#we beg for inclusion to this sacred ritual

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THE ROMAN RITUAL - PART 2

PART XI. BLESSINGS AND OTHER SACRAMENTALS

CHAPTER I: GENERAL RULES CONCERNING BLESSINGS

1. Any priest may confer the blessings of the Church, except those reserved to the Pope, to bishops, or to others.

A reserved blessing which is conferred by a priest who does not have the required delegation is valid, but illicit, unless the Holy See has declared otherwise in the reservation.

Deacons and lectors can give validly and licitly only those blessings expressly allowed by law.

2. Both constitutive and invocative blessings are invalid if the forms prescribed by the Church are not observed.

3. Blessings are designed primarily for Catholics, but may likewise be given to catechumens. Moreover, unless the Church expressly forbids, they may be imparted to non-Catholics to assist them in obtaining the light of faith, or together with it, bodily health.

4. Objects which have received the constitutive blessing should be treated reverently, and should never be put to profane or improper use, even though they may be personal possessions.

5. Blessings of the sacred appurtenances which, according to liturgical law, should be blessed before they are used, may be conferred by:

(a) cardinals and all bishops;

(b) an ordinary who is not a bishop, in the churches and oratories of his own province;

(c) a pastor in the churches and oratories located within the confines of his parish, and rectors of churches in their own churches;

(d) priests delegated thereto by the Ordinary of the place, subject to the extent of the delegation and the power of the one delegating;

(e) religious superiors and their priest subjects whom they delegate, in their own churches and oratories and in churches of nuns who are under their spiritual care.

N.B. Rule No. 5 with its five parts is now obsolete in view of the new "Instruction" of September 26, 1964.

6. In every blessing outside of Mass the priest should be vested in surplice and stole of the color proper to the day, unless the rubrics prescribe otherwise.

7. The one who blesses should stand with head uncovered; and at the beginning of each blessing, unless otherwise stated, he says:

V. Our help is in the name of the Lord. R. Who made heaven and earth. V. The Lord be with you. R. May He also be with you.

He then says the proper prayer or as many as are given.

Lastly he sprinkles the object with holy water, and if called for, incenses it, without saying anything.

8. When a priest blesses he should be assisted by a server who holds the holy water and aspersory, and he should follow the Ritual or the Missal.

9. Care should be taken that during a blessing nothing indecorous is placed upon the altar, e.g., eatables. But things of this nature should be placed upon a table conveniently arranged.

CHAPTER II: BLESSINGS FOR SPECIAL DAYS AND FEASTS OF THE CHURCH YEAR

1. RITE FOR PROVIDING HOLY WATER

Some minor changes have been made in this rite, such as the omission of certain words, putting salt into the water only once, and the use of the short conclusion for the orations (see "Ephemerides Liturgicae" 75 [1961] 426). The holy-water font is a counterpart of the baptismal font; and the sacramental use of holy water is related to the great sacrament of water, baptism. Easter is the day par excellence for baptism, and every Sunday is a little Easter. Consequently, on the Lord's day the Church blesses water to be used in the ceremony of renewal of baptism, for as often as she sprinkles us with the blessed water a sign is given us of that sacrament which once bestowed the gift of life. The rubrics direct that the water may be blessed either in the church proper or in the sacristy. For the edification of the people it might be well to perform this blessing in the sight of the people, at least occasionally. The practice of putting salt into the water comes no doubt from the incident of the miraculous cure of the poisonous well (see 4 Kings 2.19-21), where the prophet Eliseus used salt to purify the water of the well.

1. On Sundays, or whenever this blessing takes place, salt and fresh water are prepared in the church or in the sacristy. The priest, vested in surplice and purple stole, says:

P: Our help is in the name of the Lord. All: Who made heaven and earth.

2. The exorcism of salt follows: God's creature, salt, I cast out the demon from you by the living + God, by the true + God, by the holy + God, by God who ordered you to be thrown into the water-spring by Eliseus to heal it of its barrenness. May you be a purified salt, a means of health for those who believe, a medicine for body and soul for all who make use of you. May all evil fancies of the foul fiend, his malice and cunning, be driven afar from the place where you are sprinkled. And let every unclean spirit be repulsed by Him who is coming to judge both the living and the dead and the world by fire.

All: Amen.

Let us pray. Almighty everlasting God, we humbly appeal to your mercy and goodness to graciously bless + this creature, salt, which you have given for mankind's use. May all who use it find in it a remedy for body and mind. And may everything that it touches or sprinkles be freed from uncleanness and any influence of the evil spirit; through Christ our Lord.

All: Amen.

Exorcism of the water:

God's creature, water, I cast out the demon from you in the name of God + the Father almighty, in the name of Jesus + Christ, His Son, our Lord, and in the power of the Holy + Spirit. May you be a purified water, empowered to drive afar all power of the enemy, in fact, to root out and banish the enemy himself, along with his fallen angels. We ask this through the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is coming to judge both the living and the dead and the world by fire.

All: Amen.

Let us pray.

O God, who for man's welfare established the most wonderful mysteries in the substance of water, hearken to our prayer, and pour forth your blessing + on this element now being prepared with various purifying rites. May this creature of yours, when used in your mysteries and endowed with your grace, serve to cast out demons and to banish disease. May everything that this water sprinkles in the homes and gatherings of the faithful be delivered from all that is unclean and hurtful; let no breath of contagion hover there, no taint of corruption; let all the wiles of the lurking enemy come to nothing. By the sprinkling of this water may everything opposed to the safety and peace of the occupants of these homes be banished, so that in calling on your holy name they may know the well-being they desire, and be protected from every peril; through Christ our Lord.

All: Amen.

3. Now the priest pours the salt into the water in the form of a cross, saying:

May this salt and water be mixed together; in the name of the Father, and of the Son, + and of the Holy Spirit.

All: Amen.

P: The Lord be with you.

All: May He also be with you.

Let us pray.

God, source of irresistible might and king of an invincible realm, the ever-glorious conqueror; who restrain the force of the adversary, silencing the uproar of his rage, and valiantly subduing his wickedness; in awe and humility we beg you, Lord, to regard with favor this creature thing of salt and water, to let the light of your kindness shine upon it, and to hallow it with the dew of your mercy; so that wherever it is sprinkled and your holy name is invoked, every assault of the unclean spirit may be baffled, and all dread of the serpent's venom be cast out. To us who entreat your mercy grant that the Holy Spirit may be with us wherever we may be; through Christ our Lord.

All: Amen.

4. On Sundays after the water is blessed and before Mass begins the celebrant sprinkles the altar, himself, the ministers, and the people as prescribed in the Missal and in the ceremony of the Ritual given below.

5. Christ's faithful are permitted to take holy water home with them to sprinkle the sick, their homes, fields, vineyards, and the like. It is recommended too that they put it in fonts in the various rooms, so that they may use it to bless themselves daily and frequently.

2. THE SUNDAY BLESSING WITH HOLY WATER

There has been a slight change made in this ceremony -- the priest no longer says the Miserere while he sprinkles the people (see "Ephemerides Liturgicae" 75 [1961] 426), and the wording of the rubric for Passiontime and Eastertime also has been altered. The significance of this blessing is touched on in the commentary given above, and the frequent omission of this blessing is noted with regret. Some say that it interferes with the introit procession, but some solution could be found.

The priest who is to offer the Mass, vested in cope of the proper color, comes to the altar, and as he kneels on the step with the ministrants (also in Eastertime) he receives the aspersory from the deacon. First he sprinkles the altar three times (simultaneously intoning the antiphon), then himself, and then he stands and sprinkles the ministrants. The choir takes up the singing of the antiphon, during which time the celebrant sprinkles the clergy and the people. The proper antiphons are given below (for the music for these see the music supplement).

Antiphon outside Eastertime

Purify me with hyssop, * Lord, and I shall be clean of sin. Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Ps. 50.1. Have mercy on me, God, * in your great kindness. V. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. * As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. Purify me with hyssop, Lord, and I shall be clean of sin. Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

The antiphon is sung thus at the sprinkling with holy water on all Sundays outside Eastertime; but the doxology is not said during Passiontime, and the antiphon is repeated right after the psalm verse.

