Musings of an Expagan

Today is the only day that we kneel during liturgy. During that time we will recite the kneeling prayers. Typically we will say the first one. These prayers are part of the Pentecost vespers that are said on Sunday evening.

1st kneeling prayer

Again and again on bended knee let us pray to the Lord

O Lord, most pure, incorruptible, without beginning, invisible, incompressible, unsearchable, unchangeable, unsurpassable, immeasurable, and forebearing: you alone have immortality; you live in unapproachable light; you made heaven and earth and the sea and all things created in them. You grant to all their requests even before they ask. We pray to you, and we beseech you, O Master who loves all people, the Father of our Lord, God, and Savior, Jesus Christ. For our sake and for the sake of our salvation, he came down from heaven and was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and Mary, the ever-Virgin and the most glorious Godbearer. At first he taught us with words which were then later confirmed through deeds when he endured the saving passion, giving us, your humble, sinful, and unworthy servants, the example of offering supplications to you, with necks bowed and on bended knees, for our sins and for the people’s acts done in ignorance.
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Many out there know I am Eastern Rite Catholic, which is more akin to Orthodoxy than to Roman Catholicism (well it should be, however it seems the leadership of the Eastern Churches are hell bent on making us theologically RC than EC.)  This is NOT a slam at the Roman Catholic Church.  The East and West are parts of the same body who look at things with different views.  The base theology is the same, but in the Eastern Church it may sound different, or we may look at a different aspect of the same idea.

A very good example of this is what is called the Feast of the Epiphany and in the East we Celebrate the Theophany (the baptism of Christ in the Jordan.)  They are both sides of the same coin.  Christ reveals himself in two ways, the West looks at the revealing of Christ to the Wise men, the East looks at Christ’s manifestation of the Triune God in the baptism of our Lord.

Now we enter Holy Week, or what we call Great Week in the Eastern Churches

Beginning on the evening of Palm Sunday we enter the services of the Bridegroom.  This name is given from the parable of the 10 virgins in Matthew 25:1-13.

The first part of Great week gives us many themes that are based on the Passion of our Lord.  Which are centered on Jesus’ divine sonship, the kingdom of God, the Parousia, and Jesus’ contempt of the corruption of the religious elders of the time.  The first three days constitute a single liturgical unit.

The Orthros of each of these days is called the Service of the Bridegroom (Akolouthia tou Nimfiou). The name comes from the central figure in the well-known parable of the ten virgins (Matthew 25:1-13). The title Bridegroom suggests the intimacy of love. It is not without significance that the kingdom of God is compared to a bridal feast and a bridal chamber. The Christ of the Passion is the divine Bridegroom of the Church. The imagery connotes the final union of the Lover and the beloved. The title Bridegroom also suggests the Parousia. In the patristic tradition, the aforementioned parable is related to the Second Coming; and is associated with the need for spiritual vigilance and preparedness, by which we are enabled to keep the divine commandments and receive the blessings of the age to come. The troparion “Behold the Bridegroom comes in the middle of the night…”, which is sung at the beginning of the Orthros of Great Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, relates the worshiping community to that essential expectation: watching and waiting for the Lord, who will come again to judge the living and the dead.

Here is the troparion for Monday Night.

MATT. XXV. 31–41. “When the Son of Man shall come in the glory of His Father, and all the holy angels with Him, then shall He sit,” says He, “upon the throne of His glory, and He shall divide the sheep from the kids;”[and the one He will accept, because they fed Him, when an hungered, and gave Him drink when thirsty, and took Him in when a stranger, and clothed Him when naked, and visited Him when sick, and came to see Him when in prison: and He will give the kingdom to them. But the others, accusing them for the opposite things, He will send into the eternal fire, prepared for the devil and his angels.]

Unto this most delightful portion of Scripture, which we do not cease continually revolving, let us now listen with all earnestness and compunction, this wherewith His discourse ended, even as the last thing, reasonably; for great indeed was His regard for philanthropy and mercy. Wherefore in what precedes He had discoursed concerning this in a different way; and here now in some respects more clearly, and more earnestly, not setting forth two nor three nor five persons, but the whole world; although most assuredly the former places, which speak of two persons, meant not two persons, but two portions of mankind, one of them that disobey, the other of the obedient. But here He handles the word more fearfully, and with fuller light. Wherefore neither does He say, “The kingdom is likened,” any more, but openly shows Himself, saying, “When the Son of Man shall come in His glory.” For now is He come in dishonor, now in affronts and reproaches; but then shall He sit upon the throne of His glory. Continue Reading »

Contrary to popular belief, true believing Catholic couples do use some forms of birth control.  While believing Catholics are not supposed to use chemical forms of birth control, there are natural forms of birth control that are used by catholics.

