Forfatternavn:Oddvar

Jomfru Marias rensningsfest – tekster 3

Liturgi, TLM /

Lesning 7, 8 og 9 forklarer evangeliet på denne festen:

From the Holy Gospel according to Luke Luke 2:22-32
In that time after the days of her purification, according to the law of Moses, were accomplished, they carried him to Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord: As it is written in the law of the Lord: And so on ….

Homily on this passage by St Ambrose, Bishop of Milan. Bk. 2, Comm. on Luke ii.
And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel. The birth of the Lord is attested not only by Angels and Prophets, and shepherds, but also by elders and just men. Every age, and both sexes, as well as the miracles of the events themselves, are here to strengthen our faith. A virgin conceiveth, a barren woman beareth, a dumb man speaketh, Elizabeth prophesieth, the wise man worshippeth, the unborn child leapeth, the widow praiseth, and the just man waiteth.

Well is he called just, who looked not for favour for himself, but for consolation for his people. He desired to be set free from the bondage of this frail body, but he waited to see the Promised One for he knew that blessed are the eyes that see Him. Then took he Him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said Lord, now lettest Thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word. Behold a just man, confined in the weary prison of the body, desiring to be dissolved and to begin to be with Christ. For to be dissolved and to be with Christ is much better. Phil. i. 23.

Whosoever will be dissolved and be with Christ, let him come into the Temple, let him come to Jerusalem, let him wait for the Lord’s Christ, let him take hold on the Word of God, let him embrace it with good works, as it were with arms of faith and then let him depart in peace, for he shall not see death, who hath seen life. Behold how the Lord’s Birth doth overflow with abounding grace for all, and prophecy is not denied to the just, but to the unbelieving. Behold, Simeon prophesieth that the Lord Jesus Christ is come for the fall and rising again of many yea, He shall separate the just from the unjust by their deserts, and according as our work shall be, so shall the true and righteous Judge command us to be punished or rewarded.

Jomfru Marias rensningsfest – tekster 2

Liturgi, TLM /

Dette er lesning 4, 5 og 6 til Matutin på denne dagen – fra en preken av den hellige Augustin:

From the Sermons of St Augustin, Bishop of Hippo. 13th on the Season.
In old time it was written: And of Zion shall it not be said This and that man was born in her, and the Highest Himself shall establish her? Blessed be the omnipotence of Him That was born! Blessed the glory of Him That came from heaven to earth! While yet He was borne in His Mother’s womb, He was saluted by John the Baptist; He was presented in the temple, and recognised by that famous, antient, and glorious worthy, the old man Simeon. As soon as he knew Him he worshipped Him, and said Lord, now lettest Thou thy servant depart in peace for mine eyes have seen thy Salvation.

He lingered in the world to see the birth of Him Who made the world. The old man knew the Child, and in that Child became a child himself, for in the love wherewith he regarded the Father of all, he felt his own years to be but as of yesterday. The old man Simeon bore the new-born Christ, and all the while, Christ was the old man’s Lord. It had been told him by the Lord that he should not taste of death before he had seen the birth of the Lord’s Christ. Now Christ is born, and all the old man’s wishes on earth are fulfilled. He That came to a decrepit world came to an old man.

He wished not to remain long in the world, but he longed to see Christ in the world, singing with the Prophet, and saying Shew us thy mercy, O Lord, and grant us thy salvation. Ps. lxxxiv. 8. And now at last, that ye may know that the cause of his joy was that this prayer was granted, he saith Now lettest Thou thy servant depart in peace, for mine eyes have seen thy salvation. The Prophets have sung that the Maker of heaven and earth would converse on earth with men an angel hath declared that the Creator of flesh and spirit would come in the flesh the unborn John, yet in the womb, hath saluted the unborn Saviour yet in the womb. The old man Simeon hath seen God a little Child.

