The Book of Wisdom[1]
The Book of
Wisdom was written about fifty years before the coming of Christ. Its author,
whose name is not known to us, was probably a member of the Jewish community at
Alexandria, in Egypt. He wrote in Greek, in a style patterned on that of Hebrew
verse. At times he speaks in the person of Solomon, placing his teachings on
the lips of the wise king of Hebrew tradition in order to emphasize their
value. His profound knowledge of the earlier Old Testament writings is
reflected in almost every line of the book, and marks him, like Ben Sira, as an
outstanding representative of religious devotion and learning among the sages
of postexilic Judaism. The primary purpose of the author was the edification of
his co-religionists in a time when they had experienced suffering and
oppression, in part at least at the hands of apostate fellow Jews. To convey
his message, he made use of the most popular religious themes of his time,
namely the splendor and worth of divine wisdom, the glorious events of the
exodus, God’s mercy, the folly of idolatry, and the manner in which God’s
justice operates in rewarding or punishing the individual. The first ten
chapters in particular provide background for the teaching of Jesus and for
some New Testament theology about Jesus. Many passages from this section of the
book, notably, are used by the church in the liturgy.
DECEMBER 17 Ember Friday of the Third Week of Advent
O ANTIPHONS
Wisdom, Chapter 4, Verse 20
FEARFUL
shall they come, at the counting up of their sins, and their lawless deeds
shall convict them to their face.
Sounds
like purgatory to me and the judgement of the wicked.
For the
Lord of all shows no partiality, nor does he fear greatness, because he himself made the great as well as the small,
and he provides for all alike; but for those in power a rigorous scrutiny
impends.
Is the US
being the Most Corrupt Country in the World[2]
While it is true that you
don’t typically have to bribe your postman to deliver the mail in the US, in
many keyways America’s political and financial practices make it in absolute
terms far more corrupt than the usual global suspects. After all, the US
economy is worth over $16 trillion a year, so in our corruption a lot more
money changes hands.
1. Instead of having
short, publicly funded political campaigns with limited and/or free advertising
(as a number of Western European countries do), the US has long political
campaigns in which candidates are dunned big bucks for advertising. American
politicians don’t represent “the people.” With a few honorable exceptions, they
represent the 1%. American democracy is being corrupted out of existence.
2. That politicians can be bribed to reduce regulation of industries like
banking (what is called “regulatory capture”) means that they will be so
bribed.
3. That the chief
villains of the 2008 meltdown (from which 90% of Americans have not recovered) have not been prosecuted is itself a
form of corruption.
This month, according
to the Los Angeles Times, the Justice Department decided not to charge Angelo
Mozilo, the former CEO of the former company known as Countrywide Financial
Corp., someone long thought of as a prime potential target Should Americans be
outraged that the meltdown moguls aren't headed for the slammer, as director
Charles Ferguson suggested Sunday night when his documentary, Inside Job, won
an Academy Award? Perhaps. But, nearly three years after the financial crisis
hit, a better way to look at the lack of high-level indictments is as an
indictment of the entire financial system — a system that was rife with
avarice, ignorance and double-dealing.[3]
4.
The US military budget is bloated and
enormous, bigger than the military budgets of the next twelve major
states. What isn’t usually realized is that perhaps half of it is spent on
outsourced services, not on the military. It is corporate welfare on a cosmic
scale.
5.
The US has a vast gulag of 2.2 million
prisoners in jail and penitentiary. There is an increasing tendency for
prisons to be privatized, and this tendency is corrupting the system.
6.
The rich are well placed to bribe
our politicians to reduce taxes on the rich.
7.
The National Security Agency’s domestic
spying is a form of corruption in itself and lends itself to
corruption. With some 4 million government employees and private contractors
engaged in this surveillance, it is highly unlikely that various forms of
insider trading and other corrupt practices are not being committed.
8.
As for insider trading, it
turns out Congress undid much of the law it hastily passed forbidding members,
rather belatedly, to engage in insider trading (buying and selling stock based
on their privileged knowledge of future government policy). That this practice only
became an issue recently is another sign of how corrupt the system is.
9.
Asset forfeiture in the ‘drug
war’ is corrupting police departments and the judiciary.
10.
Money and corruption have seeped so far into our media system that people can with a straight face assert that
scientists aren’t sure human carbon emissions are causing global warming.
Today
think about righteousness and self-restraint and the coming judgment. Pray for
our Priest’s and Bishop’s that the love of the world and money does not turn
their hearts from the one pearl of great value.
Ember Friday of Advent.[4] Commemoration of the Visitation.
Mary visits her relative Elizabeth;
they are both pregnant: Mary with Jesus, and Elizabeth with John the Baptist.
