Advent 2023

This year, Advent begins the evening of December 2nd. It marks a new liturgical year. The Advent season is a time of preparation for the coming of Christ at the end of history and commemorating his birth at Christmas. The purple color used at the liturgy, and while Advent is no longer an official time of penance, its history is rooted in the idea that great feasts are preceded by a time of conversion and renewed discipline.

Small Changes in the Mass

Starting in Advent you will see the chalice covered with a veil. This is described in the General Instructions of the Roman Missal as a “praiseworthy practice” (no. 118). Here is a good explanation of the significance of the chalice veil. You will also notice greater reverence shown to the altar by the clergy and servers though additional bows and a slower pace of setting the altar for the Eucharist.

Advent Music at Mass

Because it is a penitential season, we do not sing the Gloria at Masses during Advent. We are fasting from this song in anticipation of singing it with greater joy on Christmas. The opening words of the Gloria come from the angelic greeting to the shepherds.

As we have for many years at OLMC, we chant a few parts of the Mass in Latin (and Greek). Occasionally, we get asked, “why do we sing in Latin?” Some people are under the mistaken impression that Vatican II did away with Latin in Catholic worship. To the contrary, the Council encouraged its continued use, while also encouraging more use of the vernacular. This article gives a good explanation.

If this seems strange to you, please spend a few minutes practicing these parts of the Mass.

Kyrie (Lord, have mercy)

Sanctus (Holy, Holy)

Post Consecrationem (After the Consecration)

Agnus Dei (Lamb of God)

Christmas Season

Adoration of the Shepherds by Gerard van Honthorst (dated 1622). Image from Wikipedia.

In secular culture, the Christmas season begins after Thanksgiving and ends on Dec. 26. But in the Church’s calendar, Christmas begins on the evening of Dec. 24 and extends to the Baptism of the Lord, which is January 8th, 2023. The historical Christmas cycle extends to the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord on February 2nd, so those who want to keep their decorations up longer have good reason to do so.

The first eight days are celebrated with particular solemnity (the Christmas Octave), and the season includes important feasts such as Epiphany (commemorating the visit of the Magi), the Martyrdom of St. Stephen (the first to shed his blood for Christ), the Holy Innocents (the children who died as a result of Herod trying to kill the Christ child), and the feast of St. John the Evangelist.

The liturgical color for the Christmas season is white, which symbolizes purity, light, glory, and joy.

At Mass, we sing with greater gusto the Gloria, from which we have fasted during Advent. This link will help you to learn the Latin version which we will be singing, and I really hope all of you make the effort.

Our Director of Music, Scott Camden, offers a wonderful history and reflection on two beloved Christmas Carols below.

Silent Night

Among one of the most beloved Christmas Carols, Silent Night has a fascinating story behind its composition.  I've shared this story with our parish's choir members over the years, and am excited to have more people learn about its origin.

In 1816, Austrian Priest Joseph Mohr was preparing to celebrate Christmas Eve Masses, when he and his music director discovered that the church organ had malfunctioned.  At this point the legend becomes somewhat ambiguous; some versions cite this as the time Fr. Mohr and his music director wrote the words and music to Silent Night, while other versions suggest the priest had already begun writing it.  Regardless, at a moment when dealing with such a heavy liturgical blow - the loss of the organ on such an important feast day - this Austrian parish priest rose to the challenge, and used the opportunity to offer something new, meek, and humble to the Lord.  The hymn’s opening lyrics: “Silent Night... Holy Night" take on a whole new meaning when we realize they were first sung in a spacious European church, accompanied only by a humble guitar to fill in for the malfunctioning organ.  Little did either Fr. Mohr or the music director know that their humble song would be elevated by the Lord for many decades afterwards.

Thus, aside from the lyrical and melodic beauty of this classic Christmas Carol, for those who know the story behind its composition, it serves as a wonderful example of bringing good out of a dark situation (Cf. Gen 50:20).

God Rest You Merry, Gentlemen

Among one of the oldest known Christmas Carols, this hymn dates back to the 1600s, with its first known publication in 1760.  It is even referenced by Charles Dickens in The Christmas Carol:

"... at the first sound of 'God bless you, merry gentlemen! May nothing you dismay!', Scrooge seized the ruler with such energy of action that the singer fled in terror, leaving the keyhole to the fog and even more congenial frost."

