24 September: Fifteenth Sunday after Trinity
Van Gogh, Red Vineyard, 1888
Collect of the Day Keep, we beseech thee, O Lord, thy Church with thy perpetual mercy: and, because the frailty of man without thee cannot but fall; keep us ever by thy help from all things hurtful, and lead us to all things profitable to our salvation; through Jesus Christ thy Son our Lord; who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. R/ Amen.
Lesson Isaiah 55.6-9 Seek the Lord while he may be found, call upon him while he is near; let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, that he may have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.
Epistle Philippians 1.20c-24, 27a Brethren: Christ will be honoured in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. If it is to be life in the flesh, that means fruitful labour for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account. Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ.
Gospel Matthew 20.1-16 At that time: At that time: Jesus told his disciples this parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like a householder who went out early in the morning to hire labourers for his vineyard. After agreeing with the labourers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard. And going out about the third hour he saw others standing idle in the market place; and to them he said, 'You go into the vineyard too, and whatever is right I will give you.' So they went. "Going out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour, he did the same. "And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing; and he said to them, 'Why do you stand here idle all day?' "They said to him, 'Because no one has hired us.' "He said to them, 'You go into the vineyard too.' "And when evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his steward, 'Call the labourers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last, up to the first.' "And when those hired about the eleventh hour came, each of them received a denarius. Now when the first came, they thought they would receive more; but each of them also received a denarius. And on receiving it they grumbled at the householder, saying, 'These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.' "But he replied to one of them, 'Friend, I am doing you no wrong; did you not agree with me for a denarius? Take what belongs to you, and go; I choose to give to this last as I give to you. Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?' So the last will be first, and the first last."
17 September: The Fourteenth Sunday after Trinity
Claude Vignon, Parable of the Unmerciful Servant, 1629
Collect of the Day Almighty and everlasting God: give unto us the increase of faith, hope, and charity; and, that we may obtain that which thou dost promise, make us to love that which thou dost command; through Jesus Christ thy Son our Lord; who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. R Amen.
Lesson Sirach 27.30-28.7 Anger and wrath, these also are abominations, and the sinful man will possess them. He that takes vengeance will suffer vengeance from the Lord, and he will firmly establish his sins. Forgive your neighbour the wrong he has done, and then your sins will be pardoned when you pray. Does a man harbour anger against another, and yet seek for healing from the Lord? Does he have no mercy toward a man like himself, and yet pray for his own sins? If he himself, being flesh, maintains wrath, will he then seek forgiveness from God? Who will make expiation for his sins? Remember the end of your life, and cease from enmity, remember destruction and death, and be true to the commandments. Remember the commandments, and do not be angry with your neighbour; remember the covenant of the Most High, and overlook ignorance.
Epistle Romans 14.7-9 Brethren: None of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself. If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord; so then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord's. For to this end Christ died and lived again, that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living.
Gospel Matthew 18.21-35 At that time: Peter came up and said to Jesus, "Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?" Jesus said to him, "I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven. Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants. When he began the reckoning, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents; and as he could not pay, his lord ordered him to be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and payment to be made. So the servant fell on his knees, imploring him, 'Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.' And out of pity for him the lord of that servant released him and forgave him the debt. But that same servant, as he went out, came upon one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii; and seizing him by the throat he said, 'Pay what you owe.' So his fellow servant fell down and besought him, 'Have patience with me, and I will pay you.' He refused and went and put him in prison till he should pay the debt. When his fellow servants saw what had taken place, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their lord all that had taken place. Then his lord summoned him and said to him, 'You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me; and should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?' And in anger his lord delivered him to the jailers, till he should pay all his debt. So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart."
A Short Introduction to Corpus Christi & the Ordinariate
Here is a brief note Fr Allen wrote for the people of St Mary of the Annunciation Catholic Church, our "host parish," explaining what the Ordinariate is, who are people are, and a little of what to expect at an Ordinariate Mass.
Dear friends -
This week daily Mass is restored to St Mary’s for the first time in a couple of years - wonderful news, indeed! Holy Mass will be celebrated Monday through Thursday at 8AM, and on first Fridays at noon, when Mass will be followed by Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, with Benediction given at 1PM.