Mary left Nazareth immediately after the Annunciation and went "into the hill
country ... into a city of Judah" (Luke 1:39) to attend to her cousin (Luke 1:36) Elizabeth. There are several
possibilities as to exactly which city this was, including Hebron, south of Jerusalem, and Ein Karem. The journey from Nazareth to
Hebron is about 130 kilometers (81 mi) in a direct line, probably up to
half as far again by road, depending on the route taken. Elizabeth was in the
sixth month before Mary came (Luke 1:36). Mary stayed three months, and
most scholars hold she stayed for the birth of John. Given the prevailing
cultural traditions and needs for security, it is probable that Joseph accompanied Mary to Judah then
returned to Nazareth, and came again after three months to take his wife home.
The apparition of the angel, mentioned in Matthew 1:19–25, may have taken place
then to end the tormenting doubts of Joseph regarding Mary's maternity.
In the Gospel of Luke, the author's accounts of the Annunciation
and Visitation are constructed using eight points of literary parallelism to
compare Mary to the Ark of the Covenant.
Some Catholic
commentators have maintained that the purpose of this visit was to bring divine grace
to both Elizabeth and her unborn child. Even though he was still in his
mother's womb, John became aware of the presence of Christ, and leapt for joy
as he was cleansed from original sin
and filled with divine grace. Elizabeth also responded and recognized the
presence of Jesus, and thus Mary exercised her function as mediatrix
between God and man for the first time.
And she [Elizabeth] spoke out with
a loud voice, and said, "Blessed [art] thou among women, and blessed [is]
the fruit of thy womb. And whence [is] this to me, that the mother of my Lord
should come to me? For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in
mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. And blessed [is] she that
believed: for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her
from the Lord." (Luke 1:42–45)
In response to Elizabeth, Mary
proclaims the Magnificat (My soul doth magnify the Lord) Luke 1:46–55.
The word "blessed" is
rendered in Greek not by the word "Makarios" but as
"evlogimeni", which is the feminine second person singular, used only
this once in the New Testament. Its masculine third person singular counterpart
"evlogimenos" is used only for Jesus and only on this occasion and
when he was welcomed into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday with: "Blessed is he
who comes in the name of the Lord". The masculine/mixed gender third
person plural "evlogimenoi" is used by Jesus only when referring to
the righteous who are to be raised to life in the Last Judgement.
Ember days-wintertime[5]
Winter is a time of
reflection, when human activity is stilled, and snow blankets the world with
silence. For the Christian, Winter symbolizes Hope: though the world now
appears lifeless and makes us think of our own mortality, we hope in our
resurrection because of the Resurrection of the One Whose Nativity we await
now. How providential that the Christ Child will be born at the beginning of
this icy season, bringing with Him all the hope of Spring! Also among our
Winter feasts are the Epiphany and
Candlemas,
two of the loveliest days of the year, the first evoked by water, incense, and
gold; the latter by fire...Yes, despite the typical, unimaginative view of
Winter as a long bout with misery, the season is among the most beautiful and
filled with charms. The ephemeral beauty of a single snowflake... the pale blue
tint of sky reflected in snow that glitters, and gives way with a satisfying
crunch under foot... skeletal trees entombed in crystal, white as bones, cold
as death, creaking under the weight of their icy shrouds... the wonderful
feeling of being inside, next to a fire, while the winds whirl outside... the
smell of burning wood mingled with evergreen... warm hands embracing your
wind-bitten ones... the brilliant colors of certain winter birds, so shocking
against the ocean of white... the wonderfully long nights which lend themselves
to a sense of intimacy and quiet! Go outside and look at the clear Winter skies
ruled by Taurus, with the Pleiades on its shoulder and Orion nearby... Such
beauty! Even if you are not a "winter person," consider that
Shakespeare had the right idea when he wrote in "Love's Labor’s
Lost":
Why
should proud summer boast
Before the birds have any cause to sing?
Why should I joy in an abortive birth?
At Christmas I no more desire a rose
Than wish a snow in May’s new-fangled mirth;
But like of each thing that in season grows.
Christ’s Seven
Messianic Titles[6]
December 17 marks the beginning of the O Antiphons, the seven jewels of our liturgy, dating back to the fourth century, one for each day until Christmas Eve. These antiphons address Christ with seven magnificent Messianic titles, based on the Old Testament prophecies and types of Christ. The Church in this seven Golden Nights travels through the centuries recalling the longing for the Redeemer.
For more information on
the O Antiphons, see
- O
Come! The O Antiphons
- Rejoice
the Lord is Near!
- Build an O Antiphon House by Jennifer Gregory Miller.
O Antiphons[7] The "Octave" Before Christmas and/or the Golden Nights
Today also marks the beginning of the O Antiphons, the seven jewels of our liturgy in preparation of Christ. With each new Sunday heightening our sense of anticipation and with every Advent custom doing the same, it is little wonder that the eight days before Christmas became a semi-official octave of impatient expectation. This is expressed liturgically in the Divine Office's special Magnificat antiphons for this period. Beginning on the evening of December 17 during Vespers, a "Greater" or "O" antiphon (so named for its opening vocative) is said which explicitly invokes the Son of God under various titles and begs Him to come. The Gregorian chant for these antiphons is exquisite, as are the antiphons themselves, which call attention to the Word's different manifestations to man in the Old Testament and to several of His divine attributes. The antiphons are also noteworthy for their "code."
