Monthly Archive for December, 2008

January 1: the Naming of Jesus; Mary, Mother of God

Published on December 31, 2008 in liturgy. Closed Tags: collect, Jesus, name, solemnity of mary mother of god.

January 1 is celebrated both as the Naming of Jesus (the 8th day after his birth – Luke 2:21), and as the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God.

Mary (”Miriam”) bears the same name as Moses’ sister. A strong woman. She is married to Joseph. The names of the rest of the family are also strong names recollecting their early history of liberation. Jesus (Joshua = “God saves/liberates/sets free”), James (Jacob), Joseph, Simon (Simeon), Judas (Judah), (Matthew 13:55). And, yes, we know Jesus had at least two sisters. It also tells a story that we don’t know their names…

Does your family go in for royal names (George, James, Henry, William, Elizabeth, Anne)? Famous sportspeople? Jesus’ family seemed to choose early liberation names. Jesus’ family chose names from the foundational deliverance stories of their nation. You can imagine what the Roman oppressors thought of people with names like this.

Jesus probably not born December 25

Published on December 30, 2008 in liturgy. Closed Tags: christmas.

The chances are 364/365 AGAINST that Jesus was historically born December 25!
This horrifies some people when they discover it. Furthermore it wasn’t 0 AD – there wasn’t even a 0 AD. Zero is a relatively late concept, and the year before 1 AD is 1BC.
So where do we get December 25 from for Christmas?

Here is a theory based on “pagan” festivals.
Here is a theory based on possible Judaeo-Christian origins.

It’s still Chanukah (Hanukkah)

Published on December 28, 2008 in liturgy. Closed Tags: christmas, Hanukkah.

Is it still Christmas?

Adam Sandler hanukkah song Lyrics :

Put on your yalmulka, here comes hanukkah
Its so much fun-akkah to celebrate hanukkah,

Hanukkah is the festival of lights,
Instead of one day of presents, we have eight crazy nights.

When you feel like the only kid in town without a x-mas tree, heres a list of
People who are jewish, just like you and me:

David lee roth lights the menorrah,
So do james caan, kirk douglas, and the late dinah shore-ah

Guess who eats together at the karnickey deli,
Bowzer from sha-na-na, and arthur fonzerrelli.

Paul newmans half jewish; goldie hawns half too,
Put them together–what a fine lookin jew! [esus]

You dont need deck the halls or jingle bell rock
Cause you can spin the dreidl with captain kirk and mr. spock–both jewish!

Put on your yalmulka, its time for hanukkah,
The owner of the seattle super sonic-ahs celebrates hanukkah.

O.j. simpson– not a jew!
But guess who is…hall of famerrod carew–(he converted)

We got ann landers and her sister dear abby,
Harrison fords a quarter jewish–not too shabby!

Some people think that ebeneezer scrooge is,
Well, hes not, but guess who is:all three stooges.

So many jews are in show biz–
Tom cruise isnt, but I heard his agent is.

Tell your friend veronica, its time you celebrate hanukkah
I hope I get a harmonica, on this lovely, lovely hanukkah.

So drink your gin-and-tonic-ah, and smoke your mara-juanic-ah,
If you really, really wanna-kah, have a happy, happy, happy, happy
Hanukkah. happy hanukka.

There was no inn at Bethlehem

Published on December 27, 2008 in liturgy. Closed Tags: christmas, eucharist, last supper, lectio.

We were walking to Christmas Midnight Mass when my son insightfully asks, “We’re celebrating Jesus’ birth – right? So why are we having communion and so thinking about his death?”

The question hung with me throughout the Eucharist. At the blessing of the crib, a mistranslation of Luke’s Gospel was read that may be a way in to an answer. We hear “…and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.” (Luke 2:7) Well the original does not say “inn”.

The original translated as “inn” is καταλυμα. This word is used only three times in the New Testament. In Mark 14:14, and Luke 22:11 (which he copies from Mark) it is translated as “guest room”. It is upstairs. [And we are told it is large - plenty of space this time!] There Jesus celebrates the Last Supper, the Eucharist.

