Single.Black.Catholic.

Thoughts and musings of a single black Catholic woman.

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Book Review: Catholicism--A Journey to the Heart of the Faith

Father Barron takes us on a 2000 year journey of the Catholic Church and discussed the common dogmas of the faith: from the Incarnation when God became flesh to the end of time.  He does so with a skillful writing style that engages the reader at every step.  This book will be familiar to you if you've see Barron's Catholicism DVD series.  He acknowledges that the book emerged from the scripts he wrote for the DVDs.  I'm currently watching those DVDs so this is a good complement to that.

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Tantum Ergo sung by the Daughters of Mary to the French Picardy melody (the same melody used for Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silent).

Tantum ergo Sacramentum Veneremur cernui: Et antiquum documentum Novo cedat ritui: Praestet fides supplementum Sensuum defectui. Genitori, Genitoque Laus et iubilatio, Salus, honor, virtus quoque Sit et benedictio: Procedenti ab utroque Compar sit laudatio. Amen.

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A Convert's Perspective on the TLM

Since converting to Catholicism, I’ve discovered the thousands of years worth of beautiful tradition within the church.  I think one of the greatest discoveries for me has been the traditional latin mass (TLM).  I remember reading about the mass on a Catholic forum while going through RCIA.  Upon discovering that there was a church a mere 5 blocks from me with TLM twice weekly, I immediately set out to experience it.  It was All Souls Day and I came prepared with a silk scarf to cover my head.  I picked up a red missalette and settled in the very last pew.  I had read enough to know that TLM involved a lot of kneeling, standing and genuflecting and I didn’t want to make a fool of myself.  What I didn’t know at the time was the mass was a low mass and the red missalette didn’t have the propers of the mass.  I was horribly lost.  I couldn’t hear Father.  Why was his back to me?  Why wasn’t anyone talking? 

Looking back now, I can chuckle at my ignorance but I was seriously confused.  And I was sure I’d never go back.  A few months later, I became curious again.  So I attended a second mass, this time on a Sunday.  It was another low mass (which I didn’t know) and the red missalette still wasn’t helpful to me.  Again, I gave up.  Finally, after continuing to read about TLM on the internet forums and someone painstakingly explaining the differences between the high and the low mass and informing me why the red missalettes didn’t have the propers for the masses (except one) I decided to give it a third go.  Something in me knew this mass was worth figuring out although I wasn’t even Catholic yet.  After my 3rd experience, eureka!  I started to get it.  I could follow along in the missalette. 

Now, I go to TLM about 50% of the time on Sundays and sometimes during the week (usually on Saturday).  I have 2 missals (a daily and a Sunday missal) and have collected a few mantillas.  Although I can appreciate the novus ordo (NO) and have been to very reverent NO masses (such as at the National Shrine), I love the contemplative atmosphere at TLM.  I really feel like I’m assisting Father with the mass.   Now, at NO, I like to participate by singing, saying the responses, etc.  However to me, the sacrificial aspect of the mass is more apparent and there’s a more reverent attitude from the attendees. 

That being said, I don’t think I’ll ever totally stop attending the NO.  I’m not one of those extreme Catholics who think Vatican II is heretical and should be disregarded.  I do think some changes that took place because of Vatican II have led to some unfortunate consequences in the Church but that doesn’t mean the NO is invalid.  My ultimate preference would be a hybrid novus ordo mass said in the vernacular but with Greek and Latin chants.  There is so much beautiful sacred music out there that isn’t used anymore (such as Palestrina and Luis de Victoria).  However, until that mass is offered at my home parish, I’ll continue to attend both masses. 

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I have a stack of books that I'm working my way through (not including the digital books on my Kindle) but here's another to add to the list.  Pope Benedict XVI’s the third and final installment of Jesus of Nazareth: The Infancy Narratives is coming November 21, 2012!  How apropos with the Advent season coming soon.  Be sure to check it out!

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Poured Out

I have a feeling October is going to be a great month.  Not only is it the month of the Rosary, but we celebrate so many great saints.  On Monday, we celebrated the feast day of my patron, St. Therese of Lisieux.  Although I didn’t make it to mass that day, that evening, I went to a recollection that paralleled the similarities between St. Therese’s “Little Way” and St. Josemaria Escriva’s “The Way.” 

As the weather cools (Fall) is my favorite season) and the holidays approach, it’s so easy to slip into an early sadness about the anticipated feelings of loneliness that can overwhelm singles.  Fortunately, God has been sending a network of Catholic people into my life who I’ve met through recollections, young adults activities, bible study and church. 

Over the summer, while lamenting about my singleness, I felt challenged that I could do more: volunteer at a shelter, serve food to the hungry, basically spend all this pent up love that I’ve been saving for my future spouse and children!  I came to the realization that I’m not robbing them of anything—rather I’m opening up a floodgate to an unquenchable kind of love.  Love is not a silent thing but wants to be expressed to the fullest.  My prayer for today, especially in light of St. Francis of Assisi’s feast, is to pour it out.  It’s an expression I heard in some reading I did over the summer but basically it’s living a life that is so full that it spills over into service for others.  Maybe there won’t be a husband or biological children (only God knows for sure) but there are many brothers and sisters in Christ who need love right now.  What are you doing to live a poured out life?