During Eastertime, from Easter Sunday until Pentecost inclusive the following antiphon is sung:

Antiphon during Eastertime

I saw water * flowing out from beneath the threshold of the temple, alleluia; and all to whom this water came were saved, and they shall say, alleluia, alleluia. Ps. 117. Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, * for His mercy endures forever.

V. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. * As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

I saw water flowing out from beneath the threshold of the temple, alleluia; and all to whom this water came were saved, and they shall say, alleluia, alleluia.

The first antiphon given above is resumed on Trinity Sunday.

On Easter Sunday, in churches where there is a baptismal font, the water used for the sprinkling is that which has been blessed during the Easter Vigil, that which was taken from the font before the holy oils were poured in.

After the singing of the antiphon the priest, who by this time has returned to the altar, stands at the foot of the altar, and with hands folded chants the following:

P: Lord, show us your mercy (alleluia).

All: And grant us your salvation (alleluia).

P: Lord, heed my prayer.

All: And let my cry be heard by you.

P: The Lord be with you.

All: May He also be with you.

Let us pray.

Hear us, holy Lord and Father, almighty everlasting God, and in your goodness send your holy angel from heaven to watch over and protect all who are assembled in this dwelling, to be with them and give them comfort and encouragement; through Christ our Lord.

All: Amen.

3. BLESSING OF WINE

on the Feast of St. John, Apostle and Evangelist

At the end of the principal Mass on the feast of St. John, Apostle and Evangelist, after the last Gospel, the priest, retaining all vestments except the maniple, blesses wine brought by the people. This is done in memory and in honor of St. John, who drank without any ill effects the poisoned wine offered to him by his enemies.

P: Our help is in the name of the Lord. All: Who made heaven and earth. P: The Lord be with you. All: May He also be with you.

Let us pray.

If it please you, Lord God, bless + and consecrate + this vessel of wine (or any other beverage) by the power of your right hand; and grant that, through the merits of St. John, apostle and evangelist, all your faithful who drink of it may find it a help and a protection. As the blessed John drank the poisoned potion without any ill effects, so may all who today drink the blessed wine in his honor be delivered from poisoning and similar harmful things. And as they offer themselves body and soul to you, may they obtain pardon of all their sins; through Christ our Lord.

All: Amen.

Lord, bless + this creature drink, so that it may be a health-giving medicine to all who use it; and grant by your grace that all who taste of it may enjoy bodily and spiritual health in calling on your holy name; through Christ our Lord.

All: Amen.

May the blessing of almighty God, Father, Son, + and Holy Spirit, come on this wine (or any other beverage) and remain always.

All: Amen.

It is sprinkled with holy water. If the blessing is given privately outside of Mass, the priest is vested in surplice and stole and performs the ceremony as given above.

4. ANOTHER FORM FOR BLESSING WINE

on the Feast of St. John, Apostle and Evangelist

At the end of Mass, after the last Gospel, the following is said:

Psalm 22

(for this psalm see Rite for Baptism of Children)

After the psalm:

Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.

Our Father (the rest inaudibly until:) [Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come; thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us;]

P: And lead us not into temptation.

All: But deliver us from evil.

P: Save your servants.

All: Who trust in you, my God.

P: Lord, send them aid from your holy place.

All: And watch over them from Sion.

P: Let the enemy have no power over them.

All: And the son of iniquity be powerless to harm them.

P: Then if they drink anything deadly.

All: It will not harm them.

P: Lord, heed my prayer.

All: And let my cry be heard by you.

P: The Lord be with you.

All: May He also be with you.

Let us pray. Holy Lord, almighty Father, everlasting God, who willed that your Son, co-eternal and consubstantial with you, come down from heaven and in the fulness of time be made flesh for a time of the blessed Virgin Mary, in order to seek the lost and wayward sheep and carry it on His shoulders to the sheepfold, and to heal the man fallen among robbers of his wounds by pouring in oil and wine; may you bless + and sanctify + this wine which you have vintaged for man's drink. Let all who taste or drink of it on this holy feast day have health of body and soul; by your grace let it be a solace to the man who is on a journey and bring him safely to his destination; through Christ our Lord.

All: Amen.

Let us pray.

Lord Jesus Christ, who spoke of yourself as the true vine and the apostles as the branches, and who willed to plant a chosen vineyard of all who love you, bless + this wine and empower it with your blessing; so that all who taste or drink of it may, through the intercession of your beloved disciple John, apostle and evangelist, be spared every deadly and poisonous affliction and enjoy bodily and spiritual well-being. We ask this of you who live and reign forever and ever.

All: Amen.

Let us pray.

God, who in creating the world brought forth for mankind bread as food and wine as drink, bread to nourish the body and wine to cheer the heart; who conferred on blessed John, your beloved disciple, such great favor that not only did he himself escape the poisoned potion, but could restore life by your power to others who were dead from poison; grant to all who drink this wine spiritual gladness and everlasting life; through Christ our Lord.

All: Amen.

It is sprinkled with holy water.

5. BLESSING OF EPIPHANY WATER

on the Eve of Epiphany

(Approved by the Congregation of Sacred Rites, Dec. 6, 1890)

{This blessing comes from the Orient, where the Church has long emphasized in her celebration of Epiphany the mystery of our Lord's baptism, and by analogy our baptism. This aspect is not neglected in western Christendom, although in practice we have concentrated on the visit of the Magi. Many years before the Latin Rite officially adopted the blessing of Epiphany water, diocesan rituals, notably in lower Italy, had contained such a blessing.}

1. At the appointed time the celebrant, vested in white cope (if a bishop, the mitre is worn but removed during the prayers), and the deacon and subdeacon, vested in white dalmatic and tunic respectively, come before the altar. They are preceded by acolytes, who carry the processional cross and lighted candles (which are put in their proper place), and by the other clergy. A vessel of water and a container of salt are in readiness in the sanctuary.

First the Litany of the Saints is sung, during which time all kneel. After the invocation "That you grant eternal rest," etc. the celebrant rises and sings the following two invocations, the second in a higher key:

That you bless + this water. R. We beg you to hear us. That you bless + and sanctify + this water R. We beg you to hear us.

Then the chanters continue the litany up to and including the last Lord, have mercy.

After this the celebrant chants Our Father the rest inaudibly until:

P: And lead us not into temptation.

All: But deliver us from evil.

2. Then the following psalms are sung:

Psalm 28

(for this psalm see Rite for Baptism of Adults)

Psalm 45

P: God is our refuge and our strength, * an ever-present help in distress.

All: Therefore we fear not, though the earth be shaken and mountains plunge into the depths of the sea;

P: Though its waters rage and foam * and the mountains quake at its surging.

All: The Lord of hosts is with us; * our stronghold is the God of Jacob.

P: There is a stream whose runlets gladden the city of God, * the holy dwelling of the Most High.

All: God is in its midst; it shall not be disturbed; * God will help it at the break of dawn.

P: Though nations are in turmoil, kingdoms totter, * His voice resounds, the earth melts away;

All: The Lord of hosts is with us; * our stronghold is the God of Jacob.

P: Come, see the deeds of the Lord, * the astounding things He has wrought on earth.

All: He has stopped wars to the end of the earth; * the bow he breaks; He splinters the spears; He burns the shields with fire.

P: Desist, and confess that I am God, * exalted among the nations, exalted upon the earth.

All: The Lord of hosts is with us; * our stronghold is the God of Jacob.

P: Glory be to the Father.

All: As it was in the beginning.

Psalm 146

P: Praise the Lord, for He is good; * sing praise to our God, for He is gracious; it is fitting to praise Him.

All: The Lord rebuilds Jerusalem; * the dispersed of Israel He gathers.

P: He heals the brokenhearted * and binds up their wounds.

All: He tells the number of the stars; * He calls each by name.

P: Great is our Lord and mighty in power; * to His wisdom there is no limit.

All: The Lord sustains the lowly; * the wicked He casts to the ground.

P: Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving; * sing praise with the harp to our God.

All: Who covers the heavens with clouds, * who provides rain for the earth;

P: Who makes grass sprout on the mountains * and herbs for the service of men;

All: Who gives food to the cattle, * and to the young ravens when they cry to Him.

P: He delights not in the strength of the steed, * nor is He pleased with the fleetness of men.

All: The Lord is pleased with those who fear Him, * with those who hope for His kindness.

P: Glory be to the Father.

