Since we are travellers and pilgrims in the world, let us ever ponder on the end of the road, that is of our life, for the end of our roadway is our home (St Columban, 8th sermon).
Showing posts with label Schola Gregoriana Abba Caelum. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Schola Gregoriana Abba Caelum. Show all posts
GospelLuke 15:1-3, 11- 32 (English Standard
Version, Anglicised)
At that time:
The tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear Jesus. And the
Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, ‘This man receives sinners and eats
with them.’
So he told them
this parable: ‘There was a man who had two sons. And the younger of them said
to his father, “Father, give me the share of property that is coming to me.”
And he divided his property between them. Not many days later, the younger son
gathered all he had and took a journey into a far country, and there he
squandered his property in reckless living. And when he had spent everything, a
severe famine arose in that country, and he began to be in need. So he went and
hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his
fields to feed pigs. And he was longing to be fed with the pods that the pigs
ate, and no one gave him anything.
‘But when he
came to himself, he said, “How many of my father’s hired servants have more than
enough bread, but I perish here with hunger! I will arise and go to my father,
and I will say to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I
am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired
servants.’ ”
‘And he arose
and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw
him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. And the son
said to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no
longer worthy to be called your son.” But the father said to his servants,
“Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand,
and shoes on his feet. And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat
and celebrate. For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and
is found.” And they began to celebrate.
‘Now his older
son was in the field, and as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music
and dancing. And he called one of the servants and asked what these things
meant. And he said to him, “Your brother has come, and your father has killed
the fattened calf, because he has received him back safe and sound.” But he was
angry and refused to go in. His father came out and entreated him, but he
answered his father, “Look, these many years I have served you, and I never
disobeyed your command, yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might
celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours came, who has devoured
your property with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him!” And he
said to him, “Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. It
was fitting to celebrate and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is
alive; he was lost, and is found.” ’
About ten years ago while
still in the Philippines I met a woman from a Western country who told me that
the first lie her parents told her was that Santa Claus existed. Had I been
alert enough at the time I would have asked her, So Jesus lied to us
about the Prodigal Son, about the Good Samaritan? They never 'existed'.
As Pope Benedict XVI said in his
Angelus Talk on today's gospel on 14 March 20: This
passage of St Luke constitutes one of the peaks of spirituality and literature
of all time. Indeed, what would our culture, art and more generally our
civilization be without this revelation of a God the Father so full of mercy?
We would never have had Rembrandt's powerful and deeply moving
painting above.
Here is the full text of Pope Bendict's talk that day with
my emphases added. (I find it difficult to add emphases to
anything by Pope Benedict since I find his talks so deep, so clear and
so uplifting.)
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
On this Fourth Sunday of Lent,
the Gospel of the father and the two sons better known as the Parable of the
‘Prodigal Son’ (Lk 15:11-32) is proclaimed. This passage of St Luke
constitutes one of the peaks of spirituality and literature of all time.
Indeed, what would our culture, art and more generally our civilization be
without this revelation of a God the Father so full of mercy? It never
fails to move us and every time we hear or read it, it can suggest to us ever
new meanings. Above all, this Gospel text has the power of speaking to
us of God, of enabling us to know his Face and, better still, his Heart. After
Jesus has told us of the merciful Father, things are no longer as they were
before.
We now know God; he is our Father who out of love created us to be free and
endowed us with a conscience, who suffers when we get lost and rejoices when we
return. For this reason, our relationship with him is built up through
events, just as it happens for every child with his parents: at first he
depends on them, then he asserts his autonomy; and, in the end if he develops
well he reaches a mature relationship based on gratitude and authentic love.
In these stages we can also identify moments
along man's journey in his relationship with God. There can be a phase that
resembles childhood: religion prompted by need, by dependence. As man grows up
and becomes emancipated, he wants to liberate himself from this submission and
become free and adult, able to organize himself and make his own decisions,
even thinking he can do without God. Precisely this stage is delicate and can
lead to atheism, yet even this frequently conceals the need to discover God's true
Face. Fortunately for us, God never fails in his faithfulness and
even if we distance ourselves and get lost he continues to follow us with his
love, forgiving our errors and speaking to our conscience from within in order
to call us back to him.
