By: Bernadette Parrott
Welcome to our Faith Renewal Series that is exploring The ABCs of Being Catholic. We are invited on a journey through the alphabet to explore Catholic terms, beliefs, and traditions. In this post we focus on the letter “A”. Each day we will add another term beginning with “A” to this post.
If you missed our Introduction to this series <click here>. To go forward to the letter “B” <click here>.
Advent
November 4, 2020
Waiting time, waiting time, it’s Advent everyone
Well, actually, the First Sunday of Advent isn’t until November 29th, but I’ll be moving away from “A” and thought it would be good to share some thoughts with you before moving on.
Advent: the four Sundays preceding Christmas Day. Seems simple enough when you break it down into its most fundamental meaning. However, like most things Catholic, it really does go much deeper than that. The word itself comes from the Latin word ‘adventus’ meaning ‘coming”.
Advent is a combination of recalling Jesus’ first coming as a babe in the Manger and an invitation to direct our minds and hearts as we await His Second Coming at the end of time. We are waiting on God’s Word. We are waiting for those moments when we can respond to God’s mysterious presence within us. We are waiting for…..Christmas. Emmanuel – God is with us. It is an invitation for conversion and renewal and new beginnings.
I love the Advent Season. I love building the anticipation to Christmas, its culmination. I love spending that time in preparation for the arrival of Jesus. And it really is a time of both anticipation and preparation. It encourages us to spend time in spiritual preparation for the coming of our Lord. You will notice Father’s vestment colours and those in the Church will change to purple, an outside sign of penance. On the third Sunday of Advent, Gaudete Sunday, if possible, the colour rose will be substituted for the purple to symbolize the joy and happiness that we will experience when Jesus comes again. You will also notice that the Gloria will be omitted during the Season, just as it is in Lent.
This year I invite you to celebrate the season of Advent. I invite you to experience the true joy that only Jesus can bring. Sometimes the wait can see like an eternity, but our eternity is definitely worth this wait!
One new way that my husband and I have been encountering Advent is with daily reflections that are sent to our email. They come from Matthew Kelly and he simply calls it – the Best Advent Ever. This year is Let Your Soul Shine. I like that image!
There are many private devotions you can bring into your home that the Church has recognized for use during Advent:
- The Advent Wreath (my all-time favourite!)
- Circle – symbolizes the Alpha and Omega – eternity. It has no beginning or end, just as God’s love is everlasting.
- Candles – one for each week (three purple and one pink) representing the passing of time – Jesus light of the world. People often place in the middle a white candle lit on Christmas Day representing Christ. It is a tradition that each week represents 1000 years – the sum total of time from Adam and Eve until the Birth of the Saviour.
- Evergreen – symbolizes life, growth and preparation, time to recognize the need for Christ in our lives
- Many miscellaneous symbolic items can be added. I add holly, pinecones, cedar, and have seen laurel leaves, and ribbon, each having a symbolic meaning to them.
- Of course, there are prayers that accompany each week
- The Advent Log
- Similar to the Advent Wreath but has a candle for each day. Each candle is purple, except for the Sunday Candles – where there are three white and one pink. Growing up, I had both the Wreath and the Log. My dad was a carpenter had he get a plank of wood, drill holes to put the candles into and my mom would lovingly decorate it with greenery and pinecones.
- The Advent Calendar – and not the ones you buy in the store that have chocolates in them!
- I used to make Advent Calendars for my two boys. Each day of Advent was marked with the opening of a ‘door’ or the removal the paper that covered the activity for that day.
- This is a beautiful way to involve and invite family members to journey through Advent with activities such as prayer, acts of charity, or enjoying family time together.
- The Jesse Tree
- This very old Advent Tradition first started in medieval times. It is used to help tell the story of the Bible from creation to the birth of the Christ child. It’s roots come from the Book of Isaiah (Isaiah 11:1-4) A strong branch with outshoots is used. Each day through the Season, a scripture reading is read that corresponds to the journey through history. A symbol from that reading is then hung on the tree. It’s beautiful and children really relate to this tradition. First the Bible Story is read – then a prayer then (I would have my children colour the symbol) a symbol is hung on the Jesse tree.
What is your favourite Advent Tradition that brings you to the great joy of Christmas? Perhaps you will be led by the Christ Child to a new one this year!
