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First Sunday of Advent
3 December 2006
Dear Friends in Christ,
Every Catholic knows what Mass is. And many Catholics know about the whole galaxy of devotions and sacramentals which are also a part of our faith: the Rosary, Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament, the Stations of the Cross. But how many Catholics know about Lauds and Vespers? The source and summit of Christian life and liturgical worship is the Eucharist. The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is the sun which illuminates the whole system of Catholic belief and practice. But Mass is not the only part of our faith universe.
The Liturgy of the Hours is the public prayer of the Church in which we sanctify the whole day to the praise of God. Every day, priests and religious men and women, and many laypeople, too, take time out of their busy ordinary life to lift their minds and hearts to God through hymns, psalms, and spiritual canticles. The Hours are a way in which we can live out the Mass all throughout the day. If the Mass is the sun of our faith universe, then the Liturgy of the Hours is the moon. The moon has no light of its own; she receives all of her light from the sun. But she is no less haunting and beautiful in her own right.
Our Dominican Sisters pray the entirety of the Church’s liturgical prayer every day, in their chapel in front of the Blessed Sacrament; standing guard as official pray-ers, not only for themselves but for the whole church. Your priests pray those prayers too, sometimes in the unlikeliest of places, wherever their ministry brings them. Our men’s group, the Pillars of Christ, prays Lauds, or Morning Prayer, every Friday morning as the sun rises on their day. And this Advent, we as a parish have the chance to celebrate Vespers, or Evening Prayer, every Sunday at 3.30pm.
I’m already sick of Christmas music. So if you are weary of the holiday season like me, then why not take another slice out of the LORD’s Day and listen to Advent music and prepare yourselves spiritually for the real reason for the season? I guarantee you, December will never be the same again if you do! See you in church on Sunday afternoon.
Praised be Jesus Christ!
Father Smith
PS And there’s not even a homily at Vespers!