In this parable the
sons behave in opposite ways: the younger son
leaves home and sinks ever lower whereas the elder son stays at home, but he
too has an immature relationship with the Father. In fact, when his brother
comes back, the elder brother does not rejoice like the Father; on the contrary
he becomes angry and refuses to enter the house. The two sons represent
two immature ways of relating to God: rebellion and childish obedience.
Both these forms are surmounted through the experience of mercy. Only
by experiencing forgiveness, by recognizing one is loved with a freely given
love a love greater than our wretchedness but also than our own merit do we at
last enter into a truly filial and free relationship with God.
Dear friends, let us
meditate on this parable. Let us compare ourselves to the two sons and,
especially, contemplate the Heart of the Father. Let us throw ourselves into
his arms and be regenerated by his merciful love. May the Virgin
Mary, Mater Misericordiae, help us to do this.
Part of the genius of this parable of Jesus is that it doesn't have an ending, but an invitation. We don't know whether or not the older, dutiful son joined the celebration after his father spoke with him. He can only see at that moment the wasted life of his younger brother. Did he come to see the immense suffering this had brought to their father, suffering that Rembrandt captures so movingly?
The father doesn't argue with his older son. He is well aware of that son's sense of responsibility. The father also hears his angry and dismissive 'this son of yours'. He gently points out, Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. It was fitting to make merry and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found.
The father shows his love to each of his sons in their very different situations.
The invitation in the parable is not only to the older son. It is to me. Is the Father inviting me to let go of sins that have separated me from him, a separation that he doesn't want, by asking his pardon, especially in the sacrament of confession? Or is the Father inviting me to let go of my self-righteousness, my lack of humility, my lack of gratitude for daily blessings, even though I am conscientious in doing what is right?
The Father has reserved a place for each of us at the celebration.
Communion Antiphon sung in Korean and Latin
Schola Gregoriana Abba Caelum, Seoul, Korea
Antiphona ad commuionem Communion Antiphon Luke 15:32
Oportet te, fili, gaudere, quia frater tuus mortuus fuerat, et revixit; perierat, et inventus est.
You must rejoice, my son, for your brother was dead and has come to life; he was lost and is found.
Traditional Latin Mass
Fourth Sunday in Lent
The Complete Mass in Latin and English is here. (Adjust the date at the top of that page to 03-30-2025 if necessary).
Jesus then took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated; so also the fish, as much as they wanted (John 6:11; Gospel).
GospelLuke 15:1-3, 11-32 (English Standard Version Anglicised: India)
Now the tax collectors
and sinners were all drawing near to hear Jesus. And the Pharisees and the
scribes grumbled, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats
with them.”
So he told them this
parable:
“There was a man who had two sons.And the
younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of property
that is coming to me.’ And he divided his property between them.Not many days later, the younger son gathered
all he had and took a journey into a far country, and there he squandered his
property in reckless living.And when he had spent everything, a severe famine arose in
that country, and he began to be in need.So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that
country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs.And he was longing to be fed with the
pods that the pigs ate, and no one gave him anything.
“But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How
many of my father's hired servants have more than enough bread, but I perish
here with hunger!I will arise and go to my
father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven
and before you.I am no longer worthy to be called your son.
Treat me as one of your hired servants.”’And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a
long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran
and embraced him and kissed him.And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven
and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring quickly the best
robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his
feet.And
bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate.For this my son was dead, and is alive
again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to celebrate.
“Now his older son was in the field, and as he came and drew near
to the house, he heard music and dancing.And he
called one of the servants and asked what these things meant.And he said to him, ‘Your brother has come,
and your father has killed the fattened calf, because he has received him back
safe and sound.’But
he was angry and refused to go in. His father came out and entreated him,but he answered his father, ‘Look, these many
years I have served you, and I never disobeyed your command, yet you never gave
me a young goat, that I might celebrate with my friends.But when this son of yours came, who has
devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for
him!’And he said to
him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours.It was fitting to celebrate and be glad,
for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found.’”
Seven or eight years ago while still in the Philippines I met a woman from a Western country who told me that the first lie her parents told her was that Santa Claus existed. Had I been alert enough at the time I would have asked her, So Jesus lied to us about the Prodigal Son, about the Good Samaritan? They never 'existed'.
