Good Morning.  Let’s begin with prayer. In the name of the Father… Dear Lord we come together again this morning with an ardent desire to learn more about You, to answer Your call to a more intimate relationship with You.  Through Your Church, You have given us innumerable opportunities for receiving Your Grace.  Help us to grow closer to You through the many devotions that have been gifted to the Church through Your Son and through the intercessions of the Blessed Mother and Our Brothers and Sister in Christ the Saints.  Our Father……Hail Mary……. Glory Be…….

Today I have been asked to talk about Catholic Customs, Indulgences, Sacramentals (objects set apart and blessed by the Church to lead us to good thoughts and increase our devotion. They are a means of grace instituted by the Church. Sacramentals indirectly lead us to devotion and provide us an occasion when we may respond to God’s Grace), and Devotions.

Devotions are external practices of piety (reverence for God) in which we can express our devotion to God.  Although we only have time to touch on a few,  I hope to get to as many of the following as possible: Sign of the Cross, Holy Water, Guardian Angels, The Rosary, Novenas, Saints, Specific common daily prayers, Prayers for the dead, Posture, “bells and whistles” (Incense, candles, Sacred Images, and relics), Indulgences, Pilgrimages, Almsgiving, Scapulars and medals, and finally not really a devotion but arguably the greatest opportunity outside of mass to spend time with Christ, is at Adoration.

As it is the most common sign to the world that we are Catholic I think it makes sense to begin with the Sign of the Cross.  At the beginning and end of Mass and usually, but not always, before and after a prayer we make The Sign of the Cross:  I love what is call typology. Scott Hanh explains Typology in this way:  “In the Old Testament Scriptures the entire New Testament was foreshadowed. In the New Testament dispensation, all the Old Testament Scriptures were fulfilled. As Saint Augustine put it: ”The New Testament is concealed in the Old, and the Old Testament is revealed in the New.”

The manner of fulfilment follows a discernible pattern. God has a characteristic way of dealing with humanity, and humanity has a fairly predictable way of responding to God. The pattern is, roughly, this: creation, fall and redemption.

God created Adam and Eve; they sinned; yet God let them live and even promised them a redeemer.
God spared humanity and let it fill the earth. Yet humanity sinned again. So god punished the entire race, sparing the righteous Noah and his family.
God called forth a people in Abraham. Yet the allowed themselves to become enslaved in Egypt. He redeemed them through the ministry of Moses.
God gave His tribes a kingdom. Their kings neglected true worship and social justice, meriting invasion and exile. God anointed foreigners to bring a humbled people back to the land.
For God’s chosen people, the wages of sin had precedents in Eden, in Egypt, in Babylon. The early Christians, like the prophets before them, discerned these patterns in the history of salvation. God’s touches were like a recognizable watermark or trademark. The ancients called these foreshadowings “types”- in Greek, typoi– after the uniform mark left on an emperor’s coin or on a wax seal. On a coin or a seal, a type symbolises a ruler’s authority. In the Scriptures, a type is itself a historical reality, but it is also representative of something greater. Moses prefigured Christ, though Moses was himself a man. The manna prefigured the Eucharist, though the manna itself was a miracle. In the New Testament, fulfilment was far greater than the sum of Old Testament types. Fulfillment was the abiding presence of God Himself: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt amongst us” (John 1:14). In the Church, the study and prayerful consideration of biblical types is called typology.

Human authors use words to symbolise realities. In salvation history, God uses temporal realities- even kings and kingdoms, laws and wards- to symbolize far greater realities, truths that are spiritual and eternal.”

Ok, back to the Sign of the Cross  We can find a prefiguring of this act of faith in Ezekiel 9:4 “And the Lord said to him: Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem: and mark Thau upon the foreheads of the men that sigh, and mourn for all the abominations that are committed in the midst thereof.”  This Thau has been explained as the last letter of the ancient Hebrew alphabet that was in the shape of a cross.  500 years before the Incarnation, before Jesus humbled Himself to become man to suffer and die for us. 500 years earlier God hinted to the very instrument that would be used to bring life and salvation to His people.

