Sign Up for Our Newsletter!


By submitting this form, you are consenting to receive marketing emails from: . You can revoke your consent to receive emails at any time by using the SafeUnsubscribe® link, found at the bottom of every email. Emails are serviced by Constant Contact

EPISODE #25
SOUNDS FROM THE SANCTUARY: LET THERE BE PEACE ON EARTH

Episode No. 25: Let There Be Peace on Earth

For this episode of Sounds from the Sanctuary, let us all take time from our daily routines to reflect and pray for world peace. All of the music you hear today are prayers for peace in the world including the timeless Prayer of St. Francis, the Dona Nobis Pacem of Ralph Vaughan Williams, and the eternal symphonic cry for peace in the world – Beethoven’s 9th Symphony.

Prayer of St. Francis – Sebatian Temple

Peace Prayer of St. Francis – Peter Latona

RVW Dona Nobis Pacem – Atlanta Symphony Orchestra/Chorus Robert Shaw

Paul Halley Ubi Caritas – Paul Halley

Peace Like a River Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra Mack Wilberg

Let There Be Peace on Earth – Barbara Berner St. Louis Children’s Choirs

Beethoven 9, last movement, Bernstein in Berlin

 

 

 

Originally broadcast on 3/5/22

LENTEN TRADITIONS

After an unusually rainy winter, we’re ready for spring. But first, we must experience the 40 days of Lent. 

Interestingly, the word Lent derives from the Middle English word Lenten, meaning springtime, or the time the days lengthen.  

Lent is 40 days in recognition of the gospel story about Jesus fasting in the desert for 40 days, as he’s tempted by Satan. Traditionally, Lent begins on Ash Wednesday and ends at sundown on Holy Thursday; Sundays are not counted. 

In recognition of the early Christian traditions, Catholics are asked to fast and abstain from meat on certain days.  

To fast means to limit food to one full meal a day with the possibility of two smaller meals that don’t add up to a full meal. Abstinence means not eating meat, but fish is allowed. Those 14 years and older, up to age 59, are to abstain from meat on Ash Wednesday, all the Fridays of Lent, and Good Friday.  

While the Church doesn’t specifically require that we do more than fasting and abstinence, the spirit of Lent suggests that we follow the history of the early Christians who found prayer, fasting, and almsgiving to be an important part of repentance and renewal. Lent helps us grow closer to Jesus Christ when we do something extra such as pray, give money or goods to the needy, or do extra acts of charity. 

Bishop David L. Ricken of Green Bay, Wisconsin, wrote a list of the “10 Things to Remember for Lent,” which can be found on the website of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, usccb.org. 

One of Bishop Ricken’s things to remember is that we shouldn’t do too much. “It’s tempting to make Lent some ambitious period of personal reinvention,” he writes, “but it’s best to keep it simple and focused. There’s a reason the Church works on these mysteries year after year. We spend our entire lives growing closer to God. Don’t try to cram it all in one Lent.” 

Some of the other things he includes on his list are to:  

  • Remember the formula. The Church does a good job capturing certain truths with easy-to-remember lists and formulas: 10 Commandments, seven sacraments, three persons in the Trinity. For Lent, the Church gives us almost a slogan—prayer, fasting and almsgiving—as the three things we need to work on during the season.
  • Recall that Lent is a time of prayer. Lent is essentially an act of prayer spread out over 40 days. As we pray, we go on a journey, one that hopefully brings us closer to Christ and leaves us changed by the encounter with him. 
  • Know that Lent is a time to fast. With the fasts of Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, meatless Fridays, and our personal disciplines interspersed, Lent is the only time many of today’s Catholics actually fast. And maybe that’s why it gets all the attention. Fasting is actually a form of penance, which helps us turn away from sin and toward Christ. 

 

Bishop Ricken also says that during Lent we must be patient with ourselves. “When we’re confronted with our own weakness during Lent, the temptation is to get angry and frustrated,” he writes. “But that’s the wrong lesson. God is calling us to be patient and to see ourselves as he does, with unconditional love.”

SEASON OF PREPARATION

Have you ever wondered why the liturgical color for Advent is purple, just like Lent? Or why Catholics don’t sing Christmas carols in church during Advent? 

Both are seasons of preparation for great feast days, so Advent, like Lent, is a solemn season of prayer and penance. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops says Advent includes an element of penance “in the sense of preparing, quieting and disciplining our hearts for the full joy of Christmas. This penitential dimension is expressed through the color purple, but also through the restrained manner of decorating the church and altar.”  