As Pope Benedict XVI said in his Angelus Talk on today's gospel on 14 March 20: This passage of St Luke constitutes one of the peaks of spirituality and
literature of all time. Indeed, what would our culture, art and more generally
our civilization be without this revelation of a God the Father so full of
mercy?
We would never have had Rembrandt's powerful and deeply moving painting above.
Here is the full text of Pope Bendict's talk that day with my emphases added. (I find it difficult to add emphases to anything by Pope Benedict since I find that his talks are so deep, so clear and so uplifting.)
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
On this Fourth
Sunday of Lent, the Gospel of the father and the two
sons better known as the Parable of the ‘Prodigal Son’ (Lk 15:11-32) is
proclaimed. This passage of St Luke constitutes one of the peaks of
spirituality and literature of all time. Indeed, what would our culture, art
and more generally our civilization be without this revelation of a God the
Father so full of mercy? It never fails to move us and every time we
hear or read it, it can suggest to us ever new meanings. Above all,
this Gospel text has the power of speaking to us of God, of enabling us to know
his Face and, better still, his Heart. After Jesus has told us of the merciful
Father, things are no longer as they were before.
We now know God; he is our Father who out of love created us to be free and
endowed us with a conscience, who suffers when we get lost and rejoices when we
return. For this reason, our relationship with him is built up through
events, just as it happens for every child with his parents: at first he
depends on them, then he asserts his autonomy; and, in the end if he develops
well he reaches a mature relationship based on gratitude and authentic love.
In these stages we can also identify moments
along man's journey in his relationship with God. There can be a phase that
resembles childhood: religion prompted by need, by dependence. As man grows up
and becomes emancipated, he wants to liberate himself from this submission and
become free and adult, able to organize himself and make his own decisions,
even thinking he can do without God. Precisely this stage is delicate and can
lead to atheism, yet even this frequently conceals the need to discover God's
true Face. Fortunately for us, God never fails in his faithfulness and
even if we distance ourselves and get lost he continues to follow us with his
love, forgiving our errors and speaking to our conscience from within in order
to call us back to him.
In this parable the
sons behave in opposite ways: the younger son
leaves home and sinks ever lower whereas the elder son stays at home, but he
too has an immature relationship with the Father. In fact, when his brother
comes back, the elder brother does not rejoice like the Father; on the contrary
he becomes angry and refuses to enter the house. The two sons represent
two immature ways of relating to God: rebellion and childish obedience.
Both these forms are surmounted through the experience of mercy. Only
by experiencing forgiveness, by recognizing one is loved with a freely given
love a love greater than our wretchedness but also than our own merit do we at
last enter into a truly filial and free relationship with God.
Dear friends, let us meditate on this
parable. Let us compare ourselves to the two sons and, especially,
contemplate the Heart of the Father. Let us throw ourselves into his arms and
be regenerated by his merciful love. May the Virgin Mary, Mater
Misericordiae, help us to do this.
Part of the genius of this parable of Jesus is that it doesn't have an ending, but an invitation. We don't know whether or not the older, dutiful son joined the celebration. He can only see at this moment the wasted life of his younger brother and the immense suffering this had brought to their father, suffering that Rembrandt captures so movingly.
The father doesn't argue with his older son. He is well aware of that son's sense of responsibility. The father also hears his angry and dismissive 'this son of yours'. He gently points out, Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. It was fitting to make merry and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found.
The invitation in the parable is not only to the older son. It is to me. Is the Father inviting me to let go of sins that have separated me from him, a separation that he doesn't want, by asking his pardon, especially in the sacrament of confession? Or is the Father inviting me to let go of my self-righteousness, my lack of humility, my lack of gratitude for daily blessings, even though I am conscientious in doing what is right?
The Father has reserved a place for each of us at the celebration.
Communion Antiphon sung in Korean and Latin
Schola Gregoriana Abba Caelum, Seoul, Korea
Antiphona ad commuionem
Communion Antiphon Luke 15:32
Oportet te, fili, gaudere, quia frater tuus mortuus fuerat, et revixit; perierat, et inventus est.
You must rejoice, my son, for your brother was dead and has come to life; he was lost and is found.