NFP – Natural Family Planning is a system of measuring a woman’s body’s temperature  to figure out just when she ovulates.  The couple then abstains from sexual relations during this time.

The barrier method – While the Catholic Church teaches that there are several barrier methods are wrong there are a few barrier methods that are approved.

Here the child acts as a barrier so the parents don’t have time, nor do they have energy to have sex.

Coitus interruptus – There are various forms of this method.

Method 1 – The Toddler that is sleeping down the hall wakes up.  The universe has some sort of perverse sense of humor since it is almost always true that a toddler will wake up and go to their parents room when sex is about to or has just begun.

Method 2 – The door is locked, and you and your spouse are alone, the kids are downstairs watching some sort of movie that they are totally engrossed in.  Chances are, at the moment of contact the following will happen:

Method 3 - Nursing.  This method is used by a subset of Catholic couples.  It is sort of related to Method 1 above, but as it happens, when the circumstances get interesting for the couple.  The nursing toddler or the nursing baby will wake up.

So, there you have it, your introduction to the diverse world of Catholic Birth Control.  Final note, this post is supposed to be a humorous look into parenting and parental relations.  It is NOT intended to be take seriously.

The American nun who has been appointed by the Vatican to conduct an apostolic visitation of American women’s religious orders has written to the leaders of women’s religious communities, asking for their cooperation in the inquiry. Mother Mary Clare Millea’s letter, dated January 12, implicitly acknowledges that many religious orders have failed to respond to earlier requests.

Mother Millea was appointed by the Congregation for Religious to head the apostolic visitation. Last year she sent questionnaires to the leaders of women’s religious orders, asking that they be returned by November 20. Many religious orders, joining in a refusal to cooperate with the Vatican inquiry, did not respond.

File this under “Why am I not Surprised”

St. Anthony

Saint Anthony the Great is known as the Father of monasticism, and the long ascetical sermon in The Life of St Anthony by St Athanasius (Sections 16-34), could be called the first monastic Rule.

He was born in Egypt in the village of Coma, near the desert of the Thebaid, in the year 251. His parents were pious Christians of illustrious lineage. Anthony was a serious child and was respectful and obedient to his parents. He loved to attend church services, and he listened to the Holy Scripture so attentively, that he remembered what he heard all his life.

When St Anthony was about twenty years old, he lost his parents, but he was responsible for the care of his younger sister. Going to church about six months later, the youth reflected on how the faithful,in the Acts of the Apostles (4:35), sold their possessions and gave the proceeds to the Apostles for the needy. Continue Reading »

Sunday of Zacchaeus

The paschal season of the Church is preceded by the season of Great Lent, which is also preceded by its own liturgical preparation. The first sign of the approach of Great Lent comes five Sundays before its beginning. On this Sunday the Gospel reading is about Zacchaeus the tax-collector. It tells how Christ brought salvation to the sinful man, and how his life was changed simply because he “sought to see who Jesus was” (Luke 19:3). The desire and effort to see Jesus begins the entire movement through Lent towards Pascha. It is the first movement of salvation. Continue Reading »

On Friday, December 18, 2009, His Eminence, Archbishop Job of Chicago and the Midwest unexpectedly fell asleep in the Lord.

His Eminence, Archbishop Job was born Richard John Osacky in Chicago on March 18, 1946. He completed university studies at Northern Illinois University and, after graduating from Saint Tikhon Seminary, South Canaan, PA, in 1970, he served as cantor and youth director at Saint John the Baptist Church in Black Lick, Pennsylvania. He assumed responsibilities in leading Divine Services in the prescribed manner for readers, conducting religious education and youth work, and painting icons. It was his extraordinary affinity with Orthodox youth that gained him the recognition of the Church at large.

In 1973 Reader John was ordained to the holy diaconate and consequently to the holy priesthood by Bishop Theodosius of Pittsburgh [later Metropolitan Theodosius of All American and Canada]. He was assigned to the parish in Black Lick, where he also served as spiritual director for the Orthodox Christian Fellowship at nearby Indiana University of Pennsylvania.

As a celibate priest, he maintained a zeal for the monastic life in all his endeavors. In 1975 he was made a riasaphor monk, and later was tonsured a monk in the Lesser Schema by [then] Bishop Herman in August of 1982. In November of that year he was elevated to the rank of archimandrite.