This most common and simple prayer has been a part of the Christian life since the founding of the Church. St. Paul mentions the cross in almost all of his New Testament Letters: “But far be it from me to glory except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world (Gal 6:14) The first written mention of the sign of the cross is by Tertullian in the year 204, he describes it as a long established custom: “At every forward step and movement, at every going in and out, when we put on our clothes and shoes, when we bathe, when we sit at table, when we light the lamps, on couch, on seat, in all the ordinary actions of daily life, we trace upon the forehead the sign.”  St Cyril who died in 386 said “let us then not be ashamed to confess the Crucified.  Be the cross our seal, made with boldness by our fingers on our brow and in every thing; over the bread we eat and the cups we drink, in our comings and in goings; before our sleep. When we lie down and when we awake; when we are traveling, and when we are at rest.”  In the sixth century, the sign of the cross came to be made with 2 fingers as a confession of the catholic teaching that Christ had 2 wills and two natures.  Later the sign of the cross was made with three fingers (the thumb, index and middle to confess the Blessed Trinity while the ring and little finger pressed against the palm signified the 2 natures and wills of Christ.  In the 13th century Pope Innocent III discusses in detail how to make a proper sign of the cross.  In 1988 PJP II said in part “Every time we make the sign of the cross with Holy Water, we are reminded as Christians of our baptism.  The call to holiness is rooted in baptism and proposed anew in the other Sacraments, principally in the Eucharist”.  The sign of the Cross is both so very simple and yet very profound.  The youngest of children can be taught how to make the sign of the cross and yet the wisest of men can be moved by the deep spiritual meaning that is expressed by its use. Growing up, the nuns at my father's school taught him it is an outward sign of faith and that the Father = intellect to guide us, the Son on the heart to love us and our call to love one another and the Holy Spirit on our shoulders is for strength = the strength to live our faith. To quote one of my favorite Catholic apologists, Dr. Scott Hahn, “ This simplest gesture is the richest of creeds. It encompasses the infinite. It proclaims the Trinity, the incarnation, and our redemption.

Next let’s very briefly touch upon Holy water. Probably, in part because I have shared the Good News with countless couples preparing for their child’s Baptism, I love Holy Water. I love how ancient and important this common creature is to our faith, to our existence both physical AND spiritual. As I will be returning to talk about creation, the fall and Baptism in a few months today I will speak more specifically about Holy Water as a sacramental rather than discussing it in context of the Sacrament of Baptism.

When we enter and leave the church you may notice the small bowls of water, Holy water, hanging to the side of the doors. As we enter God’s house we dip our fingers into this life nourishing liquid then trace the sign of the cross over our foreheads or bodies. This prayerful act reminds us of our Baptism where we were reborn of water and the Holy Spirit. We renew our desire to die to sin and to live as reborn children of God.

Blessing ourselves with this sacramental is not reserved for only when we are in Church. There is also a large metal container in the back of the church with a small spigot on it from where we can fill small bottles or containers in order to take some of this blessed liquid home with us. I would like to emphasize that it is not like a lucky rabbit's foot or some other silly superstition. Superstitions claim, "If I have this or do that or say this or that I can make God or whatever force they are claiming to have power do what i say.." Using sacramentals, like Holy Water, properly says. "I want to be closer to God—to be constantly and effectively reminded of the power of His love and glory, of His protection, forgiveness and mercy. It isn't about magic tricks, it's about deepening our love and trust for God. A more common example of using something holy for mere superstition would be those email or facebook prayer chains. Pray this prayer then share it with ten friends in the next 15 minutes and you will receive money, happiness, a job, etc. This is NOT the way prayer works. It is disrespectful to treat God as a caged genie or the Saints as puppets to be used for our pleasure. Of course our friends and family, maybe even we are guilty of doing it ourselves, who share these….prayers, do not mean to be disrespectful, they have never really considered the implications of they are sharing. There are certain prayers and devotions that have promises attached but they don’t work like. If I do A,B,and C God has to do E,F,and G. It is more like if I pay attention in class, do the assigned homework, and ask for help when I need it, I will do well in this class. Things like the Brown Scapular, Indulgences, and Miraculous medals (things I will discuss further in a minute) work based on God’s will and our openness to His Grace.

