St. Joseph-The First Priest

There is a scene in the movie The Nativity Story, with Keisha Castle-Hughes and Oscar Isaac, where, immediately following the birth of Christ, a joyous St. Joseph holds the infant within his hands, raising him high in the air. 

In watching this, it occurred to me that St. Joseph was the first priest.  I was struck by the similarities between St. Joseph in the manger and the priest at the altar, both holding the living Christ within their hands, faces joyfully exultant at the wonder of His beauty and the awesome privilege of holding our very Savior in the air.  Without speaking a word, St. Joseph seems to say "Behold!  Here is the Lamb!" These are the very words that the priest voices out loud at each and every Mass.  St. Joseph was the first man to have the honor of holding Jesus close, to love and nurture Jesus within his own heart as the Catholic priest is called to do. St. Joseph shared Jesus with the shepherds and kings in the manger as the Catholic priest shares Him with the poor and the rich at Mass.  How blessed we are by the holy, obedient, faith-filled, loving example of St. Joseph!

St. Joseph, the first priest, pray for us!

Prayer to St. Joseph over 1900 years old -from Pieta prayer book

O St. Joseph whose protection is so great, so strong, so prompt before the throne of God, I place in you all my interests and desires.  O St. Joseph, do assist me by your powerful intercession and obtain for me from your Divine Son all spiritual blessings through Jesus Christ, Our Lord; so that having engaged here below your Heavenly power I may offer my thanksgiving and homage to the loving of Fathers.  O St. Joseph, I never weary contemplating you and Jesus asleep in your arms.  I dare not approach while He reposes near your heart.  Press Him in my name and kiss His fine head for me, and ask Him to return the kiss when I draw My dying breath.  St. Joseph, patron of departing souls, pray for us.  Amen.

Three Reasons I Love Catholicism Vol. 2

I think if I were ever to decide that I had enough of blogging and would be tempted to hang it up, I would still hold on to this sweet little meme.  Thinking of the reasons why I love Catholicism brings me so much joy!  Even when I get mad at the Church for her problems, I couldn't imagine being any religion other than Catholic because there is just an endless list of wonderful things about this faith.  So here I am linking up with Micaela at California to Korea  who offers this great meme at the beginning of each month, with a short list of Three Reasons I Love Catholicism...

1)  The Sacred Heart of Jesus

 When anxiety, fear, sorrow, and loneliness infringe upon my peace of mind and soul, I fly to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.  I place everything that bothers me into His pierced side and He burns all my troubles into ash within the fire of His Holy Love.  Then He gently draws me into His Sacred Heart as well and warms my soul with peace.  Nothing can hold me back and I can conquer the challenges of this world knowing that I am always held within the love of His Most Sacred Heart.

2)  The Holy Mass

 I've gotten myself into the habit of attending Mass, not just on Sunday, but nearly every day of the week.  Joining with the community of Catholics at Mass, my prayer is strengthened and my soul is soothed.  Listening to the Word of God and holding on to a small part of it to ponder and pray with throughout the day, watching as a simple piece of bread and cup of wine is converted into the very Body and Blood of my Savior and then receiving Him into my own miserable body in a Kiss of Love, is powerful beyond belief.  I can't imagine life without the Mass, and I'm so grateful to have the opportunity to attend so often.


3)  The Morning Offering

Sometimes it can be difficult to keep the command to "pray without ceasing."  The Morning Offering is such a simple way to pray always even when I am preoccupied with the busy activities of the day.  Starting each morning with a few words of prayer and then calling to mind all of those people and situations that are close to my heart as well as remembering Pope Francis and all of his intentions, I give it all to God and my day is covered in prayer.  Simplicity!!!  I am so grateful to my friend, Fr. Jim Kubicki, SJ and the Apostleship of Prayer for promoting this easy way of life.  Visit this link to learn more.


Visit Micaela's blog for more reasons to love Catholicism and add your own reasons.

The Seven Most Beautiful Churches in Milwaukee

Last week I posted a book review of architect Duncan Stroik's The Church Building as a Sacred Place.  I was greatly impressed by some of the magnificent churches from around the world that were pictured within the book.  Then I stumbled across a blog post by John White at Catholicvote.org on  The 12 Most Beautiful Churches in America  and I was reminded of a dear friend of mine who used to send me pictures of grand churches she ran across in her travels and I would always be so impressed and a little jealous, wondering why it seemed that every city in the world has beautiful churches but my own.  So I wrote to her complaining of the lack of beauty in my own city and she gently reminded me that Milwaukee is filled with glorious Catholic houses of worship.  Of course she's right and to prove it, here is my compilation of The Seven Most Beautiful Churches in Milwaukee:

St. Anthony's on Mitchell Street which is not only a beautiful church but it also wins my vote for the most beautiful Mass.  Every Sunday at 10 AM you will find the pews filled with large families, eight altar servers assisting the priest, a glorious choir, outstanding homilies, incense wafting through the air, everyone receiving communion on the tongue while kneeling at the altar rail, and a closing which includes the sung Salve Regina followed by the prayer to St. Michael the Archangel.  It is perfection!  Check out the panoramic view here for a really great view of the church.

St. Anthony Church from the parish website

St. Anthony exterior photo credit:  Flickr

St. Joseph's Chapel inside the Motherhouse of the School Sisters of St. Francis  This is perhaps the best kept secret in Milwaukee!  The chapel is tucked inside a large brick convent/office building/nursing home.  Take some time to visit the many reliquaries stationed around the chapel.  An even better secret is the fabulously gorgeous adoration chapel in the back of the altar.  If you arrive for adoration at noon, you can observe the revolving door of the tabernacle open to reveal the monstrance for adoration.  Fabulous!  It is my all-time favorite place to adore the Lord.

St. Joseph Chapel photo credit:  Badger Catholic

Old St. Mary in downtown Milwaukee.  This lovely old church is only a few blocks away from the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist.  Fairly large crowds attend the daily 7 AM and 12 noon Masses.  It's one of my favorite places for daily Mass and for praying the Stations of the Cross.

Photo Credit:  Flickr

Old St. Mary Photo Credit:  Wikipedia

The Basilica of St. Josephat  I will never get over the awe I feel when I think about the poor Polish immigrants who sacrificed and saved to build this most holy church.  Praying here always makes me feel small, as if I truly am surrounded by the grandeur of God and all of His heavenly angels and saints.  Maybe that's because of the fabulous dome! The Basilica is managed by the Conventual Franciscans and on Tuesday mornings after the 7 AM Mass they always pray a novena to St. Anthony and everyone is invited to come up and personally venerate his relic.

 

Interior of the Basilica of St. Josephat-image:  Tripadvisor

Photo Credit:  Wikipedia

The Basilica of the National Shrine of Mary Help of Christians at Holy Hill  It's a bit of a drive from my house out to Holy Hill, but it is always worth the drive.  Not only is the church magnificent, but the Carmelites who manage the shrine always give amazing homilies.  The outdoor stations of the cross are a treat to pray on days when the weather is warm.

Photo Credit:  Holy Hill website

Photo credit:  Holy Hill Properties

St. Stanislaus Oratory  (Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest) Sadly, I haven't been to Mass here in over 20 years.  I believe it is the only church in the Milwaukee area where Mass is offered in the Extraordinary form every Sunday.  It's so close to my home that I really don't have an excuse for not attending Mass there more frequently.

Photo credit: Jay Filter Photography

Photo Credit:  Milwaukee Polonia Project

The Church of the Gesu On the Marquette University campus, Gesu is run by the Jesuits.  Daily Mass and confession is offered several times each day in the (not so beautiful)  lower church. Lately the church chimes have been ringing out the Salve Regina every noon which I find to be such a spiritual boost to the busy downtown neighborhood during the midday bustle.