Sjokkerende nyheter fra Los Angeles

Generelt, Katolsk /

På en måte er det ikke noe nytt som her kommer fram om presters misbruk av barn (bortsett fra mange grusomme detaljer), men i forbindelse med at mange dokumenter om dette misbruket, og biskopenes (dårlige) behandling av det, går en biskop av og kardinal Mahony kan ikke ha flere oppgaver for bispedømmet – konfirmasjoner o.a. som pensjonerte biskoper ofte utfører. Fra The Catholic Herald:

Cardinal Roger Mahony will “no longer have any administrative or public duties” as retired Archbishop of Los Angeles because of past failures to protect children from clerical sex abuse, Archbishop José Gomez has said.

Archbishop Gomez, Cardinal Mahony’s successor as Archbishop of Los Angeles, made the statement on the same day the archdiocese published the files of clergy who were the subject of a 2007 global abuse settlement. The material has been posted on a website, along with supporting information that includes the names of senior Church figures.

Archbishop Gomez also accepted Auxiliary Bishop Thomas Curry’s request to be relieved of his responsibility as the regional bishop of Santa Barbara.

Cardinal Mahony, now 76, led the archdiocese from 1985 until his March 2011 retirement. Bishop Curry, 70, was the archdiocese’s vicar of clergy and chief adviser on sexual abuse cases in the mid-1980s.

“These files document abuses that happened decades ago,” Archbishop Gomez said. “But that does not make them less serious. I find these files to be brutal and painful reading. The behaviour described in these files is terribly sad and evil. …»

Jeg leste også om det hos Father Z. tidligere i dag – HER og HER.

Jomfru Marias rensningsfest – tekster 1

Liturgi, TLM /

Dagens fest (2/2) kalles i 1962-kalenderen «In Purificatione Beatae Mariae Virginis». Her er lesning 1, 2 og 3 til Matutin på denne dagen – om spesielle regler for den førstefødte, og om kvinners rensningstid:

Exod 13:1-3; 13:11-13
1 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 2 Sanctify unto me every firstborn that openeth the womb among the children of Israel, as well of men as of beasts: for they are all mine. 3 And Moses said to the people: 11 When the Lord shall have brought thee into the land of the Chanaanite, as he swore to thee and thy fathers, and shall give it thee: 12 Thou shalt set apart all that openeth the womb for the Lord, and all that is first brought forth of thy cattle: whatsoever thou shalt have of the male sex, thou shalt consecrate to the Lord. 13 The firstborn of an ass thou shalt change for a sheep: and if thou do not redeem it, thou shalt kill it. And every firstborn of men thou shalt redeem with a price.

Lev 12:1-5
1 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 2 Speak to the children of Israel, and thou shalt say to them: If a woman having received seed shall bear a man child, she shall be unclean seven days, according to the days of the separation of her flowers. 3 And on the eighth day the infant shall be circumcised: 4 But she shall remain three and thirty days in the blood of her purification. She shall touch no holy thing, neither shall she enter into the sanctuary, until the days of her purification be fulfilled. 5 But if she shall bear a maid child, she shall be unclean two weeks, according to the custom of her monthly courses, and she shall remain in the blood of her purification sixty-six days.

Lev 12:6-8
6 And when the days of her purification are expired, for a son, or for a daughter, she shall bring to the door of the tabernacle of the testimony, a lamb of a year old for a holocaust, and a young pigeon or a turtle for sin, and shall deliver them to the priest: 7 Who shall offer them before the Lord, and shall pray for her, and so she shall be cleansed from the issue of her blood. This is the law for her that beareth a man child or a maid child. 8 And if her hand find not sufficiency, and she is not able to offer a lamb, she shall take two turtles, or two young pigeons, one for a holocaust, and another for sin: and the priest shall pray for her, and so she shall be cleansed.

Gratulerer doktor Fredrik Hansen!

Katolsk /

Jeg kjenner godt (minst) en prest som studerer i Roma for tida, og han skrev i går, 31. januar 2013:

Denne dagen var en stor dag for oss norske i Roma, men også for Den katolske kirke i Norge. p. Fredrik Hansen avholdt sin doktordisputas (i kirkerett) på universitetet Gregoriana. Temaet var bispedømmebiskopens makt og myndighet vedrørende ledelse av sitt bispedømme. Alt gikk glimrende og moderator og sensor var særs fornøyde. Det er vi alle, gratulerer nok en gang, Dr. Fredrik Hansen.