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Yearning for God's Friendship

" Envy not the lawless man and choose none of his ways: to the Lord the perverse one is an abomination, but with the upright is His friendship."

From the daily readings today, this verse stuck out to me.  If I endeavor to walk in uprightness, God will be my friend.  What a wonderful reason to strive for holiness in daily life.  People in your life come and go, but God's friendship is sure to remain and stand the passage of time, even into eternity.  My prayer for today will be to rest in God's friendship.

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I heard this song in mass a couple weeks ago.  It is so beautiful: I Was Glad by Parry (based on Psalm 122).  For those with discerning ears, this was also the bridal procession for the Duchess of Cambridge in April 2011.

I was glad when they said unto me, We will go into the house of the Lord. Our feet shall stand in thy gates, O Jerusalem Jerusalem is builded as a city that is at unity in itself. O pray for the peace of Jerusalem, they shall prosper that love thee. Peace be within thy walls, and plenteousness within thy palaces, and plenteousness within thy palaces!

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A video of the St. Therese of Lisieux chaplet

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St. Therese of Lisieux's feast day is upon us.  I'm so excited about officially celebrating the life and work of this powerful little saint.  As I was going through RCIA, I agonized for months about which Saint to pick for confirmation and even entertained the thought of just being confirmed with my own name (shock and horror!).  However, I'm so glad that Therese chose me.  I kept hearing about her and became more and more curious about her.  Although there was one other serious contender, Therese won out in the end.  She's a wonderful friend and yes, she's sent me roses.  I'm joining John-Paul at Pray More Novenas and thousands around the world to pray a novena to St. Therese leading up to her feast day.  I'm also going to pray her chaplet on each of these 9 days as well.  I really believe in her intercession and hopefully you'll join in and learn more about this great saint!

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I ordered this Our Lady of Grace statue from Amazon recently in effort to cultivate a prayer space and invigorate my prayer life.  I can't wait until it gets here!  Are you supposed to have things like this blessed?  I'm also thinking about ordering a St. Therese of Lisieux statue, who is my confirmation/patron saint.  I'm still searching for the perfect one. . .

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So that you will better appreciate the meaning of Our Lord's words, and perceive more clearly how few the Elect are, note that Christ did not say that those who walked in the path to Heaven are few in number, but that there were few who found that narrow way. It is as though the Saviour intended to say: The path leading to Heaven is so narrow and so rough, so overgrown, so dark and difficult to discern, that there are many who never find it their whole life long. And those who do find it are constantly exposed to the danger of deviating from it, of mistaking their way, and unwittingly wandering away from it, because it is so irregular and overgrown.

St. Jerome

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Many begin well, but there are few who persevere.

St. Jerome

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Faithfully, I will write, write you a love song with my life.

Eric and Leslie Ludy from their song Faithfully

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Fidelity begins even before you meet the person you are going to marry.

Anon

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Going to solemn high mass today with my new missal. So excited!!!

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Today is the feast of Our Lady of Sorrows.  (Somehow, I ended up in Latin Mass today--I was actually planning to go to the EF tomorrow--and I got to use my new missal.)

The Seven Sorrows are events in the life of the Blessed Virgin Mary:

The Prophecy of Simeon. (Luke2:34-35) or the Circumcision of Christ

The Flight into Egypt. (Matthew2:13)

The Loss of the Child Jesus in the Temple. (Luke 2:43-45)

Mary Meets Jesus on the Way to Calvary.

Jesus Dies on the Cross. (John19:25)

Mary Receives the Body of Jesus in Her Arms. (Matthew 27:57-59)

The Body of Jesus Is Placed in the Tomb. (John 19:40-42)

Here again, we see how the hearts of Jesus and Mary are eternally entwined.  Today is a good day to reflect on that.

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True Love is a Cross

Today, I felt like the priest was speaking directly to me during his homily.  He talked about how true love is an act of the will and also includes an element of sacrifice.  It isn't what we read in books, see on t.v. or even hear about from others.  Although I consider myself a big romantic, in my heart I know that that is not true love.  Flowers, candy, kisses, etc are the accoutrements of love, the proverbial icing on the cake. 

I had a somewhat radical encounter with God over the summer regarding my love life.  He showed me that everything I thought was wrong.  He showed me that physical purity without mental or emotional purity isn't true purity at all.  He showed me that He is my first and everlasting love.  The man he sends me will be the earthly manifestation of His love for me, but will never fully live up to the original.  He taught me to really pray without ceasing.  He showed me that love is a gift that I can neither earn or manifest.  He asked me to pray for my future spouse.  Finally, He gave me peace in this area of my life. 

Hearing the homily again reminded me that even in the present moment, I am loving my future spouse.  Although I'm alone, afraid, and sometimes feel down about being single, by picking up this cross daily, offering it up, making my body (mind and spirit) a living sacrifice that is acceptable to God, I am also loving my future spouse.  I reject the world's idea of love: date many men, sleep around, shack up, obsess about looks or wealth.  My prayer is that my future beloved also feels the call to a higher standard.  I hope that he is trying his hardest to live a selfless, poured out, Christ-centered, pure life with his future wife (me) in mind. 

Christ on a cross--this is the standard by which we should define love.