As a further note, you should know that Mass on Monday and Tuesday will be celebrated according to the “Ordinary Form” — that is, the “normal” form of Mass you are used to. On Wednesdays and Thursdays, Mass will be celebrated according to “Divine Worship” — that is, the form of Mass provided for the Personal Ordinariates created for those communities of former Anglicans/Episcopalians (and others!) who have come into full communion with the Catholic Church. Which gives me the opportunity to say something briefly about the Ordinariate and Corpus Christi Catholic Community and our partnership with St Mary’s and the Diocese of Charleston.
Pope Benedict XVI laid the groundwork for the Ordinariates (there are also Ordinariates in England and in Australia) with the Apostolic Constitution Anglicanorum Coetibus (“Groups of Anglicans”) in 2009 in response to requests going back decades from Anglican/Episcopalian clergy and faithful who shared the Catholic faith and wished to come into full communion with the Catholic Church. The Ordinariates are equivalent to a normal diocese, except they are “personal” — bound by particular relationships and conditions — rather than geographic. We have a bishop, the Most Reverend Steven J. Lopes, and a Cathedral, the beautiful Our Lady of Walsingham, in Houston, Texas (high and dry after [Hurricane] Harvey, thank you for asking!). At present, we have 43 parishes and communities scattered across the United States and Canada, and 67 priests. Pope Francis has confirmed and extended this work.
Further, the Vatican has provided liturgical forms (collectively known as Divine Worship) that are fully Catholic but incorporate elements of the Anglican liturgical patrimony (mainly, of course, from The Book of Common Prayer). This is a great gift to those of us who were formed in that tradition — it is as if the Holy Father not only welcomed us into the gracious home that is the Catholic Church, but also built on a room so that we could bring some of our familiar and beloved furniture with us.
So, I am a priest of the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of St Peter, and Corpus Christi is an Ordinariate community. As I think most of you know, I was a priest of the Episcopal Church for 12 years before I entered the Catholic Church and was ordained a Catholic priest right here at St Mary’s. Most, but not all, of the people of our community are former Anglicans/Episcopalians, though some are “cradle Catholics” attracted to our form of the liturgy or the life of our community or, perhaps, dragged along by a spouse! And this is important to note: we are fully Catholic! We are fully Catholic, but we bring with us all that the Church has discerned is good and true and beautiful in the Anglican tradition, and the particular spiritual habits and dispositions formed in us by that tradition. But, even had the Ordinariates never been created, we had to become Catholic, because, as we promised when we were received into the Church, “[We] believe and profess all that the holy Catholic Church believes, teaches, and proclaims to be revealed by God.” So, the Ordinariate communities are not “half-way houses” between the Catholic Church and Protestantism, though they are intended to be places of invitation and warm welcome to all our brothers and sisters in Christ who are called to full communion with the Church. Any Catholic, and only a Catholic, properly disposed, may receive Holy Communion and meet his or her Sunday and Holy Day obligations at an Ordinariate Mass.
You will immediately recognize the Ordinariate Mass as the one Catholic Mass, but it will, at first, be just different enough to really confuse you! Texts and translations of the ordinary parts of the Mass are slightly different, rendered in a more poetic, “sacral” kind of English — so, it is “And with thy spirit,” rather than “your spirit,” and “Glory be to God on high,” rather than “Glory to God in the highest.” And there are also old Anglican prayers that will be new to you. As an example, I particularly love the “Collect for Purity” prayed at the beginning of Mass, and which comes from the old Sarum Missal, the form of Mass most common in England prior to the 16th century Reformation:
“Almighty God, unto whom all hearts are open, all desires known, and from whom no secrets are hid; Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of thy Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love thee, and worthily magnify thy holy Name; through Christ our Lord. Amen.”
But perhaps the most immediately noticeable, and even strange, difference is that an Ordinariate Mass is normatively prayed ad orientem - that is, with the priest standing on the same side of the altar and facing the same direction (“East” toward the coming Lord) as the people. This of course is how Mass was celebrated anciently and for long centuries, and is still in many “normal” parishes. You can read a helpful set of Ordinariate “FAQ’s” here, and more about our liturgy and spirituality here.
