Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Obsecro Te


I beseech thee thee, Lady Holy Mary, Mother of God, most full of piety, daughter of the Most High King, Mother most glorious, Mother of orphans, consolation of the desolate, way of the straying, health and hope of those hoping in thee, virgin before giving birth, virgin during birth, and virgin after giving birth. I beseech thee font of mercy, font of grace and well-being, font of piety and joy, font of consolation and indulgence. I beseech thee through that holy ineffable joy in which thy spirit rejoiced at that hour when the Son of God was announced to thee by the Archangel Gabriel and was conceived, and through the divine mystery worked by the Holy Spirit, and through that holy ineffabile grace, piety, mercy, love and humility by which the Son of God descended to accept human flesh in thy most venerable womb and which He saw in thee when He commended thee to St. John the apostle and evangelist, and when He exalted thee over the choirs of angels, and through that holy ineffable humility with which thou didst respond to the Archangel Gabriel, "Behold the handmaid of the Lord. Be it done according to thy word."

And I beseech thee through those most holy fifteen joys that thou didst have in thy Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, and through that holy, great compassion and most bitter sorrow thou didst have when thou didst see our Lord Jesus Christ nude, lifted upon the cross, hanging, crucified, wounded, thirsty, served gall, heard Him cry out, and then saw Him die.

And through the five wounds of thy Son, through the contraction of His flesh because of the great pain of His wounds, through the sorrow thou didst have when thou didst see Him wounded, through the fountains of His blood, through all His passion, through all the sorrow of thy heart, and through the fountains of thy tears, I beseech thee along with all the saints and elect of God.

Come and hasten to my aid and counsel, in all my prayers and requests, in all my difficulties and necessities, and in all those things that I may do, may say, or may think, in every day, hour, and moment of my life. And obtain for me, thy servant, from thy beloved Son a full measure filled with all mercy and consolation, with all counsel, with all aid and help, with all blessing and holiness, with all salvation, peace and prosperity, with all joy and eagerness. Obtain also an abundance of all good things, spiritual and bodily, and the grace of the Holy Spirit so He may set all things in good order for me, guard my soul, guide my body, uplift my senses, control my ways, approve my actions, perfect my wishes and desires, instill holy thoughts, forgive my past evils, emend those of the present and temper those in the future, and grant me an honest and honorable life. May He grant me victory over all the adversities of this world, peace of mind and body, good hope, charity, faith, chastity, humility and patience. May He guide and protect the five senses of my body, make me fulfill the seven works of mercy, make me keep the ten commandments and make me firmly believe the twelve articles of the faith. May He keep me free and defend me from the seven deadly sins until the end of my life.

In my last days show unto me thy face. Show me the day and hour of my death. Hear and graciously listen to my humble prayer and grant me eternal life. O most sweet Virgin Mary, Mother of God and of mercy, hear and answer me. Amen.

Do you know what today is?!

It's the 12 anniversary of my baptism. Yep, 12 years ago today, I was baptised at a little Pentecostal church in West Philly on 52nd street. I would have never guessed where I would go in my relationship with God. A flout with atheism, an attraction to Catholicism, a flight to Anglo-Catholicism, finally deciding to suck it up and go all the way by throwing my way with Rome. In a month, I'll be celebrating by first anniversary as an official real Catholic. I don't know how I'll do it. If my Catholic friends were'nt all college kids, I'd probably go to Chuck E.Cheese a pizza place and then go bowling . Or, as it seems most modern Catholic authorities do, I'll transfer it to a Sunday and after a Trid mass, do the above but with bowling or movies and sung vespers at the end.
Oh well, I'll probably just watch some Kikkaider and have a soul food feast, home cooked by mom dad and I.

Random question: What's with BWV 531?

HAHAHA! I win!

Someone agreed with my comment Here on TNLM.
Yay for me!

Monday, January 12, 2009

These people are idiots.

I woke up today to read an article in a newspaper I ocassionally read to find a horrifying article. The was a not-at-all subtle article about how our Lord and Saviour Obama will not only fix the economy, but global warming , unemployment, and the U.S. education system. Really, I can see why America doomed itself to this man. They honestly think they can sit on their behinds while Obama fixes every problem they have. We're lazy. We have no work ethic. Why should we work hard on a solution that will pay out in the long run when we can do nothing and get our instant gratification? That's America for you.
As to what's happenning right now netween Ireal and Gaza,I'm afraid to comment untill I'm sure I ave enough information.I don;t want to go off and beg prayers for the wrong side, as unbiased media attention has'nt actually existed in about 16 years.
For now, just pray for peace, that the innocent may be safe tonight, that justice may triumph and that the hardened of heart may be converted. I certainly don't live in a warzone, but I do know what it'slike tolive in a dangerous neigborhood. I do know what's it's like to hear screams and gunshots in the night, what it's like to fear for your safety and that of your family. I know what it'slike to fear that someone willbreak into your home in the night, what it's like to fear for your life in your sleep.
Please pray an Ave or two.