Καταλυμα derives from καταλυω – to unharness – hence the translation of “inn” for Luke 2:7. [One could develop a thread about salvation as being unharnessed - for which there was no space at the start of Luke's story - but for which there was large space as he reaches its conclusion]

A poor, small village like Bethlehem at Jesus’ time would not have had an inn. Nor, as Luke tells the story, would the extended family have provided no hospitality to a very pregnant family member. In most Bethlehem homes (as even still occurs today), animals were kept downstairs, whilst the upper part had work areas, sleeping areas, and, for someone wealthy enough, even a guest room. With no space in the upper guest room – the downstairs space for the animals would have given some privacy.

Luke frames his story with an upper room near the start (Bethlehem), and near the end (the Last Supper, the Eucharist). As I knelt at communion in Luke’s upper room (Luke’s καταλυμα), I held God. God now so small that there is space even within me for this God-made-small we celebrate this day. Transcendence and immanence are not opposites mysteriously united in God. Only a transcendent God can be closer than merely touching. Only the God greater than all can become smaller than all – so that there is nowhere now so small that God cannot find a place there.

“In Mary God has grown small to make us great.”St. Ephrem (d. 373)

This post is a republication of a 2007 reflection

Christmas, Kwanzaa, Eid al-Adha, Hanukkah, Al-Hijira

Published on December 26, 2008 in liturgy. Closed Tags: Al-Hijira, borat, christmas, dreidel, Eid al-Adha, erran baron cohen, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, sacha.

These are some of the celebrations around this time:
Christmas, Kwanzaa, Eid al-Adha, Hanukkah, Al-Hijira.
If there’s one on that list you don’t know much or anything about, how about doing a bit of online research? Or read about it in a book?
Or step out of the non-virtual world and go and meet some of the people that celebrate this festival? Chat with them, even celebrate what you can with them.
Rejoice in what we have in common.
Rejoice in the colourfulness of difference.
Respect that we can be friends and hold different perspectives.

I leave you today tapping your foot to Erran Baron Cohen’s “Dreidel” from Songs in the Key of Hanukkah (featuring Jules Brookes & Y-Love). Erran is Sacha’s brother (sorry Erran – you probably prefer Sacha to be known as your brother – not many people noticed that in Borat they were actually speaking Hebrew! – twice as funny)

How long is Christmas?

Published on December 25, 2008 in liturgy. Closed Tags: christmas, christmas season.

You have your say:

Christchurch Carmel

Published on December 24, 2008 in liturgy and spirituality. Closed Tags: carmelite monastery, carthusians, catholic, christchurch, cistercian, hermits, monastery, roman catholic, silent prayer.

What do you bring as a “hello” gift to an enclosed, contemplative Roman Catholic nun? The September edition of the Christchurch magazine Avenues had produced a splendid article on the Christchurch Carmelite Monastery of Christ the King (I cannot locate an online version of the article – sorry). A lot was written about Sr Cushla, reminding me I had taught at Marian College while she was a student there. The article encouraged me to email Sr Cushla and I made an appointment to meet up with her.

I drove through the gates into the concrete-bricked-off wall of the monastery from the busy Lincoln Road. Parked. And with my box of chocolates in hand followed the sign to the “turn” – a small room with a two level rotating cupboard. Rang the bell. A cheerful voice with the familiar Island cadences could be heard on the other side. “I’m Bosco Peters, I’ve got an appointment with Sr Cushla”. With a cheerful response the Turn began rotating – a key appeared, nearly disappearing round again – but I stopped it just in time. I received instructions to go to Room 6. A small room with a curtain at one end. Sr Cushla was coming in behind the curtain cheerfully greeting me, pulled aside the curtain to reveal the traditional grill, and said, “You haven’t changed a bit” (do contemplative nuns ummm… bend the truth? We haven’t seen each other for 20 years!)

There are only nine of them here. Five aged over 70. Sr Cushla is the youngest. She’s been here 10 years. She exudes joy and peace. A sense of being in the right place. She describes the vocation as “hermits in community”. We talk about Cistercians, Carthusians, family, our journeys the past 20 years. I’m interested in the two hours of “recreation” the community have daily when they sit around and talk. The grill may give a confusing message – they are certainly well in touch with what is happening. They knew about the success of the Merton service by the next day. “But what do you talk about for two hours every day?” She laughed. I know that even Carthusians, with their little contact with news chat Sundays and Mondays – but two hours a day with the same 9 people! Sr Cushla says there is seldom a lull in the conversation, and on that rare occasion that there is a lull they have a saying that a Carmelite has been born. May this blog-post help contemplative life. Yours. Ours. That of the church generally. May contemplative life flourish – within and outside cloister walls.