Musically, the hymn is a bit unusual and unique amongst its fellow Carols, as it is written in a Minor key (as opposed to Major).  While there are certainly better descriptors, oftentimes Major keys are described as "happy" or "uplifting,” whereas Minor keys are more "sad" and "somber."  Our Advent hymn, "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel" is written in a Minor key for this reason.  So why would a joyous Christmas Carol be written in a more somber tone?

The general consensus is that the theological themes of this Carol as so seriously and profound that they demand to be 'taken seriously' as it were.  Here is the hymn's first verse:

God rest ye merry, gentlemen
Let nothing you dismay
Remember, Christ, our Saviour
Was born on Christmas day
To save us all from Satan's power
When we were gone astray
O tidings of comfort and joy
Comfort and joy
O tidings of comfort and joy

Yes, the hymn references merriment and joy, but the main reason to celebrate the occasion of Christmas with these positive emotions is due to how dramatic and serious Christ's incarnation is for humanity.  He comes not casually or aimlessly, but on a mission from His Father to "save us from Satan's power" - to conquer sin and death.  This is why one of the wise men gifts the infant Jesus with myrrh, to signify the sacrificial nature of Christ’s incarnational ministry and mission. So, next time you hear this Carol, rather than wondering why it isn’t “happier” like the rest, take a moment to be both present to Christ’s birth as well as looking forward to his Pascal sacrifice on the cross, and salvific graces won for us.

Advent Part 2 - 2022

"O" Antiphons

 In our last Liturgy blog post, we briefly referenced a collection of chanted prayers known as the "O" Antiphons - due to each of them beginning with an exclamatory "Oh ___".  These antiphons have a long and rich history in the church, and have even found their way into our more contemporary Advent music.

Among the earliest recorded prayers of the church, they date back to at least the 8th century AD, and possibly earlier, with Boethius describing them in the 6th cent. There are seven "O" antiphons total, one sung each day during Vespers (6pm prayer in the Liturgy of the Hours), starting on 12/17 and ending on 12/24, Christmas Eve.  Thus, these prayers are meant to express an eager anticipation and longing for the Messiah to come and redeem His people.  They are rich with imagery drawn from the book of Isaiah, often referred to as "the 5th Gospel" by early church fathers due to how strongly passages describe Christ and His ministry.

While much more could be said about the theological depth and meaning these antiphons contain, a great example of their Messianic hopes lies within a hidden intentional message in their ordering.  Below are the first words of each "O" antiphon:

o   17 December: O Sapientia (O Wisdom)

o   18 December: O Adonai (O Lord)

o   19 December: O Radix Jesse (O Root of Jesse)

o   20 December: O Clavis David (O Key of David)

o   21 December: O Oriens (O Dayspring)

o   22 December: O Rex Gentium (O King of the Nations)

o   23 December: O Emmanuel (O With Us is God)

Now, if you lay out the first letter of each word in reverse order, you create the phrase "Ero Cras" - which is Latin for "tomorrow, He comes." This is more than just a hidden message from clever monks; it is an additional layer of prayer and Advent meditation. Finally, if aspects of these antiphons are familiar, they should be, because they form the basis for our current Advent hymn "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel." And since not everyone can make the time to pray Vespers daily from 12/17-24, for the last few years, OLMC has always ended its Advent Masses with this hymn - working through all 7 verses over the course of Advent so that we all can listen to the prophecies of Isaiah, and like the Israelites of his day, eagerly await the coming of the Messiah in our hearts.

Gaudete Sunday

On the 3rd Sunday of Advent, many of you notice the priests' vestments change from violet/purple to rose/pink. This signifies a special Sunday in Advent known as Gaudete Sunday. The Latin word "Gaudete" translates to the command "Rejoice!" and is the first word of the entrance antiphon for that day: Gaudete in Domino semper - "Rejoice in the Lord always!" The remainder of the Gaudete antiphon is taken from Philippians 4 and Psalm 84, and is as follows:

"Let your modesty be known to all men: for the Lord is nigh. Be nothing solicitous: but in every prayer let your petitions be made known to God. O Lord thou hast blessed thy land: thou hast turned away the captivity of Jacob."