As we move into Advent at the end of the month, I invite you to really be part of the Scripture Readings. They will be like a road map for you to a personal relationship with the Christ Child.
How will each one of us, in our own way, prepare for the coming of Jesus into our lives today and every tomorrow that follows?
Apostolic See (Holy See)
November 3, 2020
You are Peter on this rock I will build my church…
(Matthew 16:18)
Here comes some more of that Catholic terminology! The word “See” means “the seat or office of a bishop”. “Holy See” means the see of the bishop of Rome – the Pope. Therefore, the term refers to the city-state of Vatican because it happens to be the territory in which the Pope resides.
As successor of St. Peter, the Pope has the primary duty of extending the Christian faith to all the world. This title of Apostolic See was given to Rome since the first Christian centuries. It applies to the Pope and the persons and offices directly under his authority.
I hope to make this a little more personal, so we don’t think of Rome or the Pope as ‘over there in Italy’ while ‘we live here’.
How does the Apostolic See affect us here? I think I would like to start with ‘one holy, catholic and apostolic church’ with a slight twist to it.
- We are one with the Bishop of Rome
- We are holy as the Bishop of Rome is successor to St Peter, who Jesus named as His Rock
- We are catholic as the Bishop of Rome oversees the universal Catholic Church to the ends of the earth
- We are apostolic as our core beliefs are based on the teachings of Jesus handed down to his apostles and kept in the treasury of the Catholic faith protected and taught to us by the Bishop of Rome
Twice in my life have I seen the Pope! First was when I lived in Vancouver and Pope John Paul II visited in 1984. That was a glimpse only. I worked in an office building and saw his car drive by. The window was open, and I caught a brief glimpse of him. The second was much more personal. In 2017, my husband and I went to Italy. Of course, we had several days to visit Rome, and of course, we got tickets to see the Pope! We got seats inside and were ‘almost’ close enough to touch him – well, not really, but close enough! We had no problem seeing Him up close and personal, no problem listening to his weekly address to his faithful – to me – and with a good camera in hand – no problem in getting some amazing, cherished pictures of that moment forever captured.
This holy man ‘over there in Italy’ captured the hearts of everyone present from all parts of the world. We all hung on his spoken word, all strained to just see him. It is in these moments that I have come to recognize that the Apostolic See, the office of the successor of the Apostles is much more than just buildings I can visit, and offices. It is much more than the governing of the physical church. It is much more than just this holy man. It is my earthly connection to the whole of the Church on earth, my connection to my faith, my connection to my God, who although now reigns from Heaven is definitely present here on earth.
Visiting the Vatican and seeing the buildings of this city-state is a humbling experience for sure. But it is also a reminder of just how many other Catholics there are! It is (normally) crazy busy with thousands of Catholics present, all seeking their personal connection! Walking where the Apostles walked and taught and where saints died; witnessing the beauty and richness of our faith through art and music and cathedrals and cave-like chapels; chains and prisons, shrines and tombs and signs of persecution of the past. There is a holiness to the place – even the See – the offices and buildings all exude it.
Today, as I participate in the Sacrifice of the Holy Mass and I gaze upon the Altar and I listen to the Word of God and I receive the Body of Christ I am reminded that you and I are members of this universal Church. That the Apostolic See is more than just offices and buildings. It is much more than just the Pope. That the Vatican is not ‘just over there in Italy’. I am reminded that we are so very closely connected because Jesus in the vine and we are the branches and those branches extend through the whole of world, governed and guided by Peter’s successor – the Bishop of Rome.
I invite you to pray for the Pope, for the Catholic church and for all faithful followers:
O God, shepherd and ruler of all the faithful,
Look favourably on your servant Francis,
Whom you have set at the head of your Church as her shepherd.
Grant, we pray, that by word and example
He may be of service to those over whom he presides
So that, together with the flock entrusted to his care,
He may come to everlasting life.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son
Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirt,
one God, for ever and ever.
Amen
Angels
November 2, 2020
Through my childhood and to this very day, I really enjoy re-watching the TV Series “Touched by an Angel” and “Highway to Heaven”. I must admit though, they do now sometimes feel a little cheesy. I find as I mature in my faith, that while their stories are full of humanity and goodness, they can fall a little short on accuracy when it comes to the teachings of the Catholic Church…but I’m OK with letting that go and just enjoying some ‘faith-filled’ TV. And, just to set the record straight – no – angels are not humans returning to earth after their death!