The titles for Christ from each antiphon form an acrostic which, when read backwards, spells, "ERO CRAS" -- "I will be [there] tomorrow!" It is as if Christ were answering our prayers through the prayers themselves. Finally, the Greater antiphons are the inspiration of the beautiful medieval hymn, Veni, Veni Emmanuel. Each stanza of this famous song is a poetic rendering of an antiphon, which is why the hymn is traditionally sung only during the eight days prior to Christmas. In many places, however, the octave of preparation was extended over nine days, making a Novena. By special permission, the "Golden Mass" of Ember Wednesday was sometimes offered in the pre-dawn hours for nine consecutive days prior to Christmas. Central Europe observed the "Golden Nights," a festive season honoring the Blessed Virgin, the expectant Mother of God; in fact, December 18 was once the Feast of the Expectancy in Spain.
In the Alps, schoolchildren observed the custom of Josephstragen -- "carrying St. Joseph." Each night, a group of boys would carry a statue of St. Joseph to another boy's home. The night after the visit, the boy who had been visited would join the procession, making the number of carriers grow progressively larger. On Christmas Eve all the boys, accompanied by schoolgirls dressed in white, would process the statue through the town to the church, where it would be placed near the manger.
In Latin America, on the other hand, a Novena to the Holy Child (La Novena del Niño) was held in which prayers would be said and lively carols sung in front of the church's empty manger.
Lazarus
Today, according to the Roman Martyrology, is
the feast of St Lazarus known as the brother of St Martha and St Mary of
Bethany. He was the man whom Jesus raised from the dead after having been dead
and in his tomb for four days. The Bible does not trace his history after the
miracle, but tradition says he became a missionary to Gaul, the first bishop of
Marseilles, France, and a martyr in the persecutions of Domitian.
Things to do
· Read
this account of St. Lazarus of Bethany at the The Military and
Hospitaller Order of St. Lazarus website.
· Read
about Bethany, where Jesus raised St. Lazarus from the dead.
· Read
about the Agios Lazaros Church in Cyprus.
· Read
about the translation of the relics of St. Lazarus.
The
Order of Saint Lazarus of Jerusalem[8]
The
Military and Hospitaller Order of Saint Lazarus is one of the orders of
chivalry to survive the downfall of the Kingdom of Jerusalem and the attempts
by the Crusader knights to win control of the Holy Land from the forces of
Islam.
In
theory the Order remained a military one, but with the exception of a brief
period in the 17th century it played no military role after 1291. The Order of
Saint Lazarus is one of the most ancient of the European orders of chivalry. At
the very least it dates back to the time of the Crusader knights. From its
foundation in the 12th century, the members of the Order were dedicated to two
ideals: aid to those suffering from the dreadful disease of leprosy and the
defense of the Christian faith.
Today
the Military and Hospitaller Order of Saint Lazarus of Jerusalem is an
international self-governing and independent body, having its own Constitution;
it may be compared with a kind of electoral kingdom. According to the said
Constitution the Order is nonpolitical, oecumenical or nondenominational, as
its membership is open to all men and women being practicing members of the
Christian faith in good standing within their particular denomination. Its
international membership consists of Roman-catholic, Anglican, Protestant,
Orthodox, United, Old Catholic, New Apostolic and other Christians, upholding
with their lives, fortunes and honor the principles of Christianity.
Traditionally
it is organized as a Christian Chivalric Order. The Order is registered in
London in accordance with the laws in England. It is both a Military Order of
Mercy and a Hospitaller Order dedicated to the care and assistance of the poor
and the sick. Its aim is to preserve and defend the Christian faith, to guard,
assist succor and help the poor, the sick and dying, to promote and maintain
the principles of Christian chivalry and to follow the teachings of Christ and
His Holy Church in all its works. With the exception of the present Teutonic
Order ("Deutscher Orden") the Order of Saint Lazarus is today the
smallest of the orders of Christian chivalry. It is made up of approximately
five thousand members in the five continents. The Order sees itself as an
oecumenical Christian order whose genesis goes back to the Holy Land, to the crusades
and to the Kingdom of Jerusalem.
Spiritual Crib[9]
A special devotion that can be performed during Advent to
prepare for the coming of the Infant Savior. It can be adapted for adults
and/or children and applied as is appropriate to your state in life.
·
THE CRIB—Confidence-Build the
little Crib by an unbounded confidence in God. Give no way to sadness in
adversity. Also think not too much of our past sins and faults, making many
acts of hope in God's mercy instead. Reflect a little each hour on the great
love of God, who becomes Man for us.
Daily Devotions
·
JESSE
TREE: Jesus is Wisdom:
Sirach (or Ecclesiasticus in old Bibles) 24:2; Wisdom 8:1 Symbols: oil
lamp, open book
· Unite
in the work of the Porters of St.
Joseph by joining them in fasting: Today's Fast: Individuals
with Mental Illness
·
Rosary
No comments:
Post a Comment