O Mary, Mother of God and our Mother, in this time of trial we
turn to you. As our Mother, you love us and know us: no concern of our
hearts is hidden from you. Mother of mercy, how often we have experienced
your watchful care and your peaceful presence! You never cease to guide
us to Jesus, the Prince of Peace.
Yet we have strayed from that path of peace. We have
forgotten the lesson learned from the tragedies of the last century, the
sacrifice of the millions who fell in two world wars. We have disregarded
the commitments we made as a community of nations. We have betrayed
peoples’ dreams of peace and the hopes of the young. We grew sick with
greed, we thought only of our own nations and their interests, we grew indifferent
and caught up in our selfish needs and concerns. We chose to ignore God,
to be satisfied with our illusions, to grow arrogant and aggressive, to
suppress innocent lives and to stockpile weapons. We stopped being our
neighbour’s keepers and stewards of our common home. We have ravaged the
garden of the earth with war and by our sins we have broken the heart of our
heavenly Father, who desires us to be brothers and sisters. We grew
indifferent to everyone and everything except ourselves. Now with shame
we cry out: Forgive us, Lord!
Holy Mother, amid the misery of our sinfulness, amid our
struggles and weaknesses, amid the mystery of iniquity that is evil and war,
you remind us that God never abandons us, but continues to look upon us with
love, ever ready to forgive us and raise us up to new life. He has given
you to us and made your Immaculate Heart a refuge for the Church and for all
humanity. By God’s gracious will, you are ever with us; even in the most
troubled moments of our history, you are there to guide us with tender love.
We now turn to you and knock at the door of your heart. We
are your beloved children. In every age you make yourself known to us,
calling us to conversion. At this dark hour, help us and grant us your
comfort. Say to us once more: “Am I not here, I who am your Mother?”
You are able to untie the knots of our hearts and of our times. In
you we place our trust. We are confident that, especially in moments of
trial, you will not be deaf to our supplication and will come to our aid.
That is what you did at Cana in Galilee, when you interceded
with Jesus and he worked the first of his signs. To preserve the joy of
the wedding feast, you said to him: “They have no wine” (Jn 2:3). Now, O
Mother, repeat those words and that prayer, for in our own day we have run out
of the wine of hope, joy has fled, fraternity has faded. We have
forgotten our humanity and squandered the gift of peace. We opened our
hearts to violence and destructiveness. How greatly we need your maternal
help!
Therefore, O Mother, hear our prayer.
Star of the Sea, do not let us be shipwrecked in the tempest of war.
Ark of the New Covenant, inspire projects and paths of reconciliation.
Queen of Heaven, restore God’s peace to the world.
Eliminate hatred and the thirst for revenge, and teach us forgiveness.
Free us from war, protect our world from the menace of nuclear weapons.
Queen of the Rosary, make us realize our need to pray and to love.
Queen of the Human Family, show people the path of fraternity.
Queen of Peace, obtain peace for our world.
O Mother, may your sorrowful plea stir our hardened hearts.
May the tears you shed for us make this valley parched by our hatred
blossom anew. Amid the thunder of weapons, may your prayer turn our
thoughts to peace. May your maternal touch soothe those who suffer and
flee from the rain of bombs. May your motherly embrace comfort those
forced to leave their homes and their native land. May your Sorrowful
Heart move us to compassion and inspire us to open our doors and to care for
our brothers and sisters who are injured and cast aside.
Holy Mother of God, as you stood beneath the cross, Jesus,
seeing the disciple at your side, said: “Behold your son” (Jn 19:26). In
this way he entrusted each of us to you. To the disciple, and to each of
us, he said: “Behold, your Mother” (v. 27). Mother Mary, we now desire to
welcome you into our lives and our history. At this hour, a weary and
distraught humanity stands with you beneath the cross, needing to entrust
itself to you and, through you, to consecrate itself to Christ. The
people of Ukraine and Russia, who venerate you with great love, now turn to
you, even as your heart beats with compassion for them and for all those peoples
decimated by war, hunger, injustice and poverty.
