Daily Update: December 23, 2009

Our last and final O Antiphon, in Latin, is ”O Emmanuel, Rex et legifer noster, exspectatio Gentium, et Salvator earum: veni ad salvandum nos, Domine, Deus noster.” In English, it is “O Emmanuel, our king and our lawgiver, the hope of the nations and their Saviour: Come and save us, O Lord our God.” Isaiah had prophesied (Isaiah 7:14): “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Look, the young woman is with child and shall bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel.” The Advent hymn O come, O come, Emmanuel (in Latin, Veni Emmanuel) is a lyrical paraphrase of these antiphons in reverse order. The first letters of the titles, taken backwards, form a Latin acrostic of “Ero Cras” which translates to “Tomorrow, I will come”, mirroring the theme of the antiphons. Today we also honor Saint John of Kanty, Priest (died 1473). Born in Kanty in Silesia (Poland), he was a brilliant student at the University of Cracow, Poland. Becoming a priest, he became Professor of Theology at the university. Falsely accused and ousted by university rivals, at age 41 he was assigned as parish priest at Olkusz, Bohemia. He took his position seriously, and was terrified of the responsibility, but did his best, which for a long time was not enough for his parishioners, but in the end he won their hearts. After several years in his parish, he returned to Cracow and taught Scripture the rest of his life. He was a serious, humble man, generous to a fault with the poor, sleeping little, and eating no meat and little of anything else. He made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, hoping to be martyred by Turks. He made four pilgrimages to Rome, carrying his luggage on his back. When warned to look after his health, he pointed out that the early desert fathers lived long lives in conditions that had nothing to recommend them but the presence of God. At the time of his death, John was so well loved that his veneration began immediately. For years his doctoral gown was worn by graduates receiving advanced degrees at the University of Cracow. He was declared patron of Poland and Lithuania in 1737 by Pope Clement XII, thirty years before his final canonization. Finally, today is the great secular celebration of Festivus, made famous by the December 18, 1997 Seinfeld episode “The Strike”. The holiday, as portrayed in the Seinfeld episode and now celebrated by many, begins with an aluminum pole; during the holiday, the Festivus Pole is displayed unadorned. Other practices include the “Airing of Grievances”, which occurs during the Festivus meal and in which each person tells everyone else all the ways they have disappointed him or her over the past year. After the meal the “Feats of Strength” are performed, involving wrestling the head of the household to the floor, with the holiday ending only if the head of the household is actually pinned. A 2004 episode of Jeopardy! had a Seinfeld-themed round, featuring a category entitled Festivus, in which contestants answered questions about holidays. This was the final episode in which long-time champion Ken Jennings played until returning for the Ultimate Tournament of Champions. In 2007, a Wisconsin man requested permission to erect a Festivus pole next to Green Bay City Hall’s nativity scene as a response to public religious and non-religious displays.

Daily Update: December 22, 2009

Our O Antiphon for this Saintless day is ”O Rex Gentium, et desideratus earum, lapisque angularis, qui facis utraque unum: veni, et salva hominem, quem de limo formasti” in Latin, and “O King of the nations, and their desire, the cornerstone making both one: Come and save the human race, which you fashioned from clay” in English. Isaiah had prophesied (Isaiah 9:6): “For a child has been born for us, a son given us; authority rests upon his shoulders; and he is named Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace,” and (Isaiah 2:4): “He shall judge between the nations, and shall arbitrate for many peoples; they shall beat their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning-hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.” Today is also the birthday of my Internet friend Rosa, married to another Internet friend of mine; the two met via the Internet, and have been happily married for several years now.

Daily Update: December 21, 2009

Our O Antiphon for today is ”O Oriens, splendor lucis aeternae, et sol justitiae: veni, et illumina sedentes in tenebris, et umbra mortis,” which translates to “O Morning Star, splendour of light eternal and sun of righteousness: Come and enlighten those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death.” Isaiah had prophesied (Isaiah 9:2): “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness—on them light has shined.” Today we also honor Saint Peter Canisius, Priest and Doctor (died 1597). Born in Niemguen, Netherlands, his father was a wealthy burgomeister, and he was educated in Cologne, Germany, studying art, civil law and theology. He was an excellent student, and received a master’s degree by age 19; his closest friends at university were monks and clerics. After attending a retreat conducted by Blessed Peter Faber, he joined in the Jesuits in 1543; he then taught at the University of Cologne, and helped found the first Jesuit house in the city. Ordained a priest in 1546, he became the theologian of Cardinal Otto Truchsess von Waldburg, Bishop of Augsburg, in 1547. He travelled and worked with Saint Ignatius of Loyola who was his spiritual director in Rome. He became a Doctor of Theology in 1549, and began teaching theology and preaching at Ingolstadt, Germany in 1549, becoming Rector of the university in 1550. In 1552, he began teaching theology, preaching in the Cathedral of Saint Stephen in Vienna, Austria; as the royal court confessor, he continued to worked in hospitals and prisons, and during Lent in 1553 he travelled to preach in abandoned parishes in Lower Austria. During Mass one day he received a vision of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and ever after offered his work to the Sacred Heart. He led the Counter-Reformation in Germany, Austria, Bohemia, and Switzerland, and his work led to the return of Catholicism to Germany. His catechism went through 200 editions during his life, and was translated into 12 languages; in some places catechisms were referred to as Canisi. Everywhere he worked he became a noted preacher, and often worked with children, teaching them and hearing their confessions. While in Fribourg, Switzerland, he received a message from the city’s patron saint, Nicholas of Myra, that he should stop travelling; Canisius spent the rest of his life there. He taught, preached, edited books, and worked to support the Catholic press and printers in many cities; his advice was sought by Saint Francis de Sales and by his friend Saint Charles Borromeo. He was proclaimed a Doctor of the Church in 1925 by Pope Pius XI, and is the Patron Saint of Germany and of the Catholic Press.

Daily Update: December 20, 2009

Today is the Fourth Sunday of Advent, the last Sunday before the great feast of Christmas. Our O Antiphon for today (another day with no Saints to honor), in Latin, is “O Clavis 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.” In English, the O Antiphon is “O Key of David and sceptre of the House of Israel; you open and no one can shut; you shut and no one can open: Come and lead the prisoners from the prison house, those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death.” Isaiah had prophesied (Isaiah 22:22): “I will place on his shoulder the key of the house of David; he shall open, and no one shall shut; he shall shut, and no one shall open,” (Isaiah 9:7): “His authority shall grow continually, and there shall be endless peace for the throne of David and his kingdom. He will establish and uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time onwards and for evermore,”  and (Isaiah 42:7): “…To open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house.”