Recognizing that zeal and spirit of dedication to Church service in Father Job, the Diocese of New England nominated hieromonk Job as their diocesan bishop. The Holy Synod of the Orthodox Church in America ratified the nomination and elected him Bishop of Hartford and the Diocese of New England. He was consecrated to the episcopacy on January 29, 1983, at All Saints Church in Hartford, Connecticut.

At its session of November 5, 1992, the Holy Synod of Bishops elected Bishop Job as Bishop of Chicago and Diocese of the Midwest. He was enthroned as Bishop of his native city at Holy Trinity Cathedral on February 6, 1993.

In his years in the See of Chicago, the Diocese of the Midwest experienced tremendous growth. This was witnessed in–but certainly not limited to–the establishment of numerous new mission parishes in the diocese.

In addition to his regular duties as the ruling hierarch of the Diocese of the Midwest, His Eminence enjoyed his long-standing and excellent reputation as an iconographer and iconologist. He was often called upon to offer lectures on this subject, and he was willing to assist and encourage other iconographers.

In recognition of his more than twenty years of “good and faithful” service as archpastor, at the March 2004 Session of the Holy Synod, Bishop Job was elevated to the rank of archbishop.

Information about funeral services for Archbishop Job will be posted as they become available.

May His Eminence, Archbishop Job’s memory be eternal!

After meeting on December 11 with the leaders of the Irish Catholic hierarchy, Pope Benedict XVI expressed his “outrage, betrayal, and shame” at the revelations that sex-abuse complaints had been covered up in the Dublin archdiocese. Recognizing the devastating effects of the scandal on the faithful, the Pope promised to write a pastoral letter on the subject to the people of Ireland.

In a statement released after the meeting, the Pope voiced “his profound regret at the actions of some members of the clergy who have betrayed their solemn promises to God, as well as the trust placed in them by the victims and their families, and by society at large.” He offered his prayers for the victims and vowed that “the Church will continue to follow this grave matter with the closest attention in order to understand better how these shameful events came to pass and how best to develop effective and secure strategies to prevent any recurrence.”

The papal statement indirectly acknowledged serious concerns about the performance of bishops who had failed to respond to complaints of sexual abuse, saying that the “Murphy Committee report” had raised “questions concerning the governance of local Church leaders with ultimate responsibility for the pastoral care of children.”

The Vatican did not address the question of whether some Irish bishops might be encouraged to step down in light of the administrative negligence exposed by the Murphy Commission. Bishop Donal Murray of Limerick, who was an auxiliary bishop in Dublin during the period covered by the Murphy Commission’s investigation, has been in Rome this week for talks with Vatican officials, with many observers expecting him to tender his resignation.

In a related development, the Irish episcopal conference announced that a group of bishops had met with groups of sex-abuse victims and planned to continue such meetings. The bishops decided this week to subsidize support services for abuse victims.

My comments:

Frankly, a letter is too little.  Heads have to roll and not just the priests that did this, but the bishops who covered for them.  It has to happen world wide.  The universal Church needs to address the problems it is facing.

Here are a list of “Catholic” Senators who voted to allow abortion funding on the feast of the Immaculate Conception.

Senators

Menendez (D-NJ)

Gillibrand (D-NY)

Reed (D-RI)

Leahy (D-VT)

Murray (D-WA)

Cantwell (D-WA)

Landrieu (D-LA)

Collins (R-ME)

Mikulski (D-MD)

Kerry (D-MA)

Kirk (D-MA)

McCaskill (D-MO)

Begich (D-AK)

Dodd (D-CN)

Durbin (D-IL)

Harkin (D-IA).

We are talking about irony here.  On the feast that Catholic celebrate the conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, that these so called Catholics would vote to allow the murder of children in the womb is abhorrent.

A country that will not protect the least of its members, is a society that will turn on others.  The democrats will talk about how Government run health care will not have death panels i.e. groups of administrators that have the choice of life and death over people, but I suggest that there will be such things.  If you do not see the inherent worth of a child in the womb, you will not see the inherent worth of anyone.

There is a lot of talk about compassion, yet when you truly dig deep into the abortion issue, and get away from the rhetoric, you will see that there is an abortion industry who’s income is derived from the killing of babies in the womb, and a reactionary group of prolife advocates who seek to turn women’s hearts away from that choice, because that choice is not good for them nor their child.  The difference between the groups is after the killing has been done, there is one group that is always there to pick up the pieces, and those who do wish that they didn’t have to do it.

Holy God, Holy and Mighty, Holy Immortal one, have mercy on us.