Restrained use of music and musical instruments is part of a long Church tradition of Advent understatement. Quoted in a Catholic News Service story by Carol Zimmerman published last December, Timothy Brunk, a Villanova associate professor of theology and religious studies, notes that even though Advent doesn’t have the penitential pull of Lent, the season is a good time to spiritually prepare. 

Such actions – including sharing a penance service, serving meals to the homeless, making charitable gifts or meditating on the rosary – offer a welcome reprieve from the crazy bustle of the shopping season. They force us to focus on preparing to joyfully celebrate the birth of Jesus. Here are two more ways to prepare. 

 

Advent wreaths 

Advent wreaths are constructed of a circle of evergreen branches into which four candles are inserted, representing the four weeks of Advent. Ideally, three candles are purple, and one is rose, but white candles can also be used, says the USCCB. The progressive lighting of the candles symbolizes the expectation and hope surrounding our Lord’s first coming into the world and the anticipation of his second coming. 

The purple candles symbolize the prayer, penance, and preparatory sacrifices and good works undertaken at this time. The rose candle is lit on the third Sunday, Gaudete Sunday, when the priest also wears rose vestments at Mass. Gaudete Sunday is the Sunday of rejoicing, because the faithful have arrived at the midpoint of Advent and they are close to Christmas. 

The family Advent wreath should be prepared, and the first candle lit at suppertime on the first Sunday of Advent. A parent should bless the wreath; a blessing can be found at www.usccb.org/prayer-and-worship/liturgical-year/advent. 

 

Blessing of the Christmas tree 

Christmas trees are thought to originate in medieval mystery plays that depicted the tree of paradise and the candle that symbolized Christ, the light of the world. Many families keep the tree in place until Epiphany. The lights are illuminated after the tree is blessed. A Christmas tree blessing can be found at the USCCB website. It concludes with this prayer: 

“Lord our God, 

we praise you for the light of creation: 

the sun, the moon, and the stars of the night. 

We praise you for the light of Israel: 

the Law, the prophets, and the wisdom of the Scriptures. 

We praise you for Jesus Christ, your Son: 

he is Emmanuel, God-with-us, the Prince of Peace, 

who fills us with the wonder of your love. 

“Lord God, 

let your blessing come upon us 

as we illumine this tree. 

May the light and cheer it gives 

be a sign of the joy that fills our hearts. 

May all who delight in this tree 

come to the knowledge and joy of salvation. 

We ask this through Christ our Lord. 

Amen.”  

ARCHBISHOPS CALL FOR ‘PENANCE, PURIFICATION’ TO REBUILD, RENEW CHURCH

LOS ANGELES (CNS) — Archbishop Jose H. Gomez said penance and purification is needed to rebuild the U.S. Catholic Church and respond to the abuse crisis.

He stressed the importance of strong procedures and protocols for addressing abuse claims, helping the victims and creating safe environments for all children and young people. 

“Programs, protocols, and best practices are essential. But they are not enough,” he said in an Aug. 17 letter to the people of the archdiocese.

“We need to hold people accountable and we need to atone for these sins as a church,” he said.

He called it “a sad and confusing time for all of us” with the abuse allegations against Archbishop Theodore E. McCarrick, followed by the Pennsylvania grand jury report on a months-long investigation into abuse claims spanning 70 years in six Catholic dioceses in that state.

“I am praying for you and your families and for our young people; and for our bishops, priests, deacons, seminarians and religious,” he said. “I am praying most intensely for the victim-survivors of these crimes, and am trying to offer what small penance I can for everyone who has suffered abuse by pastors of the church.”

Archbishop Gomez also addressed what he sees as “the deeper crisis today in the church,” a spiritual and moral crisis.

“I believe we need to respond to this crisis with a new call to penance and purification and a new dedication to leading holy lives,” he said.

“Renewal of the church is first of all a duty for bishops and priests,” Archbishop Gomez said. “We need humble penance for what has been done by our brothers. We need to live with simplicity and integrity and be models of conversion and holiness.

“Now more than ever, I pray that every bishop and every priest will rediscover his love for Jesus Christ and burn with new desire to bring holiness and salvation to our people.”

He said priests, like all Christians, “are all called to holiness and to grow in our relationship with Jesus and to glorify God by our lives. But the priest above all is consecrated to serve ‘in the person of Christ.’ That is why the evil at the heart of these scandals is so terrible.”