13febr_dr_f_hansen

Les mer om p. Fredrik her.

Ny korherre ordinert – Klosterneuburg og Long Island, NY

Katolsk /

12dec_dom_gabriel

Jeg har tidligere skrevet mange ganger om at jeg kjenner flere av de amerikanske korherrene fra Klosterneuburg; tre av dem var sammen med meg i Bergen og i fjor sommer besøkte vi korherrene i USA, på Long Island utenfor New York City – se HER og HER.

Bilde over viser et kommuniteten på Long Island har fått en ny prest, dom Gabriel, som ble ordinert i Klosterneuburg 30/12-12. Her kan man se mange flere bilder fra ordinasjonen.

Å dele den samme tro er grunnlaget for økumenikk

Katolsk, Paven, Økumenikk /

Det sa pave Benedikt bl.a. ved avslutningen av bønneuken for kristen enhet sist fredag (fra Zenit):

Dear Brothers and Sisters!
It is always a joy and a special grace to come together, around the tomb of the Apostle Paul, to conclude the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. ….

This celebration is part of the Year of Faith, which began on 11 October, the fiftieth anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council. Communion in the same faith is the basis for ecumenism. Unity is given by God as inseparable from faith; St. Paul expresses this effectively: «There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all»(Eph. 4:4-6). The baptismal profession of faith in God, the Father and Creator, who revealed himself in his Son Jesus Christ, pouring out the Spirit who gives life and holiness, already unites Christians. Without faith – which is primarily a gift of God, but also man’s response – the whole ecumenical movement would be reduced to a form of «contract» to enter into out of a common interest. The Second Vatican Council reminds Christians that «the closer their union with the Father, the Word, and the Spirit, the more deeply and easily will they be able to grow in mutual brotherly love»(Decr. Unitatis redintegratio, 7). Doctrinal issues that still divide us must not be overlooked or minimized. They should rather be faced with courage, in a spirit of brotherhood and mutual respect. Dialogue, when it reflects the priority of faith, can open to the action of God with the firm conviction that we cannot build unity alone: it is the Holy Spirit who guides us toward full communion, who allows us to grasp the spiritual wealth present in the different Churches and ecclesial communities. …

Et luthersk ordinariat?

Katolsk, Økumenikk /

For en ukes tid siden ble det nevnt, av erkebiskop Müller i Troskongregasjonen, at det kanskje også kunne opprettes en løsning der lutheranere kunne bli katolikker på en noe enklere og smidigere måte, og at de kunne konvertere sammen og beholde noen av sine tradisjoner – det var dette som skjedde med anglikanerne for 2-3 år siden. Men flere mener at dette sannsynligvis ikke vil skje med (særlig mange) lutheranere. Dette diskuteres bl.a. på Father Zs blogg (også han er tidligere lutheraner):

The issue was recently addressed by Mgr. Müller. The German theologian chosen by Pope Benedict XVI to lead the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, recognised that the “Lutheran world is different to the Anglican one because Anglicanism has always had an element that is closer to Catholicism.” But this would not stop the Church from allowing Lutheran groups to convert to Catholicism, preserving “legitimate traditions developed” over the centuries.

According to Mgr. Müller, there are Lutherans in his homeland, Germany, who hope to enter once again into communion with the Roman Catholic Church and who believe that the changes introduced by the Second Vatican Council were an adequate response to Luther’s request for reforms five centuries ago. “Protestants – he added – do not oppose Catholicism because they have hung onto many Catholic traditions.”

However, the idea of establishing a Lutheran ordinariate was turned down by the Secretary General of the International Lutheran Federation which has approximately 70 million Christian Lutheran members. …

Den hellige Timoteus

Katolsk, Liturgi /

Den hellige Timoteus, Paulus’ medarbeider og biskop av Efesus, minnes i dag i den tradisjonelle kalenderen, og 26. januar i den nye kalenderen – og i Norge har han måttet vike helt for den hellige Eystein.

