness,” says the Lord, “I will comfort them and give them joy after sorrow. I will overwhelm my priests with rich food, and my good things will fill my people to overflowing.” Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
Good things will fill my people to overflowing, says the Lord.

Psalm 47 (48)
Thanksgiving for the safety of the people
The Lord is great and greatly to be praised in the city of our God.
The Lord is great and greatly to be praised in the city of our God. His holy mountain is a beautiful sight, the joy of all the earth. Mount Zion is at its northernmost edge, the city of the great king. Here among its palaces, God has shown himself as its refuge. For the kings assembled, made alliance against it – but when they saw it, they were amazed. Panic took them and they scattered. Trembling took hold of them, pain like that of childbirth. With the east wind you will destroy the ships of Tarshish. What we had heard, we saw in the city of the Lord of hosts, in the city of our God, which God has founded for ever. We ponder your mercy, O God, as we stand in your temple. Your name, O Lord, and your praise will reach to the ends of the earth. Your right hand delivers justice. Let Mount Zion be glad and the daughters of Judah rejoice, because of your judgements. Go round Zion, see it all, count every tower. Feel its strength, visit its palaces, so that you can tell the next generation – Here is God, our God, here he remains for ever; and for ever he will lead us and guide us. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
The Lord is great and greatly to be praised in the city of our God.

Short reading	(1 Kings 8:51-53) ©
Lord, we are your people and your heritage. Be always watchful for the entreaty of your servant and of your people Israel, and listen to us whenever we call to you. For it was you who set us apart from all the peoples of the earth to be your own heritage.

Canticle	Benedictus
The Messiah and his forerunner
If you, who are evil, know how to give your children what is good, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask him!
Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, for he has come to his people and brought about their redemption. He has raised up the sign of salvation in the house of his servant David, as he promised through the mouth of the holy ones, his prophets through the ages: to rescue us from our enemies and all who hate us, to take pity on our fathers, to remember his holy covenant and the oath he swore to Abraham our father, that he would give himself to us, that we could serve him without fear – freed from the hands of our enemies – in uprightness and holiness before him, for all of our days. And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High: for you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare his path, to let his people know their salvation, so that their sins may be forgiven. Through the bottomless mercy of our God, one born on high will visit us to give light to those who walk in darkness, who live in the shadow of death; to lead our feet in the path of peace. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
If you, who are evil, know how to give your children what is good, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask him!

Prayers and Intercessions	?
All praise to Christ the Lord, the light of the world. Thanks to him we walk not in shadows but in living light. We offer him our prayer: – May your word be a lantern to guide our steps. Most kind God, may we learn today to imitate you more closely. Our nature fell with Adam: raise it to its feet. – May your word be a lantern to guide our steps. Give us your word as a lantern to guide our footsteps: if we follow you truly, every action will increase our love. – May your word be a lantern to guide our steps. Teach us to do faithfully what is good, for the sake of your name, so that the Church shines more brightly on the whole family of man. – May your word be a lantern to guide our steps. Give us sincere repentance: make us more and more seek your friendship and atone for our sins against your wisdom and goodness. – May your word be a lantern to guide our steps.

Prayers and Intercessions

?

All praise to Christ the Lord, the light of the world. Thanks to him we walk not in shadows but in living light. We offer him our prayer:

– May your word be a lantern to guide our steps.

Most kind God, may we learn today to imitate you more closely.

Our nature fell with Adam: raise it to its feet.

– May your word be a lantern to guide our steps.

Give us your word as a lantern to guide our footsteps:

if we follow you truly, every action will increase our love.

– May your word be a lantern to guide our steps.

Teach us to do faithfully what is good, for the sake of your name,

so that the Church shines more brightly on the whole family of man.

– May your word be a lantern to guide our steps.

Give us sincere repentance: make us more and more seek your friendship

and atone for our sins against your wisdom and goodness.

– May your word be a lantern to guide our steps.

Our Father, who art in Heaven,

hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come,

thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread,

and forgive us our trespasses

as we forgive those who trespass against us,

and lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil.

Lord, grant us this gift: to desire always to do what is right, and to be swift in doing it.

Without you we cannot exist:

make us able to live according to your will.

Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,

who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

God for ever and ever.

Amen.

May the Lord bless us and keep us from all harm; and may he lead us to eternal life.

A M E N

Vespers -- Evening Prayer

Vespers (Evening Prayer)

O God, come to my aid.

– O Lord, make haste to help me.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,

as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,

world without end.

Amen.

A suitable hymn may be inserted at this point.

Psalm 29 (30)
Thanksgiving for rescue from death
Lord, I cried to you and you healed me: I will proclaim your name for ever.
Lord, I will give you all praise, for you have rescued me and not let my foes triumph over me. My Lord God, I cried to you and you healed me. Lord, you led my soul out from the underworld, gave me life so that I would not sink into the abyss. Sing to the Lord, his holy ones, and proclaim the truth of his holiness. His anger lasts a moment, but his favour for a lifetime. At night there are tears, but in the morning, joy. Once I was secure. I said, “I will never be shaken.” Lord, by your favour you had given me strength, set me high; but then you turned your face from me and I was shaken. I cried to you, Lord, and prayed to my God. “What use is my life, when I sink into decay? Will dust proclaim you, or make known your faithfulness?” The Lord heard and took pity on me. The Lord became my helper. You have turned my weeping into dancing, torn off my sackcloth and clothed me in joy, It is my glory to sing to you and never cease: Lord, my God, I will proclaim your goodness for ever. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
Lord, I cried to you and you healed me: I will proclaim your name for ever.

Psalm 31 (32)
The joy of the forgiven
Happy the man to whom the Lord imputes no blame.
Blessed is he whose sins are forgiven, whose transgressions are hidden away. Happy the man to whom the Lord imputes no blame, and in whose spirit there is no deceit. While I kept silent, my bones grew old as I groaned all day long. While your hand lay heavy on me, by day and by night, my strength was dried up as if by summer heat. I made my sin known to you, and I did not hide my faults. I said “I will bear witness against myself before the Lord,” and you forgave the guilt of my sin. This is why every saint will pray to you in due time, and even in the great flood he will not be touched. You are my refuge, you will preserve me from trouble, you will surround me with cries of deliverance. I will give you understanding and teach you the path you are to follow; I will keep watch over you. Do not be like the horse and the mule, without understanding: if you approach them with bit or bridle, they will not come near. Many are the sufferings of the wicked, but the Lord’s mercy will protect those who trust in him. Rejoice in the Lord and be glad, you just. Shout for joy, you upright of heart. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
Happy the man to whom the Lord imputes no blame.

Canticle	Apocalypse 11
The Judgement
The Lord has given him power and honour and kingship, and all people shall serve him.
We thank you, Lord God Almighty, who are and who were, that you have taken up your great power and begun to reign. The nations were angered, but your anger came, the time for the dead to be judged, the time to reward the prophets and saints, your servants, and those who feared your name, both great and small. Now have come the salvation and might and kingdom of our God, and the power of his Anointed, for the accuser of our brethren has been brought down, who accused them day and night in the sight of God. But they vanquished him through the blood of the Lamb and through their own witness. They did not cling to life, even in the face of death. Therefore rejoice, heavens, and you who dwell in them. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
The Lord has given him power and honour and kingship, and all people shall serve him.

Short reading	James 4:7-8,10 ©
Give in to God: resist the devil, and he will run away from you. The nearer you go to God, the nearer he will come to you. Humble yourselves before the Lord and he will lift you up.

Canticle	Magnificat
My soul rejoices in the Lord
Ask, and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you.
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God, my salvation. For he has shown me such favour – me, his lowly handmaiden. Now all generations will call me blessed, because the mighty one has done great things for me. His name is holy, his mercy lasts for generation after generation for those who revere him. He has put forth his strength: he has scattered the proud and conceited, torn princes from their thrones; but lifted up the lowly. He has filled the hungry with good things; the rich he has sent away empty. He has come to the help of his servant Israel, he has remembered his mercy as he promised to our fathers, to Abraham and his children for ever. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
Ask, and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you.

Prayers and Intercessions	?
Christ the Lord gave us a new commandment, that we should love one another. Let us ask him, then: – Lord, increase the love of your people. Good master, teach us to love you by loving our brethren, be good to you by being good to them. – Lord, increase the love of your people. On the cross you begged your Father to forgive your executioners: let us love our enemies and pray for those who attack us. – Lord, increase the love of your people. Through the mystery of your body and blood, increase our love, our strength, our steadfastness; strengthen the weak, console the unhappy, fill the dying with hope. – Lord, increase the love of your people. You are the light of the world, through water you gave sight to a man who was born blind; through water and the Word, enlighten those who are to be baptized. – Lord, increase the love of your people. Fill the dead full of your love through eternity, and count us among those you have chosen. – Lord, increase the love of your people.

Prayers and Intercessions

?

Christ the Lord gave us a new commandment, that we should love one another. Let us ask him, then: