Angel of the Morning Star. 'I am the bright morning star', Fr. Damasus Winzen

Aside: In this passage by Fr. Damasus Winzen, in 'Symbols of Christ' there are occurrences of "stars" 23 times., below. 
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Revelation 22:16 "I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this ...  

bible.cc/revelation/22-16.htm  "I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this message for the churches. I am both the source of David and the heir to his throne. I am the bright morning star." ...

A WORD IN SEASON

Readings for the Liturgy of the Hours

Years I and II

New Edition  AUGUSTINIAN PRESS 2001  

Fr. Damasus Winzen 1901-1971

Second Week of Easter  Wednesday

First Reading       Revelation 2:18-29

Second Reading

From the writings of Damasus Winzen, O.5.B. (Symbols of Christ, 44-45)

The stars

The fact that the course of the celestial bodies influences life on earth led people of old to the belief that the heavenly world of the stars is the archetype and model of the earthly world, and that the stars in their unchangeable course - "eternal gods," as the Greeks used to call them - determine the fate of humanity.

In the Old Testament the stars are not gods. They are the obedient servants of the Lord of hosts who created them. They were called and they said: "Here we are"; and with cheerfulness they shone forth to him that made them. When God laid the cornerstone of the earth, the morning stars sang together, and all the children of God shouted with joy. The stars are symbols of the just who obey God's commands and, therefore, declare his glory.

The king of Babylon is the rebellious star who wants to rule without serving his God. He is overthrown by the Creator of heaven and earth, as Isaiah says of him: How are you fallen from heaven, Lucifer, son of the morning? How are you fallen to the earth that did wound the nations? Only one star will rise to world domination: the Star of Jacob, the Messiah. He is the morning star be­cause he was begotten before the day of creation.

When he appears here on earth, he rises in the dark of night like the morning star: at his birth in the stable of Bethlehem, at his resurrection from the dead, at his second coming. Each one of these three risings is announced by a star. The royal star leads the magi to the crib of the newborn king of the Jews. The morn­ing star which rises victoriously out of the Easter night and greets the saviour at the dawn of the resurrection is praised by the deacon in the Exsultet of the paschal vigil: "May the morn­ing star find the flame of this candle alive; that Lucifer who knows no setting, that star who, returning from hell, shone se­renely upon humankind." When the end of darkness has come and the last day dawns, the true Lucifer reveals himself saying:

I am the bright morning star. In perfect obedience to his heavenly Father, the star of Christ has run its course. His death on the cross was his setting as the evening star. His resurrection was his rising as the morning star. All those who die with him in baptism and open themselves to his light have become sons and daughters of the morning star, sons and daughters of God. When the last day dawns, the day star will arise in their hearts, and they will hear from the lips of the risen savior the blessed words: I will give you the morning star.

                                                                          

Jesus in the Holy Eucharist... like Mary Magdalene

Mary Magdalene Noli me tangere. Touch me not. Jn. 20:17. (W. Drost)

ONLINE HE AND i Gabrielle Bossis

1946

April - 26 -  Holy hour. In the empty church.

April - 26 -  Holy hour. In the empty church.

"Empty...but filled with Me. You don't think often enough that I am everywhere, that nothing exists where I am not present. Think of this. It will help you to reach Me. One thing only I ask of you: oneness with Me. Since we are united in the morning in My Eucharist, let us not be separated by your indifference; it leads to constant mind - wandering. When people are in love they never stop thinking of the beloved, do they? Then what should I conclude if you don't think of Me? Come to me directly; I'm waiting for you. Let our life together be vibrant with your life.

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Vary your ways of loving. Charm Me. Be at My feet in humility like Mary Magdalene, or on My heart, resting there like John, or taking care of Me like My mother, or glorifying Me, as in heaven, or taking your place with Me beneath the Spirit hovering above our heads.

And when you suffer, suffer with My sufferings. You understand? Oneness. Never separation, not even nascent in the twilight of forgetfulness.

Be alive in Me. I live in you; let Me feel everything in you. Of course, even your faults. Am I not compassion personified? Haven't I the power to blot out everything? To make crooked things straight?"