Slk leser vi om ham i de tradisjonelle tidebønnene (Matutin):

Timothy was born in Lystra in Lycaonia of a gentile father and a Jewish mother, and was a follower of the Christian religion when the Apostle Paul visited that city. Paul was so moved by what he repeatedly heard of Timothy’s holiness that he took him with him as a companion on his journeys; yet, because of the Jews who had been converted to Christ and who knew that Timothy’s father had been a Gentile, he had him circumcised. When they both arrived at Ephesus, the Apostle ordained him bishop to govern the Church there. The Apostle wrote him two letters, one from Laodicea, the other from Rome. Strengthened by these letters in the ministry of his pastoral office. he could not endure that the sacrifice which is due to God alone should be offered to the images of demons, and he strove to win over the people of Ephesus from the impiety of offering sacrifice to Diana on her feast day. He was stoned, and was nearly dead when the Christians rescued him and took him to a village on a neighboring mountain. There he died in the Lord on January 24.

Og katolsk.no skriver om datoene:

Fra 1100-tallet ble hans minnedag feiret den 24. januar, vigilien for festen for Paulus’ omvendelse. Siden kalenderreformen i 1969 har minnedagen vært 26. januar sammen med Titus, så nær apostelfesten som mulig, for å markere de to biskopenes tilknytning til Paulus. I øst minnes han den 22. januar, den tradisjonelle dødsdatoen. Hans navn står i Martyrologium Romanum.

(Jeg må legge til at jeg syns det er lite naturlig at katolsk.no kaller ham Timotheos, med både -th- og -os.)

Brutaliserende for samfunnet hvis man ikke kan følge sin samvittighet

Generelt /

Aftenposten skriver i dag at (katolikk), lagmann i Bergen og tidligere dommer ved Menneskerettighetsdomstolen i Strasbourg, Hanne Sophie Greve, sier at alle som jobber i helsevesenet bør få lov til å nekte å bistå kvinner som vil ta abort. Hun siteres slik: «I dette som i andre samvittighetsspørsmål, mener jeg at samvittigheten må komme først. Jeg mener eksempelvis at reservasjonsrett burde være fullt mulig når det gjelder henvisning til abort, når det gjelder kirurgisk abort, og når det gjelder énkjønnet forelderskap.»

Hennes begrunnelse for hvorfor det bør være slik er også interessant:

Greve mener at det vil være brutaliserende for samfunnet hvis de ansatte ikke hadde hatt anledning til å reservere seg på denne måten.

Du kan ikke vingeklippe samvittigheten på ett område uten at det får konsekvenser på andre områder. Da får vi det som i etisk filosofi er den største trusselen i et fredelig samfunn: at staten erstatter samvittigheten, at man ikke trenger å tenke på om man skader andre mennesker så lenge man følger loven. Samvittigheten skal verne samfunnets svake mot de sterke der loven tier, sier Greve.

En fokusert messe

Liturgi, TLM /

mass_magione
Jeg syns bildet over av (en tradisjonell) messe tydelig viser hvordan alles oppmerksomhet er rettet mot Gud, i tilbedelse og frembærelse av messens hellige og fullkomne offer. Fra TLM-bloggen.

Hvordan bør messen feires?

Katolsk, Liturgi /

Liturgikongregasjonen i Vatikanet arbeider med en hefte som de håper å få utgitt i sommer, et hefte som skal hjelpe prestene til å feire messen best mulig – Zenit.org skriver om dette – om kontinuitet med tradisjonen, tradisjonelle alter, messeofferet, skjønnhet etc.:

During his talk Cardinal Antonio Cañizares reiterated the importance Vatican II gave to the liturgy, «whose renewal must be understood in continuity with the Tradition of the Church and not as a break or discontinuity.» A break either because of innovations that do not respect continuity or because of an immobility that freezes everything at Pius XII, he said.

In particular, Cardinal Cañizares stressed the importance that Sacrosanctum Concilium gave to the sacred liturgy, through which «the work of our Redemption is exercised, above all in the divine sacrifice of the Eucharist,» adding that «God wants to be adored in a concrete way and it’s not up to us to change it.»