Gesu interior photo credit:  Pixels to Prove It

Gesu Church photo credit:  Wikipedia

Which ones did I miss?  What are your favorite churches in Milwaukee and elsewhere?  The Archdiocese of Milwaukee is offering a free Steeplechase Pilgrimage on February 9th which includes a tour of some of the above churches.  Visit this link for more information.

St. Tarcisius and Involvement of the Laity

Because of conflicting work schedules, my family and I chose to attend a nearby church that offered a late-evening Saturday Mass.  It had been many years since we had been to that parish and we found that a lot had changed over the years.

The Mass was pleasant with an enthusiastic priest and a moderate-sized congregation that prayed wholeheartedly.  At the end of Mass, the cantor got up to make an announcement.  Apparently the parish is suffering from lack of involvement by the laity.  "Who will assist the priest at Mass?"  he asked, and it was then that I realized that it was very unusual that there had not been any acolytes at the altar.  My son Justin, who went to that church the previous week, mentioned that there had not been any lector at the Mass he attended, and he said that the priest proclaimed all of the readings.

Then the cantor went on to share a beautiful story....

"When I was a boy, my favorite saint was St. Tarcisius.  During the early days of Christianity, when Mass was held in the catacombs, there was a group of Christians being held in prison.  They longed to receive spiritual nourishment from the Holy Eucharist but there was no one who could take it to them.  If the bishop or the priests were to go, they would surely be murdered.  Although Tarcisius was only a young boy, he begged to be allowed to help with this important mission.  After some hesitation, the bishop agreed to let Tarcisius carry Jesus to the prisoners.

The hosts were carefully wrapped in cloth and placed in a container which Tarcisius carefully held close to his breast as he began his treacherous journey.  As he was nearing the prison with the Blessed Sacrament clutched close, he passed some school mates who were playing a game.  They invited Tarcisius to join them, but he refused.  One of them noticed that he was carrying something and they began to taunt him about what it might be that he was protecting so carefully.  The boys then realized that Tarcisius was a Christian and that he was carrying a Christian "mystery".  They tried to pry the Blessed Sacrament from him but Tarcisius would not let go.  So the boys beat him until he was near death.  Along came a Roman soldier who pulled Tarcisius away from the boys and took him away to a quiet place.  It was there that Tarcisius discovered that the Roman soldier was really a Christian as well.  Tarcisius handed his Treasure to the soldier and asked him to carry it to the prison for him.  Then he died in the soldiers arms."

The cantor went on to say, "I always wanted to be like St. Tarcisius and have the honor of delivering Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament to others.  So when the changes in Vatican II came about, allowing the laity to serve as extraordinary ministers of the Eucharist, I was the first in line to offer my help.  But today, the laity aren't taking the precious opportunity to help the priest at the altar seriously.  Too many are just content to sit in the pew without taking an active part in the Mass.  We need you for this important work.  Father needs you!  He needs you to help as lectors, cantors, acolytes and extraordinary ministers of the Eucharist.  Who will assist the priest at the altar?"

Even though we aren't members at that parish, my family and I all felt moved by the story of St. Tarcisius and the need for the laity to be more involved in the liturgy.  We are prayfully considering how God may be calling us to serve Him at Mass. How might you take a more active role in the life of your parish by assisting the priest at Mass?

Like the Dewfall

“Make holy, therefore, these gifts, we pray, by sending down your Spirit upon them like the dewfall, so that they may become for us the Body and Blood of our Lord, Jesus Christ.“
~ Epiclesis of the Mass from Roman Missal revised translation

"Awake and sing, you who lie in the dust.
For your dew is a dew of light,and the land of shades gives birth."  ~Isaiah 26:16-19

What could possibly be more mysterious than dewfall?  I go to bed at night, the sky is clear, the stars are shining and there is no rain in the forecast.  When I arise in the morning, every single blade of grass, every flower, every weed, is damp, nourished and enriched through the mysterious and unseen work of God who blesses all growing things with moisture through the loving work of His hands.