The Brown Scapular and the Miraculous Medal are other obvious sign that someone is most likely Catholic. These two articles/sacramentals come with promises and responsibilities. Regarding the Brown Scapular, the following is as explained by the SistersofCarmel.com The Blessed Virgin of Mount Carmel has promised to save those who wear the scapular from the fires of hell; She will also shorten their stay in purgatory if they should pass from this world still owing some debt of punishment.

This promise is found in a Bull of Pope John XXII. The Blessed Virgin appeared to him and, speaking of those who wear the Brown Scapular, said, “I, the Mother of Grace, shall descend on the Saturday after their death and whomsoever I shall find in purgatory I shall free so that I may lead them to the holy mountain of life everlasting.”

The Blessed Virgin assigned certain conditions which must be fulfilled:

Wear the Brown Scapular continuously.
Observe chastity according to one’s state in life (married/single).
Recite daily the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin OR Observe the fasts of the Church together with abstaining from meat on Wednesdays and Saturdays OR With permission of a priest, say five decades of Our Lady’s Most Holy Rosary OR With permission of a priest, substitute some other good work.
Pope Benedict XV, the celebrated World War I Pontiff, granted 500 days indulgence for devoutly kissing your scapular.   

The Miraculous Medal as explained by EWTN-- The Miraculous Medal owes its origin to the apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the Chapel of the Rue du Bac, Paris in the year 1830. She appeared as the Immaculata to St. Catherine Laboure, a novice with the Daughters of Charity. On July 18, the Immaculate Virgin, seated in the same chapel, had spoken gentle words of encouragement to the young novice. On November 27, the Virgin Mother showed St. Catherine the design of a medal which would remind people of the love and protection that Our Lady continually offers to God's children.  Meaning Of The Medal

The Front

Here, we see a woman, the Mother of God, encircled by a short and famous prayer: "O Mary conceived without sin. . . . " Being conceived without sin—the mystery of her Immaculate Conception—means that from the beginning this woman was full of grace.

Mary stands on a globe, the world. Around her feet a twisted serpent, the devil, struggles for mastery. It is a conflict between good and evil. Satan's is a world of darkness and disgrace; Mary's is a world of light and grace. But hers is the victory won by Christ—the light of the world. So we see the light and grace of Christ flowing from her hands; and those who choose grace rather than darkness turn to her for help: "pray for us who have recourse to thee."

The Back

On the back of the medal we see a large letter M with a cross above it. M is for Mary and Mother because she is indeed the Mother of God's people—a people founded on the twelve Apostles, signified by the twelve stars arranged around the rim.

The two hearts are those of Jesus and Mary. God's message for Mary was one of suffering "a sword will pierce your heart too"—just as the heart of her Son would be pierced by a soldier's lance. The showing of the two hearts in one grand alliance is a reminder of God's love for us. Mother and Son are united in the work of redemption as Christ offers himself on the cross and Mary stands compassionately at his feet, assenting in faith so that the world might be saved.

There are many other beautiful medals and devotions, but these are the two most common. It is a reminder that Catholic means UNIVERSAL. There is only One God, and His one Church, however there are many members and God considers our many needs and personalities and so provides many varied opportunities to strengthen our relationship with Him and our brothers and sister in Christ.

 

Angels: Obviously these creatures (beings “created” by God) are not sacramentals, they are individuals not objects. Like us, they have free will. The Angels unlike Lucifer and the fallen angels aka devils or demons made their fully informed choice to follow and OBEY God. Angels are found throughout the Bible, Scripture, from Genesis to Revelation. Angel means “messenger”. The hebrew word for messenger MALAKH was translated into Greek as angelos.