Awkard pause

Let’s hope a Carmelite has been born.

Christchurch Carmel Website (Maintained by Sr Cushla)

Christchurch secondary school teacher Joseph Houghton interviewed Sr Cushla in July 2008 for a DVD to promote vocations. This is the interview in four parts:

Daily Timetable

5:30am Rise

6:00am Morning Prayer (Divine Office) followed by 1 hour silent prayerRinging the Bell

7:15am Breakfast, followed by Work

8:10am Mass bell – Prayer at 8:20am

8:30am Mass preceded by Prayer Before Noon (Divine Office)

9:20am Work

11:00am Midday Prayer (Divine Office)

11:20am Dinner

12 noon Recreation

1:00pm Work , Study or Rest – in Solitude

2:00pm Spiritual Reading

2:45pm Afternoon Prayer (Divine Office)

3:00pm Work

4:30pm Evening Prayer (Divine Office)

5:00pm Silent Prayer

6:00pm Supper

6:40pm Recreation

7:45pm End of Recreation

8:00pm Night Prayer followed by Office of Readings (Divine Office)

Followed by time for reading, study etc

Christmas badge

Published on December 23, 2008 in liturgy. Closed Tags: badge, blogging, christmas, images.

An interesting response to my series of badges, one for each week of Advent, has been a request to continue producing badges – one for Christmas, and in fact through the seasons.

Many people like, from time to time, to add a badge to their website or blog. If you like the idea – send your friends the URL of this blog post.

The HTML for adding this badge to your blog or website is:

O Emmanuel – December 23

Published on December 23, 2008 in liturgy and liturgy of the hours. Closed Tags: advent, emmanuel, magnificat, o adonai, o antiphon, o antiphons, o come o come emmanuel.

O Emmanuel, our King and Lawgiver, hope of the nations and their saviour: come and save us, O Lord our God.
Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.

O Emmanuel,
Rex et legifer noster,
expectatio gentium,
et Salvator earum:
veni ad salvandum nos,
Domine, Deus noster.

Isaiah 7:14; 8:8; Matthew 1:23; Haggai 2:7

O come, o come, Emmanuel!
Redeem thy captive Israel,
that into exile drear is gone
far from the face of God’s dear Son.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
shall come to thee, O Israel.
O come, o come, Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here,
Until the Son of God appear.

O Antiphons reflection 1
O Antiphons reflection 2
Visual reflection on these beautiful prayers from New Mellleray abbey in Iowa

From at least the eighth century the antiphon before and after the Magnificat at Vespers (Evening Prayer), for the seven days leading up to Christmas Eve, has greeted Christ with a title starting with “O”. These became the basis of the popular carol “O come, O come, Emmanuel”. The initials, when read backwards, form the Latin “Ero Cras” which means “Tomorrow I come.”

They are now also used , in shorted form, in the Alleluia verses before the days’ Gospel readings.

Each day an O Antiphon could be used for prayer and reflection. These could form the basis of an Advent service with readings, music, and singing. Or of art, banners, or other ways of enhancing the worship environment symbolically. The carol “O come, O come, Emmanuel” and the Magnificat could form significant features in this.

O Rex Gentium – O sovereign of the nations – December 22

Published on December 22, 2008 in liturgy and liturgy of the hours. Closed Tags: advent, king nations, magnificat, o adonai, o antiphon, o antiphons, o come o come emmanuel.

O king of the nations, you alone can fulfil their desires: cornerstone, binding all together: come and save the creature you fashioned from the dust of the earth.
Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.

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

Jeremiah 30.7-11a; Revelation 15:3; Psalm 118:22; Isaiah 28:16; Matthew 21:42; Mark 12:10; Luke 20:17; Acts 4:11; Ephesians 2:20; I Peter 2:6

O come, desire of nations! Show
thy kingly reign on earth below;
thou cornerstone, uniting all, restore the ruin of our fall.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, thou Key of David, come,
And open wide our heavenly home;
Make safe the way that leads on high,
And close the path to misery.