“A sacred trust has been broken by men whom Jesus entrusted to be his representatives on earth,” he continued. “These priests have betrayed Christ and done violence to his children. The cruelty they have done casts a shadow on the priesthood and the vast majority of priests who are good and faithful servants of the Gospel.”

Archbishop Gomez said he understands the anger and frustration that people have against the church “and her leaders right now.” He said he feels “a deep sadness” and is “horrified that such crimes could be committed against innocent children of God.

He noted that as vice president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, he is on the Executive Committee, which has issued two statements so far. Among other initiatives, the committee has outlined a plan to have “substantial involvement of the laity” from law enforcement, psychology and other disciplines in investigating abuse and responding to it. Another component is “addressing the culture of clericalism that contributed to these abuses and failures in leadership,” he explained.

He also emphasized the Archdiocese of Los Angeles has an effective system in place for reporting and investigating suspected abuse by priests and for removing offenders from ministry, conducting background checks and creating safe environments. He encouraged anyone who is a victim or knows a victim to contact the archdiocese.

“What has happened is the responsibility of bishops and priests. That is clear,” Archbishop Gomez said. “But the way forward will mean laypeople and clergy working together. … We need to begin again right now, starting with those of us who are bishops and priests.

“All of us in the church need to commit ourselves again to the basic practices of our Christian life: personal prayer, the Eucharist and confession, the works of mercy, growing in the virtues,” he said and he urged Catholics to not “lose hope in the church.”

“In this moment, our Lord is counting on us. So please do not give in to discouragement,” the archbishop said. “Put your hope in God’s promise: Where sin increases, his grace will increase even more.”

In a letter to Catholics of his archdiocese, San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone also emphasized that the archdiocese has strong policies and protocols for addressing abuse and creating but that he would review them with archdiocesan officials.

But beyond that, he, like Archbishop Gomez, said that “what is called for at this time is penance in reparation for sins against faith and morals.”

“This is how we keep the righteous indignation that so many of us feel at this time from becoming an anger that divides the body of Christ,” he said.

He said the reports of episcopal negligence and malfeasance in the face of clerical sexual abuse, coupled with some reports of bishops themselves guilty of sexual predation, have “reopened old wounds” for Catholics and the larger society.

He also decried the “spirit of raw ambition on the part of some, who will stop at nothing to advance their careers and climb the ecclesial corporate ladder over investing themselves in serving the people of God. Such behavior on the part of church leaders is despicable, reprehensible, and absolutely unbecoming of a man of God.”

Archbishop Cordileone said he will designate a day “when together we will make an act of reparation, and how that will be conducted.”

In the meantime, he asked all Catholics in the archdiocese, including the priests, “to engage in prayer, penance and adoration as an act of reparation for sins against chastity and the reverence due to the Blessed Sacrament, in accordance Our Lady’s wishes.”

The archbishop invited all to join him in:

— Praying the rosary daily. (He urged families to pray the rosary together at least once a week.)

— Practicing Friday penance by abstaining from eating meat and one other additional act of fasting (e.g., another form of food or drink, or skipping a meal).

— Spending one hour of adoration before the Blessed Sacrament at least once a week.

“While I pledge to attend to policies and their observance, we all must be engaged at this time on the spiritual level,” Archbishop Cordileone said. “Without prayer, penance and adoration in reparation for the horrendous sins rampant in our church for very many years now, any efforts of the temporal order will be meaningless.”

He also asked Catholics “to stay close to your parish priest.”

“Our priests make great sacrifices to serve their people with generosity and compassion. They are there for you, attentive to providing you pastoral care,” he said. “I am grateful to them for their labors in the Lord’s vineyard, and pray that the divine assistance may be with them as they minister to you during this time of crisis.”

HELP END ‘ABSURD’ CONFLICTS WITH PENANCE, PRAYER, POPE SAYS

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — More penance and prayers are needed to end the wars underway today and so many “absurd” conflicts, Pope Francis said.

Praying for all those affected by war and thanking those involved in humanitarian aid efforts, the pope also marked Mother’s Day May 14 by asking everyone to thank and pray to their mothers on earth or in heaven.

After reciting the “Regina Coeli” prayer with an estimated 25,000 people gathered in St. Peter’s Square, the pope said, “Let us remember with gratitude and affection all mothers, including our mothers in heaven, entrusting them to Mary, the mother of Jesus.”