All of these things and more, as Pope Benedict said in Anglicanorum Coetibus, the Church gives to us as “a precious gift nourishing the faith of the members of the Ordinariate and as a treasure to be shared.” And we hope you will share this treasure with us, just as we are so grateful to share with you in the treasure that is St. Mary’s!
Corpus Christi’s goal in this partnership with St Mary’s is to grow and flourish so that we may, in God’s good time, acquire a home of our own, for the work of the Gospel and the building up of the Church here in Charleston, and to do so in a way that works also for the benefit of St Mary’s — a mutually enriching, mutually beneficial partnership in the Gospel, and a particular sign and instrument of the unity Christ wills for his Church (Jn 17.21). To this end, Bishop Guglielmone (in close cooperation with Bishop Lopes) has appointed me Parochial Vicar for St Mary’s to assist Fr West in ministry.
That is a little of how I and Corpus Christi come to be here and just what it is we are up to. We are grateful for your support and hospitality, and hope that our presence and prayer will give you cause for gratitude as well. And I especially hope you will mention to your Anglican and Episcopal friends that all that is best in their tradition has a true and abiding home in the Catholic Church!
Faithfully,
Fr. Allen
HURRICANE IRMA: CHANGES & CANCELLATIONS
Dear friends,
Even as we continue to pray for and support those recovering from hurricane Harvey in Texas, hurricane Irma now bears down upon us. I urge all of you to pay close attention to the warnings and guidance given by the civil authorities, and above all to be safe. It is now being reported that Charleston will be under a mandatory evacuation order to take effect Saturday morning, when the I-26 eastbound lanes will be reversed.
There will be one Mass at St. Mary's on Sunday at 9AM for both our communities. There will be no 11AM Mass.
Members of Corpus Christi are dispensed from their Sunday Mass obligation. Of course, all are encouraged to attend Mass wherever you may safely do so.
Evensong & Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament is cancelled for this Sunday.
Daily Mass, scheduled to begin this Monday, is suspended until further notice.
Please be safe, and God bless you!
Fr Allen
10 September: The Thirteenth Sunday after Trinity
Peace, be still.
O GOD, merciful and compassionate, who art ever ready to hear the prayers of those who put their trust in thee; Graciously hearken to us who call upon thee, and grant us thy help in this our need; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Collect of the Day Almighty and merciful God, of whose only gift it cometh that thy faithful people do unto thee true and laudable service: grant, we beseech thee; that we may so faithfully serve thee in this life, that we fail not finally to attain thy heavenly promises; through the merits of Jesus Christ thy Son our Lord; who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. R/ Amen.
Lesson Ezekiel 33.7-9 Thus says the LORD: "You, son of man, I have made a watchman for the house of Israel; whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them warning from me. If I say to the wicked, O wicked man, you shall surely die, and you do not speak to warn the wicked to turn from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand. But if you warn the wicked to turn from his way, and he does not turn from his way; he shall die in his iniquity, but you will have saved your life."
Epistle Romans 13.8-10 Brethren: Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbour has fulfilled the law. The commandments, "You shall not commit adultery, You shall not kill, You shall not steal, You shall not covet," and any other commandment, are summed up in this sentence, "You shall love your neighbour as yourself." Love does no wrong to a neighbour; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.
Gospel Matthew 18.15-20 At that time: Jesus said to his disciples, "If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every word may be confirmed by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them."
What are Mass Intentions?
What are Mass Intentions?
And why do we have to pay for them?
by Philip Kosloski Sep 02, 2017One part of Catholic culture that is sometimes hard to understand and very often misunderstood is the custom of offering Mass intentions.
When a priest celebrates Mass each day, he offers each celebration of the Eucharist for a particular person, or intention. By doing so he applies special graces from God upon that person or intention.
Similar to how we are able to intercede for others by our personal prayers, the Church is able to intercede for us through the celebration of the Mass. However, since the Eucharist is the “source and summit of the Christian life” the Mass possess a power that our personal prayers do not.
The practice of offering Mass for particular intentions is an ancient one, dating back to the early Church.
Click to read the entire article.
3 September: The Twelfth Sunday of Ordinary Time
Jesus told his disciples, "If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me."