O Antiphons reflection 1
O Antiphons reflection 2
Visual reflection on these beautiful prayers from New Mellleray abbey in Iowa

They are now also used , in shorted form, in the Alleluia verses before the days’ Gospel readings.

A Christmas Message from the Co-presiding Bishops

Published on December 21, 2008 in liturgy and spirituality. Closed Tags: Anglican, anglican church, christmas, new zealand.

December 20, 2008

To the people and communities of the Anglican Church in Aotearoa New Zealand and Polynesia
Te Hahi Mihinare ki Aotearoa ki Niu Tireni, Ki Nga Moutere o te Moana Nui a Kiwa

Dear Friends,

Tena koutou katoa, Ni sa bula vinaka, Malo elelei, Namas’te, Talofa lava, Warm greetings.

The three of us have just enjoyed celebrating the centennial of the Diocese of Polynesia in Suva where, once again, we were reminded of God’s faithfulness in history.

The Anglican story in Polynesia begins in the most inconspicuous of ways – in 1870, a solitary, faithful priest is sent from Melbourne to sow Gospel seed among the planters and traders in Levuka, Fiji’s old, wild, colonial capital.

From such humble beginnings the diocese has grown to maturity, and become the diverse, far-flung multicultural community of faith that is now Tikanga Pasifika.

God is good. God is life, great is God’s love.

Such small beginnings: but beginnings such as these are God’s chosen pattern, and we see the greatness, goodness and creative love of God revealed above all in the story of Christmas.

God comes into the world in the smallest and most vulnerable of ways, beginning with a tiny seed which then grows up and reaches out in grace and strength to transform the world forever.

What does this mean for us? Perhaps this, among other things – that God’s justice and God’s righteousness can be conceived, take flesh, be born and grow under any circumstances – including those that, to our eyes, may seem least promising.

This pattern is a tribute to the marvelous patience and farsightedness of God. As we see in the whakapapa retold at the beginning of Matthew’s Gospel, this birth was longed for by many generations. The story witnesses to a wisdom, a grace and a quest which defies human reckoning and surpasses human endurance.

May this Christmas give you the opportunity again to treasure the babies and children in your whanau, the smallest in your family gatherings. As you keep the Christmas festivals may the thought of a smile on the face of a baby in whom God is pleased to dwell, bless you and cheer you. May God give you a heart for all those known to you for whom Christmas is a time of loneliness, tragedy or suffering. And may we pause to consider: how can we respond to these ones with the heart of God?

We remember too, the gritty details of the Christmas story – the exhausted, heavily pregnant mother who is forced to make a long and arduous journey, who is treated like a homeless refugee, who must give birth next to an animal trough – and who must then flee with her husband and newborn baby, because a power-crazed tyrant threatens their lives.

It is under these circumstances that God chooses to become incarnate, thereby demonstrating the toughest of all loves and the most convincing of all forms of hope.

In the light of this story we must then ask ourselves: what hope can we bring to those for whom Christmas joy seems impossible? The Christmas appeals of the great Christian aid agencies come to mind, as do the needs of those immediately around us.

Here in the South Pacific, may the sun of God’s love shine upon you in the days ahead. May the Son of God bring you His light, His love and His truth in and through the smallest and most vulnerable, in and through the ordinary places, in and through the anxieties and hopes we share.

For at Christmas we find again, beyond the shadow of any doubt, that God’s aroha and life is born amongst us.

Love came through at Christmas. Alleluia, alleluia.

Wishing you the wisdom of the sages to gain your bearings;
The wonder of the shepherds to fill you with awe
and the joy and hope of the Holy Family to grace your home
this Christmas Season.

Archbishop Jabez Bryce Bishop of Polynesia
Archbishop David Moxon Senior Bishop of the New Zealand Dioceses
Archbishop Brown Turei Bishop of Aotearoa

O Oriens – O Dawn – December 21

Published on December 21, 2008 in liturgy and liturgy of the hours. Closed Tags: advent, magnificat, o adonai, o antiphon, o antiphons, o come o come emmanuel, o dawn.