All: As it was in the beginning.

The celebrant then chants:

Exorcism against Satan and the apostate angels

In the name of our Lord Jesus + Christ and by His power, we cast you out, every unclean spirit, every devilish power, every assault of the infernal adversary, every legion, every diabolical group and sect; begone and stay far from the Church of God, from all who are made in the image of God and redeemed by the precious blood of the divine + Lamb. Never again dare, you cunning serpent, to deceive the human race, to persecute the Church of God, nor to strike the chosen of God and to sift them as + wheat. For it is the Most High God who commands you, + He to whom you heretofore in your great pride considered yourself equal; He who desires that all men might be saved and come to the knowledge of truth. God the Father + commands you. God the Son + commands you. God the Holy + Spirit commands you. The majesty of Christ, the eternal Word of God made flesh + commands you; He who for the salvation of our race, the race that was lost through your envy, humbled Himself and became obedient even unto death; He who built His Church upon a solid rock, and proclaimed that the gates of hell should never prevail against her, and that He would remain with her all days, even to the end of the world. The sacred mystery of the cross + commands you, as well as the power of all the mysteries of Christian faith. The exalted Virgin Mary, Mother of God + commands you, who in her lowliness crushed your proud head from the first moment of her Immaculate Conception. The faith of the holy apostles Peter and Paul and the other apostles + commands you. The blood of the martyrs and the devout intercession of all holy men and women commands you.

Therefore, accursed dragon and every diabolical legion, we adjure you by the living + God, by the true + God, by the holy + God, by the God who so loved the world that He gave His only-begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but shall have life everlasting; cease your deception of the human race and your giving them to drink of the poison of everlasting damnation; desist from harming the Church and fettering her freedom. Begone Satan, you father and teacher of lies and enemy of mankind. Give place to Christ in whom you found none of your works; give place to the one, holy, Catholic, and apostolic Church, which Christ Himself purchased with His blood. May you be brought low under God's mighty hand. May you tremble and flee as we call upon the holy and awesome name of Jesus, before whom hell quakes, and to whom the virtues, powers, and dominations are subject; whom the cherubim and seraphim praise with unwearied voices, saying: Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of hosts!

Next the choir sings the following antiphon and canticle:

Antiphon

Today the Church is espoused to her heavenly bridegroom, for Christ washes her sins in the Jordan; the Magi hasten with gifts to the regal nuptials; and the guests are gladdened with water made wine, alleluia.

Canticle of Zachary

Luke 1.68-79

P: "Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel! * He has visited His people and brought about its redemption.

All: He has raised for us a stronghold of salvation * in the house of David His servant,

P: And redeemed the promise He had made * through the mouth of His holy prophets of old --

All: To grant salvation from our foes * and from the hand of all that hate us;

P: To deal in mercy with our fathers * and be mindful of His holy covenant,

All: Of the oath he had sworn to our father Abraham, * that He would enable us --

P: Rescued from the clutches of our foes --* to worship Him without fear,

All: In holiness and observance of the Law, * in His presence, all our days.

P: And you, my little one, will be hailed 'Prophet of the Most High'; * for the Lord's precursor you will be to prepare His ways;

All: You are to impart to His people knowledge of salvation * through forgiveness of their sins.

P: Thanks be to the merciful heart of our God! * a dawning Light from on high will visit us

All: To shine upon those who sit in darkness and in the shadowland of death, * and guide our feet into the path of peace."

P: Glory be to the Father.

All: As it was in the beginning.

Or instead of the "Benedictus" the "Magnificat" may be chosen (for the Magnificat see Blessing of Homes). At the end of the canticle the antiphon given above is repeated. Then the celebrant sings:

P: The Lord be with you.

All: May He also be with you.

Let us pray.

God, who on this day revealed your only-begotten Son to all nations by the guidance of a star, grant that we who now know you by faith may finally behold you in your heavenly majesty; through Christ our Lord.

All: Amen.

Next he blesses the water:

P: Our help is in the name of the Lord.

All: Who made heaven and earth.

From here on the exorcism of salt and the prayer that follows it, the exorcism of water and the two prayers that follow it, the mixing of the salt and water and then the concluding prayer -- all of these are the same as the ones used on pp. 395-97.

At the end of the blessing the priest sprinkles the people with the blessed water.

Lastly the "Te Deum" is sung (for the "Te Deum" and its oration see Renewal of the Marriage Vows).

6. BLESSING OF GOLD, INCENSE, MYRRH

on Epiphany

P: Our help is in the name of the Lord.

All: Who made heaven and earth.

P: The Lord be with you.

All: May He also be with you.

Let us pray.

Accept, holy Father, from me, your unworthy servant, these gifts which I humbly offer to the honor of your holy name and in recognition of your peerless majesty, as you once accepted the sacrifice of the just Abel and the same kind of gifts from the three Magi.

God's creatures, gold, incense, and myrrh, I cast out the demon from you by the Father + almighty, by Jesus + Christ, His only-begotten Son, and by the Holy + Spirit, the Advocate, so that you may be freed from all deceit, evil, and cunning of the devil, and become a saving remedy to mankind against the snares of the enemy. May those who use you, with confidence in the divine power, in their lodgings, homes, or on their persons, be delivered from all perils to body and soul, and enjoy all good things. We ask this through the power and merits of our Lord and Savior, the intercession of the blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, and of all the saints, in particular the godly men who on this day venerated Christ the Lord with the very same gifts.

All: Amen.

God, the invisible and endless One, in the holy and awesome name of your Son, be pleased to endow with your blessing + and power these creatures of gold, incense, and myrrh. Protect those who will have them in their possession from every kind of illness, injury, and danger, anything that would interfere with the well-being of body and soul, and so be enabled to serve you joyously and confidently in your Church; you who live and reign in perfect Trinity, God, forever and ever.

All: Amen.

And may the blessing of almighty God, Father, + Son, and Holy + Spirit, come upon these creatures of gold, incense, and myrrh, and remain always.

All: Amen.

They are sprinkled with holy water.

7. BLESSING OF CHALK

on Epiphany

P: Our help is in the name of the Lord.

All: Who made heaven and earth.

P: The Lord be with you.

All: May He also be with you.

Bless, + O Lord God, this creature, chalk, and let it be a help to mankind. Grant that those who will use it with faith in your most holy name, and with it inscribe on the doors of their homes the names of your saints, Casper, Melchior, and Baltassar, may through their merits and intercession enjoy health in body and protection of soul; through Christ our Lord.

All: Amen.

It is sprinkled with holy water.

8. BLESSING OF HOMES

on Epiphany

As the priest comes into the home he says:

P: God's peace be in this home.

All: And in all who live here.

P. Ant.: Magi from the East came to Bethlehem to adore the Lord; and opening their treasure chests they presented Him with precious gifts: gold for the great King, incense for the true God, and myrrh in symbol of His burial. Alleluia.

Canticle of the Magnificat

Luke 1.46-55

P: "My soul * extols the Lord;

All: And my spirit leaps for joy in God my Savior.

P: How graciously He looked upon His lowly maid! * Oh, see, from this hour onward age after age will call me blessed!

All: How sublime is what He has done for me, * the Mighty One, whose name is 'Holy'!

P: From age to age He visits those * who worship Him in reverence.

All: His arm achieves the mastery: * He routs the haughty and proud of heart.

P: He puts down princes from their thrones, * and exalts the lowly;

All: He fills the hungry with blessings, * and sends away the rich with empty hands.

P: He has taken by the hand His servant Israel, * and mercifully kept His faith,

All: As He had promised our fathers * with Abraham and his posterity forever and evermore."

P: Glory be to the Father.

All: As it was in the beginning.

Meanwhile the home is sprinkled with holy water and incensed. At the end of the Magnificat the antiphon is repeated. Then the priest says Our Father (the rest inaudibly until:)

P: And lead us not into temptation.

All: But deliver us from evil.

P: Many shall come from Saba.

All: Bearing gold and incense.

P: Lord, heed my prayer.

All: And let my cry be heard by you.

P: The Lord be with you.

All: May he also be with you.

Let us pray.

God, who on this day revealed your only-begotten Son to all nations by the guidance of a star, grant that we who now know you by faith may finally behold you in your heavenly majesty; through Christ our Lord.

All: Amen.

