THE GREAT ANTIPHONS

 The following great Antiphons are said entire before and after the Magnificat,

from the 17th to the 23rd of December, inclusive.

Antiphon for the 17th of December :

O SAPIENTlA, quae ex ore Altissimi prodiisti, attingens a fine usque ad finem, fortiter suaviterque disponens omnia: veni ad docendum nos viam prudentiae.

O WISDOM that comes out of the mouth of the Most High, that reaches from one end to another, and dost mightily and sweetly order all things: come to teach us the way of prudence!

Antiphon for the 18th of December :

O ADONAI, et Dux domus Israel, qui Moysi in igne flammae rubi apparuisti, et ei in Sina legem dedisti: veni ad redimendum nos in brachio extento.

O ADONAI, and Ruler of the house of Israel, who did appear unto Moses in the burning bush, and gave him the law in Sinai: come to redeem us with an outstretched arm!

Antiphon for the 19th of December :

O RADIX Jesse, qui stas in signum populorum, super quem continebunt reges os suum, quem Gentes deprecabuntur: veni ad liberandum nos, jam noli tardare.

O ROOT of Jesse, which stands for an ensign of the people, at whom the kings shall shut their mouths, whom the Gentiles shall seek: come to deliver us, make no tarrying.

Antiphon for the 20th of December :

O CLA VIS David, et sceptrum domus Israel; qui aperis, et nemo claudit; claudis, et nemo aperit; veni, et educ vinctum de domo carceris, sedentem in tenebris, et umbra mortis.

O KEY of David, and Scepter of the house of Israel; that opens and no man shuts; and shuts and no man opens: come to bring out the prisoner from the prison, and them that sit in darkness, and in the shadow of death.

Antiphon for the 21st of December :

O ORIENS, splendor lucis aetemae, et sol justitiae: veni, et illumina sedentes is tenebris, et umbra mortis.

O DAYSPRING, Brightness of the everlasting light, Sun of Justice, come to give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death.

Antiphon for the 22nd of December :

O REX Gentium, et desideratus earum, lapisque angularis, qui facis utraque unum: veni, et salva hominem, quem de limo formasti.

O KING of the Gentiles, yea, and desire thereof; 0 Cornerstone, that makes of two one: come to save man, whom Thou hast made of the dust of the earth!

Antiphon for the 23rd of December:

O EMMANUEL, Rex et legifer noster, exspectatio Gentium, et Salvator earum: veni ad salvandum nos, Domine, Deus noster.

O EMMANUEL, our King and our Lawgiver, Longing of the Gentiles; yea, and salvation thereof: come to save us, 0 Lord our God!

The post The “O Antiphons” as we prepare for Christmas first appeared on AirMaria.com.

Ave Maria!

T’is the Season … ! This is a re-post of the very first FiNews when AirMaria was Just getting started.

The keystone friars set-up the creche at Our Lady of Guadalupe Chapel in this time-lapse video set to “O Little Town of Bethlehem” sung by the Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate. Merry Christmas!

Ave Maria!

The post Video – Fi News #1 – Setting-up the Creche first appeared on AirMaria.com.

“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men of good will.” (Lk. 2:14)

MEDITATION

At Bethlehem the angels announced two things: Glory to God and peace to men; the one corresponds to the other. No one glorifies God as much as that little Babe lying on the straw. He alone, being the eternal Word, can give God the perfect, infinite praise that is worthy of Him. And no one more than Jesus, our Savior, brings peace to men; making reparation for sin, He reconciles man with his Creator and establishes a new covenant between them: the Creator will become Father, and man, will become a son.

Something similar is verified in our daily life.  Those who obey God’s law enjoy peace; observing the divine law they also glorify God. The glory of God corresponds perfectly to the peace of men. But we are treating of that peace which comes only from Jesus, from His grace, peace which we will seek in vain elsewhere.

Peace is the tranquility of order. Order is established by the law and will of God. Those who respect this order fully possess the plenitude of interior peace; those who depart from it, even in a slight degree, lose their peace in proportion to their deviation from it. Peace is the refreshment and repose of the soul in the midst of the struggles and sorrows of life, but this is not the only reason for which we should try to obtain and possess it. We should desire it above all because it gives glory to God.