The pope also called for greater pro-life and pro-maternal support, saying “the future of our community requires from everyone, especially institutions, concrete attention to life and maternity.”

He also greeted those taking part in Italy’s “Empty Stroller” initiative, which called attention to the country’s low birthrate by parking hundreds of empty strollers near the Coliseum May 14. The Family Forum, which organized the initiative, said having a child is one of the main causes of poverty in Italy. The group wants the government to provide more help to families because “the children of today are those who will keep the nation of tomorrow standing.”

Before leading the “Regina Coeli” prayer, the pope mentioned his May 12-13 trip to Fatima and his canonization of Sts. Francisco Marto and Jacinta Marto. The two shepherd children knew how to embrace their vision of Mary at Fatima and become models of Christian life, he said. They recited the rosary, offered penance and sacrifices for the end of war and for souls in need of divine mercy, he said.

“Today, too, there is a great need of prayer and penance to plead for the grace of conversion, to plead for the end of so many wars that are all over the world and that are increasingly spreading, as well as the end of absurd conflicts — big and small, that disfigure the face of humanity.”

After the reciting the noonday prayer, Pope Francis said his closeness and prayers were with all those affected by war and conflict, particularly those in the Middle East.

“Many innocent people are sorely tested, be they Christians, Muslims or minorities like the Yazidi, who are facing tragic violence and discrimination,” the pope said.

“I encourage the different communities to follow the path of dialogue and friendship to build a future of respect, security and peace, far from any kind of war.”

POPE PRESIDES OVER LENTEN PENANCE SERVICE AT VATICAN

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — A few hours after urging priests to be generously available for the sacrament of penance, Pope Francis went to confession, then offered the sacrament to seven Catholics.

Presiding over the annual Lenten penance service March 17 in St. Peter’s Basilica, Pope Francis was one of 95 priests and bishops listening to confessions and granting absolution.

After the reading of a Gospel passage, the pope did not give a homily. Instead, he and the thousands of people gathered in the basilica prayed in absolute silence for 10 minutes.

Pope Francis spent about four minutes kneeling before a priest in one of the wooden confessionals before he walked to one nearby, put on a purple stole and waited for the first penitent to approach.

As people were preparing, confessing and praying, the Sistine Chapel Choir alternated with the organist and a harpist in ensuring an atmosphere of peace.

The pope spent 50 minutes administering the sacrament before leading the congregation in prayers of thanksgiving for the experience of the “goodness and sweetness of God’s love for us.”

The Vatican press office said Pope Francis heard the confessions of three men and four women, all laypeople.

The small service booklets distributed to the congregation included a guide for an examination of conscience. The 28 questions began with a review of one’s motivation for going to confession in the first place: “Do I approach the sacrament of penance out of a sincere desire for purification, conversion, renewal of life and a closer friendship with God, or do I consider it a burden that I am only rarely willing to take on?”

Other questions involved how often one prays, Mass attendance, keeping the Ten Commandments, giving generously to the poor, not gossiping and keeping the Lenten practices of prayer, fasting and abstinence and almsgiving.

JOYFUL RECONCILIATION

Receiving the Sacrament of Reconciliation for the first time can be overwhelming for a 7-year-old child.

There’s entering the confessional for the first time, then remembering the right words to say once inside before making the actual confession.

But the act of confession doesn’t have to be an intimidating or scary experience, says Fr. Gerald M. Horan, vicar for Faith Formation for the Diocese of Orange.

“Some children don’t understand the concept of a ‘penance,’” Horan says. “I usually tell the children that it’s like ‘homework’ from reconciliation; it’s something special we do to make God happy and to show him that we really meant it when we said we were sorry.”

Some children get nervous and worried, but they need to know that the priest/confessor is there to help them and to speak God’s words to them, Horan says.

“He’s on their side,” he adds. “But some children have not had many conversations alone with adults, so they get nervous or anxious or even cry. They need to know that confession/reconciliation is a reason for happiness and joy, not worry or fear.”

Traditionally children are ready for the sacrament of reconciliation when they have reached “the age of reason,” Horan explains. While there have been a lot of opinions about what that age really is, a child’s first confession is usually celebrated a few months before one’s first communion, typically in the spring of second or third grade, when a child reaches the age of 7 or 8.

“Many churches are leaning toward the older age because the children are slightly more mature and it allows us a longer time for preparation,” he says.