The term angel “applies to the entire range of bodiless, purely Spiritual beings created by God.” (Hahn 40 Signs) There are many different…….types of Angels. Some God created for worship at His throne. Others He gave power of governance over the Natural powers of the universe. Some are messengers. When we are at Mass, even if there are hardly any humans, the church is overflowing. The angels are there as is evident in the words of the Mass: “And so with all the choirs of angels we sing: Holy, holy, holy…” The Mass is where Heaven and earth collide. How often I have wished to be given the gift of seeing the moment of Consecration as they do. OK back to the real topic of the moment. Our guardian angels.

Some of God’s angels have been given the task of guiding us away from sin and toward the Will of God. We all have an angel or even angels guarding over us. Jesus said: “See that you do not despise one of these little ones; for I tell you that in heaven their angels always behold the face of my Father who is in heaven.” (Mt18:10) Our angels want the best for us, which does not always coincide with the things we want. Sometimes the things we believe we want most, are the very things that will deny us true and everlasting joy. I love a song by Laura Story called Blessings. It talks about how God’s greatest Blessings and Mercies may very well come to us through rain, tears, sleeplessness, trails.

When my dad was a boy in Catholic School, the nuns would remind the children to “leave space” on their seats for their guardian angels. Obviously angels don't need us to squish over so they fit, but what a beautiful way to remind ourselves of the incredible gift and friendship found in our Guardian angels. The Guardian Angel prayer I feel is worth memorizing.

Angel of God my Guardian Dear, to who God’s love commits me here: ever this day be at my side to light and guard, to rule and guide. Amen

Before we move on another Angel prayer I highly recommend committing to memory is the St, Michael prayer.

St. Michael the Archangel,defend us in battle.Be our defense against the wickedness and snares of the Devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray, and do thou, O Prince of the heavenly hosts, by the power of God, cast into hell Satan, and all the evil spirits, who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen..

A quick side note: memorizing can be very difficult. When I was a kid, when memorizing should have been easier, I had a hard time, but memorizing several traditional prayers carries with it GREAT benefits. Very few people in history went their entire lives without some painful sadness or heartbreak, the death of a loved one, like a parent, spouse, or child, the loss of a friendship or marriage, a natural disaster or some other painful moment when even our hearts can only form sobs or crying out. It is in these moments that the blessing of rote or memorized prayers gives us an added benefit, they pour off our tongues, they cry out to the Lord when our minds are to numb to think, and often they calm our hearts in the storm. A gentleman who worked with dementia patients found starting the Rosary would calm the catholic patients almost immediately. Their minds no longer new where they were, but during the prayer of the Rosary they were at peace, having prayed this beautiful prayer even when they couldn’t remember where they were or who the people around them were they knew they were safe because they were with and focused on God praying the words they had repeated hundreds of thousands of times over their lifetime. Prayer and rote prayer are such powerful wonderful gifts of God through His church. There are several other prayers, I would recommend, first the prayers of the Rosary. At its basic there are only four prayers-

1) The apostles Creed

I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of Heaven and earth;

and in Jesus Christ, His only Son Our Lord,

Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried.

He descended into Hell; the third day He rose again from the dead;

He ascended into Heaven, and sitteth at the right hand of God, the Father almighty; from thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body and life everlasting.

Amen.

2) The Our Father

3) The Hail Mary

4) The Glory Be.

I would also recommend learning the most two most common “extra” Rosary prayers:

The Fatima prayer prayed after each decade: "O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell, lead all souls to Heaven, especially those who have most need of your mercy."

And The Hail Holy Queen prayed immediately following the Rosary

HAIL, HOLY QUEEN, Mother of Mercy, our life, our sweetness and our hope! To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve; to thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this vale of tears. Turn then, most gracious advocate, thine eyes of mercy toward us, and after this our exile, show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus. O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary!

V. Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God.
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Let us pray. O GOD, whose only begotten Son, by His life, death, and resurrection, has purchased for us the rewards of eternal life, grant, we beseech Thee, that meditating upon these mysteries of the Most Holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we may imitate what they contain and obtain what they promise, through the same Christ Our Lord. Amen.

