Heavenly Assistance

Angel of God, my Guardian dear,

to whom God's love commits me here,

ever this day be at my side,

to light and guard, to rule and guide. Amen.

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Painting: "The Guardian Angel"

by Howard David Johnson (b. 1954)

A Hymn to the Triune God

To thee, O gracious Father,

we lift our loving hearts;

to us the Bread of Heaven

eternal life imparts.

We thank thee for thy favour

that marks us as thine own;

Lord, keep us ever faithful,

who come before thy throne.

What love thou hast bestowed on us,

a love which makes us free!

It cleanses us from ev'ry sin,

and keeps us close to thee.

To thee, O Christ our Saviour,

we come for saving grace;

we see how tender love is,

by looking on thy face.

Keep us from all things hurtful

by the power of thy Cross;

and help us to remember

our gain comes from thy loss.

What heav'nly Food is ours, Lord,

this Food which makes us free!

It fills our hearts and makes us whole,

and keeps us close to thee.

To thee, O Holy Spirit,

we whisper our desire;

our lives are empty vessels:

Lord, fill them with thy fire.

Make us thy faithful people

who seek to do thy will;

give us thy gifts of power,

our empty hearts to fill.

What peace that passes ev'ry thought,

that peace which makes us free!

It banishes each doubt and fear,

and keeps us close to thee.

From thee, O Triune Godhead,

salvation is come down;

Atonement now is given,

mankind receives his crown.

In Sacrament tremendous

we touch eternity;

we love thee, God our Saviour:

thou art our destiny.

O Father, Son, and Holy Ghost,

our faith shall never cease!

In thee we have eternal life,

and never-ending peace.

Text: Fr. Christopher G. Phillips, 1990

Music: “Thaxted” by Gustav Holst, 1874-1934

St. Richard of Chichester

Richard of Wyche was born in 1197 at Droitwyche, the son of a prosperous yeoman farmer. He and his brother were orphaned at an early age, and an incompetent guardian wasted their inheritance. Richard worked long and hard to restore the family property, and when he had succeeded, he turned it over to his brother and went off to Oxford to become a scholar. He was too poor to afford a gown or a fire in winter, but he did very well at his studies, with Robert Grosseteste among his teachers, and he established what would be a lifelong friendship with his tutor, Edmund Rich (Edmund of Abingdon). He studied canon law at Oxford (and probably also at Paris and Bologna) and, having acquired a doctorate, he became Chancellor of Oxford in 1235.

Meanwhile, his tutor had become Archbishop of Canterbury, and soon asked Richard to become his Chancellor. When the Archbishop rebuked King Henry III for keeping various bishoprics vacant as long as possible (because as long as they were vacant their revenues went to the Crown), Henry forced him into exile, and Richard accompanied him to France and nursed him in his final illness. After the Archbishop's death in 1240, Richard studied at the Dominican house in Orleans, and was ordained priest in 1243.

In 1244 he was elected Bishop of Chichester, but Henry would not recognize the election, locked him out of the bishop's residence, and pocketed the revenues. Richard accepted shelter with a village priest, and spent the next two years walking barefoot through his diocese, preaching to fishermen and farmers, and correcting abuses. He held synods to legislate, and insisted that the sacraments must be administered without payment, and the Liturgy celebrated with reverence and order. The clergy were required to be celibate, to wear clerical dress, and to live in the parishes to which they were assigned and to carry out their duties in person. The laity were required to attend services on all Sundays and holy days, and to know by heart the Lord's Prayer, the Hail Mary, and the Apostles' Creed. After two years, Henry was pressured into recognizing Richard as Bishop, but Richard continued to live as he had before. He caught a fever and died in 1253.

A well-known prayer written by him reads in part as follows:

Thanks be to Thee, my Lord Jesus Christ

For all the benefits Thou hast given me,

For all the pains and insults Thou hast borne for me.