Responsory: Be enlightened and shine forth, O Jerusalem, for your light is come; and upon you is risen the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ born of the Virgin Mary.

P: Nations shall walk in your light, and kings in the splendor of - your birth.

All: And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you.

Let us pray.

Lord God almighty, bless + this home, and under its shelter let there be health, chastity, self-conquest, humility, goodness, mildness, obedience to your commandments, and thanksgiving to God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. May your blessing remain always in this home and on those who live here; through Christ our Lord.

All: Amen.

9. BLESSING OF CANDLES

on the Feast of St. Blaise, Bishop and Martyr

P: Our help is in the name of the Lord.

All: Who made heaven and earth.

P: The Lord be with you.

All: May He also be with you.

Let us pray.

God, almighty and all-mild, by your Word alone you created the manifold things in the world, and willed that that same Word by whom all things were made take flesh in order to redeem mankind; you are great and immeasurable, awesome and praiseworthy, a worker of marvels. Hence in professing his faith in you the glorious martyr and bishop, Blaise, did not fear any manner of torment but gladly accepted the palm of martyrdom. In virtue of which you bestowed on him, among other gifts, the power to heal all ailments of the throat. And now we implore your majesty that, overlooking our guilt and considering only his merits and intercession, it may please you to bless + and sanctify + and impart your grace to these candles. Let all men of faith whose necks are touched with them be healed of every malady of the throat, and being restored in health and good spirits let them return thanks to you in your holy Church, and praise your glorious name which is blessed forever; through Christ our Lord.

All: Amen.

They are sprinkled with holy water.

10. BLESSING OF THROATS

on the Feast of St. Blaise

{This is one of the most popular blessings. St. Blaise was bishop of Sebaste in Cappadocia, and was martyred by beheading about A.D. 316. Not much more can be affirmed of him with any degree of historical accuracy, but legends about him are numerous. One day -- so goes the legend--Blaise met a poor woman whose only pig had been snatched up in the fangs of a wolf but at the command of the bishop the wolf restored the pig alive to its owner. The woman did not forget the favor, for later, when the bishop was languishing in prison, she brought him tapers to dispel the darkness and gloom. To this story may be attributed the practice of using lighted candles in bestowing the blessing of St. Blaise. While in prison he performed a wonderful cure on a boy who had a fishbone lodged in his throat and who was in danger of choking to death. From this account we have the longtime custom of invoking the Saint for all kinds of throat trouble.}

After blessing the candles on the feast of St. Blaise, the priest holds two candles fastened like a cross to the throat of the person kneeling before him, and says:

By the intercession of St. Blaise, bishop and martyr, may God deliver you from every malady of the throat, and from every possible mishap; in the name of the Father, and of the Son, + and of the Holy Spirit.

R. Amen.

11. BLESSING OF BREAD, WINE, WATER, FRUIT

For the Relief of Throat Ailments

on the Feast of St. Blaise

(Approved by the Congregation of Sacred Rites on Sept. 25, 1883)

P: Our help is in the name of the Lord.

All: Who made heaven and earth.

P: The Lord be with you.

All: May He also be with you.

Let us pray.

God, Savior of the world, who consecrated this day by the martyrdom of blessed Blaise, granting him among other gifts the power of healing all who are afflicted with ailments of the throat; we humbly appeal to your boundless mercy, begging that these fruits, bread, wine, and water brought by your devoted people be blessed + and sanctified + by your goodness. May those who eat and drink these gifts be fully healed of all ailments of the throat and of all maladies of body and soul, through the prayers and merits of St. Blaise, bishop and martyr. We ask this of you who live and reign, God, forever and ever.

All: Amen.

They are sprinkled with holy water.

12. IMPOSING BLESSED ASHES

on Ash Wednesday

The priest says, as he sprinkles the blessed ashes on the head of the person:

Gen. 3.19: Remember, man, that you are dust, and into dust you will return.

13. BLESSING OF HOMES

on Holy Saturday and during Eastertime[1]

1. The parish priest (or a priest who has his permission), vested in surplice and white stole, visits the homes of his parishioners on Holy Saturday or another day during Eastertime, in order to bless the homes and their occupants with the Easter water. He should be assisted by a server who carries a vessel containing blessed water taken from the baptismal font before the holy oils were added. As he enters the home he says:

P: God's peace be in this home.

All: And in all who live here.

2. Then he sprinkles the dwelling's main room and the occupants, saying the antiphon:

I saw water flowing out from beneath the threshold of the temple, alleluia; and all to whom this water came were saved, and they shall say, alleluia, alleluia. (Ps. 117.) Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, for His mercy endures forever.

V. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end.

Amen.

I saw water flowing out from beneath the threshold of the temple, alleluia; and all to whom this water came were saved, and they shall say, alleluia, alleluia.

Next he says:

P: Lord, show us your mercy, alleluia.

All: And grant us your salvation, alleluia.

P: Lord, heed my prayer.

All: And let my cry be heard by you.

P: The Lord be with you.

All: May He also be with you.

Let us pray.

Hear us, holy Lord and Father, almighty everlasting God; and as you guarded the homes of the Israelites from the avenging angel on their flight from Egypt, if their homes were signed with the blood of a lamb--therein prefiguring our Easter sacrifice in which Christ is the victim--so likewise in your goodness send your holy angel to watch over and protect all who live in this home, to be with them and give them comfort and encouragement; through Christ our Lord.

All: Amen.

3. The rite described above is used also when the blessing of homes is carried out on another day in Eastertime, in accord with local custom.

14. THE EASTER BLESSINGS OF FOOD

{The Easter blessings of food owe their origin to the fact that these particular foods, namely, fleshmeat and milk products, including eggs, were forbidden in the Middle Ages during the Lenten fast and abstinence. When the feast of Easter brought the rigorous fast to an end, and these foods were again allowed at table, the people showed their joy and gratitude by first taking the food to church for a blessing. Moreover, they hoped that the Church's blessing on such edibles would prove a remedy for whatever harmful effects the body might have suffered from the long period of self-denial. Today the Easter blessings of food are still held in many churches in the U. S., especially in those of the Slavic peoples.}

A. Blessing of Lamb

P: Our help is in the name of the Lord.

All: Who made heaven and earth.

P: The Lord be with you.

All: May He also be with you.

Let us pray.

God, who by your servant Moses commanded your people in their deliverance from Egypt to kill a lamb as a type of our Lord Jesus Christ, and prescribed that its blood be used to sign the two door-posts of their homes; may it please you to bless + and sanctify + this creature-flesh which we, your servants, desire to eat in praise of you. We ask this in virtue of the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you forever and ever.

All: Amen.

It is sprinkled with holy water.

B. Blessing of Eggs

P: Our help is in the name of the Lord.

All: Who made heaven and earth.

P: The Lord be with you.

All: May He also be with you.

Let us pray.

Lord, let the grace of your blessing + come upon these eggs, that they be healthful food for your faithful who eat them in thanksgiving for the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you forever and ever.

All: Amen.

They are sprinkled with holy water.

C. Blessing of Bread

P: Our help is in the name of the Lord.

All: Who made heaven and earth.

P: The Lord be with you.

All: May He also be with you.

Let us pray.

Lord Jesus Christ, bread of angels, true bread of everlasting life, be pleased to bless + this bread, as you once blessed the five loaves in the wilderness, so that all who eat of it may derive health in body and soul. We ask this of you who live and reign forever and ever.

All: Amen.

It is sprinkled with holy water.

D. Another Blessing of Bread

P: Our help is in the name of the Lord.

All: Who made heaven and earth.

P: The Lord be with you.

All: May He also be with you.

Let us pray.

Holy Lord and Father, almighty everlasting God, be pleased to bless + this bread, imparting to it your hallowed favor from on high. May it be for all who eat of it a healthful food for body and soul, as well as a safeguard against every disease and all assaults of the enemy. We ask this of our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, the bread of life who came down from heaven and gives life and salvation to the world; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, forever and ever.

All: Amen.

It is sprinkled with holy water.

E. Blessing of New Produce

P: Our help is in the name of the Lord.

All: Who made heaven and earth.

P: The Lord be with you.

All: May He also be with you.

Let us pray.

Lord, bless + this new produce, N., and grant that those who eat of it in praise of your holy name may be nourished in body and soul; through Christ our Lord.

All: Amen.

15. BLESSING OF CROSSES

which are to be set in vineyards, fields, etc., on or about May 3

(Approved by the Congregation of Sacred Rites, Feb. 10, 1888)

P: Our help is in the name of the Lord.

All: Who made heaven and earth.

P: The Lord be with you.

All: May He also be with you.

Let us pray.

Almighty everlasting God, merciful Father and our unalloyed comfort, in virtue of the bitter suffering that your only-begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, endured for us sinners on the wood of the cross, bless + these crosses which your faithful will set up in their vineyards, gardens, fields, and other places. Shield the land where they are placed from hail, tornado, storm, and every onslaught of the enemy, so that the produce, ripened for the harvest, may be gathered to your honor by those who put their trust in the holy cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you forever and ever.

All: Amen.

They are sprinkled with holy water.

16. BLESSING OF A BONFIRE

on the Vigil of the Birthday of St. John the Baptist

conferred by the clergy outside of church

In the Church's veneration of her saints the cult of John the Baptist had from earliest times and continues to have a most prominent and honored place. John gave testimony of the true light that shines in the darkness, although he proclaimed in utter humility: "He must increase, but I must decrease." And the Master also spoke in highest praise of His precursor: "I say to you, among those born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist." Attuned to the words of the Gospel the Christians of former times were filled with love and enthusiasm for this saint, and expressed a justifiable conviviality at the approach of his feast day by lighting a bonfire the night before in front of their churches, in the market-place, on the hilltops, and in the valleys. The custom of St. John bonfires, indicative of a people with unabashed and childlike faith, continues in some places to this day.

P: Our help is in the name of the Lord.

All: Who made heaven and earth.

P: The Lord be with you.

All: May He also be with you.

Let us pray.

Lord God, almighty Father, the light that never fails and the source of all light, sanctify + this new fire, and grant that after the darkness of this life we may come unsullied to you who are light eternal; through Christ our Lord.

All: Amen.

The fire is sprinkled with holy water; after which the clergy and the people sing the following hymn (for the music see the music supplement):

Hymn: Ut queant laxis

O for your spirit, holy John, to chasten Lips sin-polluted, fettered tongues to loosen; So by your children might your deeds of wonder Meetly be chanted.

Lo! a swift herald, from the skies descending, Bears to your father promise of your greatness; How he shall name you, what your future story, Duly revealing.

Scarcely believing message so transcendent, Him for a season power of speech forsaketh, Till, at your wondrous birth, again returneth, Voice to the voiceless.

You, in your mother's womb all darkly cradled, Knew your great Monarch, biding in His chamber, Whence the two parents, through their offspring's merits, Mysteries uttered.

Praise to the Father, to the Son begotten, And to the Spirit, equal power possessing, One God whose glory, through the lapse of ages, Ever resounding.

P: There was a man sent from God.

All Whose name was John.

Let us pray.

God, who by reason of the birth of blessed John have made this day praiseworthy, give your people the grace of spiritual joy, and keep the hearts of your faithful fixed on the way that leads to everlasting salvation; through Christ our Lord.

All: Amen.

17. BLESSING OF HERBS

on the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

{This blessing comes from Germany, and formulas for it are found as early as the tenth century. The blessing of herbs was reserved only to the feast of the Assumption. Herbs had not our restricted English meaning but included all kinds of cultivated and wild flowers, especially those which in some way had a symbolic relation to our Lady. The people brought herbs to church on her feast not only to secure for themselves another blessed object, but also to make of the occasion a harvest festival of thanksgiving to God for His great bounty manifested in the abundant fruits of the earth. The herbs were placed on the altar, and even beneath the altar-cloths, so that from this close contact with the Eucharist they might receive a special consecration, over and above the ordinary sacramental blessing of the Church.}

After the Asperges if it is a Sunday, otherwise immediately before Mass, the priest, standing before the altar and facing the people who hold the herbs and fruits in their hands, says in a clear voice:

P: Our help is in the name of the Lord.

All: Who made heaven and earth.

Psalm 64

P: To you we owe our hymn of praise, O God, in Sion; to you must vows be fulfilled, you who hear prayers.

All: To you all flesh must come* because of wicked deeds.

P: We are overcome by our sins; * it is you who pardon them.

All: Happy the man you choose, * and bring to dwell in your courts.

P: May we be filled with the good things of your house, * the holy things of your temple.

All: With awe-inspiring deeds of justice you answer us, * O God our Savior,

P: The hope of all the ends of the earth * and of the distant seas.

All: You set the mountains in place by your power, * you who are girt with might;

P: You still the roaring of the seas, * the roaring of their waves and the tumult of the peoples.

All: And the dwellers at the earth's ends are in fear at your marvels; * the farthest east and west you make resound with joy.

P: You have visited the land and watered it; * greatly have you enriched it.

All: God's watercourses are filled; you have prepared the grain. * Thus have you prepared the land:

P: Drenching its furrows, * breaking up its clods,

All: Softening it with showers, * blessing its yield.

P: You have crowned the year with your bounty, * and your paths overflow with a rich harvest;

All: The untilled meadows overflow with it, * and rejoicing clothes the hills.

P: The fields are garmented with flocks and the valleys blanketed with grain. * They shout and sing for joy.

All: Glory be to the Father.

P: As it was in the beginning.

P: The Lord will be gracious.

All: And our land will bring forth its fruit.

P: You water the mountains from the clouds.

All: The earth is replenished from your rains.

P: Giving grass for cattle.

All: And plants for the benefit of man.

P: You bring wheat from the earth.

All: And wine to cheer man's heart.

P: Oil to make his face lustrous.

All: And bread to strengthen his heart.

P: He utters a command and heals their suffering.

All: And snatches them from distressing want.

P: Lord, heed my prayer.

All: And let my cry be heard by you.

P: The Lord be with you.

All: May He also be with you.

Let us pray.

Almighty everlasting God, who by your word alone brought into being the heavens, earth, sea, things seen and things unseen, and garnished the earth with plants and trees for the use of man and beast; who appointed each species to bring forth fruit in its kind, not only for the food of living creatures, but for the healing of sick bodies as well; with mind and word we urgently call on you in your great kindness to bless + these various herbs and fruits, thus increasing their natural powers with the newly given grace of your blessing. May they keep away disease and adversity from men and beasts who use them in your name; through Christ our Lord.

All: Amen.

Let us pray.

God, who through Moses, your servant, directed the children of Israel to carry their sheaves of new grain to the priests for a blessing, to pluck the finest fruits of the orchard, and to make merry before you, the Lord their God; hear our supplications, and shower blessings + in abundance upon us and upon these bundles of new grain, new herbs, and this assortment of produce which we gratefully present to you on this festival, blessing + them in your name. Grant that men, cattle, flocks, and beasts of burden find in them a remedy against sickness, pestilence, sores, injuries, spells, against the fangs of serpents or poisonous creatures. May these blessed objects be a protection against diabolical mockery, cunning, and deception wherever they are kept, carried, or otherwise used. Lastly, through the merits of the blessed Virgin Mary, whose Assumption we are celebrating, may we all, laden with the sheaves of good works, deserve to be taken up to heaven; through Christ our Lord.

All: Amen.

Let us pray.

God, who on this day raised up to highest heaven the rod of Jesse, the Mother of your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, that by her prayers and patronage you might communicate to our mortal nature the fruit of her womb, your very Son; we humbly implore you to help us use these fruits of the soil for our temporal and everlasting welfare, aided by the power of your Son and the prayers of His glorious Mother; through Christ our Lord.

All: Amen.

And may the blessing of almighty God, Father, Son, + and Holy Spirit, come upon these creatures and remain always.

All: Amen.

They are sprinkled with holy water and incensed.

18. BLESSING OF SEED AND SEEDLINGS

on the Birthday of the Blessed Virgin Mary

P: Our help is in the name of the Lord.

All: Who made heaven and earth.

P: The Lord be with you.

All: May He also be with you.

Let us pray.