The Rosary is also another very obviously Catholic Devotion the Rosary.  Rosary means “Crown of Roses”.  St. Louis Marie de Montfort tells us that every time people say the full rosary devoutly they place a crown of white and red roses upon the heads of Jesus and Mary.  Being Heavenly flowers, these roses will never fade or lose their exquisite beauty.  The Rosary developed from the apostles, who gathered to say psalms at certain hours of the day or night. (Act 3:1; 10:9, 30; 16:25)  However they were only continuing the Jewish practice that can be seen in 1 Kings 10:5 or Psalm 119:164 or in the service prescriptions in Exodus and Deuteronomy.  This eventually led to the “Liturgy of the Hours” which I am afraid we won’t be able to get into today.  Basically it is praying the 150 psalms throughout the day.  As the practice spread the mostly illiterate laity would substitute the Ave Maria for the Psalms and would use stones or cords with counters to keep an accurate count. The first historical reference to the rosary of today is from St. Dominic 1221.  He preached it to the people in France where the Albigensian heresy (good god evil god evil imprisoned souls in physical bodies) was devastating the faith.  The Blessed mother appeared to St. Dominic asked for the practice as an antidote for heresy and sin.  Until very recently the Rosary consisted of only 3 mysteries the Joyful, Sorrowful and Glorious.  St. John Paul II added or I think more appropriately completed the Mysteries with the Luminous Mysteries.

Many of these “special” prayers are used to mark important times of the day or days of the week. For instance The Angelus is a traditional midday prayer, but it is also common for it to be prayed at 6am and 6pm.

The Angel of the Lord declared to Mary:
And she conceived of the Holy Spirit.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of
our death. Amen.

Behold the handmaid of the Lord: Be it done unto me according to Thy word.

Hail Mary . . .

And the Word was made Flesh: And dwelt among us.

Hail Mary . . .


Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us pray:

Pour forth, we beseech Thee, O Lord, Thy grace into our hearts; that we, to whom the incarnation of Christ, Thy Son, was made known by the message of an angel, may by His Passion and Cross be brought to the glory of His Resurrection, through the same Christ Our Lord.

Amen.

My family observes the holy 3 o'clock hour, when on the original Good Friday tradition tells us Jesus died, with a quick “Jesus, I love You. Jesus, I trust in You.

One last common daily prayer would be the blessing our food. Many of you are probably familiar with this prayer. Of course you can use your own words, but this is the most common meal blessing where everyone participates by saying the words together.

Bless us, O Lord! and these Thy gifts, which we are about to receive from Thy bounty, through Christ our Lord. Amen. My family adds a part of a traditional after meal prayer. May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.

Novenas are another form of traditional prayers. These prayers are usually prayed for a specific short term or long term concern and requested of a specific Saint or Image of God, for instance, St. Therese the Little flower, or the Sacred Heart of Jesus or His Divine Mercy. The word Novena comes from the latin word novem which means 9. We trace this practice back to the Ascension when Jesus “charged them not to depart from Jerusalem. But to wait for the promise of the Father...and when they had entered, they went up to the upper room, where they were staying...All these with one accord devoted themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus” Acts 1:4-14. For nine days the disciples prayed, and on the tenth day, Pentecost, they received the Holy Spirit.