I did'nt make it.

I did'nt make the cut .Oh well. Guess I have to work on pitching more.(Says Joe, who has bad control and can't throw a forkball.)

Sunday, January 11, 2009

WTF is this?


?

I told you I was going to do it.

I might change it all back, or at least pick a better or less immature name.

I don't get it either.

Hm? Please explain. I've noticed it a lot, it's become even a stereotype. I don't know where it comes from.

Relics.


Relics at S.Peter's Basilica on All Saint's Day.

I've often wondered where people get relics from. Not just priests, there are lots of laypeople, even some I know who have them. I'd like to have one some day, maybe of one of my patron saints, like S. Nicholas of Tolentine, or S.Cecilia.( Or the rarest of all, of the True Cross. Greely and McBrien will recant their heresy before I get the last when.)
Interestingly enough, and yes, I'm, outing you guys, when I walked into the sacristy this morning before mass, there was a whole mess of reliquaries on the top shelf of the vestments cabinet-maybe about 12 of em'. Two had relics , and the rest were empty. I've never seen them before, so I suppose they're new.They were shaped like This.

Friday, January 9, 2009

I failed.I'm sorry.

I've decided to try out for the baseball team. I promised myself I wouldn't play baseball ever, that I was never good at baseball, and that's why I super-failed at it so many years ago. But I figure I'll be fine, as the school team is'nt that good to begin with. Unless I do something really stupid, I should be okay.
Time to work on pitching.
So If you hear anything about a small private school in Philadelphia who's baseball team loses a game or something due to a gaffe by a player, it could be me.
For that, I apologize in advance.

Just a Reminder!

There are some people that just shouldn't be alive.
She ain't too pretty either.
Actually, Forget the PC-ness. She makes my eyes hurt,and my retinas are screaming in pain for the torture I've just forced them to undergo. Sorry little guys! I promise no more photos mind-numbingly phsycho, headache-causingly stupid, horrifyingly unsightly people.

*Headdesk*

I overslept. But I figured I'd be okay, it was only 7:00 anyway. Okay then, so I leave the house at 7:35, just in time to get to the end of the block and see my bus drive past. A block away.Without me in it.
But I figured I'd be okay, it was 7:40. I'd be a little late for school, but I could take the subway. So I take out my breviary and say lauds during the 10 minute walk to the subway station*, stopping by a store to get some daily caffeine. I get there just in time to see my train go past, and realize that I don't have my SEPTA pass anyway. It's 7:53. But I figured I'd be fine.Okay, new plan: go home, get pass, grab an apple tart, catch a different bus, catch a different train and miss most of my first class. I get home and look at the clock.
It's already past 8:30.
And I knew I failed. That's it. Game over. The jig is up. You missed a day of school again. All because you wanted apple tarts at 11:30 the night before, and just had to make some.
*Slams head on the desk repeatedly*
* Yeah, about that. The nearest subway station is only a three minute walk, and a skateboard ride of one minute. But , they're rebuilding it so it's been closed for months.

Wednesday, January 7, 2009

The check is in the mail.

Perscripto in manubus tabellariorum est

He's right, it is better in Latin.

Now, back to my little art project.

Monday, January 5, 2009

Ritual Notes.

No, not this kind or this kind.
(Though both are good reads.)
Instead of posting them in the Ship all the time, I'll put em' here.

Vigil of the Epiphany:
Sung mass with incense. I served this mass.
-The best gold gothic set, with the tudor rose patern.
-Kalends!
-Sorry, the bell broke at the elevation of the host. My bad.

Solemnity of the Epiphany of Our Lord:

-It was the cloth-of-gold Roman* chasuble again, the one that looks like it's the same one S.Clem's uses on Epiphany.
- This is something new. Now there's a master of ceremonies. He took father's biretta and held his vestments as he went up the altar, and helping with the laying on of incense and incensation of the altar. He's wearing the festal surplice, with the lace. I still think mine is better. It's much more Roman than his.
-Missa Secunda for the mass setting. It's good to see that the choir director is finally using whole polyphonic mass settings instead of just parts.
-The kalends is sung! Very nice, though I liked it better with Fr. Matthew at the vigil mass.
-"We Three Kings of Orient are" at the offertory. Very nice three-part choral setting, even nicer descant to finish it off.
-More M.C. , now helping Fr. by turning the pages of the missal and lifting the chasuble at the elevations.
-" In the Bleak Midwinter" I can't beleive that people hate this. I love this piece, especially this setting.
- Veneration of the image of the bambino at the altar rail while singing " As With Gladness Men of Old".
- Good ol' BWV 572 to finish off.

*Actually, it's a German cut. Don't be fooled, not all fiddlebacks are Roman chazzies.