Holy Lord and Father, almighty everlasting God, we ask and beseech you to look with merry countenance and fair eyes on these seeds and seedlings. And as you proclaimed to Moses, your servant, in the land of Egypt, saying: "Tell the children of Israel that when they enter the land of promise which I shall give them, they are to offer the first-fruits to the priests, and they shall be blessed"; so too at our request, O Lord, be merciful and pour out the blessing + of your right hand upon these seeds, which you in your benevolence bring forth to sustain life. Let neither drought nor flood destroy them, but keep them unharmed until they reach their full growth and produce an abundant harvest for the service of body and soul. We ask this of you who live and reign in perfect Trinity forever and ever.

All: Amen.

Let us pray.

Almighty everlasting God, sower and tiller of the heavenly word, who cultivate the field of our hearts with heavenly tools, hear our prayers and pour out abundant blessings upon the fields in which these seeds are to be sown. By your protecting hand turn away the fury of the elements, so that this entire fruit may be filled with your blessing, + and may be gathered unharmed and stored up in the granary; through Christ our Lord.

All: Amen.

They are sprinkled with holy water and may be incensed.

ENDNOTES

1. On Nov. 16, 1955, the C.S.R. issued this directive: "Let the local Ordinaries give proper directions so that this blessing may be given at a more convenient time either before or after Easter."

#the roman ritual

[theadmiringbog]

The task of the first half of life is to create a proper container for one’s life and answer the first essential questions: “What makes me significant?” “How can I support myself?” and “Who will go with me?”

The task of the second half of life is, quite simply, to find the actual contents that this container was meant to hold and deliver. 

--

If you try to skip the first journey, you will never see its real necessity and also its limitations; you will never know why this first container must fail you, the wonderful fullness of the second half of the journey, and the relationship between the two. Such is the unreality of many people who “never grow up” or who remain narcissistic into their old age. 

--

“Juniors” on the first part of the journey invariably think that true elders are naive, simplistic, “out of it,” or just superfluous. They cannot understand what they have not yet experienced. They are totally involved in their first task, and cannot see beyond it.

Conversely, if a person has transcended and included the previous stages, he or she will always have a patient understanding of the juniors, and can be patient and helpful to them somewhat naturally (although not without trial and effort). 

--

The First Half of Life

--

If you get mirrored well early in life, you do not have to spend the rest of your life looking in Narcissus’s mirror or begging for the attention of others. You have already been “attended to,” and now feel basically good -- and always will. 

If you were properly mirrored when you were young, you are now free to mirror others and see yourself -- honestly and helpfully. 

--

Once you have your narcissistic fix, you have no real need to protect your identity, defend it, prove it, or assert it. It just is, and is more than enough. This is what we actually mean by “salvation,” especially when we get our narcissistic fix all the way from the Top. 

When you get your “Who am I?” question right, all the “What should I do?” questions tend to take care of themselves. 

--

First of all, you can only see and understand the earlier stages from the wider perspective of the later stages. This is why mature societies were meant to be led by elders, seniors, saints, and “the initiated.” 

--

If you have, in fact, deepened and grown “in wisdom, age, and grace” (Luke 2:52), you are able to be patient, inclusive, and understanding of all the previous stages. That is what I mean by my frequent use of the phrase “transcend and include.”

--

Ken Wilber says that most of us are only willing to call 5 percent of our present information into question at any one point -- and again that is on a very good day. I guess prophets are those who do not care whether you are ready to hear their message. They say it because it has to be said and because it is true. 

--

As a priest of forty years, I find that much of the spiritual and pastoral work of churches is often ineffective at the levels of real transformation, and calls forth immense passivity and even many passive-aggressive responses. As a preacher, I find that I am forced to dumb down the material in order to interest a Sunday crowd that does not expect or even want any real challenge; nor does it exhibit much spiritual or intellectual curiosity. “Just repeat what I expect to hear, Father, and maybe a joke or two!” As a spiritual director, I find that most people facing the important transformative issues of social injustice, divorce, failure, gender identity, an inner life of prayer, or any radical reading of the Gospel are usually bored and limited by the typical Sunday church agenda. And these are good people! But they keep on doing their own kind of survival dance because no one has told them about their sacred dance. 

--

The pattern of the heroic journey

1 - The hero lives in a world that they presently take as given and sufficient

2 - They have the call or the courage to leave home for an adventure of some type

3 - On this journey or adventure, they in fact find their real problem! They are almost always “wounded” in some way and encounter a major dilemma, and the whole story largely pivots around the resolution of the trials that result. There is always a wounding; and the great epiphany is that the wound becomes the secret key, even “sacred.”

4 - The first task, which the hero or heroine thinks is the only task, is only the vehicle and warm-up act to get him or her to the real task. He or she “falls through” what is merely his or her life situation to discover his or her Real Life, which is always a much deeper river, hidden beneath the appearances.

5 - The hero or heroine then returns to where he or she started and “knows the place for the first time” as T.S. Eliot puts it; but now with a gift or “boon” for his people or her village. 

--

Unless you build your first house well, you will never leave it. To build your house well is, ironically, to be nudged beyond its doors.

--

The most effective organizations, I am told, have both a “good boss” and a “bad boss,” who work closely together. One holds us strongly, while the other speaks hard truth to us and sets clear goals and limits for us. 

--

None of us can dialogue with others until we can calmly and confidently hold our own identity. None of us can know much about second-half-of-life spirituality as long as we are still trying to create the family, the parenting, the security, the order, the pride that we were not given in the first half. 

--

Post-World War II Japan ... Many of the returning soldiers were not fit or prepared to reenter civil or humane society. Their only identity for their formative years had been to be a “loyal soldier” to their country; they needed a broader identity to once again rejoin their communities as useful citizens. 

So these Japanese communities created a communal ritual whereby a soldier was publicly thanked and praised effusively for his service to the people. After this was done at great length, an elder would stand and announce with authority something to this effect: “The war is now over! The community needs you to let go of what has served you and served us well up to now. The community needs you to return as a man, a citizen, and something beyond a soldier.” In our men’s work, we call this process “discharging your loyal soldier.”

--

I am now personally convinced that Jesus’ ability to find a higher order inside constant disorder is the very heart of his message -- and why true Gospel, as rare as it might be, still heals and renews all that it touches.

--

I do not think you should get rid of your sin until you have learned what it has to teach you.

--

Spiritually speaking, you will be, you must be, led to the edge of your own private resources. At that point, you will stumble over a necessary stumbling stone, as Isaiah calls it; or to state it in our language here, you will and you must “lose” at something. This is the only way that Life-Fate-God-Grace-Mystery can get you to change, let go of your egocentric preoccupations, and go on the further and larger journey. 

--

Paul D’Arcy

God comes to you disguised as your life

--

The Second Half of Life

--

There must be, and, if we are honest, there always will be at least one situation in our lives that we cannot fix, control, explain, change, or even understand. 

--

One of the major blocks against the second journey is what we would now call the “collective,” the crowd, our society, or our extended family. Some call it the crab bucket syndrome -- you try to get out, but the other crabs just keep pulling you back in.

--

Instead of our “Don’t leave home without it” mentality, the spiritual greats’ motto seems to be “Leave home to find it!” And of course, they were never primarily talking just about physical home, but about all the validations, securities, illusions, prejudices, smallness -- and hurts too -- that home and family always imply. 

--

Your True Self is who you objectively are from the beginning, in the mind and heart of God, “the face you had before you were born,” as the Zen masters say. It is your substantial self, your absolute identity, which can be neither gained nor lost by any technique, group affiliation, morality, or formula whatsoever.

--

Because important things bear repeating in different forms, let me summarize the direction of my thoughts. I am saying that: 

We are created with an inner drive and necessity that sends all of us looking for our True Self, whether we know it or not. This journey is a spiral and never a straight line.

We are created with an inner restlessness and call that urges us on to the risks and promises of a second half to our life. There is a God-size hole in all of us, waiting to be filled. God creates the very dissatisfaction that only grace and finally divine love can satisfy.

We dare not try to fill our souls and minds with numbing addictions, diversionary tactics, or mindless distractions. Sin is to stay on the surface of even holy things.

If we go to the depths of anything, we will begin to knock upon something substantial. We will move from the starter kit of “belief” to an actual inner knowing. That is most especially true if we have ever (1) loved deeply, (2) accompanied someone through the mystery of dying, (3) or stood in genuine life-changing awe before mystery, time, or beauty. 