The angels promised peace “to men of good will”. Our will is “good” when it is upright, docile and resolute.  It is upright when it is sincerely and entirely oriented toward good; docile when it is always ready to follow every indication of God’s will; resolute when it is prompt to adhere to the will of God, even though difficulties and obstacles arise, and sacrifices are required. The Lord is continually urging us to generosity and abnegation in all the circumstances of life, even the smallest ones. We must give ourselves to God without hesitation, certain that if God asks anything of us, He will also give us the strength to carry out His wishes. Such was the conduct of the shepherds; as soon as they heard the message of the angel, they left all, their flocks and their rest, and “came with haste [to Bethlehem] where they found … the Infant lying in the manger” (Lk. 2:16). They were the first to find Jesus and to taste His peace.

Time passes and does not return. God has assigned to each of us a definite time in which to fulfill His divine plan for our soul; we have only this time and shall have no more. Time ill spent is lost forever. Our life is made up of this uninterrupted, continual flow of time, which never returns. In eternity, on the contrary, time will be no more; we shall be established forever in that degree of love and glory (that we have attained at life’s end). If we possess only a slight degree of love, that is all we shall have throughout eternity. No further progress will be possible when time has ended.

Therefore, while we have time, let us work good to all men. We must give every moment its full amount of love, and make each passing moment eternal, by giving it value for eternity, This is the best way to use the time given us by God. Charity allows us to adhere to God’s will with submission and love and thus at the close of life we shall have realized God’s plan for our soul; we shall have reached the degree of love which God expects from each one of us and with which we shall love and glorify Him for all eternity.

(Fr. Gabriel of St. Mary Magdalen, O.C.D.)

Look at Christ Jesus. All His life is consecrated to the glory of His Father Whose will He always accomplishes: “I seek not My own will but the will of Him that sent me”(Jn.5:30, 6:38).  He seeks only that. At the moment of achieving His life here below, He says to His Father that He has fulfilled His mission: “I have glorified Thee on the earth” (Jn 17:4).  The desire of His Divine Heart is that we too should seek the glory of His Father.

(Blessed Columba Marmion)

Gloria in altissimis Deo, et super terram pax in hominibus bonae voluntatis.

Gloria in excelsis Deo
et in terra pax hominibus bonae voluntatis
Laudamus te
Benedicimus te
Adoramus te
Glorificamus te
Gratias agimus tibi propter magnam gloriam tuam
Domine Deus, Rex caelestis, Deus Pater omnipotens
Domine fili unigenite, Jesu Christe
Domine Deus, Agnus Dei, Filius patris
Qui tollis peccata mundi, miserere nobis
Qui tollis peccata mundi suscipe deprecationem nostram
Qui sedes ad dexteram patris miserere nobis
Quoniam tu solus sanctus
Tu solus Dominus
Tu solus Altissimus, Jesu Christe
Cum Sancto Spiritu in gloria Dei Patris.
Amen.

English:
Glory to God in the highest
and on earth peace to people of good will
We praise you
We bless you
We adore you
We glorify you
We give thanks to you for your great glory
Lord God, Heavenly King, God Almighty Father
Lord Only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ
Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father
You who take away the sins of the world have mercy on us
You who take away the sins of the world hear our prayer
You who sit at the Father’s right hand, have mercy on us
For you alone are holy
You alone, Lord
You alone the Most High, Jesus Christ
With the Holy Spirit in the glory of God the Father.
Amen.

The post Gloria in excelsis Deo! first appeared on AirMaria.com.

Homily #090104 ( 08min) Play – On this Epiphany Sunday Fr. Ignatius explains that the Our Lord manifests himself on this day as he does on the Feast of Cana and at His Baptism by John in the Jordan. And so all naturalistic ways to salvation now cease as is symbolized by the Magi, the gentile astrologers, coming to seek Christ under a new star at Bethlehem.
Ave Maria! Mass readings
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The post Jan 04 – Homily – Fr Ignatius: Epiphany of the Christ Child first appeared on AirMaria.com.

