Once again Advent is almost upon us.
So I am determined, with the help of God's grace, to make it a holy time of preparation for Christmas.
1) Confession. Deeper
2) Prayer, more deeply asking for Christ's abiding presence
I am going to keep it simple!
Saturday 1 December 2012
So much happening!
Ok, I was meant to write something about last weekend and I never got round to it.
I have been working all week, for which I am extremely grateful (St. Joseph is fantastic at finding you a job by the way!)
Last weekend's Towards Advent was very good. I helped man the Latin Mass Society's stall for a bit. Many people came up and showed a lot of interest in the Latin Mass. I did notice that the Tablet's stall had, at most, two visitors. But we won't go there!
I got to chat to Father James Bradley who is a member of the Ordinariate. We spoke about their liturgy and the hopes they have for it. Sounds very good.
I also met Brother Anselm from Farnborough Abbey. They are a great community, dedicated to all things orthodox.
On my way to the bank to get change for the LMS stall I bumped into a former Catholic now Protestant evangelist handing out leaflets in front of the Cathedral. We got chatting and he made some very good points. Catholics don't know their faith and that the bishops need to make a real effort to catechize them. Wow, not bad from a lapsed Catholic turned protestant!
Later on I was invited to Mass in Westminster Abbey. Yes you read that correctly. The Anglicans kindly let us use our...sorry...their Church for Mass at the Shrine of St. Edward the Confessor. Novus Ordo, versus Dominum in front of a gorgeous painting of Our Lady. Most people received kneeling and on the tongue. It was beautifully celebrated.
We had a quick walk around after Mass. Two Franciscan sisters of the Renewal were standing on the grave of Oliver Cromwell. I pointed it out and said "Sisters, I wonder what he would think of all this Catholicism". They both responded in their American accents "Ahh he's cool with it now". True.
After that we prayed at the Shrine of St. Edward the Confessor. The power and grace that emanates from it is amazing.
Sunday I attended the Extraordinary Form Mass. It brought me back to the question that an elderly non Catholic gentleman asked us at the LMS stall the day before: Why do you like the Old Mass?
We all answered more or less the same: The Silence and the Mystery. We can enter into the mystery of the Incarnation more deeply in silence. We don't need to perform. We need to just be present before God's Holy Fire. We are there with our joys and sorrows, our fears and hopes in the silence. In that silence we bathe in God's grace. That's why we don't just like but LOVE the Old Mass!
I have been working all week, for which I am extremely grateful (St. Joseph is fantastic at finding you a job by the way!)
Last weekend's Towards Advent was very good. I helped man the Latin Mass Society's stall for a bit. Many people came up and showed a lot of interest in the Latin Mass. I did notice that the Tablet's stall had, at most, two visitors. But we won't go there!
I got to chat to Father James Bradley who is a member of the Ordinariate. We spoke about their liturgy and the hopes they have for it. Sounds very good.
I also met Brother Anselm from Farnborough Abbey. They are a great community, dedicated to all things orthodox.
On my way to the bank to get change for the LMS stall I bumped into a former Catholic now Protestant evangelist handing out leaflets in front of the Cathedral. We got chatting and he made some very good points. Catholics don't know their faith and that the bishops need to make a real effort to catechize them. Wow, not bad from a lapsed Catholic turned protestant!
Later on I was invited to Mass in Westminster Abbey. Yes you read that correctly. The Anglicans kindly let us use our...sorry...their Church for Mass at the Shrine of St. Edward the Confessor. Novus Ordo, versus Dominum in front of a gorgeous painting of Our Lady. Most people received kneeling and on the tongue. It was beautifully celebrated.
We had a quick walk around after Mass. Two Franciscan sisters of the Renewal were standing on the grave of Oliver Cromwell. I pointed it out and said "Sisters, I wonder what he would think of all this Catholicism". They both responded in their American accents "Ahh he's cool with it now". True.
After that we prayed at the Shrine of St. Edward the Confessor. The power and grace that emanates from it is amazing.
Sunday I attended the Extraordinary Form Mass. It brought me back to the question that an elderly non Catholic gentleman asked us at the LMS stall the day before: Why do you like the Old Mass?
We all answered more or less the same: The Silence and the Mystery. We can enter into the mystery of the Incarnation more deeply in silence. We don't need to perform. We need to just be present before God's Holy Fire. We are there with our joys and sorrows, our fears and hopes in the silence. In that silence we bathe in God's grace. That's why we don't just like but LOVE the Old Mass!
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