O morning star, splendour of the light eternal and bright sun of righteousness: come and bring light to those who dwell in darkness and walk in the shadow of death.
Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.

O Oriens,
splendor lucis aeternae,
et sol justitiae:
veni, et illumina
sedentes in tenebris,
et umbra mortis.

Numbers 24.15b-17; Luke 1:78, 79; Malachi 4:2

O come, O come, thou dayspring bright!
Pour on our souls thy healing light;
dispel the long night’s lingering gloom,
and pierce the shadows of the tomb.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Thou Dayspring, come and cheer,
Our spirits by Thine advent here;
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night,
And death’s dark shadows put to flight.

O Antiphons reflection 1
O Antiphons reflection 2
Visual reflection on these beautiful prayers from New Mellleray abbey in Iowa

They are now also used , in shorted form, in the Alleluia verses before the days’ Gospel readings.

Advent 4 wreath badge

Published on December 20, 2008 in liturgy. Closed Tags: advent, advent sundays, advent wreath, badge, blogging, images.

Many people like, from time to time, to add a badge to their website or blog. There has been positive interest and a lot of use of the Advent 1 , 2 & 3 wreath images – so here is Advent 4. If you like the idea – send your friends the URL of this blog post.

The HTML for adding this badge to your blog or website is:

O Clavis David – O Key of David – December 20

Published on December 20, 2008 in liturgy and liturgy of the hours. Closed Tags: advent, magnificat, o adonai, o antiphon, o antiphons, o come o come emmanuel, o key of david.

O key of David and sceptre of the House of Israel; you open and none can shut; you shut and none can open: come and free the captives from prison, and break down the walls of death.
Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.

[...come, and lead the prisoner
from jail.
seated in darkness
and in the shadow of death.]

O Clavis David,
et sceptrum domus Israël,
qui aperis, et nemo claudit,
claudis, et nemo aperuit:
veni, et educ vinctum
de domo carceris,
sedentem in tenebris,
et umbra mortis.

Isaiah 22:22; Revelation 3:7

O come, thou Lord of David’s key!
The royal door fling wide and free;
safeguard for us the heavenward road,
and bar the way to death’s abode.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel
shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, thou Key of David, come,
And open wide our heavenly home;
Make safe the way that leads on high,
And close the path to misery.

O Antiphons reflection 1
O Antiphons reflection 2

They are now also used , in shorted form, in the Alleluia verses before the days’ Gospel readings.

Birthday Invitation

Published on December 19, 2008 in liturgy and spirituality. Closed Tags: advent, christmas, christmas day.

You are cordially invited to

A BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION!!!

Guest of Honor: Jesus Christ

Date: Every day. Traditionally, December 25
but He’s always around, so the date is flexible…

Time: Whenever you’re ready.
(Please don’t be late, though, or you’ll miss out on all the fun!)

Place: In your heart…. He’ll meet you there.
(You’ll hear Him knock.)

Attire: Come as you are… grubbies are okay.
He’ll be washing our clothes anyway. He said something about
new white robes and crowns for everyone who stays till the last.

Tickets: Admission is free. He’s
already paid for everyone…
(He says you wouldn’t have been
able to afford it anyway…
it cost Him everything He had. But
you do need to accept the ticket!!

Refreshments: New wine, bread, and a
far-out drink He calls “Living Water,”
followed by a supper that promises to be out of this world!

Gift Suggestions: Your life. He’s one of those
people who already has everything else.
(He’s very generous in return though.
Just wait until you see what He has for you!)

Entertainment: Joy, Peace, Truth,
Light, Life, Love, Real Happiness,
Communion with God, Forgiveness, Miracles, Healing, Power,
Eternity in Paradise, Contentment, and much more!
(All “G” rated, so bring your family and friends.)

R.S.V.P. Very Important!
He must know ahead so He can
reserve a spot for you at the table.
Also, He’s keeping a list of His friends for future
reference. He calls it the “Lamb’s Book of Life.”

Party being given by His Kids (that’s us!!)!
Hope to see you there! For those of you whom I will
see at the party, share this with someone today!

Sent to me by a friend, drawn from here. Now pass the invitation on!