"Lord, reform me. I am nothing but pride from morning to night." 

 "Tell Me about it every day and humble yourself. It is I who unfold each one of your days. There is Jesus in the Holy Eucharist; there is Jesus, too, in circumstances, in encounters, in happenings. See Me everywhere. Follow Me everywhere. I have been what you are on the earth, except for sin. Be filled with the divine science. Let your heart overflow to those who come near you, just as though you were carrying a vase filled with precious nectar spilling over with every step you take. My poor little girl, enriched by My riches alone, may she be careful never to think she is worth anything by herself. But may she be conscious of her power through My power."

Blessed Sacrament- Holy hour. In the empty church.

Tabernacle - White Carnations gift

In the empty church, Holy Hour; Gabrielle

ONLINE HE AND i Gabrielle Bossis

1946

April - 26 -  Holy hour. In the empty church.

"Empty...but filled with Me. You don't think often enough that I am everywhere, that nothing exists where I am not present. Think of this. It will help you to reach Me. One thing only I ask of you: oneness with Me. Since we are united in the morning in My Eucharist, let us not be separated by your indifference; it leads to constant mind - wandering. When people are in love they never stop thinking of the beloved, do they? Then what should I conclude if you don't think of Me? Come to me directly; I'm waiting for you. Let our life together be vibrant with your life.

Vary your ways of loving. Charm Me. Be at My feet in humility like Mary Magdalene, or on My heart, resting there like John, or taking care of Me like My mother, or glorifying Me, as in heaven, or taking your place with Me beneath the Spirit hovering above our heads.

And when you suffer, suffer with My sufferings. You understand? Oneness. Never separation, not even nascent in the twilight of forgetfulness.

Be alive in Me. I live in you; let Me feel everything in you. Of course, even your faults. Am I not compassion personified? Haven't I the power to blot out everything? To make crooked things straight?"

"Lord, reform me. I am nothing but pride from morning to night." 

 "Tell Me about it every day and humble yourself. It is I who unfold each one of your days. There is Jesus in the Holy Eucharist; there is Jesus, too, in circumstances, in encounters, in happenings. See Me everywhere. Follow Me everywhere. I have been what you are on the earth, except for sin. Be filled with the divine science. Let your heart overflow to those who come near you, just as though you were carrying a vase filled with precious nectar spilling over with every step you take. My poor little girl, enriched by My riches alone, may she be careful never to think she is worth anything by herself. But may she be conscious of her power through My power."

Cenacle - Upper Room, encounters

In Saturday in Easter Octave, the Gospel of Mark 16: 9-15 the reference to the the ELEVEN disciples is unique - appearance to the apostles..
Later in Sunday, another reference to 'the ELEVEN' occurred in a context very different, - 'My eleven children in the Upper Room knew that,  and they were so deeply touched during their thanksgiving that some were in tears.' Link to the Cenacle, Pascal Meal, Mark 14:12-25.

ONLINE HE AND i Gabrielle Bossis

1946

Holy Thursday -  Alone in the church near the Blessed Sacrament.

"Tell Me that you are beginning to be more certain of the power of My love,
although you know you are unworthy.

Tell Me this to comfort Me for the ones who do not believe.

You will give Me heart’s ease.

Let us make an alliance between your poverty and My riches.

Never fail to lean on Me.

Have no confidence in yourself, not even for a moment.

Where would it lead you?

Does one call upon nothingness to help nothingness?

Who better than a father can understand his child?

My eleven children in the Upper Room knew that,
and they were so deeply touched during their thanksgiving that some were in tears.

And what about My own emotion! Adore it. It comes from my tenderness.

The next day at the same hour will I not already have died for them? For you...

Aren't the last moments of a man sentenced to death lived more intensely?"

The Annunciation of the Lord - Solemnity. Monday, 08 April 2013

LIPPI. Fra. Filippo. Annunciation

----- Forwarded Message -----
From: Nivard . . .
Sent: Sunday, 7 April 2013, 10:13
Subject: Sermon for Annunciation

Annunciation of the Lord 

8 April 2013, Benedict XVI Adapted.

 

For centuries prior to the birth of Christ, God's chosen people had been waiting for the promised Messiah. God spoke to king Ahaz through Isaiah. King Ahaz was told to ask the Lord God for a sign. However, king Ahaz refused to ask God for a sign, indicating that he would not put God to the test. Consequently, the Lord God chose a sign of His own. God said, "Look, the young woman, is with child and shall bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel." "Immanuel" means, "God is with us."

When Gabriel appeared to Mary, he said, "Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee." When Mary heard these words, she was confused. She did not know who the angel was, why he had come, nor the meaning of this kind of salutation.

The exact meaning of the word "grace" in Greek implies more than "fullness"; it implies "instrumentality." It was a calling to the Blessed Virgin Mary to become an instrument of the Lord God. It was a calling that demanded a "Fiat," total submission, unconditional trust in the Divine Providence.

The angel told Mary not to have any fear for she had found grace with God. Behold, she would conceive in her womb and bring forth a Son who shall be called Jesus. He shall be great. He will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give Him the throne of His ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever. Of His kingdom, there will be no end. History tells us today that all these things have happened for the glory of God.

From these prophetic words, Mary understood the message to mean the announcement of the coming Redeemer. However, how could this be since she was a virgin? To remove Mary's anxiety the angel Gabriel told her that the Holy Spirit would come upon her and the power of the Most High would overshadow her. In confirmation of this, the angel informed Mary that her aged cousin, Elizabeth, was pregnant and would have a child. In response to the angel's Annunciation, Mary gave her "Fiat" by saying, "Behold the handmaid of the Lord. Be it done to me according to your word."

The Name Immanuel means, "God is with us." In Hebrew, the name 'Jesus' means: "God saves." The angel gave the Lord His proper Name. This name expressed His identity and His mission.  God alone can forgive sins. It is God who, in Jesus, His eternal Son made man, "will save his people from their sins." Through Jesus, God summarises all His history of salvation for the benefit of mankind.

At the moment of the Annunciation, Jesus entered the world in His human nature. Through Mary, He became a member of the human race. Through Mary, Jesus was given to the world for the salvation of mankind.

Through Mary, an Immaculate Virgin, Jesus received His human form to become the perfect sacrifice and sin offering according to the Divine will of God the Father. This meant an end to the imperfect sacrifices and sin offerings of bulls and goats. Salvation is a gift. It has been given to us through Jesus Christ.
 

In summary, the Feast of the Annunciation of the Lord reminds us of the moment when the Word of God the Father took human nature upon Himself. Today we are also called to remember that although Jesus has risen and is sitting at the right hand of the Father in Heaven, He remains present with us in the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist. He is present in the Living Word and in the Tabernacle. There, He continually longs for all the faithful to show their love for Him. My brothers, our saving Lord, our God, has come and remains with us. Of His Kingdom there will be no end. May we draw as close to Jesus as He is to us.

- - - - - - - - - - -

Second Sunday of Easter (Divine Mercy Sunday) - Year C

Christ and St. Thomas

Andrea del Verrocchio's sculpture
of the incredulity of St. Thomas.

Octave of Easter (Low Sunday)

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Octave_of_Easter

The term Octave of Easter may refer either to the eight-day period (Octave) from Easter Sunday until the Sunday following Easter, inclusive; or it may refer only to that Sunday after Easter, theOctave Day of Easter (sometimes known as Low Sunday). That Sunday is also known historically as St. Thomas Sunday (especially among Eastern Christians), Quasimodo Sundayand Quasimodogeniti. Since 1970 Low Sunday has been officially known as the Second Sunday of Easter (referring to the Easter season) in the Roman Catholic Church. On April 30, 2000, it was also designated as Divine Mercy Sunday by Pope John Paul II.

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John 20:19-31.

- - -
Thomas, called Didymus, one of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. 
So the other disciples said to him, "We have seen the Lord." But he said to them, "Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger into the nailmarks and put my hand into his side, I will not believe." 
Now a week later his disciples were again inside and Thomas was with them. Jesus came, although the doors were locked, and stood in their midst and said, "Peace be with you." 
Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here and see my hands, and bring your hand and put it into my side, and do not be unbelieving, but believe." 
Thomas answered and said to him, "My Lord and my God!"
Jesus said to him, "Have you come to believe because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed."
Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of (his) disciples that are not written in this book.
But these are written that you may (come to) believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through this belief you may have life in his name.

NIGHT OFFICE

Origin; Cited in Christ Our Light: Patristic Readings on Gospel Themes, Vol 1, Friends of Henry Ashworth, Ed.. Tr. 1981, Exordium Books, Riverdale, MD. pp. 175-175

From a commentary on Saint John's gospel

by Saint Cyril of Alexandria (Lib. 12: PG 74, 704-705)

This work was written before the outbreak of the Nestorian controversy in 429. Its aim is to bring out the dogmatic meaning of the gospel and to refute heretical teaching. One of the fundamental aspects of Cyril's theology is his insistence on the glory of Christ. In the following reading he stresses the spiritual qualities of the resurrected body of our Lord. The glory of Christ is inseparable from his divinity but it was hidden by his kenosis at the incarnation. This glory our Lord revealed to chosen witnesses at his transfiguration. Hence the allusion to this mystery.

By his miraculous entry through closed doors Christ proved to his disciples that by nature he was God and also that he was none other than their former companion. By showing them his side and the marks of the nails, he convinced them beyond a doubt that he had raised the temple of his body, the very body that had hung upon the cross. He had destroyed death's power over the flesh, for as God, he was life itself.

Because of the importance he attached to making his disciples believe in the resurrection of the body, and in order to prevent them from thinking that the body he now possessed was different from that in which he had suffered death upon the cross, he willed to appear to them as he had been before, even though the time had now come for his body to be clothed in a supernatural glory such as no words could possibly describe.

We have only to recall Christ's transfiguration on the mountain in the presence of his holy disciples, to realize that mortal eyes could not have endured the glory of his sacred body had he chosen to reveal it before ascending to the Father. Saint Matthew describes how Jesus went up the mountain with Peter, James, and John, and how he was transfigured before them. His face shone like lightning and his clothes became white as snow. But they were unable to endure the sight and fell prostrate on the ground.

And so, before allowing the glory that belonged to it by every right to transfigure the temple of his body, our Lord Jesus Christ in his wisdom appeared to his disciples in the form that they had known. He wished them to believe that he had risen from the dead in the very body that he had received from the blessed Virgin, and in which he had suffered crucifixion and death, as the Scriptures had foretold. Death's power was over the body alone, and it was from the body that it was banished. If it was not Christ's dead body that rose again, how was death conquered, how was the power of corruption destroyed? It could not have been destroyed by the death of a created spirit, of a soul, of an angel, or even of the Word of God himself. Since death held sway only over what was corruptible by nature, it was in this corruptible nature that the power of the resurrection had to show itself in order to end death's tyranny.

When Christ greeted his holy disciples with the words: Peace be with you, by peace he meant himself, for Christ's presence always brings tranquility of soul. This is the grace Saint Paul desired for believers when he wrote: The peace of Christ, which passes all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds. The peace of Christ, which passes all understanding, is in fact the Spirit of Christ, who fills all those who share in him with every blessing.

Responsory                                                John 20:19-20

Rising from the dead

the Lord Jesus stood among his disciples and said:

-Peace be with you, alleluia.

The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord, alleluia.

On the first day of the week,

the disciples were gathered behind locked doors for fear of the Jews;

Jesus stood among them and said:

-Peace be with ...

Octave Easter Saturday

Saturday, 06 April 2013 Easter Saturday
DUCCIO_di_Buoninsegna_Appearance_While_the_Apostles_are_at_Table Gospel Mark 16:9-15. Saturday in the Octave of Easter           Today, we end this week with the Gospel of Mark which sums up the appearances of the risen Christ.           The liturgy of this first week of Easter plunges us into an atmosphere of inexpressible joy, of the Church alive in the Holy Spirit and growing rapidly. Entrance Antiphon The Lord led his people to freedom and they shouted with joy and gladness, alleluia!