My family’s favorite Novena is the Divine Mercy Novena. It begins on Good Friday (the Friday of Holy Week just before Easter) and finishes on the eve of Divine Mercy Sunday where we then, as a family, join our extended Catholic Family at a special Divine Mercy Sunday prayer service here at St. Madeleine’s. My grandmothers both had their special Devotions and Novenas. One Grandmother had a special devotion to Jesus through the image of the Sacred Heart. The other loved contemplating an image of  the child Jesus know as the Infant of Prague. My Aunt has a great love for St. Therese the Little Flower. Popes have often recommended these private devotions correspond with the liturgical year. The Liturgical calendar is a catechism and we can benefit from following it lead. I wish we had more time to “rabbit trail” off to a thorough discussion on the benefits of our brothers and sisters in Christ who are there with Him, face to face. A quick side comment about the Saints before I move on, God is the God of the living, not the dead in Matthew 17:1-8 (Transfiguration: Peter, James, and John -- Moses and Elijah) Saints are our siblings who love us with a heavenly love, they are in God’s presence and are joyfully worshiping God and bringing our petitions to Him. Yes, we can and do go directly to God, however just like we would ask friends and family to pray for us we can ask our extended family, the Communion of Saints to pray for us. Saints have also been designated as the patrons of this or that, for instance St. Raymon is the Patron Saint of midwives and women in labor, among other things. St. Peregrin is the Patron Saint for those petition God regarding cancer. St. Rita for hopeless causes. St. Sebastian is the Patron Saint of Archers. ;-) Each Saint also has their own feast day, where they are remembered. Some Saints’ Feast days are more widely celebrated and All of them together share a HOLY DAY OF OBLIGATION All Saints Day coming this Tuesday Mass times are ???????????????????????????????????????????????? Halloween is a part of this holy day. Halloween is actually All Hallows Eve, the eve of All Saints day  :-)

Timing for this next little “t” tradition which also has its own feast day is Praying for the Dead and All Souls day. I don't know if there has been or will be a class on Purgatory, if not, see me later and we will chat, because I sadly don't have enough time this morning to give justice to the beautiful Church teachings on Purgatory. Again a quick note, Purgatory and the idea of praying for those who have already died does not originate with the early Church, it goes back to the Old Testament most clearly with the story of the Maccabees from a tiny bit less than 200 years before the birth of Christ. Wednesday is the Feast of All Souls. Again it is beyond our schedule to delve to deeply into the specifics of this feast day, but we would benefit from a quick overview.  The book of Revelation tells us “nothing unclean will enter” heaven and St Paul tells us that All have sinned and Fall short in Romans 3:23The great news is that Matthew 12:32 implies that there are sins that can be forgiven after death and 1 Corinthians talks about a purification “as it were through fire” But the news gets even better, we here on earth, known as the Church Militant can help our brothers and sisters in Christ who are the Church Suffering in Purgatory, by our prayers and sacrifices.Again this goes back not only to Maccabees but further back to the story of Job in the book of Job chapter 1 verse 5.

God’s generosity knows no limits. Our prayers and offerings can be and are beneficial for the holy souls in Purgatory, but God also provides a boost when we follow a simple prescript on All Souls day. God grants what is called a Plenary indulgence. An indulgence is “the remission before God of the temporal punishment due for sins already forgiven as far as their guilt is concerned” Explain the sin marks your car story. Give out how to sheet.

There are many other opportunities to meret both plenary and partial Indulgences. Some of these include Pilgrimages to designated holy sites. An easy example is our own Shrine. Although time is running out, the door to the Shrine of Our Lady of La Leche of the Santa Fe is an official “Holy Door”. There is a pamphlet in the Shrine for further information. There are many many more such places around the world where the Lord just waits to pour out even more grace than He is already saturating you with. The way I best visualize how it works is to picture my soul as a container. The opening of my container is based on my inner piety, the disposition of my souls is directly connected to the value I give it. When we put forth the effort to go to certain places, or pray specific prayers, or in someway give of myself for the sake of my love for God, the opening to my souls container widens and God’s grace more easily pours in.

It is a characteristic of Catholics that we care for one another, not just other Catholics, but all others. The Catholic Church over the years consistently way out gives in generosity of time, talent, and treasure (feeds, clothes, shelters, educates) than any other organization in the world. Almsgiving is part of our faith. Jesus over and over again reminded us that we ARE responsible for the poor. Matthew 25:34-40 ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

A willingness to do for others is part of our identity. Just hours before Christ unimaginable suffering and death for us, He said, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.  By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” John 13 34-35 I would like to point out, Jesus loved us to His excruciating death. How little we give, even to those whom we love, by comparison. It is in large part what motivates so many Catholics to leave the comfort of their bubbles to reach out to women considering or being coerced into killing their unborn babies. It is from this love that within the Church there are so many reaching out to these women and men who have gone through the devastation of having had an abortion. The Church both venerates the martyrs and welcomes/loves/nourishes/and heals the sinner. Our God has given us a truly universal Church where Saints and sinners alike can be found.