This “something real” is what all the world religions were pointing to when they spoke of heaven, nirvana, bliss, or enlightenment. They were not wrong at all; their only mistake was that they pushed it off into the next world. If heaven is later, it is because it is first of all now.

These events become the pledge, guarantee, hint, and promise of an eternal something. Once you touch upon the Real, there is an inner insistence that the Real, if it is the Real, has to be forever.

--

Any discovery or recovery of our divine union has been called “heaven” by most traditions. Its loss has been called “hell.” The tragic result of our amnesia is that we cannot imagine that these terms are first of all referring to present experiences. 

Only the True Self knows that heaven is now and that its loss is hell -- now. 

The false self makes religion into the old “evacuation plan for the next world,” as my friend Brian McLaren puts it.

--

Heaven is the state of union both here and later. As now, so will it be then. No one is in heaven unless he or she wants to be, and all are in heaven as soon as they live in union. Everyone is in heaven when he or she has plenty of room for communion and no need for exclusion. The more room you have to include, the bigger your heaven will be. 

--

No one is in hell unless that individual himself or herself chooses a final aloneness and separation. It is all about desire, both allowing and drawing from the deepest level of our desiring. It is interesting to me that the official church has never declared a single person to be in hell, not even Judas, Hitler, or Stalin. 

Jesus touched and healed anybody who desired it and asked for it, and there were no other prerequisites for his healings. Why would Jesus’ love be so unconditional while he was in this world, and suddenly become totally conditional after death?

--

Ken Wilber: 

The classic spiritual journey always begins elitist and ends egalitarian. Always!

--

Our mature years are characterized by a kind of bright sadness and a sober happiness. there is still a darkness in the second half of life -- in fact maybe even more. But there is now a changed capacity to hold it creatively and with less anxiety. 

--

Daily life now requires prayer and discernment more than knee-jerk responses toward either the conservative or liberal end of the spectrum. You have a spectrum of responses now, and they are not all predictable, as is too often the case with most knee-jerk responses. Law is still necessary, of course, but it is not your guiding star, or even close. It has been wrong and cruel too many times. 

The Eight Beatitudes speak to you much more than the Ten Commandments now. In the second half, you try instead to influence events, work for change, quietly persuade, change your own attitude, pray, or forgive instead of taking things to court.

--

If we know anything at this stage, we know that we are all in this together and that we are all equally naked underneath our clothes. Which probably does not feel like a whole lot of knowing, but even this little bit of honesty gives us a strange and restful consolation. When you are young, you define yourself by differentiating yourself; now you look for the things we all share in common. 

--

In the second half of life, we do not have strong and final opinions about everything, every event, or most people, as much as we allow things and people to delight us, sadden us, and truly influence us. We no longer need to change or adjust other people to be happy ourselves. 

Ironically, we are more than ever before in a position to change people -- but we do not need to -- and that makes all the difference. 

--

Your concern is not so much to have what you love anymore, but to love what you have -- right now. This is a monumental change from the first half of life, so much so that it is almost the litmus test of whether you are in the second half of life at all.

--

Be especially careful of any idealized role or self-image, like that of minister, mother, doctor, nice person, professor, moral believer, or president of this or that. These are huge personas to live up to, and they trap many people in lifelong delusion. The more you are attached to and unaware of such a protected self-image, the more shadow self you will very likely have. 

--

I have prayed for years for one good humiliation a day.

--

We all identify with our persona so strongly when we are young that we become masters of denial and learn to eliminate or deny anything that doesn’t support it. Neither our persona nor our shadow is evil in itself; they just allow us to do evil and not know it. 

--

If you are on course at all, your world should grow much larger in the second half of life. But I must tell you that, in yet another paradox, your circle of real confidants and truly close friends will normally grow smaller, but also more intimate. 

--

Ego (first-half), then soul (second-half)

--

The first half of life defines itself by “no” and the second half of life by “yes.” 

--

There is a certain real loneliness if you say yes and all your old friends are saying no.

--

If your politics do not become more compassionate and inclusive, I doubt whether you are on the second journey. 

--

Whole people see and create wholeness wherever they go; split people see and create splits in everything and everybody. By the second half of our lives, we are meant to see in wholes and no longer just in parts. 

--

Most of us tend to think of the second half of life as largely about getting old, dealing with health issues, and letting go of our physical life, but the whole thesis of this book is exactly the opposite. What looks like falling can largely be experienced as falling upward and onward, into a broader and deeper world, where the soul has found its fullness, is finally connected to the whole, and lives inside the Big Picture. 

It is not a loss but somehow a gain, not losing but actually winning.

--

The great difference between transformed and non-transformed people: Great people come to serve, not to be served. 

--

Good people will mirror goodness in us, which is why we love them so much. Not-so-mature people will mirror their own unlived and confused life onto us, which is why they confuse and confound us so much, and why they are hard to love.

--

It is only those who respond to the real you, good or bad, that help you in the long run. Much of the work of midlife is learning to tell the difference between people who are still dealing with their issues through you and those who are really dealing with you as you really are. 

--

The only final and meaningful question is “Is it true?” Not “Who said it?” “When and where did they say it?” “Does the Bible or the pope or my president say it?” or “Do I like it?”

--

You can usually do this well only if you have one true mirror yourself, at least one loving, honest friend to ground you, which might even be the utterly accepting gaze of the Friend. 

--

Like any true mirror, the gaze of God receives us exactly as we are, without judgment or distortion, subtraction or addition. Such perfect receiving is what transforms us. Being totally received as we truly are is what we wait and long for all our lives. All we can do is receive and return the loving gaze of God every day, and afterwards we will be internally free and deeply happy at the same time. 

--

No one can keep you from the second half of your own life except yourself. Nothing can inhibit your second journey except your own lack of courage, patience, and imagination. 

--

God will always give you exactly what you truly want and desire. So make sure you desire, desire deeply, desire yourself, desire God, desire everything good, true, and beautiful. 

All the emptying out is only fo rthe sake of a Great Outporing.

God, like nature, abhors all vacuums, and rushes to fill them.

#Falling Upward #books #best of

[firstumcschenectady]

On April 4th several of us went to the University of Albany to hear Supreme Court Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor.  Very early in the evening she explained that she likes to be up and moving, and she started wandering around the room while speaking.  The wandering wasn't random.  She systematically worked her way around the entire room, stopping at every row of every aisle, and walking across any front row entirely.  While talking coherently. she allowed every person who reasonably could do so to touch her.  She just offered her hand, and people in the outside 3-4 seats were able to physically connect with her.

She was clear from the outset that this is her preferred way of engaging, but I was also aware that it was a remarkable way to fulfill the needs of those who come to hear her speak.  She is the third woman appointed to the Supreme Court, and the first Hispanic/Latinx.  She is an inspiration to an enormous percentage of the population, and her choice to let people touch her seemed like a way to take that inspiration role seriously.  

In all the wisdom Justice Sotomayor has, knowing the importance of touch seems like part of it, as does taking seriously the role of being a bearer of hope.  She offered her hand as a beacon, letting her touch defy some of the brokenness of the world.

- - - -

The first gospel lesson today also centers on the power touch.  Two women, in very different life stages are transformed by it.  The two stories, told together, are intended to reflect on each other and enhance the meaning of each other.  The young girl was 12, the anticipated age of maturity.  The woman had suffered for 12 years, emphasized as long enough for a baby to reach maturity.  The young girl was believed dead.  The woman's was in a living death of isolation, poverty, and extinguished hope.

The young girl wasn't able to speak for herself, so her loving father begged for Jesus's help.  The woman wasn't to touch anyone, and anything she sat on or laid down on (as well as her touch) would make others unclean.  This should have impeded her capacity to speak for herself too.  The story seems to suggest that she doesn't have family to care for her, because they refer to her dissipated wealth as her own.  No one could do it for her.  She definitely wasn't supposed to spend time in tight crowds.

(Two thoughts about this.  As damaging as such a life would be for a person, I think it makes some sense in context.  The ancient Jews believed that blood was the life force in a body, that's what made it sacred.  They would be understandably concerned about continual bloodflow.  Secondly, in an era before germ theory or antibiotics about all people knew for sure about medicine was that you could get sick from sick people.  In order to care for the community, you kept people from passing along illness.  It is awful for the individuals, but better than letting the whole community die.  I don't want this story to be heard as implicating ancient Jewish society as unloving. It seems to me they were doing the best they could.)