Follow me to Suscipio to read more....

Mass for the People by Caryll Houselander

It's such a blessing to have a friend who knows you well, who perceives what will move you and who shares things with you understanding that it will touch your heart. I have a friend like that in Fr. Jim Kubicki, SJ, who, while on retreat, came across a story by one of my all-time favorite authors and the subject of many of my past blog posts, Caryll Houselander, and he promptly sent the story on to me for my enjoyment. Not only was it a moving story written by her creative hand, but the subject matter was also near and dear to my heart; it's the story of a priest offering Mass. I tried to find the source of this story online but had no luck, so I will share some of my favorite passages here and I pray that the words will touch your heart as deeply as they touched mine.

(Fr. Jim is currently in Rome and will be sharing parts of his Roman adventure on his blog "Offer it Up." Please pay him a visit to follow along with his experiences!)


excerpts from Mass for the People by Caryll Houselander:

"The priest was on the side of life, he had no other work, no other raison d'etre but to give life, and the life he gave could not be killed. He was not outside of the world's love because he was a priest and alone, he was the heart of the world's love, its core, because the Life of the World is born every day in His hands at Mass.

Father O'Grady made the Sign of the Cross. "In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. Amen," and bowed down under the burden of the sins of the whole world. His own sins were a heavy enough load, and now he bowed under the weight of all sin. But when he straightened himself up from the Confiteor, the burden of the whole world's sin, and his own with it, had fallen from his back, and his shoulders were strong. For it was Christ who rose up and went up to the altar-Christ who had seen evil naked, face to face, Christ who had been brought down to the ground, under the world's sin to sweat blood into the dust, and Christ who had overcome the world.

He lifted the unconsecrated Host, light as a petal on its thin golden paten, and with it lifted the simple bread of humanity, threshed and sifted by poverty and suffering. He offered the broken fragments of their love, made into one loaf.

He lifted the wine and water mixed in the Chalice, and with it offered the blood and the tears of his people to God.

And God accepted the offering, the fragments of love were gathered up into the wholeness of Love and nothing was wasted.

Slowly, exactly, Father O'Grady repeated the words of Consecration, his hands moved in Christ's hands, his voice spoke in Christ's voice, his words were Christ's words, his heart beat in Christ's heart.

Fr. O'Grady lifted up the consecrated Host in his short, chapped hands, the server rang a little bell, the sailor, the handful of old women and the very old man bowed down whispering "My Lord and my God" and the breath of their adoration was warm on their cold fingers.

Father O'Grady was lifting up God.

A cry arose from all over the world, "Come down from the Cross if you are the Son of God!" "Save yourself and us too if you are the Christ."

But Christ remained on the Cross. His fingers closed on the nails. The Crown of Thorns was in flower, the five ribs like the five fingers of the world's pain gripped His heart, and His heart broke open and the river of the world's life flowed out of it. A crimson flood sweeping His heart and brain and flowing into the tips of His fingers, swept through His Mystical Body. Through the eternal heart of Rome, through the lonely mind of her august Shepherd, out into the least and lowliest of men, and the last little infant howling at the touch of the waters of Baptism, the blood of the world's life flowed into the finger tips, which stretched out on the Cross, measuring the reach and stretch and extremity and ultimate possibility of love.

The world strained at the nails, wrenched and dragged, the Cross was shaken in the earth, bent like a tree in the storm, dragged earthward by the weight of man's body, but it was rooted in rock, and the Cross was built to the shape of man, not man to the shape of the Cross. The world's suffering was built and fitted to the size of each man, and the Cross stood.

"Come down, come down, come down!"

But Christ would not come down from the Cross.

The little server rang his silver bell.
The people bowed down low.
Time stopped.
Fr. O'Grady was lifting up God in his large, chapped hands.
Christ remained on the Cross.
The blood and sweat and tears of the world were on His face. he smiled, the smile of infinite peace, the ineffable bliss of consummated love."