Posture - Heehee, it seems like I am going off topic, but I am not. God gave us souls AND bodies. We use both to worship God. He uses both to bring us closer to Him and to do His will. Father Romano Guardini explained it like this, “every part of the body is an expressive instrument of the soul. The soul does not inhabit the body as a man inhabits a house. It lives and works in each member, each fiber, and reveals itself in the bodies every line, contour, and movement. Standing, kneeling, bowing, and even laying prostrate during prayer are all mentioned in scripture. The Church uses them all at different times for different reasons. Standing, kneeling and bowing are all self explanatory, so I’ll start with prostration. Public prostration is almost exclusively done by the priest, deacon, or bishops both at their ordination and during the opening of the Good Friday service. In the context of a priests ordination it acknowledges the candidate’s inadequacy for the vocation they have been called to. In other times this posture is a sign of our deep reverence for Jesus Christ, truly present in the Eucharist.

Standing, kneeling, bowing, genuflecting, and even sitting are other body postures we use to convey different yet connected feelings and actions of the heart. Again Quoting Father Guardini, “Standing is the other side of reverence toward God. Kneeling is the side of worship in rest and quietness; standing is the side of vigilance and action. It is the respect of the servant in attendance, of the soldier on duty. When the good news of the gospel is proclaimed, we stand up... Bridegroom and bride stand when they bind themselves at the altar to be faithful to their marriage vow.” During the other readings at Mass we are seated, not because we are just relaxing, but rather we are listening and taking in the word of God.

We find ourselves either kneeling or standing during the most profound moments of the Mass when the Holy Spirit comes down and transubstantiates mere bread and wine into the very body, blood, soul, and divinity of Jesus Christ. With our bodies at full attention we recognize God, Jesus the King of Kings.

Another important expression of devotion is how we hold our hands at Mass. Through the centuries this prayer position has varied in small ways. A mistake many Catholics today tend to make is to imitate the priest during Mass. Although raising our arms and hands in prayer at home or at a prayer group is completely acceptable, it isn’t actually appropriate for during Mass. The most appropriate position would be hands clasped together with fingers pointed heavenward or even if you are more comfortable with keeping your hands folded or at your side. That brings me to holding hands at Mass during the Our Father. The rubrics of the Mass, aka the rules or prescriptions do NOT call for us to hold hands and so it is not actually an approved posture. Although we are technically allowed, it isn’t expressing reverence for Christ present and it dilutes the truth of our unity. We are united, brothers and sister, sharing in the same flesh and blood not by holding hands, but in receiving Jesus, His body and blood, soul and divinity untie us. Holding hands does not so much express that unity as it detracts from a unity so far deeper and from “above”.

Further emphasizing the connection of the spiritual and physical are all the “bells and whistles” (Incense, candles, Sacred Images, and relics) to be found at Church. At Mass we not only hear the word of God, we consume Him, we use all our senses to experience the liturgy, the Gospel, the Good News. We hear it, see it, feel it, taste it, and smell it.  My personal favorite is incense. The tradition of burning incense in worship of God goes back almost to the very beginning of time. God Himself commanded, “There shall be perpetual incense before the LORD throughout your generations” This burning of incense is mentioned many, many times as a form of worship prescribed by God. It can be found in Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, 1 Samuel, 1 & 2 Chronicles, and the Gospel of Luke. One of the best parts of visiting my friend up north, is walking into her very old church in which the walls reflect back the holy scent of incense having been sent up to God over the last 150 years.