The Tradition of the Christmas Crib

Following a beautiful and firmly-rooted tradition, many families set up their crib immediately after the feast of the Immaculate Conception, as if to relive with Mary those days full of trepidation that preceded the birth of Jesus. Putting up the crib at home can be a simple but effective way of present­ing faith, to pass it on to one’s children. The crib helps us contemplate the mystery of God’s love that was revealed in the poverty and simplicity of the Bethlehem Grotto. Saint Francis of Assisi was so taken by the mystery of the Incarnation that he wanted to present it anew at Greccio in the living nativity scene, thus beginning an old, popular tra­dition that still retains its value for evangelization today. Indeed, the crib can help us understand the secret of the true Christmas because it speaks of the humility and merciful goodness of Christ, who “though he was rich he made himself poor” for us (2 Cor 8: 9). His poverty enriches those who embrace it and Christmas brings joy and peace to those who, like the shepherds in Bethlehem, accept the Angel’s words: “Let this be a sign to you: in a manger you will find an infant wrapped in swad­dling clothes” (Lk 2: 12). This is still the sign for us too, men and women of the third millennium. There is no other Christmas.

Pope Benedict XVI

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Homily #091224 ( 04min) Play – On the Vigil of Christmas (Christmas Eve) Father gives the account of the arrival of the Holy Family in Bethlehem. He notes how they are poor, chaste, docile to the will of God and full of charity. Let us imitate them and contemplate these great events.
Ave Maria! Vigil of the Nativity of Our Lord – Mass: EF, Hodie Scietis – Readings: 1st: rom 1:1-6 – Gsp: mat 1:18-21

Audio (MP3)

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The post Dec 24 – Homily – Fr Ignatius: Arrival in Bethlehem first appeared on AirMaria.com.

Homily #091228 ( 10min) Play – Today we celebrate the feast of the Holy Innocence who died in the place of Jesus when Herod tried to kill the messiah by killing all the male children under two years of age at Bethlehem. Father relates this to our own times and invokes their intercession for the protection of innocent life.
Ave Maria! Mass readings
1: 1 Jn 1:5-2:2
R: Ps 124:2-5,7-8
G: Mt 2:13-18

Audio (MP3)

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The post Dec 28 – Homily – Fr Bonaventure: Innocent and Holy first appeared on AirMaria.com.

Homily #100103 ( 13min) Play – Epiphany of Our Lord marks the second part of Christmas which is the manifestation of Christ to the whole world as an introduction to His public ministry as an adult. Fr Angelo explains who the Magi were and why God lead them with the star first to King Herod in Jerusalem and only then to Bethlehem and the Christ Child. He contrasts the response of the Magi to that of Herod when they receive the message of the coming of the Messiah.
Ave Maria! Mass readings
1: Isa 60:1-6
R: Ps 72:1-2,7-8,10-13
2: Eph 3:2-3,5-6
G: Mt 2:1-12

Audio (MP3)

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The post Jan 03 – Homily – Fr Angelo: Every King will Adore Him first appeared on AirMaria.com.

Homily #101128 ( 10min) Play – Fr Dominic preaches on the opening of Advent when we prepare for the coming of Our Lord when He is born at Bethlehem on Christmas Day. Father focuses on the Marian dimension of this season when we should renew our consecration to Mary so that we can prepare all the better, gaining graces, overcoming bad habits.
Ave Maria!
Mass: 1st Sunday of Advent – Form: OF
Readings:
1st: isa 2:1-5
Resp: psa 122:1-2, 3-4, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9
2nd: rom 13:11-14
Gsp: mat 24:37-44

Audio (MP3)

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The post Nov 28 – Homily – Fr Dominic: Advent Season of Preparation first appeared on AirMaria.com.

Homily #110102 ( 15min) Play – In today’s Gospel on this Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord we have the story of the three Magi or wise men from the east who, following the star, come to the newborn Savior with the gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. Fr Bonaventure explains the significance of these gifts as well as the three wise men in the public manifestation (epiphany) of the newborn Christ, fulfilling the ancient prophecies and pointing to the events of His life, especially the other epiphany events, His Baptism, the Miracle at Cana and the Transfiguration.
Ave Maria!
Mass: Epiphany of the Lord – Solemnity – Form: OF
Readings:
1st: isa 60:1-6
Resp: psa 72:1-2, 7-8, 10-11, 12-13
2nd: eph 3:2-3, 5-6
Gsp: mat 2:1-12

Audio (MP3)

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The post Jan 02 – Homily – Fr Bonaventure: Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh first appeared on AirMaria.com.