The cardinal said that there is talk of a renewed Church, which must not be understood as a mere reform of structures, but as a change starting with the liturgy, because it is from the liturgy that the work of our salvation is effected.

When speaking of the liturgy, continued the cardinal, one must not forget what the conciliar document states: «Christ is always present in his Church, especially in the liturgical action. He is present in the sacrifice of the Mass, be it in the person of the minister, ‘offering himself now through the ministry of the priests as he then offered himself on the cross,’ be it especially under the Eucharistic species.»

He stressed that the objective of the liturgy «is the adoration of God and the salvation of men,» which is not a creation of ours, but source and summit of the Church.»

The prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments criticized existing abuses such as showmanship, and praised moments of silence «that are action,» which enable the priest and the faithful to talk with Jesus Christ and which exclude the predominance of words that often becomes showmanship on the part of the priest. The correct attitude is the one «indicated by Saint John the Baptist, when he says he must decrease and the Messiah must increase.»

The cardinal criticized the effort to make the Mass «entertaining» with certain songs — instead of focusing on the mystery — in an attempt to overcome «boredom» by transforming the Mass into a show.

He added that the Council did not speak of the priest celebrating Mass facing the people, that it stressed the importance of Christ on the altar, reflected in Benedict XVI’s celebration of the Mass in the Sistine Chapel facing the altar. This does not exclude the priest facing the people, in particular during the reading of the word of God. He stressed the need of the notion of mystery, and particulars such as the altar facing East and the fact that the sacrificial sense of the Eucharist must not be lost. …

St Patrick’s Cathedral, New York

Generelt, Katolsk /

Å gå rundt i New York City/ Manhattan er en spesiell opplevelse(jeg var der for første gang for 20 år siden), med høyhus uten ende og en helt spesiell atmosfære, og midt i denne enorme bygningsmassen ser man noe helt ekstraordinært, St Patricks katolske domkirke. Da kirken ble påbegynt i 1858 var det ute på landet – det kan man se på et par av bildene i denne brosjyren. Brosjyren og videoen under er laget nå fordi man skal samle inn rundt 300 millioner kroner for å pusse opp kirken. (Musikken i videoen under er litt overraskende, men sa er/var da kirken også irsk.)

Litt lite aktivitet på bloggen

Generelt /

Jeg har skrevet lite på bloggen i det siste, det kan ha flere årsaker, men bl.a. har jeg mye å gjøre. Jeg hadde en flott og svært rolig og fin nyttårsfeire, og så opplever jeg (som mange gjør) at arbeidsoppgavene står i en svært lang kø når man kommer tilbake til kontoret.

Akkurat nå har spesielt mye undervisning; to store konfirmantkull (50 i 9. kl og 40 i 8. kl) som jeg har alene, kurs i katolsk tro for 12-14 interesserte (konvertitter), ekteskapsforberdelse på engelsk og på norsk (et stort norsk kurs begynner neste uke) – pluss det mer vanlige, som dåpssamteler (før barnedåp), sykebesøk med kommunion og messefeiring. Jeg har også en begravelse neste uke, men det har vi katolske prester forholdsvise lite av, siden katolikker flest i Norge er ganske unge.

Pave Leo XIII om familien

Katolsk, Liturgi, Teologi /

Den hellige familie er det beste eksempel som fins for dagens familier, skriver pave Leo XIII, i dette apostoliske brevet fra 1892. (De fleste vet at den nye og den tradisjonelle liturgiske kalenderen er ganske forskjellige, og i dag feires festen for den hellige familie i den tradisjonelle kalenderen, og i år faller faktisk festen for Jesu dåp bort. Personlig syns jeg at å feire den hellige familie i romjulen – som i den nye kalenderen – er like naturlig. Men om to uker begynner førfatsetiden (Septuagesima søndag) i den tradisjonelle kalenderen, og jeg syns det er et stort tap at den perioden falt helt bort ved luturgirevisjonen.)