O most merciful Redeemer, friend and brother,

May I know Thee more clearly,

Love Thee more dearly,

Follow Thee more nearly,

Day by day.  Amen.

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MOST merciful Redeemer, who gavest to thy Bishop Richard a love of learning, a zeal for souls, and a devotion to the poor: grant that, encouraged by his example, and aided by his prayers, we may know thee more clearly, love thee more dearly, and follow thee more nearly, day by day; who livest and reignest with the Father in the unity of the Holy Spirit, ever one God, world without end. Amen.

Hymn to the Most Holy Trinity

Almighty God, majestic King,

with joyful hearts thy people sing:

Alleluia, alleluia.

For all good gifts we offer praise,

and ask thy blessings all our days:

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.

Lord Jesus Christ, Eternal Son,

who on the cross salvation won:

Alleluia, alleluia.

Through thy great sacrifice of love

we join our song with saints above:

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.

O Holy Spirit, Light divine,
dwell in these hearts and souls of thine:
Alleluia, alleluia.
Keep us in peace and unity
that with one voice our chant may be,
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.

Text: Fr. Christopher G. Phillips, 1996

Tune: LASST UNS ERFREUEN,
from Geistliche Kirchengesang, 1623

Holy Trinity: Our Knowledge and Experience of God

Even the most brilliant theologian would have to say that the doctrine of the Holy Trinity cannot truly and completely be understood. However, the mystery of the Trinity can be known, because our knowledge – and indeed, our experience – of the Holy Trinity has been revealed to us by God Himself, in and by our Lord Jesus Christ.

From Christ we have learned what nature alone could never show us about the Godhead. From Christ we have learned what our own human understanding could never fathom. If we were left to our own understanding, we would probably try to understand the Trinity from a mathematical point of view – one God; three Persons; three equals one, which is an impossibility; therefore God as Trinity is an impossibility.

But Christ has revealed this mystery to us in a completely different way. It’s not about mathematics; rather, it’s about the relationship of Persons within the one Godhead. From Christ we have learned to know God as Father, Son, and Holy Ghost – Three in One and One in Three – the Father sending the Son to redeem the world, the Holy Spirit being sent from the Father and the Son to dwell in us, and to make us holy, even as God is holy.

When we look back on all that we celebrate throughout the year, we see that the foundation of the Catholic Faith is the reality of the Holy Trinity. From the birth of our Saviour to His crucifixion; from His resurrection and ascension to the coming of the Holy Spirit in wind and fire, so we have had the revelation from God Himself that He is Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Of course, it is through Jesus Christ, and through Him alone, that we truly know Almighty God. Christ has explained and interpreted God to man. Christ has told us, “He who has seen me has seen the Father.” The Father and the Son are one. The Father and the Son are so united in the majesty and perfect holiness of their divine nature that whoever saw the Son, even though in human flesh, saw the immortal and invisible Father. It was so strange and wonderful a thing, that even his Apostles were astonished and perplexed by it. Remember when St. Philip said to Christ, “Lord, show us the Father, and it will be enough.” And Jesus answered him, “Have I been so long with you, and yet you do not know me? He who has seen me has seen the Father…” In Jesus Christ is the fullest and most perfect revelation of what God is, of what God loves, of what God does and of what God will do.

Only in Jesus Christ can we fully know God. Certainly, the world which He made tells us about Him. All around us is the evidence of His power, and in His creation we see His wisdom and His goodness. So whether we look to the stars and sky above, or to any part of creation, these things tell us of the God who created those things. But they tell us only that He “is,” not necessarily Who He is. It is Christ who has brought God close to us, so that we can actually know Him, and not simply know “about” Him.

Christ has shown us the image and holiness of the unseen God. In Christ we know who God is. We are able to comprehend Him. In the mind of Christ we read the mind of God. In the character of Christ we learn everything that we can know of the character of God. In the deeds of Christ we see the love and pity and tenderness and long-suffering of God. In the words of Christ we hear the judgements of God, and in Christ we can know the truth as it is revealed and upheld by God. We see in Christ the spotless goodness of God – and in the sacrifice of Christ on the cross we see what our thoughts and imagination could never have dreamed of, when it comes to the love of God for us. Namely this: that “God so loved the world, that He gave his only-begotten Son, to the end that all that believe in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” And so in Christ God is love Incarnate. And this love is meant to take root in our own hearts, because God can be known by no one except those who are like Him through the godly love in their hearts. And in this way, Christ teaches us not only of the Father, but of the Holy Spirit, too, who is that very love within us, and who makes us “ambassadors of Christ” in the world. Our vocation is to “incarnate” God’s mercy and love and forgiveness to others.

The mystery of the Holy Trinity – that God is Father, Son and Holy Spirit, one God – tells us that we can know God as He wants us to know Him. He is not only the unseen incomprehensible and divine power who can do as He wills with us, and whose ways we cannot see or even guess at – but God is the one who is the loving Father of us all, the God of truth and righteousness, the God whose eyes are upon all His works in merciful and loving wisdom, who pities the sinner and forgives the sin, who hears the prayer and fills the soul with grace and gladness, whose Spirit dwells in our hearts and whose Incarnation dwells in our tabernacles.

We can know Him as the God who, even though far above us, nonetheless has come down to us, and in fact, into us – giving us peace, speaking within us as that still, small voice – the voice we can always hear, whether in the silence of the soul, or in the busy noise of the world.

Because Christ has revealed the fulness of the God-head, we can know Him and fear Him and love Him, both here in this life, and in eternity when we have passed out of this world. It is God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit – who reaches out to us so that we can reach out to Him, and find in Him our true hope, and our true home.

Almighty and everlasting God, who hast given unto us thy servants grace, by the confession of a true faith, to acknowledge the glory of the eternal Trinity, and in the power of the divine majesty to worship the Unity: we beseech thee; that this holy faith may evermore be our defence against all adversities; who livest and reignest, ever one God, world without end. Amen.

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Image: The Mystery of the Holy Trinity,

Stained glass in the Church of St. Etheldreda, 

London, England.

Ember Saturday in Whitsun Week

WE beseech thee, O Lord, graciously pour the Holy Spirit into our hearts: by whose wisdom we were created, and by whose providence we are governed; through Jesus Christ thy Son our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the same Holy Spirit, ever one God, world without end. Amen.

For those to be ordained:

ALMIGHTY God, the giver of all good gifts, who of thy divine providence hast appointed divers Orders in thy Church: give thy grace, we humbly beseech thee, to all those who are (now) called to any office and ministry for thy people; and so fill them with the truth of thy doctrine and clothe them with holiness of life, that they may faithfully serve before thee, to the glory of thy great Name and for the benefit of thy holy Church; through Jesus Christ thy Son our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, ever one God, world without end. Amen.

For the choice of fit persons for the ordained ministry:

O GOD, who didst lead thy holy Apostles to ordain ministers in every place: grant that thy Church, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, may choose suitable men for the ministry of Word and Sacrament, and may uphold them in their work for the extension of thy kingdom; through him who is the Shepherd and Bishop of our souls, Jesus Christ thy Son our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the same Holy Spirit, ever one God, world without end. Amen.

For all Christians in their vocation:

ALMIGHTY and everlasting God, by whose Spirit the whole body of thy faithful people is governed and sanctified: receive our supplications and prayers, which we offer before thee for all members of thy holy Church, that in their vocation and ministry they may truly and godly serve thee; through Jesus Christ thy Son our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the same Holy Spirit, ever one God, world without end. Amen.

Fathers' Day

Fathers’ Day isn’t a religious holiday. It’s not on the liturgical calendar. But it’s a good reminder to all of us who have authority over children, whether we be fathers, or grandfathers, or godfathers, or priests, or teachers, or uncles – any and all men who are in a position to influence and guide the young. We’re to be a kind of icon – an image – of Christ, showing love to those for whom we have responsibility.

It’s a good time for us to think back upon our own experiences, and remember how it was when our fathers, and other important men in our lives, took time to give gentle guidance, rather than just barking out orders. Remember how important it was to see the authoritative men in our lives showing that they were men of faith, rather than leaving religion to women and children. Remember how it was when our fathers and other important men in our lives showed trust in us, rather than trying to control our every decision, our every action.

The happiest and best times were when we saw the image of Christ, and when we experienced Christ’s compassion in the men who had authority over us.

And lest this be just about fathers, here is a brief reminder to wives and mothers: how important it is that you give that good example to your children by showing your love and respect, by not treating husbands as though they’re simply another child in the family, by not using phrases like “that father of yours…” in the hearing of your children. The foundation of good fatherhood is the same foundation of a good marriage: a mutual respect, and a constant seeking of the will of God for the whole family.

Remember, fathers, our children’s understanding of God is very much influenced by the image they have of us. Their experience of what we show of fatherly love and fatherly strength and fatherly justice is a great influence upon their own understanding of God our Heavenly Father.

Christ our Good Shepherd gives us the model. He had compassion upon the people because they were like sheep without a shepherd. And what kind of a shepherd is He? He’s one whom we obey because we know He was willing to sacrifice Himself for us. He’s one whom we follow because He gently leads us rather than impatiently shoving us along through life. He’s the one we stay close to, because He is generous with His gifts to us, and then allows us to use them, rather than dictating our every thought and action.

Fathers, and men who are in fatherly roles, need to look to the compassionate Christ for the model of what our own authority over others should be like, not like the Scribes and Pharisees, who bound great burdens upon others.

And, of course, we have as our intercessor the great St. Joseph – the man who was, above all else, obedient to God. May our children learn obedience through our own obedience, and may they learn to love because we have loved them with the depth of the gentle love and compassion we have received from God, our own Heavenly Father.

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Painting: "In His Spirit"

by Norman Rockwell (1894-1978)

Two Hymns in Honour of St. Anthony

       1.    Praise to God the mighty Father, who didst call Saint Anthony

            from a life of sore temptation to the way of purity.

Humble work and meek obedience marked his holy way of love;

now, his earthly task completed, works his wonders from above.

            2.      Praise to Jesus Christ our Saviour, who didst give Saint Anthony

grace to preach with zeal and boldness, giving truth new charity.

Men, once lost, who heard the Gospel from the lips of Francis' son

came to know God's grace and favour, and the life which Christ had won.

      3.      Praise to God the Holy Spirit, who inspired Saint Anthony

in the way of love and service, calling men to charity,

lifting up the fallen sinner, feeding them with Living Bread,

showing men the way to heaven, there to live with Christ their Head.

           4.      Gracious Doctor and Confessor, holy Priest with golden tongue,

joined with all the saints of heaven, praising God the Three in One;

help us in our earthly journey, keep our thoughts on God most high,

that with thee, Christ's saint and servant, we may live and never die.

Tune: Rustington, by Charles H. H. Parry (1848-1918)

Text: Fr. Christopher G. Phillips

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            1.      Simple saint and faithful priest,

            at this Eucharistic feast

we recall thy holy face,

and with thee our Lord embrace.

Give us true simplicity:

pray for us, Saint Anthony.

      2.      Word of God thou didst proclaim;

            unto thee God's Spirit came,

bringing faith when thou didst preach,

showing truth when thou didst teach.

May we speak words truthfully:

pray for us Saint Anthony.

            3.      Error flees before God's Light:

            through thy life Christ shineth bright,

showing men the way to peace,

evil's hold from them release.

Free from evil may we be:

pray for us Saint Anthony.

Tune: Bread of Heaven, by William Dalrymple Maclagan (1826-1910)

Text: Fr. Christopher G. Phillips

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Painting: "St. Anthony of Padua"

by Maso di Banco

active c. 1335-1350

St. Anthony of Padua

St. Anthony was born in Portugal and entered the Augustinian monastery of Sao Vicente in Lisbon when he was fifteen. When news of the Franciscan martyrs in Morocco reached him, he joined the Franciscans at Coimbra. At his own request, he was sent as a missionary to Morocco, but he became ill, and on his return journey his boat was driven off course and he landed in Sicily. He took part in St. Francis' famous Chapter of Mats in 1221 and was assigned to the Franciscan province of Romagna.

He became a preacher by accident. When a scheduled preacher did not show up for an ordination ceremony at Forli, the Franciscan superior told Anthony to go into the pulpit. His eloquence stirred everyone, and he was assigned to preach throughout northern Italy. Because of his success in converting heretics, he was called the "Hammer of Heretics" and because of his learning, St. Francis himself appointed him a teacher of theology.

St. Anthony of Padua was such a forceful preacher that shops closed when he came to town, and people stayed all night in church to be present for his sermons. He became associated with Padua because he made this city his residence and the center of his great preaching mission.

After a series of Lenten sermons in 1231, Anthony's strength gave out and he went into seclusion at Camposanpiero but soon had to be carried back to Padua. He did not reach the city but was taken to the Poor Clare convent at Arcella, where he died. He was thirty-six years old, and the whole city of Padua turned out in mourning for his passing.

Grant, O Lord, that the solemn festival of thy holy Confessor Saint Anthony may bring gladness to thy Church: that being defended by thy succour in all things spiritual, we may be found worthy to attain to everlasting felicity; through Jesus Christ thy Son our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, ever one God, world without end. Amen.

Ember Friday in Whitsun Week

MOST merciful God, we beseech thee: that thy Church, being gathered together in the Holy Spirit, may nevermore be disquieted by the assaults of her enemies; through Jesus Christ thy Son our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the same Holy Spirit, ever one God, world without end. Amen.

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In the liturgical calendar of the Ordinariate, the Solemnity of Pentecost has a privileged Octave. Other memorials and optional memorials falling during the Octave of Pentecost, if observed at all, are commemorated with a collect only.

God's Embrace

The most important choice of our lives was made on the day of our Baptism, and it was strengthened on the day of our Confirmation. It was then that God chose us and we chose God. It was then that the Holy Spirit entered our lives in a decisive and powerful way, and we were embraced by God.

But the choice made then has to be repeated day after day after day, because the relationship we have with God is a living thing – and as we, by our actions (or sometimes by our lack of action) harm our divine relationship, yet God is forever healing and re-creating our relationship with Him. Always God is there, welcoming us, waiting for us, and yet never forcing us.

Even in His Incarnation, which began at that instant when the Blessed Virgin Mary said “yes,” and which reached its zenith on that stark hill called Golgotha, so we have the reality of God’s incredibly patient and compassionate act of communicating His love for us, giving us every opportunity to respond in love, so that we can fulfill our destinies and so inherit the Kingdom prepared for us from the very foundation of the world.

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Photo-art: "The Good Shepherd"

by Eva Koleva Timothy

Thursday in Whitsun Week

ALMIGHTY God, who as at this time didst open the way of eternal life to every race and nation by the promised gift of thy Holy Spirit: shed abroad this gift throughout the world by the preaching of the Gospel, that it may reach to the ends of the earth; through Jesus Christ thy Son our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the same Holy Spirit, ever one God, world without end. Amen.

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In the liturgical calendar of the Ordinariate, the Solemnity of Pentecost has a privileged Octave. Other memorials and optional memorials falling during the Octave of Pentecost, if observed at all, are commemorated with a collect only.

St. Barnabas, Son of Encouragement

St. Barnabas was not numbered amongst the original apostles, but he has been given the title from the earliest years of the Church because of his apostolic work in spreading the Gospel. His first name was Joseph, but Barnabas (meaning "son of encouragement" or "son of consolation") was added to his name as a description of his nature. He belonged to the tribe of Levi. He was a Jew who lived outside of Palestine and he spoke Greek.

Born in Cyprus, he embraced the Christian faith soon after the death of our Lord, and was a member of the original Jerusalem community. His generosity and strength of character shines forth in the Book of the Acts of the Apostles, where the first thing recorded about him is that he sold some of his property and gave the money to the apostles for the support of the Christian community.

Just after St. Paul's conversion St. Barnabas befriended him and introduced him to the apostles. This was at a time when Christians distrusted the rabbi who had so viciously persecuted the Church. Barnabas was the first to recognize Paul's potential for the cause of the Gospel, and it was Barnabas who brought him from Tarsus to teach at Antioch. The first missionary journey, which took place about 45-48 A.D., and which the two made together, was decisive in the establishment of the Church and the spread of the Gospel.

He was present with St. Paul at the Council of Jerusalem, which was instrumental in opening the Church up to the Gentiles. While they were preparing for the second missionary journey, they had a serious difference of opinion regarding young John Mark, and as a result of that argument the two men continued their labours separately.

St. Barnabas went to Cyprus with Mark and there are no further references to him in the Acts of the Apostles. Tradition tells us that he was martyred at Salamis in Cyprus by being stoned and then burned. That same tradition indicates that he was buried there by his kinsman, John Mark. His name has been included in the Canon of the Mass since ancient times.

O Lord God Almighty, who didst endue thy holy Apostle Barnabas with singular gifts of the Holy Spirit: leave us not, we beseech thee, destitute of thy manifold gifts, nor yet of grace to use them always to thy honour and glory; through Jesus Christ thy Son our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, ever one God, world without end. Amen.

Ember Wednesday in Whitsun Week

We beseech thee, O Lord, that the Comforter who proceedeth from thee may enlighten our minds: and lead us, as thy Son hath promised, into all truth; through Jesus Christ thy Son our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the same Holy Spirit, ever one God, world without end. Amen.

Ember days are four separate sets of three days within the same week — specifically, the Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday — within the circuit of the year, that are set aside for a modified fasting and prayer. The Ember Days are known in Latin as the "quattuor anni tempora" (the "four seasons of the year"). There are those who say that the word “ember” is a corruption of the Latin title, but it is as likely that it comes from the Old English word “ymbren” which means a “circle." As the year progresses and returns to its beginning, the ember days are part of the circle of the year. These days of prayer and fasting originated in Rome, and slowly spread throughout the Church. They were brought to England by St. Augustine with his arrival in the year 597.

The fasting is modified – basically no food between meals – and there are particular things for which we are to pray and give thanks. These days are to be used to give thanks for the earth and for the good things God gives us -- for our food, for the rain and the sunshine, for all the blessings of life through nature. And because of that, it is a time when we remind ourselves to treat creation with respect, and not waste the things God has given us.

Another important aspect of the Ember Days is for us to pray for those men called to be priests or deacons. We pray also for those who are already ordained – for our priests and deacons, for our bishop, and for the Holy Father. Of course, we pray for all this throughout the year, but the Ember Days bring all this to mind in a special way, so that we can concentrate our prayers during these four periods of time throughout the year.

Tuesday in Whitsun Week

Grant, we beseech thee, merciful God: that thy Church, being gathered together in unity by thy Holy Spirit, may manifest thy power among all peoples to the glory of thy Name; through Jesus Christ thy Son our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the same Holy Spirit, ever one God, world without end. Amen.

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In the liturgical calendar of the Ordinariate, the Solemnity of Pentecost has a privileged Octave. Other memorials and optional memorials falling during the Octave of Pentecost, if observed at all, are commemorated with a collect only.