(UPDATED)Resources For Mass: The Epiphany Of The Lord (Jan. 3, 2010)

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AN UPDATED AND MORE EXTENSIVE LIST OF RESOURCES CAN BE FOUND HERE.

This post contains resources for both forms of the Roman Rite.  Please note that in the Extraordinary Form of the rite the Solemnity is always celebrated on January 6.  Also note that the first reading (Isa 60:1-6) and the Gospel reading (Matt 2:1-12) are identical in both forms.

ORDINARY FORM:

Readings.  Click on today’s date, January 3.

Sunday Gospel Scripture Study.  Excellent! Audio/video, approx. 51 minutes.

Being Bob~A Catholic Site.  Contains text from the Douay-Rheims Challoner version, and notes from the old Haydock Commentary.

Aquinas’ Lecture on Ephesians 3:1-6.  Not easy reading, and not specifically oriented towards today’s solemnity.

Aquinas’ Catena Aurea on Matthew chap. 2.  A compilation of texts from the Early Church Father.

Navarre Bible Commentary: Text and commentary.  Please note this resource is available only for a few days.

• First Reading/Commentary.
• Second Reading /Commentary.
• Gospel Reading/Commentary.

Lector Notes.  Useful notes for lectors which you may find useful also.

Religion, Science, and the Journey of the Magi.  15 minute audio homily by Fr. Robert Barron.

Working With The Word. Brief text relating the readings together.

Thoughts From The Early Church.  This week features Odilo of Cluny.

Word Sunday: Contains the readings and brief, well informed notes.

• FIRST READING
• PSALM
• SECOND READING
• GOSPEL

EXTRAORDINARY FORM:  Just a reminder that the first and Gospel readings of the OF are identical to those used this week in the EF.

The Vigil of Epiphany. By Dom Prosper Gueranger.

Devout Instruction on the Epistle and Gospel.  Scroll down page.  Contains the readings and prayers of the EF, along with brief notes.  Followed by a description of why we use incense.

We Have Come To Adore Him.  Sermon.  The star was to the wise men what grace is to us.

We Have Seen His Star In The East.  Follows the above sermon.

Homily Of Pope St Gregory.

Pope St Leo’s 1st Homily on the Epiphany.

Pope St Leo’s 3rd Homily on the Epiphany.

Pope St Leo’s 4th Homily on the Epiphany.

Pope St Leo’s 6th Homily on the Epiphany.

The Method:   From the Sermon: “The feast of Epiphany…gives us a beautiful idea of the method which we must follow in serving our Divine Master, by presenting for our consideration the story of the Magi who came from the East to pay their respects to the Infant Jesus.

Some Thoughts For Epiphany Sunday.  Previously posted.  Taken from Meditation On The Life Of Christ, by Thomas a Kempis.  Kempis, of course, wrote the famous IMITATION OF CHRIST.

The Most Skin-Crawling Headline of the New Year

I wonder if this headline will remain king of the hill as the year wears on?

PET TARANTULA’S BARBED HAIRS FOUND IN OWNER’S EYES.

Podcasts: Thoughts On The New Year And The Epiphany

Waterboy has posted a couple of very short podcasts.  The first is a meditation on the Feast of the Circumcision of Jesus (4 minutes), which in the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite was celebrated on New Year’s Day.  The second is also 4 minutes long and is a meditation on the Feast of Epiphany, which will be celebrated this Sunday.

Some Thoughts For Epiphany Sunday (Jan, 3 2010)

Thomas a Kempis is best known for his IMITATION OF CHRIST, but he also authored MEDITATIONS ON THE LIFE OF CHRIST, of which the following is an excerpt.

I bless and give Thee thanks, O Lord Jesus Christ, Thou Prince of the rulers of the earth, for Thy Manifestation to the three Kings.

For when Thou wast born in Bethlehem of Judea, Thou didst forthwith reveal Thy Majesty to men of a far-off land.  Leading them by a heavenly light to Thy miserable dwelling-place, Thou didst manifest to them Thy state of holy poverty.

O God, great and wonderful!  Thou alone orderest all things, and doest great works in heaven above.  Thou wast not ashamed to appear before so many kings and nobles, poor and unadorned-an example of lowly indigence.

For, neither the place nor the habit assumed fo us didst Thou change for aught more splendid; in one and the same way before shepherds and kings didst Thou manifest Thyself.

I praise Thine ineffable compassion for the first-fruits of the Gentiles, for Thy call of the Heathen; whom from the far-off East Thou didst, by secret inspiration, draw to the light of the Gospel.

There are not found in Israel among her princes those who, with so much glory and faith, hasten to search out the place of Thy Nativity.  The faith of these strangers was brighter far-their devotion more fervent.

I glorify Thee for the marvelous enlightenment of the Gentiles.  So gloriously didst Thou shine into the dark minds of these men of the East, that, with undoubting faith, they followed over wide regions the heaven-shown sign.

With the holy Magi I reverently adore Thee; longing so to walk in their footsteps, that I may offer to Thee, with devout affection, the three precious gifts, which in themselves contain the high mysteries of the faith.

Falling down before They they presented gold in token of Thy royal dignity; frankincense in veneration of Thy divine majesty; and myrrh to tell fo Thy assumed mortality.

Wherefore, O Lord most merciful King of Kings, O Jesus Christ, Thou Ruler of the universe, accept from the hand of Thy unworthy servant the mystical offering, that I, in the spirit of these holy Kings, this day devoutly present unto Thee.

I offer Thee, now and forever, first, a sound faith, a firm hope, and a pure love.  I believe Thee to be the Ruler of all things in heaven and on earth.  I adore Thee, Very God, the Only-Begotten of the Father.  For my Salvation I confess that Thou didst take of the Virgin Mary a mortal body.

Further, accept, I pray Thee, three other gifts, containing within themselves a sweet-smelling savor.  Lo, I present unto Thee that which I received from Thee; I relinquish, out of love for Thee, all my worldly goods.  I wish not in this life to call anything my own.  My desire is to be content with plain food and simple clothing.  In this lies the true oblation of precious gold.

I also add the gift of frankincense, by which is signified the incense of devout prayer for my own sins; pleading with sighs and tears, thanking Thee for many mercies, and grieving for  all who are afflicted or distressed.  This is the burning of sweet frankincense, so acceptable unto Thee.

I offer unto Thee also the spices of myrrh, in memory of Thy most bitter Passion, longing, by a stern self-denial, to go on unto perfection.

For as often as I, through love of Thee, call to mind Thy cruel sufferings, I present unto Thee acceptable incense.

And when I overcome my evil desires and renounce mine own will, then do I bruise fragrant myrrh in my heart, that from thence a fitting sacrifice may be prepared for Thee.

O how happy should I be, could I offer to my Jesus plenteous myrrh, by gathering together all the labors, the sorrows, and the bitterness of Thy Passion!

For, by such a mingling of myrrh and frankincense, the faithful soul is moved to ardent amendment, to deed of penitence, and crucifying of the flesh.

O Jesus Christ, I give Thee thanks for the profound sanctity of this day, adorned as it was by Thee with three glorious miracles.  On this day, by the guidance of a star, Thou didst lead the three Kings to Thy manger; today Thou wast baptized of John in Jordan; on this day Thou turnedst water into wine at the marriage feast, clearly in all proving Thyself both God and man.

I, therefore, pray Thee, O lowly and gracious Lord, that Thou wilt not suffer me to be led astray by Herodian delusions, by the honors of the world, and the allurements of the flesh, but so guide me with the blessed Magi in the right way to the heaven of heavens, that I may be found meet to behold Thee in everlasting glory.

Putting One Billion Dollars Into Perspective

The following comes from Patrick Tyrrell and was posted on The Heritage Foundation blog THE FOUNDRY.

A million here, a million there, and pretty soon we’ve got real money. So said Illinois’s Sen. Everett Dirksen, the long-time Minority Leader during the 1960s. who often reminded his colleagues about how quickly a million here and there added up to enormous sums of public spending.

Today, of course, its billions, and Members of Congress spend that denomination with the ease they used to spend millions. However, do Members or most of the general public have a solid grasp of how large a number a billion actually is?

To put a billion in perspective, we’ve placed nine zeros after the number 1 and (taking our inspiration from a popular email circulating around Internet space this year) have calculated several, hopefully useful ways to grasp the magnitude of “one billion dollars.” Consider the following facts:

• One billion seconds ago it was 1978
• One billion minutes ago was 107 A.D.
• One billion hours ago our ancestors lived in the Stone Age.
• One billion days ago no-one walked on two feet
• One billion dollars ago was only 2 hours and 30 minutes at the rate the U.S. government has been spending it.

Imagine, every 2 and a half hours, Congress spends another one billion dollars of taxpayer’s money.

Or, think of how much Louisiana Senators David Vitter and Mary Landrieu asked the Federal Government (i.e. taxpayers) for to rebuild New Orleans in 2005. Their legislation requested $250 billion for this modest project. That means:

• Every man, woman, or child residing in New Orleans could be given $549,616 for $250 billion.
• Every homeowner in New Orleans could be given $1,162,299 for $250 billion.
• Every four people could be given $2,198,464.

Even when adjusted for inflation, $250 billion dollars is more than the state of Louisiana cost when purchased during the Jefferson administration. It is one fourth of a trillion dollars.

Of course, a billion here and a billion there pretty soon adds up to trillions of real money. If Members of Congress who spend our hard earned tax dollars have little understanding of how large a billion is, imagine how little they grasp the enormous sum of just one trillion dollars. That’s 1,000 times more than a billion, and Congress this last year authorized trillions of debt-financed outlays for the next several years.

That spinning sound you hear is Everett Dirksen in his grave.