Therefore, Mother of God and our Mother, to your Immaculate
Heart we solemnly entrust and consecrate ourselves, the Church and all
humanity, especially Russia and Ukraine. Accept this act that we carry
out with confidence and love. Grant that war may end and peace spread
throughout the world. The “Fiat” that arose from your heart opened the
doors of history to the Prince of Peace. We trust that, through your
heart, peace will dawn once more. To you we consecrate the future of the
whole human family, the needs and expectations of every people, the anxieties
and hopes of the world.
Through your intercession, may God’s mercy be poured out on the
earth and the gentle rhythm of peace return to mark our days. Our Lady of
the “Fiat”, on whom the Holy Spirit descended, restore among us the harmony
that comes from God. May you, our “living fountain of hope”, water the
dryness of our hearts. In your womb Jesus took flesh; help us to foster
the growth of communion. You once trod the streets of our world; lead us
now on the paths of peace. Amen.
Readings(Jerusalem Bible: Australia,
England & Wales, India [optional], Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan,
Scotland, South Africa)
GospelMark 6:41-51 (New Revised Standard
Version, Anglicised Catholic Edition)
Then
the Jews began to complain about Jesus because he said, ‘I am the bread that
came down from heaven.’ They were saying, ‘Is not this Jesus, the son of
Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, “I have come down
from heaven”?’ Jesus
answered them, ‘Do not complain among yourselves. No one can come to me unless drawn by the Father who
sent me; and I will raise that person up on the last day. It is written in the prophets, “And they shall all be
taught by God.” Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to me. Not that anyone has seen the Father except the one who
is from God; he has seen the Father. Very truly, I tell you, whoever believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, and
they died. This is
the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven.
Whoever eats of this bread will live for ever; and the bread that I will give
for the life of the world is my flesh.’
The Prophet Elijah in the Desert, Dieric Bouts the Elder
Get up and eat, otherwise the journey will be too much for you' (1 Kings 19:7 - from First Reading).
Sto Niño Church, Lianga, Surigao del Sur[Photo:Benjie Otagan]
Nearly twenty-five years ago when I was
parish priest in Lianga in the Diocese of Tandag, which covers the province of
Surigao del Sur on the east coast of Mindanao, one of our volunteer catechists
came to me on a Saturday afternoon and told me that her father, who was gravely
ill, had asked to receive 'the Bread of Life'. I discovered that Mario, as I'll
call him, had been married three times, having been widowed twice.
When I arrived at the house there
were children from his three marriages there, many of them with their own
children. There was a palpable sense of joy in the home and Mario was
fully alert. After hearing his confession I invited his family to join us as we
celebrated the Sacrament of the Sick before giving him Holy Communion.
After a period of silence and the
closing prayers of the rite I asked those closest to their father/grandfather
to place their hands on him. My idea was that we would have some spontaneous
prayer. However, Mario changed this into something far more beautiful. He took
one of his grandchildren, only a few months old, into his arms, embraced and
kissed the child. Then he embraced each of his children and grandchildren and
kissed them. Almost everyone, particularly Mario himself, was aware that he had
not long to live. He was making a joyful farewell to his family, full of hope
because he had received God's forgiveness in the Sacrament of Reconciliation
followed by the nourishment of God himself in the Bread of Life.
In the First Reading an angel wakes
up the weary prophet Elijah twice with the command 'Get up and eat'. On this
occasion Mario's family in effect said the same to me, even though I wasn't
weary like Elijah, as they had prepared a snack for me, which is not usual when
the priest makes a sick call. However, on this occasion I thought it 'truly
right and just' as the joy of the Lord was clearly evident in Mario and his
family. He knew that 'the journey' would not 'be too much for' him.
The bread that I will give, says the
Lord, is my flesh for the life of the world (Cf John 6:51, Communion Antiphon).
Schola Gregoriana Abba Caelum, Seoul, Korea
Antiphona ad Communionem Communion Antiphon
Panis, quem dedero, caro mea est pro saeculi vita, dicit Dominus.
The bread that I will give, says the Lord, is my flesh for the life of the world.
Ego sum panis vivus by Palestrina Sung by Amici Cantores
Ego sum panis vivus. Patres
vestri manducaverunt manna in deserto, et mortui sunt. Hic est panis
de coelo descendens: si quis ex ipso manducaverit, non
morietur.
I am the bread of life.Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died.This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die (John 6:48-50 - from today's Gospel).
The Return
of the Prodigal Son (detail)