From this entrance antiphon, and the readings of the Mass, the clear message of this particular Advent Sunday is finding joy in confidently trusting the Lord's covenantal promises of redemption and salvation to His people.  In particular, the first reading (Isaiah 35) and the Gospel (Matthew 11) are intimately linked.  In the Gospel, John the Baptist's followers come to Jesus to ask if He is the Messiah.  Jesus answers them by quoting Isaiah 35 (our first reading) in describing His ministry and miracles - Jesus is directly fulfilling the prophecies of Isaiah regarding what the time of the Messiah will look like, and how he will minister to his people.  It is in the fulfillment of these prophecies and divine promises that Christians find their joy - the Lord God keeps His promises, and we are called to recognize their fulfillment and rejoice.

Ave Maria

Throughout the Liturgical Year at OLMC, we chant more ancient hymns and prayers at the end of Communion.  Oftentimes, these are Marian hymns, given our parish's devotion to Our Lady.  These hymns will also sometimes reference / be related to our current Liturgical season - for example, during Easter we chant the Regina Caeli, a prayer of joy to our Blessed Mother that her son, Jesus Christ, has arisen and conquered sin and death.

During Advent, Frs. Anthony and Ignatius, and myself, found it fitting to pray the Ave Maria ("Hail Mary"), as the text of this prayer is drawn from the first few chapters of Luke - events preceding Christ's nativity.  First we pray the words of the Angel Gabriel, "Hail Mary! The Lord is with you" (Lk 1:28), and later the words of Mary's cousin, Elizabeth, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb" (Lk 1:42).  Our parish sings the universal Gregorian chant, dating back to the 13th century and sung by the worldwide Church for hundreds of years.  Both our priests and I encourage you to take advantage of this Advent season and learn this chant, so that you would be able to sing it on your own or with your families throughout the year.

Our hope is that, by learning more of the music and liturgical significance of the Advent season, your faith lives may be enriched, and the Holy Mass be ever more nourishing and fulfilling.

Click here to watch/listen to a video of the Ave Maria.

Godbless,

Scott Camden

Director of Music Ministry

Advent 2022

Advent begins Saturday evening, November 26.

From the USCCB website:

Beginning the Church's liturgical year, Advent (from, "ad-venire" in Latin or "to come to") is the season encompassing the four Sundays (and weekdays) leading up to the celebration of Christmas

The Advent season is a time of preparation that directs our hearts and minds to Christ’s second coming at the end of time and to the anniversary of Our Lord’s birth on Christmas. From the earliest days of the Church, people have been fascinated by Jesus’ promise to come back. But the scripture readings during Advent tell us not to waste our time with predictions. Advent is not about speculation. Our Advent readings call us to be alert and ready, not weighted down and distracted by the cares of this world (Lk 21:34-36). Like Lent, the liturgical color for Advent is purple since both are seasons that prepare us for great feast days. Advent also includes an element of penance in the sense of preparing, quieting, and disciplining our hearts for the full joy of Christmas.

As we prepare for Christmas, the General Instruction of the Roman Missal notes some differences to the Mass that should be observed during the season. For instance, the priest wears violet or purple during Advent, except for the Third Sunday of Advent (Gaudete Sunday) when rose may be worn (GIRM, no. 346). Aside from what the priest wears, other aesthetic changes in the Church can include a more modestly decorated altar.

The final days of Advent, from December 17 to December 24, we focus on our preparation for the celebrations of the Nativity of our Lord at Christmas. In particular, the "O" Antiphons are sung during this period and have been by the Church since at least the eighth century. They are a magnificent theology that uses ancient biblical imagery drawn from the messianic hopes of the Old Testament to proclaim the coming of Christ as the fulfillment not only of Old Testament hopes, but of present ones as well.

Advent devotions including the Advent wreath, remind us of the meaning of the season. Our Advent calendar above can help you fully enter into the season with daily activity and prayer suggestions to prepare you spiritually for the birth of Jesus Christ. 

Advent Music at Mass

Because it is a penitential season, we do not sing the Gloria at Masses during Advent. We are fasting from this song in anticipation of singing it with greater joy on Christmas. The opening words of the Gloria come from the angelic greeting to the shepherds.

As we have for many years at OLMC, we chant a few parts of the Mass in Latin (and Greek). Occasionally, we get asked, “why do we sing in Latin?” Some people are under the mistaken impression that Vatican II did away with Latin in Catholic worship. To the contrary, the Council encouraged its continued use, while also encouraging more use of the vernacular. This article gives a good explanation.

If this seems strange to you, please spend a few minutes practicing these parts of the Mass.

Kyrie (Lord, have mercy)

Sanctus (Holy, Holy)

Post Consecrationem (After the Consecration)

Agnus Dei (Lamb of God)