Collect of the Day Almighty and everlasting God, who art always more ready to hear than we to pray, and art wont to give more than either we desire or deserve: pour down upon us the abundance of thy mercy; forgiving us those things whereof our conscience is afraid, and giving us those good things which we are not worthy to ask, but through the merits and mediation of Jesus Christ thy Son our Lord; who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. R/ Amen.
Lesson Jeremiah 20.7-9 O Lord, you have deceived me, and I was deceived; you are stronger than I, and you have prevailed. I have become a laughingstock all the day; every one mocks me. For whenever I speak, I cry out, I shout, "Violence and destruction!" For the word of the LORD has become for me a reproach and derision all day long. If I say, "I will not mention him, or speak any more in his name," there is in my heart as it were a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I am weary with holding it in, and I cannot.
Epistle Romans 12.1-2 I appeal to you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may prove what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
Gospel Matthew 16.21-27 At that time: Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. And Peter took him and began to rebuke him, saying, "God forbid, Lord! This shall never happen to you." But he turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me; for you are not on the side of God, but of men." Then Jesus told his disciples, "If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man, if he gains the whole world and forfeits his life? Or what shall a man give in return for his life? For the Son of man is to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay every man for what he has done."
Ordinariate Cathedral & Chancery in Houston: Safe and Dry
source
Jenny Faber, Director of Communications for the Ordinariate, reports from Houston.
HOUSTON — The Chancery staff of the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of Saint Peter have remained safe during the catastrophic floods caused by Hurricane Harvey.
The Ordinariate’s Chancery and the Cathedral of Our Lady of Walsingham — located just north of I-10 on the west side of Houston — were not flooded during the cataclysmic rains that began on Saturday, Aug. 26.
All Chancery staff evacuated the Chancery campus on Friday, Aug. 25 in anticipation of the storm.
Father John Vidal and Deacon Michael Noble, clergy of St. Anselm of Canterbury Ordinariate Community in Corpus Christi, Texas, evacuated their residences in the coastal city on Aug. 25, as well. Father Vidal confirmed he returned to Corpus Christi on Aug. 28 and found his home to be in fair condition, with only minimal damage to a fence.
Bishop Steven J. Lopes, bishop of the Ordinariate, drove to the Dallas-Fort Worth area on Aug. 26, ahead of the flooding in Houston. There, he celebrated Mass and visited with the Ordinariate community of St. John Vianney in north central Texas. On Aug. 27, he left the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex for Australia, where he is meeting with the Ordinaries of the other Personal Ordinariates in the world and is presenting at the Clergy Assembly for the Ordinariate of Our Lady of the Southern Cross.
Ordinariate Parishes, Parochial Communities and faithful are encouraged to visit the Texas Conference of Catholic Bishops’ web page on Hurricane Harvey Recovery Relief,txcatholic.org/harvey, to learn more about ways to support those in need.
The Chancery Offices have re-opened for business, but some employees are working remotely while roadways remain impacted by floodwaters.
Please join Bishop Lopes and the Chancery staff in praying for everyone affected by the storm and in need of assistance during this natural disaster. May God protect all those who are still in danger and all the first responders working to save others.
27 August: the Eleventh Sunday after Trinity
"And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the powers of death shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."
Pietro Perugino 1481
Collect of the Day O God, who declarest thy almighty power most chiefly in showing mercy and pity: mercifully grant unto us such a measure of thy grace; that we, running the way of thy commandments, may obtain thy gracious promises, and be made partakers of thy heavenly treasure; through Jesus Christ thy Son our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. R Amen.
Lesson Isaiah 22.19-23 Thus says the Lord to Shebna, who is over the household: "I will thrust you from your office, and you will be cast down from your station. In that day I will call my servant Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, and I will clothe him with your robe, and will bind your girdle on him, and will commit your authority to his hand; and he shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and to the house of Judah. And I will place on his shoulder the key of the house of David; he shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open. And I will fasten him like a peg in a sure place, and he will become a throne of honour to his father's house."
Epistle Romans 11.13-15, 29-32 Brethren: O the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! "For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counsellor?" "Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?" For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory for ever. Amen.
Gospel Matthew 16.13-20 At that time: When Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do men say that the Son of man is?" And they said, "Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets." He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" Simon Peter replied, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." And Jesus answered him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jona! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the powers of death shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." Then he strictly charged the disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ.