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Posted on December 4, 2019December 4, 2019 by Msgr. Charles Pope Advent Hymns: Come Thou Redeemer of the Earth Continuing a look at lesser-known Advent Hymns, we come to the marvelous and sweeping hymn Veni Redemptor Gentium (Come Thou Redeemer of the Nations), written by St. Ambrose in the 4th century. It is more widely known by the title “Come Thou Redeemer of the Earth.” Sadly, it is not often sung in Catholic parishes today. Most Catholics I’ve asked have never even heard of it.One of the beautiful things about the ancient Latin hymns is how richly theological they...

December 5 2019 Thursday of the First Week of Advent Reading 1 Is 26:1-6 On that day they will sing this song in the land of Judah: "A strong city have we;he sets up walls and ramparts to protect us.Open up the gatesto let in a nation that is just,one that keeps faith.A nation of firm purpose you keep in peace;in peace, for its trust in you." Trust in the LORD forever!For the LORD is an eternal Rock.He humbles those in high places,and the lofty city he brings down;He tumbles it to the ground,levels it with the dust.It is...

December 4, 2019 — (Wilmington, Delaware) — The Very Reverend Leonard Ray Klein, Rector of the Cathedral of Saint Peter, and Pastor of Saint Patrick and Saint Mary of the Immaculate Conception Parishes in Wilmington, Delaware, has died today after a valiant battle with cancer. He was 74 years old. The first and only married man to be ordained to the priesthood for the Catholic Diocese of Wilmington, Father Klein leaves behind his wife of 49 years, Christa, and two adult children and their families. He was preceded in death by his daughter, Renate, who passed in 2016. Born on...

Posted on December 3, 2019December 3, 2019 Lo! He Comes with Clouds Descending Gustave Doré (1868) As we continue to ponder various advent hymns, let’s turn our attention to one that is much more familiar to Anglicans and Methodists than to Catholics: “Lo! He Comes with Clouds Descending.” In fact, it is considered one of the “Great Four Anglican Hymns.” Its text was written by John Cennick and Charles Wesley in 1758. Deriving much of its content from the Book of Revelation, it is a magnificent meditation on the glorious Second Coming of Christ.Let’s consider the hymn verse by...

December 4 2019 Wednesday of the First Week of Advent Reading 1 Is 25:6-10a On this mountain the LORD of hostswill provide for all peoplesA feast of rich food and choice wines,juicy, rich food and pure, choice wines.On this mountain he will destroythe veil that veils all peoples,The web that is woven over all nations;he will destroy death forever.The Lord GOD will wipe awaythe tears from all faces;The reproach of his people he will removefrom the whole earth; for the LORD has spoken. On that day it will be said:"Behold our God, to whom we looked to save us!This...

December 3 2019 Memorial of Saint Francis Xavier, Priest Reading 1 Is 11:1-10 On that day,A shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse,and from his roots a bud shall blossom.The Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him:a Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,A Spirit of counsel and of strength,a Spirit of knowledge and of fear of the LORD,and his delight shall be the fear of the LORD.Not by appearance shall he judge,nor by hearsay shall he decide,But he shall judge the poor with justice,and decide aright for the land's afflicted.He shall strike the ruthless with the rod...

Posted on December 1, 2019December 1, 2019 by Msgr. Charles Pope Stir Up Your Mighty Power Lord and Come! An Advent Meditation on the Paradox of God’s Power One of the great cries of Advent is for God to rend the heavens and come down (Is 64:1), for Him to stir up his mighty power and come to save us (Ps 80:2). But what is it that we really seek? Is it armies with thunder and lightning? Is it vindication and peace on our terms? In a way, it is a dangerous cry if we mean it that way,...

November 30 2019 « November 29 | December 1 » Feast of Saint Andrew, ApostleLectionary: 684 Reading 1 Rom 10:9-18 Brothers and sisters:If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lordand believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead,you will be saved.For one believes with the heart and so is justified,and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved.The Scripture says,No one who believes in him will be put to shame.There is no distinction between Jew and Greek;the same Lord is Lord of all,enriching all who call upon him.For everyone who calls on the name...

Friday of the Thirty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time November 29 2019 « November 28 | November 30 » Friday of the Thirty-fourth Week in Ordinary TimeLectionary: 507 Reading 1 Dn 7:2-14 In a vision I, Daniel, saw during the night,the four winds of heaven stirred up the great sea,from which emerged four immense beasts,each different from the others.The first was like a lion, but with eagle’s wings.While I watched, the wings were plucked;it was raised from the ground to stand on two feetlike a man, and given a human mind. The second was like a bear; it was raised up...

Swiss Bishop explains why he dares to raise concerns about Pope Francis November 28, 2019 (LifeSiteNews) — Bishop Marian Eleganti, the auxiliary bishop of Chur, Switzerland, has not shied away from defending Church teaching the past several years. In this episode of The John-Henry Westen Show, His Excellency continues his outspoken approach and explains why he raises concerns about Pope Francis. Before the Synod began, Bishop Eleganti expressed strong support for Cardinal Brandmüller’s critique of the synod’s working document. He said many bishops don’t speak up because they are diplomatic and political.  However, he said he always speaks his conscience...

November 28 2019 Thursday of the Thirty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time Reading 1 Dn 6:12-28 Some men rushed into the upper chamber of Daniel's homeand found him praying and pleading before his God.Then they went to remind the king about the prohibition:"Did you not decree, O king,that no one is to address a petition to god or manfor thirty days, except to you, O king;otherwise he shall be cast into a den of lions?"The king answered them, "The decree is absolute,irrevocable under the Mede and Persian law."To this they replied, "Daniel, the Jewish exile,has paid no attention to you,...

Posted on November 26, 2019November 26, 2019 by Msgr. Charles Pope Daniel’s Vision of the Eternal King Should Encourage Us All The first reading from Tuesday of the 34th week of the year seems, to modern readers, to be a complex tapestry of visions. I could see a bit of bewilderment on the faces of those listening at the early Mass. Ultimately, though, the message is simple and clear: nations and empires come and go, but the Lord and His Kingdom shall never pass away.I propose here not an academic treatment of the passage (Daniel 2:31-45) but more a...

November 27 2019 Wednesday of the Thirty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time Reading 1 Dn 5:1-6, 13-14, 16-17, 23-28 King Belshazzar gave a great banquet for a thousand of his lords,with whom he drank.Under the influence of the wine,he ordered the gold and silver vesselswhich Nebuchadnezzar, his father,had taken from the temple in Jerusalem,to be brought in so that the king, his lords,his wives and his entertainers might drink from them.When the gold and silver vesselstaken from the house of God in Jerusalem had been brought in,and while the king, his lords, his wives and his entertainerswere drinking wine from...

In 1535, Hernán Cortés explored the Baja California Peninsula, sailing the Sea of Cortés and founding the city of La Paz. In 1539, Francisco de Ulloa sailed around the Cedros Islands off the coast of Baja California. He was the first to call it "California," a name taken from a heroic romance novel, Amadis de Gallia, published by Garci Rodríguez de Montalvo around 1510. In 1542, Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo is believed to be the first European to actually explore the California coast. Landing at San Diego Bay, then sailing around the channel islands, he claimed "the Island of California" for...

Posted on November 25, 2019 by Msgr. Charles Pope Why Was Christ Crucified Between Two Thieves? It is good and necessary to ponder more of the Gospel of yesterday’s Solemnity of Christ the King. It remains a profound teaching that Christ was crucified between two thieves. Why?St. Thomas Aquinas proposes three answers to the question. Let’s consider them, with particular emphasis on the third.I. To Identify with Fallen Sinners – St Thomas said, As Christ became accursed of the cross for us, so for our salvation He was crucified as a guilty one among the guilty (Comm. xxxiii in...

November 26 2019 Tuesday of the Thirty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time Reading 1 Dn 2:31-45 Daniel said to Nebuchadnezzar:"In your vision, O king, you saw a statue,very large and exceedingly bright,terrifying in appearance as it stood before you.The head of the statue was pure gold,its chest and arms were silver,its belly and thighs bronze, the legs iron,its feet partly iron and partly tile.While you looked at the statue,a stone which was hewn from a mountainwithout a hand being put to it,struck its iron and tile feet, breaking them in pieces.The iron, tile, bronze, silver, and gold all crumbled at...

The Knights of Columbus in Belleville, Ontario, recently had a tombstone placed in St. James Roman Catholic Cemetery in memory of babies who have been killed by abortion. After posting photos of the memorial on Facebook, the group experienced angry backlash from Facebook users and a women’s group that may have caused the Knights to remove their original post. The tombstone reads: “Life is sacred” along with Jeremiah 1-5: “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I consecrated you.” It also states: “In memory of all victims of abortion.” The Knights of Columbus...

Posted on November 24, 2019 by Msgr. Charles Pope What is Deliverance? In yesterday’s feast of Christ the King, we read the Colossians Hymn wherein St. Paul spoke of the power of Christ the King to deliver us: Let us give thanks to the Father,who has made you fit to sharein the inheritance of the holy ones in light. He delivered us from the power of darknessand transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son,in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. (Col 1:1-3) So, what is deliverance? Deliverance is what happened to you when Christ took...

November 25 2019 Monday of the Thirty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time Reading 1 Dn 1:1-6, 8-20 In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim, king of Judah,King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon cameand laid siege to Jerusalem.The Lord handed over to him Jehoiakim, king of Judah,and some of the vessels of the temple of God;he carried them off to the land of Shinar,and placed the vessels in the temple treasury of his god. The king told Ashpenaz, his chief chamberlain,to bring in some of the children of Israel of royal bloodand of the nobility, young men without any defect,handsome, intelligent...

HIROSHIMA, Japan - A picture is worth a thousand words which is one reason Pope Francis decided to issue his appeal for a ban on nuclear weapons from the only cities that have been attacked with atomic bombs. But sometimes, four hundred words are worth more than an image, especially when they describe a “scene of hell.” On Sunday afternoon in Hiroshima, Francis listened to Yoshiko Kajimoto, who was 14 years old when the United States dropped an atomic bomb on the city in World War II. She was some 1.5 miles from the epicenter of the blast. She fainted...