Slik skriver pave Leo XIII (fra matutins 4., 5. og 6. lesning):

From the Apostolic Letters of Pope Leo XIII – Breve Neminem, 14 June 1892
When God in his mercy determined to accomplish the work of man’s renewal, which same had so many long ages awaited, he appointed and ordained this work on such wise that its very beginning might shew to the world the august spectacle of a Family which was known to be divinely constituted; that therein all men might behold a perfect model, as well of domestic life as of every virtue and pattern of holiness: for such indeed was the Holy Family of Nazareth. There in secret dwelt the Sun of Righteousness, until the time when he should shine out in full splendour in the sight of all nations. There Christ, our God and Saviour, lived with his Virgin Mother, and with that most holy man Joseph, who held to him the place of father. No one can doubt that in this Holy Family was displayed every virtue which can be called forth by an ordinary home life, with its mutual services of charity, its holy intercourse, and its practices of godly piety, since the Holy Family was destined to be a pattern to all others. For that very reason was it established by the merciful designs of Providence, namely, that every Christian, in every walk of life and in every place, might easily, if he would but give heed to it, have before him a motive and a pattern for the good life.

To all fathers of families, Joseph is verily the best model of paternal vigilance and care. In the most holy Virgin Mother of God, mothers may find an excellent example of love, modesty, resignation of spirit, and the perfecting of faith. And in Jesus, who was subject to his parents, the children of the family have a divine pattern of obedience which they can admire, reverence, and imitate. …

Pave Leo XIII om familienLes mer »

1000 katolske prester i England protesterer mot forlag til ny ekteskapslov

Generelt, Katolsk /

Også i England foreslås det å gjøre ekteskapet kjønnsnøytralt, og nylig har 1000 (av 4000) prester i England & Wales skrevet et åpent brev der de advarer mot forslaget. Bl.a. regner de med at katolikker ikke lenger vil få lov til å si hva Kirken mener om ekteskapet, om lovforslaget blir vedtatt. Her er brevet – fra Fr. Ray Blakes blogg:

After centuries of persecution Catholics have, in recent times, been able to be members of the professions and participate fully in the life of this country.

Legislation for same sex marriage, should it be enacted, will have many legal consequences, severely restricting the ability of Catholics to teach the truth about marriage in their schools, charitable institutions or places of worship.

It is meaningless to argue that Catholics and others may still teach their beliefs about marriage in schools and other arenas if they are also expected to uphold the opposite view at the same time.

The natural complementarity between a man and a woman leads to marriage, seen as a lifelong partnership. This loving union – because of their physical complementarity – is open to bringing forth and nurturing children. This is what marriage is. That is why marriage is only possible between a man and a woman. Marriage, and the home, children and family life it generates, is the foundation and basic building block of our society.

We urge Members of Parliament not to be afraid to reject this legislation now that its consequences are more clear.

Er det forbudt å si på en skole at abort er forsterdrap?

Generelt /

Muligens er det ‘storm i et vannglass’, men Dagbladet melder (og også andre aviser) at det reageres på at man på Kvitsund gymnas i Telemark lærer at abort er drap:

Kunnskapsminister Kristin Halvorsen (SV) vil se på det omstridte heftet fra Kvitsund gymnas der abort betegnes som mord og homofili som en skade.

– Vi har bedt om å få tilsendt dette heftet som er omtalt, og vi har bedt skolen om å uttale seg om hvordan de følger opp den lærerplanen som de har fått godkjent. …

Jeg er litt mer overrasket om skolen også forteller hva som er årsaken til homofili – for det vet vel egentlig ingen sikkert?

Ganske sjokkerende om helsesituasjonen i USA

Generelt /

Jeg leste i formiddag hos CNN om hvordan USA er det dårligste av 16 land når det gjelder befolkningens helse og levealder. På noen områder er dødeligheten 5-6-7-8 ganger større i USA enn i sammenlignbare land:

A just-released report from the Institute of Medicine and National Research Council is making news by clearly illustrating that Americans have «shorter lives and poorer health.» This is somewhat shocking, given how much we spend on health care each year — more than any of the 16 other rich countries surveyed in the study. What’s even more upsetting is that this report focused quite heavily on people who are young. In the United States, even that group fared poorly.

