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+ JMJ +
Dear Friends,
This Sunday is "Laetare Sunday," now just over half way through Lent, when the vestments are a festive rose color, and the Mass begins with the ancient Introit taken from Isaiah:
Lætare Jerusalem: et conventum facite omnes qui diligitis eam:
gaudete cum lætitia, qui in tristitia fuistis...
"Rejoice ye with Jerusalem; and be glad for her, all ye that delight in her:
exult and sing for joy with her, all ye that in sadness mourn for her..."
In these days of plague and pestilence, social distancing and economic disruption, there is much for which we may be sad and sorrowful, uneasy and anxious, not least the suspension of public Masses in nearly every diocese of the United States, including our own Ordinariate.
And yet: Laetare! Rejoice! These days are a powerful reminder to us that viruses, isolation, economic downturns, and even finally death itself can hold no fear for Christians who have the sure and certain promise given to us when we were baptized into Christ's own death and resurrection:
"Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his!" (Rm 6.3-5).
In the ringing words of St Augustine, “We are an Easter People and Alleluia is our song!” This fundamental orientation toward "the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting" is what gives Lent its "bite": we suspend the singing of "Alleluia" and ponder the death we for our sins deserve so that we may renew our joy and gratitude at the life we are instead given in mercy and love. But even in Lent, that joy cannot be fully suppressed, we know where we are going, and so on this fourth Sunday the Church calls us to rejoice.
And we do, but I must say that the suspension of public Masses, our inability to gather together as one family in Christ on the Lord's Day, is a heavy burden to bear. The holy Eucharist is the "source and summit" of our life together. Rejoicing is always communal; it demands to be shared.
However, while public Masses are suspended, the Mass itself is not. Each day this week I have offered the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass privately with my children - Lucy reads the lessons, and Henry is learning to serve. Please know that every day when I go to the altar I carry the people of Corpus Christi with me in my heart. Next week I will experiment with "live streaming" Mass on Facebook, and if that goes reasonably well, I will announce a regular schedule of streamable Masses.
This Sunday the Mass obligation for members of the Ordinariate of the Chair of St Peter is commuted, not dispensed. This means that the obligation to attend Sunday Mass is met by fulfilling a "substitute" obligation, in our case by:
Prayerful reflection on the Sunday Mass readings, concluding that time by recitation of the Prayer of Humble Access or Anima Christi; or,
The recitation of the Rosary as a family.
Bishop Lopes has written of his reasons for assigning these particular means for fulfilling the Sunday Mass obligation:
The first way to fulfill one’s Sunday obligation is to spend some time prayerfully reflecting on the Sunday readings. So doing, the faithful are acting in communion with the whole Church and her liturgical prayer. They are opening themselves to an encounter with the Word, and will be strengthened by the encounter. Concluding the time of reflection with a recitation of the Prayer of Humble Access or Anima Christi not only provides an effective conclusion, but brings them into contact with our patrimony and the deep devotional treasury of the Church.
Similarly, the second option—the recitation of the Rosary as a family—has long held a special place in the Church’s devotional life. The Handbook of Indulgences notes that this communal act of the family even obtains a plenary indulgence, and so it is fitting for these extraordinary Sundays.
Below you will see links to resources to help you fulfill either one of these options, as well as a link to the live stream of the Sunday Mass from the Cathedral of Our Lady of Walsingham.
Please do not hesitate to call me if there is anything I may do for you (or just to catch up!).
God bless you,
Fr Allen
Lessons & Propers for Sunday, March 22nd: Lent 4
Method for Reciting the Holy Rosary
Sunday Mass from the Cathedral (viewable between 9AM (live) and 7PM on Sunday).