Angles are purely spiritual creatures. They have no body. They are invisible. They are immortal. They are a personal being endowed with intelligence and will. They ceaselessly contemplate God face to face and they glorify him. They serve him and are his messengers in the accomplishment of his saving mission to all of us.
We know from Christian tradition and from the Holy Scriptures that there are different names given to groups of angels — nine “choirs” of angels in all. This hierarchy of angels is meant to help us to understand the qualities of God and how we might grow in the ways of holiness.
The highest tier of angels are the seraphim, cherubim and thrones.
(Do you recognize any of those names? – We sing about them and pray about them!)
The second tier of angels are the dominions, virtues and powers.
(Do you recognize any of these names – maybe?)
The third tier of angels are the principalities, archangels and angels.
(Do you recognize any of these names? – I would say you probably do)
We sing about them – Angels We Have Heard on High, Hark the Herald Angels Sing, (and so much more)
We pray to them – Prayer to our Guardian Angel, Prayer to St Michael the Archangel (and so much more)
We read about them in Scripture – Cherubim at Eden (Genesis), Intervention with the sacrifice of Isaac (Genesis), Appears to Mary (Luke), attended to Jesus (in Luke), Appeared to Peter (Acts of the Apostles) and so much more.
We pray during Mass during the Confiteor (I Confess), during our Preface just before the Holy, Holy, Holy (and more).
I have, on more occasions than I care to admit, called upon those angels for assistance and protection! And I have had them present with me when I have not asked for their assistance or protection. There are three occasions I recall very clearly where I know angels were at work in my life. Two were involving car incidents: the first was driving from Vancouver to Quesnel on the Remembrance Day long weekend. The weather was unspeakably terrible – rain, snow, sleet, freezing rain, white out conditions due to blowing snow…it’s was the worst road conditions we had ever experienced. Coming home through the canyon we lost control of our vehicle and starting spinning – mountain on one side and steep canyon to the Fraser River on the other – yes – I believe that angels were driving that day!
The second was when I went to visit my niece in Quesnel many years ago – I was early so I thought I’d just ‘drive around a bit’ until it was closer to when we would be getting together. There was a couple of things I did not see – I did not see the stop sign, I did not see the car crossing in front of me, I did not see the family walking on the sidewalk. What happened to me on that short ‘drive around a bit’ I will never know, but I do know that an angel protected me, the other driver and the family that day. On both those occasions I prayed, my childhood prayer “Angel of God, my guardian dear, to whom His love commits me here; ever this day be at my side, to light and guard, to rule and guide. Amen.”
The third was a quiet, reflective, peaceful time alone in the church, me and Jesus. I remember the silence, I remember the emptiness of church, the feeling of solitude and peace as I gazed upon the Tabernacle and the Tabernacle candle and the Altar in prayer. Everything was so quiet. Then, like a rush I had this indescribable sense of not sitting alone, as though my hand was being held. My quiet reflective time turned into a torrent of prayer pouring forth from me – Jesus present – yes, the Spirit present – yes, angels present – yes.
They are among us. They are committed to us. They are our gift. They are our companion. Can you recall a time when you felt the presence of angels in your life?
Again, we are invited to a journey, a pilgrimage, but we are not walking alone. We are being shielded, comforted, guided and protected.
If you are interested and wish to read further, check out our Did You Know article on Angels.
Assumption of Mary
November 1, 2020
Hail Mary, full of grace
Assumption, Ascension, Annunciation, Incarnation and Immaculate Conception. If one thing is certain, we Catholics have a lot of terminology to learn!!! Over the years I have found that these words seem elusive to us and we just can’t remember what they actually mean.
We have moved from October to November. The month of October is the Month of the Rosary. We have celebrated the Feast of Our Lady of Fatima and continue to pray the Rosary daily as Mary asked of us.
Today, let’s spend some time with the Assumption of Mary. The Feast of the Assumption is a major Feast Day for us as Catholics and is celebrated on August 15th of each year. In 1950, Pope Pius XII declared that “Mary, the Immaculate perpetually Virgin Mother of God, after the completion of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into the glory of heaven.”
Mary did not suffer from original sin but was conceived ‘full of grace’. Full of God’s grace from the very beginning of her existence. At the moment of the end of her earthly life, she experienced resurrection and glorification of her body.
