Music & Liturgy Musings
Eucharistic Adoration
Posted by Anthony Gallina on 8/25/21
O God, who in this wonderful Sacrament have left us a memorial of your Passion, grant us, we pray, so to revere the sacred mysteries of your Body and Blood that we may always experience in ourselves the fruits of your redemption.Who live and reign with God the Father ... Read More »
Ecclesia de Eucharistia
Posted by Anthony Gallina on 8/25/21
Ecclesia de Eucharistia On the Eucharist in its Relationship to the Church
On Holy Thursday 2003, Saint John Paul II wrote Ecclesia de Eucharistia, a letter to all the faithful of the world. Its short six chapters explore and explain the essential nature of the Eucharist to the ... Read More »
The Liturgical Calendar: Feast Days and Their Rank
Posted by Anthony Gallina on 8/13/21
On the first week of the Bread of Life Discourse, I noted that we would not celebrate the Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time because the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary supersedes it in liturgical rank. How is this determined? We delved a bit into the ... Read More »
Sacramentum Caritatis & the Epiclesis
Posted by Anthony Gallina on 8/13/21
For about a year now, in addition to ringing the Sanctus bells at the elevations of the Host and Chalice, the servers have been ringing the bells at another moment during the Eucharistic Prayer. This occurs when the priest stretches his hands over the gifts of bread and wine. Some may ... Read More »
Sacramentum Caritatis
Posted by Anthony Gallina on 8/04/21
Sacramentum CaritatisThe Sacrament of Charity (Love) In 2007, Pope Benedict XVI wrote Sacramentum Caritatis (The Sacrament of Charity): On the Eucharist as the Source and Summit of the Church’s Life and Mission. It is an amazing apostolic exhortation to the entire Church focused upon the Eucharist and how that Sacrament gives life ... Read More »
The Bread of Life Discourse
Posted by Anthony Gallina on 7/21/21
The Bread of Life Discourse in Year B of the Sunday Cycle One of the liturgical reforms of the Second Vatican Council was to increase the amount of the Scriptures proclaimed at Mass. Prior to Vatican II, there was only one set of readings for Sundays and holydays. ... Read More »
The General Roman Calendar and Particular Calendars
Posted by Anthony Gallina on 7/16/21
The General Roman Calendar (GRC) is the calendar which governs all the churches in the Roman Rite of the Latin (Western) Church. The rubrics of the calendar determine which celebration (and its liturgical rank) takes place each day of the year. Each liturgical year begins with the First Sunday of Advent ... Read More »
The Profession of Faith
Posted by Anthony Gallina on 7/15/21
The Profession of Faith Every Sunday and on all liturgical celebrations with the rank of “solemnity”--the highest ranking celebration, we profess our faith following the homily. Why do we profess our faith each week? The General Instruction of the Roman Missal says: “The purpose of the Creed or Profession ... Read More »
Songs of Ascent
Posted by Anthony Gallina on 6/30/21
Our psalm today is one of the Songs of Ascents in Scripture. Psalms 120-134 all start with the superscription “Song of Ascents.” They are also sometimes called the Gradual Psalms. Many scholars believe these fifteen psalms were sung by worshippers as they ascended the road to Jerusalem for worship ... Read More »
Daily and Monthly Devotions
Posted by Anthony Gallina on 6/25/21
Last week I noted that Wednesday is a traditional day in the Church for devotion to Saint Joseph. Did you know that each day of the week and each month of the year has a specific devotion? Sanctifying each day of the week with a particular devotion helps us to ... Read More »