Most parishes require a two-year preparatory or catechetical period, and in many cases, the actual sacramental preparation is done by the parents in a home or family situation. In those cases, parents are provided with materials and lesson plans which cover hurt and sin, and forgiveness and love, Horan says. Children are also registered in faith formation classes at their parish. In the classes students learn about God, His creation, His love for all, Jesus and a basic understanding of the Bible, Church and sacraments, Horan says.

Parents should teach children a few basic prayers, particularly the “Our Father” and the “Act of Contrition,” which are part of the rite. They also may want to consider role-playing the experience to help children feel comfortable with the format and words of the sacrament.

“[It’s] important to teach children how to approach the sacrament and what to say,” Horan says. “Many children come to confession but don’t know the format of the ritual. They will be less afraid if we help them to be ready and they know what to say.”

The key to helping children understand the significance of the Sacrament of Reconciliation is to let them know that God’s love is bigger than their sins, Horan says.

“They should be filled with an immense joy that God can forgive them, set the clock back to zero and give them a fresh start,” he says. “That’s different than the way that the world solves problems and conflict. Rather than fight or reject or abandon our relations, God wants to reconcile and try again. That’s why he gives forgiveness and offers us the grace which helps us to make better choices the next time we might face a challenging situation or sinful temptation.”

 

‘WHO, ME? YES, YOU.’ FESS UP TO SINS, POPE SAYS

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Drop the innocent look and the habit of judging others, Pope Francis said; recognizing one’s own faults and failings is the first requirement of being a good Christian.

In fact, paradoxically, one finds peace and relief in judging one’s own sins, being merciful toward others and saying, “Who am I to judge?” he said March 2 during his homily at a morning Mass celebrated in the chapel of the Domus Sanctae Marthae, where he lives.

The pope’s homily was based on the day’s reading from the Book of Daniel, which laments, “We have sinned, been wicked and done evil,” and expresses the shame of having rebelled against God who is so full of compassion and mercy. It also focused on the Gospel reading according to St. Luke, in which Jesus tells his disciples to stop judging and condemning, but to “be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.”

Pope Francis said it is so easy to shift the blame.

“We are all experts, we have Ph.D.s in justifying ourselves: ‘But it wasn’t me, no, it’s not my fault. Well, OK, but it wasn’t that bad, you know. That’s not how it went.’ We all have an alibi to explain away our failings, our sins,” he said.

“So often we are able to make that face that says, ‘Who, me?’ that face that says, ‘Well, I didn’t do it, maybe it was someone else,’ playing innocent,” he said. “But one doesn’t progress in Christian life this way.”

While it is easier to blame others, “when we begin to look at the things we are capable of,” the evil that one is tempted to commit, he said at first “we feel bad, we feel disgust,” but then “something a bit strange happens,” the self-critical approach then “gives us peace and well-being.”

By directly, honestly and quietly confronting the evil within, such as feeling envy and knowing how it can lead to putting people down and “killing them morally,” he said, one discovers “the wisdom of accusing oneself.”

“If we do not learn this first step in life, we will never, ever make progress on the path of Christian life, spiritual life,” he said, according to Vatican Radio.

Another Christian virtue is being able to feel ashamed before God, he said. Christians should engage in a kind of dialogue with the Lord, not being afraid to feel that shame expressed in the Book of Daniel.

When people can see their own faults, he said, it is easier to ask God for mercy and to be merciful toward others.

“When someone learns to accuse oneself, one is merciful toward others: ‘Yes, but who am I to judge if I am capable of doing worse things?'”

The phrase, “Who am I to judge,” he said, comes from listening to Jesus telling his disciples to “Stop judging and you will not be judged. Stop condemning and you will not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven.”

The day before, after praying the Angelus with visitors gathered in St. Peter’s Square, Pope Francis urged people to listen to Jesus and follow him because only he brings true happiness.

“Jesus’ path always brings us happiness, don’t forget it,” he said March 1.

While following Jesus will always mean carrying some kind of cross and enduring some hardship, the pope said, “in the end he always brings us happiness. Jesus does not deceive, he promised happiness and he will give it if we follow his ways.”

By following Jesus, one’s life can become “a gift of love toward others, in docile obedience to God’s will, with an approach of detachment from worldly things and of inner freedom,” he said.

LENT: THERE’S AN APP FOR THAT

The Lent 2015 helps users make this litergical season one of penance and conversion, all while they’re on the go. It allows us to follow the Gospel for each day during Lent and Easter. An English version can be found at XT3.com.

 

ARVE Error: need id and provider