Let’s pause and imagine that moment – that moment in time when Jesus himself came to take his Mother and bring her to her heavenly home! To see her Son again must have been a moment of indescribable joy!
This joy is meant for us. This is the journey we are all on.
When Christ will come with shout of acclamation and take me home, what joy shall fill my heart.
Song: How Great Thou Art, Verse added by Stuart Hine
We live in that very hope. The hope that at the end of our existence, our bodies will be raised to glory.
This is our promise at the end of time. This is meaning of the Sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross of our Salvation.
We are challenged to live everyday in the joy, the hope and the love of our Saviour. We are invited to a personal relationship with Mary, the Mother of God.
All Saints Day and All Souls Day
October 31, 2020
Pray for Us.
It’s been many years since my father and mother passed away. I remember one day I was dusting the house, including the picture of mom and dad taken at our wedding. I looked lovingly into their eyes and asked them “are you proud of me”? Why would I do that? They have been gone from me for a very long time, yet they are always with me. In my heart I believe I know where they are now – they are being held lovingly in God’s arms in Heaven.
On November 1st, we celebrate the feast of All Saints. We recognize those who have official feast days on the church calendar, but even deeper than that, we recognize all saints – all those who now have a dwelling place in heaven.
By the mystery of the ‘communion of saints’ we ask of them prayers for us here still on the journey through our limited life on earth to our everlasting life in Heaven.
Our challenge to live a life following in the footsteps of Jesus, our Saviour, so we too can obtain our place in Heaven. This time here offers us the opportunity to look to and learn from the lives of the saints, to find in them something small or large that can direct our way. Do you have a favourite saint? I have two – Bernadette (if you hadn’t already guessed). She lived an incredible life of service, and Mary, the Mother of God. I can only pray that I too say ‘yes’ to God when he calls to me.
November 2nd is a day set aside on which we recall and pray for the dead who are in purgatory. All Souls Day was established in the 10th century and purposely done so in order to shift the focus from those in heaven to those in purgatory.
In contrast, here our ‘communion of saints’ affords us the opportunity to pray for them as those souls in purgatory are not able to help themselves.
It seems as I journey through my life, I lose more and more of those I love. In this year, my mother in law, my sister and two dear family friends have passed away. I also still pray daily for my mom and dad as I know my prayers will be heard, answered and returned to me through the Grace of God.
In the sadness of this year in particular, so many have died from COVID-19. We are being challenged to remember the incredible mercy of our God. We are being challenged to bring our faith to life – to pray for those who do not have a voice and to lovingly accept the prayers of those who pray for us and to live a life worthy of those prayers.
I invite everyone to take a few minutes, light a candle in your home or spend quiet time at your prayer corner and pray the Litany of Saints. This is a beautiful prayer that unites us with our family of faith. You can add all those you wish to add and make this prayer one from your heart to the heart of Our Father. Also, all are invited to join Father on Monday, November 2nd. Following 9:00 am Mass, Father will be going to the cemetery and blessing the graves of those we have lost. Please feel free to join us around 10:30 am.
Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us.
Saint Michael, pray for us.
Holy angels of God, pray for us.
Abraham, Moses and Elijah, pray for us.
Saint Joachim and Saint Anne, pray for us.
Saint Joseph, pray for us.
Saint John the Baptist, pray for us.
Saint Peter and Saint Paul, pray for us.
Saint Andrew, pray for us.
Saint John, pray for us.
Saint Mary Magdalene, pray for us.
Saint Stephen, pray for us.
Saint Ignatius, pray for us.
Saint Lawrence, pray for us.
Saint John de Brébeuf and holy Canadian Martyrs, pray for us.
Saint Perpetua and Saint Felicity, pray for us.
Saint Agnes, pray for us.
Saint Gregory, pray for us.
Saint Augustine, pray for us.
Saint Athanasius, pray for us.
Saint Basil, pray for us.
Saint Catherine of Siena, pray for us.
Saint Teresa of Avila, pray for us.
Saint Martin, pray for us.
Blessed François de Laval, pray for us.
Saint Benedict, pray for us.
Saint Francis and Saint Dominic, pray for us.
Saint Francis Xavier, pray for us.
Saint John Vianney, pray for us.
Saint Marguerite Bourgeoys, pray for us.
Saint Marguerite d-Youville, pray for us.
