The Story Begins Again

The Church calendar helps us tell the gospel story of Jesus. The following simple and succinct explanation of the Church year is given by Brian Zahnd:

ADVENT anticipates the coming of Messiah.
CHRISTMAS celebrates the birth of Jesus.
EPIPHANY remembers the revelation of Christ to the Gentiles.
LENT is the solemn journey to the cross.
EASTER is the celebration of the resurrection.
PENTECOST marks the birth of the church.
ORDINARY TIME (or Kingdom Time) leads us through the year and back to Advent.

Glory to God

Glory to you, O God, Creator and Father,

for the universe in which we live, 

and for men made in your own image. 

Glory to you, O Christ,

who took a human body and redeemed our fallen nature. 

Glory to you, O Holy Spirit, 

who made our bodies the temple of your presence. 

Glory to Father, Son and Holy Spirit,

 whose will it is that we should be made whole

 in body, mind and spirit. 

Glory to God to all eternity.

~ ~ ~ George Appleton (1902-1993)

Grant Us Grace

O Lord our God,

grant us grace to desire thee with our whole heart,

that so desiring, we may seek and find thee; 

and so finding thee we may love thee; 

and loving thee we may hate those sins from which thou hast redeemed us;

for the sake of Jesus Christ. Amen

~ ~ ~ Anselm (1033-1109)

How Great Is Your Goodness

How great is your goodness, dear Lord!
Blessed are you for ever!
May all created things praise you, O God,
for loving us so much that we can truthfully speak
of your fellowship with mankind, even in this earthly exile;
and however virtuous we may be,
our virtue always depends on your great warmth
and generosity, dear Lord.
Your bounty is infinite.
How wonderful are your works!

~ ~ ~ St. Teresa of Avila (1515-1582)