This woman, whose 12 years of life had been without human touch or connection, as well as without without successful treatment, and was now without resources because she'd tried to fix it; broke the rules.  She moved in a tight crowd, touching others as she went.  She sought, intentionally, to touch Jesus, EVEN THOUGH her touch would make him ritually unclean.  Some scholars suggest that such an action made her eligible to be stoned. No one could speak for her, the laws made it impossible for her to speak for herself, so she broke the laws, taking a huge risk, seeking life again.  She reached out to touch Jesus, not knowing what would happen next, if she'd be healed or stoned, accepted or violently rejected.

- - -

On Tuesday the Judicial Council of The United Methodist Church met in Newark, New Jersey to hear oral arguments about the election of Bishop Karen Oliveto.  Bishop Oliveto was elected this past July by the Western Jurisdiction of the United Methodist Church in an unanimous vote that was uncontested.  She's a gifted spiritual leader, a joy-filled human being, a natural church leader, and a living example of grace.  The issue is very simple: Karen is married to Robin, and both Karen and Robin are women.  The Western Jurisdiction knew this when they elected her, Karen's decision to run happened after the Pulse Nightclub massacre.  She was reminded of all of the violence done to the LGBTQIA1 community, and thought it was important to use her ministry to visibly change some of the narrative (in the church and the world.)

The United Methodist Church is officially a homophobic denomination.  It intentionally and structurally oppresses the queer community.  By putting herself forward for election, she offered the possibility of giving hope to the queer community in the midst of its grief and the multitudes of harms.  This particular United Methodist Church, along with 836 other United Methodist churches and communities, has taken an official stance declaring that we believe that The United Methodist Church is WRONG and that God's love and the churches doors should be open to people without consideration of their sexuality or gender identity.  This church, and 836 others, advocate for the full inclusion of LGBTQIA people in the church and the world.  The Western Jurisdiction agrees, and they elected Bishop Oliveto because of the gifts and graces she has for the episcopacy.

Despite the systematic oppression of the church, as Kevin has explained in 20 page brief (one of many filed) what they did was legal and appropriate.  (The fact that the Judicial Council ended up sort of disagreeing doesn't in any way make me doubt Kevin's analysis.)

The Judicial Council meets twice a year, and they always have several items on their docket.  Two other pieces this April related to the commissioning and ordination of out queer clergy.   Unfortunately, while there are MANY in our denomination who agree with us about God's love extending to all people, there are also many willing to engage in witch hunts to prevent the church's blessing from falling on queer people. The conservatives wanted to invalidate the ordinations of out queer clergy!!!

On Tuesday, as I woke up, people had already gathered in Newark.  Bishop Oliveto, her wife and her mother, queer clergy from across the denomination, queer laity, and allies of all sorts were present, visible, singing, and connecting to each other.  I watched it on live feed.  Tickets were given to two rooms: one the room in which the Judicial Council sat and the arguments would be made, and one for overflow connected via a live stream.  Laity and allies exchanged tickets with queer clergy so that they could be together, sitting in solidarity with Bishop Oliveto.

As I watched the live stream, I saw the Queer Clergy Caucus2 enter the Judicial Council room, and kneel to pray.  It took my breath away.  It looked like the hemorrhaging woman reaching her hand toward Jesus.  That group of beloved and beautiful people of God have stayed in a denomination that has called them names and declared their lives “incompatible with Christian teaching.”  They have courageously refused to leave, refused to be silent or invisible, and continued to ask for the church's blessing on their whole lives and ministries.  They have reached out to touch Jesus, knowing that the laws stand in the way, that the crowd will judge them, that the disciples would try to stop them, and needing to touch Jesus anyway.

They knelt to pray, to reach out and touch Jesus and hoped the church wouldn't stop them this time. They've done it before.  They'll do it again.  But every time it is an act of courage.  So far, every time they reach out, the church has TRIED to stop them.  

- - - -

In the Gospel, Jesus's response is grace-filled.  He calls out the woman (who must have been TERRIFIED), and by doing so publicly he is able acknowledge her healing and restore her relationship with the community at large. She was able to touch others again, she was able to connect, she was able to be a part of the whole.  She was afraid that by touching him she'd bring him shame, but she took the risk anyway, and instead all that separated her from the community was lifted from her.

That's what the queer clergy caucus was hoping the church could replicate.

The young girl brought back to life when Jesus grabbed her hand becomes a metaphor for the life that Jesus has to offer, and gave as well the hemorrhaging woman.  The touch of Jesus brings life – and hope – as well as healing.

- - -

In our second Gospel lesson, people are also walking with Jesus, and their lives are also changed by it.  The story ends with people more alive than when they began. The theologian John Dominic Crossan3 often says, “Emmaus never happened.  Emmaus always happens.” That is, he doesn't think that it is a story reflecting actual historical events, but instead reflecting deep Christian realities. This year it occurs to me to wonder how literally the story is intending to indicate that a third person actually showed up.

Perhaps, instead, the Holy Spirit was with the two walking together, and together they started piecing together the teachings of Jesus and the meanings offered. Perhaps the collective (even of two) felt so much more than one and one that it was as if there was another one leading their conversation.  I've had conversations like that.  (I've had conversations like that this week at the “Change Leaders Summit” hosted by the General Commission on Religion and Race as we dreamed a less racist church).  I could metaphorically say that the some moments of talking to another have been so sacred and eye-opening that it was as if Jesus was the third person in the dialogue.  

If that is one of the metaphorical meanings of the gospel lesson, the it is potent.  The disciples are running away!  They're going in the wrong direction, and even then Jesus is with them and guiding them.  In the end they turn back and return to the place they'd been frightened away from. They move from fear back to life.  In connecting with Jesus they connect with their hope, their meaning, and the purposes of their lives.  They were reconnected to Jesus, and perhaps via the power of the Holy Spirit to guide sacred conversations.

- - -

Returning to face the fears is part of the inherent Easter story.  So is the transformation of the Body of Christ from the historical Jesus to his followers throughout time.  We are now expected to respond to the world with his courage and grace, to respond to all the ways he responded to the hemorrhaging women, the powerless girl, and – however it happened – the frightened disciples

Those Queer Clergy praying in the Judical Council hearing room were living out the Easter story. They faced the fears of rejection, and went anyway.  Others may want to cut them out of the Body of Christ, but they believe that Jesus responds to them with grace. They know enough to reach out for Jesus and know that Jesus will see them and bless them, even if the church will not.

It turns out that today Bishop Karen Oliveto IS still a Bishop.  Thanks be to God.  Furthermore, none of the commissionings or ordinations of our out queer clergy siblings were overturned.  Thanks be to God.  Unfortunately, there is also a lot of bad news that came from the decisions.  The church has attempted to crack down to gain control offer the resistances movements that seek to include ALL of God's people fully in the church.  (They seem to forget that their methods NEVER work over the long run.)  There are many in our church who are hurting and there are many in our world who are hearing from our denomination that they are not worthy of love.  

- - - -

The denomination is wrong.  It can't control or limit God's love.  Nor can it control or limit the queer community and its allies.  The people of God will keep reaching for God, whether the church tries to stop them or not.  When people reach out, Jesus responds with grace.  When people reach out we can follow the lead of the Spirit who will guide us to bring hope and grace to each other.  God is faithful, whether the church is or not. For that, I am mightily thankful to God.  Amen

1 Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, Asexual

2 https://www.facebook.com/UMQClergy/

3 Coming to First UMC Schenectady on September 23-24.  SQUEAL.

Rev. Sara E. Baron

First United Methodist Church of Schenectady

603 State St. Schenectady, NY 12305

Pronouns: she/her/hers

http://fumcschenectady.org/ https://www.facebook.com/FUMCSchenectady

April 30, 2017

#Thinking Church #Progressive Chrisitianity #Reconciling #UMC #FUMC Schenetady #Schenectady #Methonerds #Emmaus #John Dominick Croassan #Queer Clergy Caucus #Bishop Oliveto #Grace Embodied #Judicial Council #ToBishopKOWithLove #Grace #Touching Jesus #SUPREME COURT JUSTICE SONIA SOTOMAYOR #Touch #Healing #Seriously UMC?