Night Office: 

Origin; Cited in Christ Our Light: Patristic Readings on Gospel Themes, Vol 1, Friends of Henry Ashworth, Ed.. Tr. 1981, Exordium Books, Riverdale, MD. p. 166

Proclaiming the Gospel

Alternative Reading

From a commentary on the Letter to the Romans by Origen (Lib. 5, 10: PG 14, 1048-1052)

This work, now extant only in a Latin translation by Rufinus, was probably written before the year 244. Origen shows that baptism, referred to in the context, is a sacramental death, burial, and resurrection with Christ. The baptized die to sin and rise again to new life.

• Christ has presented each Christian with the death of sin itself, a gift of faith, as it were, deriving from his own death. Sin can have no more freedom of action in people who believe themselves to be dead, crucified, and buried with Christ, than in those have suffered bodily death. They are therefore said to be dead to sin. This is why the Apostle says: If we have died with him, we believe we shall also live with him. It is important to note the difference of expression: Saint Paul does not say "we have lived" as he says "we have died," but "we shall live." This is his way of showing that death is at work in the present world, but life in the world to come, when Christ is revealed. He is our life, hidden away in God. For the time being, therefore, as Paul himself teaches, death is at work in us.
• But it seems to me that this death which is at work in us has certain decisive moments. As with Christ there was the moment when Scripture says that he cried out with a loud voice and gave up his spirit; then there was the time when he was laid in the grave and its entrance was sealed up; and there was the morning when the women looked for him in the tomb and did not find him because he had already risen, though his actual resurrection was visible to none: so also in each of us who believe in Christ, there must be this threefold pattern of death.
• First of all, Christ's death must be manifested in us by a verbal acknowledgment of our faith in him, since the faith that leads to righteousness is in the heart, and the confession that leads to salvation is on the lips. In the second place, we must show it by putting to death those passions which belong to earth, as we carry Christ's death about with us wherever we go; this is what is meant by death is at work in us. Thirdly, we have to proclaim Christ's death by showing that we ourselves have already risen from the dead and are walking in newness of life. To sum up briefly and clearly: the first day of death is when we renounce the world; the second, when we renounce the sins of the flesh; the third, the day of resurrection, when we are fully perfected in the light of wisdom. In each believer, however, these different stages and his degree of progress can be discerned and known only by God, to whom alone are revealed the secrets of our hearts.
• Christ chose to empty himself and take the form of a slave. He submitted to a despot's rule, and became obedient even to death. By that death he destroyed the lord of death, that is the devil, and set free all those whom death held captive. He tied up the Strong One, conquering him on the cross, and broke into his house in the underworld, the stronghold of death. He then plundered his goods; in other words, he carried off the souls whom the devil held in bondage. This is the meaning of Christ's own parable in the gospel: How can anyone break into a strong man's house and plunder his goods unless he begins by tying the strong man up? First of all, then, he bound him on the cross and so entered his house, that is the underworld. From there he ascended on high, leading a host of captives, namely those who rose with him from the dead and entered the holy city, the heavenly Jerusalem. Because of this, Saint Paul rightly declares that death no longer has any power to touch him.
  

Mark 16:15.

He said to them, "Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature. 

Alleluias during Easter Week

Conjubilant:  Let Your Alleluias Rise 

http://chantblog.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/easter-vigil-alleluia.html 

2. Liturgy of the Word

Saturday, April 07, 2012

The Easter Vigil: Alleluia!

Here's an mp3 of the Easter Vigil Alleluia, from the Brazilian Benedictines. The threefold Alleluia at the start marks the beginning of the Easter season (and in the West, is the first time the word has been used since Ash Wednesday).

Here's a video of the same chant, sung by the Gloriæ Dei Cantores Schola, with the full chant score below: Alleluia: Confitemini Domino (Easter Vigil)
http://chantblog.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/easter-vigil-alleluia.html  

The text comes from Psalm 107, and in English is:

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!
Have faith in the Lord for He is good, for His mercy is forever!