Why is this?

Some of the reasons involve choices make at a personal level. We eat too much, abuse drugs too often, wear seat belts too rarely and commit violence against each other to often.

Systemic issues are also to blame. We have higher levels of poverty than comparable countries, and our safety net programs are less capable of catching people when they fall. And too many also have too much trouble accessing the health care system, resulting in inefficient, ineffective and often absent care. …

Tradisjonell latinsk messe i Oslo søndag 13. januar

Katolsk, TLM /

Denne søndagen feires Den hellige familie i den tradisjonelle kalenderen, og inngangsverset til messen lyder slik:

Exsultat gaudio pater Iusti, gaudeat Pater tuus et Mater tua, et exsultet quæ genuit te. Quam dilecta tabernacula tua, Domine virtutum: concupiscit et deficit anima mea in atria Domini. – I glede jubler den rettferdiges far; din far og din mor glede seg, og hun juble som fødte deg. Hvor elskelige dine boliger er, hærskarenes Herre! Min sjel stunder etter og tæres i lengsel etter Herrens hus.

Les alle bønnene, antifonene og tekstene til messen – og les mer om de tradisjonelle latinske søndagsmessene i Oslo (i St Hallvard kirke kl 14.30).

6. januar: In Epiphania Domini – I. classis

Liturgi /

4., 5. og 6. lesning til matutin i dag:

From the Sermons of Pope St Leo (the Great) 2nd for Twelfth-Day.
Dearly beloved brethren, rejoice in the Lord; again I say, rejoice. But a few days are past since the solemnity of Christ’s Birth, and now the glorious light of His Manifestation is breaking upon us. On that day the Virgin brought Him forth, and on this the world knew Him. The Word made Flesh was pleased to reveal Himself by degrees to those for whom He had come. When Jesus was born He was manifested indeed to the believing, but hidden from His enemies. Already indeed the heavens declared the glory of God, and their sound went out into all lands, when the Herald Angels appeared to tell to the shepherds the glad tidings of a Saviour’s Birth; and now the guiding star leadeth the wise men to worship Him, that from the rising of the sun to the going down thereof, the Birth of the true King may be known abroad; that through those wise men the kingdoms of the east might learn the great truth, and the Roman empire remain no more in darkness.

The very cruelty of Herod, when he strove to crush at His birth this King Whom he alone feared, was made a blind means to carry out this dispensation of mercy. While the tyrant with horrid guilt sought to slay the little Child he did not know, amid an indiscriminate slaughter of innocents, his infamous act served to spread wider abroad the heaven-told news of the Birth of the Lord. Thus were these glad tidings loudly proclaimed, both by the novelty of their story, and the iniquity of their enemies. Then was the Saviour borne into Egypt, that nation, of a long time hardened in idolatry, might by the mysterious virtue which went out of Him, even when His presence was unknown, be prepared for the saving light so soon to dawn on them, and might receive the Truth as a wanderer even before they had banished falsehood.

Dearly beloved brethren, we recognise in the wise men who came to worship Christ, the first-fruits of that dispensation to the Gentiles wherein we also are called and enlightened. Let us then keep this Feast with grateful hearts, in thanksgiving for our blessed hope, whereof it doth commemorate the dawn. From that worship paid to the new-born Christ is to be dated the entry of us Gentiles upon our heirship of God and co-heirship with Christ. Since that joyful day the Scriptures which testify of Christ have lain open for us as well as for the Jews. Yea, their blindness rejected that Truth, Which, since that day, hath shed Its bright beams upon all nations. Let all observance, then, be paid to this most sacred day, whereon the Author of our salvation was made manifest, and as the wise men fell down and worshipped Him in the manger, so let us fall down and worship Him enthroned Almighty in heaven. As they also opened their treasures and presented unto Him mystic and symbolic gifts, so let us strive to open our hearts to Him, and offer Him from thence some worthy offering.

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