Saint Monica, pray for us.
Saint Louis, pray for us.
All holy men and women, pray for us.
Amen.
Altar
October 30, 2020
Today, let’s take a closer look at the Altar. It is here on which is offered the Sacrifice of the Mass. The Altar is holy.
In the primitive church and in the catacombs, the Altar was usually a niche covered with a stone slab over the tomb of a martyr.
There is a small, flat stone in every altar, which has been consecrated by a bishop containing a hollowed-out cavity. In this cavity are relics of two canonized martyrs. It is to serve as a reminder to us of the sacrifice of those martyrs who once gave their lives for Christ.
It is on this stone that the host and the chalice are placed during the Sacrifice of the Mass.
So, let’s bring ourselves once again to Mass. We’ve come into the Church and genuflected. That action is in worship for the Real Presence of Christ in the Tabernacle. In the moment of genuflection, we also bow. That is in reverence of the relics in the Altar, and the holiness of this place on which the Sacrifice takes place. Mass begins and we celebrate with the Opening Prayer and the Liturgy of the Word. As we move through the Offertory our attention comes to the Liturgy of the Eucharist.
Watch closely – here is our invitation to become involved. Father begins by bringing to the Altar the Ciborium containing hosts that will be consecrated and become the Body of Christ, the Chalice that will contain wine that will be consecrated and become the Blood of Christ. First though he lays down the Corporal, a square linen cloth. And he lays it down carefully unfolding it and placing it over the stone in the Altar. On this Corporal are placed the Chalice and the Ciborium, the Pall and the Purificator. These are the items of Eucharistic preparation. You see, we are not just distant observers, we are invited to be active participants through our responses and attentiveness.
Every time we approach or cross the Altar, we are invited to stop and bow.
What do we see when we take the time to gaze upon the Altar? An invitation for us to look deeper. Our practices are full of such richness. Do we simply see a wooden table standing alone in the church? Or do we have a deeper connection? One where we are united to the saintly martyrs who have come before us. Do we see a holy place on which takes place a Sacrifice – Jesus made truly present.
Adoration
October 29, 2020
“Then I shall bow with humble adoration, and then proclaim, my God, how great Thou art!”
There is no doubt that God is infinitely perfect. But sometimes doubt creeps in, especially, I think, when we feel lost, abandoned, frightened, lonely and overwhelmed with the worries of today.
I have too many times, looked away from God instead of looking towards Him. When I look back at myself at 19 years old, wanting desperately to “live my own life”, I thought myself to be infinitely perfect. I left home, moved to a different city, sought out my local church and then, for a brief time, chose to walk away from it – to walk away from God. I really did believe I could live without His presence in my life. For a time, I lost the peace that comes with Adoration, with worshipping God.
In my heart I now know I am totally dependent on Him as Creator, as sustainer of my life. In Him I find my joy, my desire to seek Him in all the Tabernacles of the world. Every word I utter, every action I do, every breath I take should be a reminder to me of His supreme dominion over me. Yet, I am His child, not a puppet or a slave. I am subject to Him, but still on a journey where I fall away from Him, take a different path for a short time and get lost but He always calls and welcomes me back.
It is when I stop and spend time with Him and recognize He is God, not me, then can I truly realize that my actions, my prayers, my postures of praise, my acts of reverence, sacrifice and love all lead me to exclaim “my God, how great Thou art!”
Come with me to the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. For a moment, let’s make today Sunday (or Saturday night). I have left the comfort of my home and walked or driven to Church. I have donned my mask, navigated through the check in process at the main doors and sanitized my hands. I now enter the House of God. What will I find when I enter? What will I bring with me and place at the Altar? Now is the time for me to stop and bow in humble adoration. Jesus is truly present in the Blessed Sacrament. He is walking with me to my pew, leading me gently forward. During the Mass, he will come as incarnate – Word Made Flesh. He will take all my prayers, all those worries and thanksgivings I brought to the Altar and leave me with His lasting peace – His lasting love.
My prayer: My God, I truly believe that you are present Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity in this form of bread (wine). I praise and adore you for the gift of your life within me. You are my God. I am nothing without You.
Perhaps this week each of us can find time to adore. To seek God outside of the ordinary of our day and just take time – one hour – just one hour.
If you missed our Introduction to this series <click here>. To go forward to the letter “B” <click here>.