Candles are another important spiritual and physical part of our beautiful Catholic tradition. This Catholic tradition again goes back to before the birth of Christ, but is described as part of the Mass as early as in the Acts of the Apostles. Jesus describes Himself as the Light of the World. This title is symbolized by the large Paschal Candle.However Jesus did not come to be one shining light to the world, He came to give us His light so that we would also bring His light to others. We symbolically receive this light at our Baptisms. We will discuss that further in January. We also have votive candles lit as an “offering” of the faithful. These little lights giving great Glory to God are often lit in memory for someone or as part of a petition or thanksgiving prayer. My Aunt, Tia Aurora shared a story with me recently after gifting me a beautiful holy candle. When her children were little on school days when they were worried about a difficult test she would light their special candle and pray together asking God to send their guardian angel to help them stay calm and focused and to bring to their minds all that they had studied. She then left the candle burning for them throughout the day, both as a symbol of their prayer being continually sent to heaven, but also as a reminder for her to pray for them and their petitions whenever she walked by it.

Sacred images are also a wonderful gift from God through His people to all of us. Very few of us in this country are completely illiterate. It is hard to imagine that for most of history, the majority of regular people could not or did not have the time or resources to read. In the late 300s, yes almost 2,000 years ago, St. Jerome is quoted as saying that “ignorance of scripture is ignorance of Christ”.What were the poor and uneducated to do? Yes, they did hear the Word of God proclaimed at Mass, but how could they delve deeper into the mysteries of God and His truths if they could not sit with the Bible, not that many could even afford such a luxury (valued in the tens of thousands of dollars (no printing press yet) illiteracy was only one barricade) The solution was as simple as it was majestic. Art. Have you ever had the opportunity to walk through or see pictures of very old churches? These structures bring the lives of those in Scripture, the Saints and their stories to life. I brought a sampling of books on the art just at the Vatican. So much love, dedication, and passion went into these painting and sculptures and articles of clothing and so many other artifacts meant to worship God and witness of Him to all the people. Again we can see why St. Ignatius around the year 110 first used the words Catholic Church, Universal Church. It is not just a church for the elite, the aristocratic, the educated, or even the literate. Christ’s Church is for All people for All time.

I am going to close with a discussion of Christ’s words, “I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Jesus was not speaking symbolically or even strictly spiritually, He was speaking literally. Jesus Christ is physically truly present right now maybe 100 meters from us. Jesus through whom everything was created waits quietly and humbly under the appearance of simple bread to be with you always. Here at St. Madeleine’s we have the great gift and privilege to have Jesus Christ Exposed for Adoration 3 days a week all day 9am-9pm and once a month for 24 hours 9am-9am. The depth of God’s love for YOU is beyond our comprehension. God loves you. He loves you! The first time I really thought about those words was when my daughter aubrey was a toddler. She was truly the cutest toddler ever to walk the planet, anyway i was talking to her about “Who loves baby, Aubrey?” She started to list all those who loved her, “mommy, daddy, Aunt Jecca, Papa, etc. Then I asked her “Who loves Aubrey most?” This was actually a hard question to ask, because who could possibly love my baby more than I did? But at 3 she knew the answer. She responded “God loves Auby most.” I went to repeat her words back saying, “yes, that's right God loves you even more than mommy ca…..n” I had intended to explain how God’s love was perfect because God is perfect and although I loved her with my whole being I was not perfect and sometimes made mistakes or was selfish, but I broke out in stunned goosebumps. Of course I knew God as perfect love could love her more than I could and looking down at her perfect little happy face what wasn’t there to LOVE. She was obviously an angel sent by mistake ;-) It was however in that moment that God whispered in MY ear “I love YOU, too, more than you can love her. I was shaken. I understood loving this little angel, but God knew me, He knows my brokenness, He knows my faults and my innermost struggles. How could He love me to that depth? My life was changed. If you haven’t been to Mass yet today when you walk into Church, dipping your fingers in the Holy Water, crossing yourself, and acknowledging Jesus present in the Tabernacle, remember He loves you, right now, as you are, more than you can love. Spend a moment looking around, see and smell the candles, look upon the crucifix, study the images of our Mother Mary through Christ and the Saints, notice those praying the rosary or devotedly wearing the Miraculous medals or brown scapulars and know trust beyond understanding that you are Home and He waits for you.