It's not okay to say, "This is not who I really am! In real life, I would be devoted to Mary. Under reasonable circumstances, I would certainly be kind and thoughtful and unselfish.

Indeed.

Labels: prayer

Where can you pray your Divine Office together with the faithful in NYC? I know of a few places:

1) St. Frances de Chantal in the Bronx
Location: 190 Hollywood Ave., Bronx, NY 10465
Available: Morning Prayer (Lauds) 8:40 am - (Preceding 9 AM mass)

2) Notre Dame in Morningside Heights - Manhattan
Location: 405 West 114th Street, New York, NY 10025
Available: Morning Prayer (Lauds) - daily following 8 am mass. Evening Prayer (Vespers): Monday - Friday following 5:30 mass.

3) Church of the Holy Innocents, Midtown Manhattan
Location: 128 West 37th Street, New York, NY 10018
Available: Midday Prayer: Mondays & Fridays at 12:05 pm

4) Saint Jean Baptiste - Upper East Side of Manhattan
Location: 184 E. 76th St., New York, NY 10021
Available: Morning Prayer: Monday through Friday at 8 am. Evening Prayer: Monday-Friday, and Sunday, all at 5 pm!

5) Various religious communities. For example the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal have Eucharistic adoration on Fridays from 2 pm to 6 pm at St. Adalbert's, 420 E. 156th St., Bronx, NY 10455. If I recall correctly, they close with vespers and benediction.

6) Some Catholic schools: St. Raymond High School for Boys in the Bronx, at least two years ago when I taught there, had morning prayer and mass Tuesday through Thursday in their chapel at 8 am. This is really for the school community though.

6) The environs: It's not the Bronx, but St. Joseph in Bronxville has morning prayer preceding the 9 am mass, Monday through Friday.

Any other good places to pray the Liturgy of the Hours? Not all churches advertise this kind of thing on Masstimes.org, so I would appreciate any further listings. Also, what places offer singing with the office, such as the practice of singing a hymn to open the prayers? Anybody chant the psalms? Any small groups starting this up in your parish? Let us know!

Labels: church, liturgy, New York, prayer

As one person has observed, "I'll pray for you" is often Christianese for "F*** you."

The actual article is much better than this, but the line is classic.

Labels: prayer

The above is Leonardo DaVinci's rendering of The Annunciation, perhaps one of the most painted Biblical moments in iconography. Much ink has been spilled in analyzing this single moment in history, and much paint carefully layered in capturing it. Advent and Christmas are good times in the liturgical year to pause and contemplate such works of art. One of my favorites is the triptych of the Annunciation known as the Merode Altarpiece, part of the Cloister's permanent collection. It was painted by the Netherlandish painter Robert Campin, or at least by his associates.
This is also a good time of year to turn our spiritual reading, lectio divina, and prayers, to the theme of the Incarnation. One of my favorite prayers, is the Angelus. This prayer was traditionally said three times a day and accompanied by the tolling of bells at 6 am, noon, and 6 pm. It can be traced back to the Middle Ages, but like the Rosary and other popular prayers, it did not appear suddenly in Church history, but rather has evolved organically over time. With certitude we know it was being said in Franciscan orders in Italy as early as the thirteenth century, but originally as an accompaniment to compline. In the writings of St. Bonaventure there is reference made to the tolling of bells and the prayer of three Hail Marys at compline. Also in Franciscan texts is it noted that the laity in the area were included in this prayer.

Later monastic directives include instructions for the ringing of the bell and the thrice recitation of Hail Marys at lauds. Tracing the evolution to the addition of three Hail Marys to midday prayer is difficult, but it was definitely being practiced in some religious orders as a year-round tradition by the sixteenth century. The accompanying versicles and responses seem to be a later addition, but still dating back as early as the seventeenth century.

While the Angelus may seem a prayer of the past, it is alive and well for many Catholics, and I believe, is on the rise. There are some parts of the world that never totally abandoned the Angelus. The tolling of bells at 6 am, noon, and 6pm, is still done in many parishes. I first encountered the Angelus as a college student at Sarah Lawrence. I would sometimes go to noon mass at the local church, St. Joseph's in Bronxville. There, at noon, the church bells ring and the parishioners faithfully recite the Angelus. I did not know this prayer and had to look up the text online so that I could join in. I quickly memorized it and it became one of my favorites. To my delight, when I lived in Oakland, CA, I met other young adults who knew and enjoyed this prayer. Finally, I have encountered many religious who still recite it, such as the Franciscans of the Renewal, the Sisters of Life, the Dominican Sisters of Mary Mother of the Eucharist, the Sisters of the Resurrection, and the Sisters Minor of Mary Immaculate. These orders preserve this tradition and do a good job of spreading the practice to the laity.

Any internet search will reveal the text of the prayers. The English version can be found at EWTN.com. I would like to include in the post the original Latin, and a French translation.

Labels: art, Christmas, prayer

I have recently discovered the joys of hand-made Rosaries on Etsy.

A former spiritual director from my beloved Church in Oakland in directing me to pray the Rosary daily taught me that it was helpful to have a very beautiful Rosary with a nice feel to it, something that is a delight to touch and behold and you instinctively clutch. I thought his advice slightly silly at first, because isn't what's in your heart more important that what's in your hands when you pray? I heeded his advice however. I only had a very simple Rosary with small beads. It is a treasure to me because it was the same one I had since first communion and I had used it throughout childhood and still have it and treasure it. But I thought, perhaps it's time for an upgrade, since I was getting more serious about my Rosaries. So I went to Sagrada on Telegraph, which was in walking distance of my apartment. There I found a beautiful blue crystal Rosary, which had Marian medals as the Our Father beads. I immediately loved it and rushed to take it back to St. Margaret Mary's and have Fr. Wiener bless it. Since then it has been one of my primary Rosaries. But I have found keeping multiple Rosaries helpful. I keep one in room by my bed, one in the Chapel downstairs (I live in a convent of sorts), one in my car, one in my purse. I received a Rosary upon entering Operation TEACH and have in this past year acquired several more. One day I went to Church without a Rosary and a church-lady felt the need to press a Rosary that smells of roses into my hands. I went on a youth pilgrimage in downtown Baltimore on the eve of Palm Sunday and received a beautiful Rosary from the Knights of Columbus and had it blessed by the new Archbishop O'Brien.

I know some people simply count their Hail Marys on their fingers, and indeed there is something to be said for that. I however, have found having beautiful beads a helpful aide to the devotion. If there is something worthy of fine craftsmanship and art it is surely the Most Holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Sometimes just holding a Rosary directs my thoughts Christ-ward and begins an unconscious praying.

So I am all in favor of beautiful Rosaries. If you want the recommendation of some good sellers on Etsy, just ask and I'll pass on some names. And if you want a Rosary, just ask, and I'll send one your way. :-)

Labels: art, Baltimore, Oakland, prayer, Rosary

Something to recall on this feast of the Most Holy Trinity:

"The word Catholic means "universal" and one of the most universal signs of the Catholic Faith is the sign of the cross. For most Catholics this most simple prayer and outward sign of our Faith is done daily but the history of the prayer and sign is unknown. Remember the Sign of the Cross is a prayer. We see the sign of the Cross most often as a introduction and closing to our prayers. Catholics love prayer so much they pray before and after they pray."

I teach science, but I think maybe I need to teach my students about the meaning of the cross as a prayer. It is used so often that they get sloppy with it (we all do). I have also noticed that some Protestant students will refuse to make the sign of the cross, perhaps because they were taught it is a sign of Catholicism. This is true, but maybe if I tell them that it was a prayer of the early Church fathers and has its roots in the Gospels, they will allow themselves to pray it.

Labels: prayer

O Jesus,
Image of the invisible God,
Word made flesh,
tired stranger,
waiting in the noonday lull
at Jacob’s well.

Are we all
the woman with her waterjar,
bent on the chore of the moment,
angry memories in our bones,
our thirst for God
hidden in the business of the day?

Do you meet us gently too,
hardly recognized,
quietly leading our thoughts
towards the deeper waters,
where our souls find rest?

Probing too,
uncovering secrets
we would rather forget.
“Lord, you have probed me,
You know when I sit and when I stand,
You know my thoughts from afar.”

Is the woman,
sure and strong,
our reflection:
sure but unsure,
strong but so weak,
seeking but afraid to find
our Savior so close by?

Labels: prayer

I was wondering where in the Scriptures the opening prayer for the Liturgy of the Hours came from and found the above little web page. Quite interesting! As usual in the Catholic Church, the roots for such little traditions run quite deep.

Labels: prayer

I decided to pray. This is much better than me rolling around in bed with anxiety and making lists in my head of all the things I have to do.

After praying for bits and pieces between my drifting thoughts, I got to thinking about the Sister who spoke at OLPH this morning. (That's right folks, I'm back in NY.)

She was director of the Society of the Propagation of the Faith for the Archdiocese of New York. She told a very moving story about her experience visiting St. Monica's in Jamaica, a home for the sick, the elderly, and the homeless. It reminded me of my childhood desire to be a missionary. I used to want to go to exotic and far-off lands and help people build schools and get health care while preaching the gospel. I got these notions from reading the Maryknool Missioner magazines my mother subscribed to. I was either inspired, or naive, depending on how you see it. Apparently though I can't quite shake that missionary zeal, which is why I am doing pro bono work in education for the Catholic Church, going first to Oakland for a year and now to Baltimore for two years. I still hope to do some mission work abroad as a lay person in the future. After I have my master's degree perhaps I could get away for a month, a summer, or a year. Right now though there is plenty of need for good work here in our own backyard and I am content to sit back and pray for those who have the courage to go globe-trotting for Jesus.

Anyways, I came across the above link for a Rosary to pray for missionaries. It wasn't cheesy like many online Rosaries I've come across. I rather liked it and thought I would share.

Labels: prayer, religion