Image: The Holy Family by Bartolomé Esteban Murillo

From Fr Francis Denton

(continued from last week…)

One of the few hymns that is specifically intended for Advent is “O come, O come, Emmanuel.” This hymn has a fascinating history with roots that go back to the Church’s ancient liturgy, to at least the 6th century.

In this Season of Advent we do our best to prepare spiritually for Christmas, striving to pay particular attention to prayer.

The Roman Canon (First Eucharistic Prayer) of the Mass has two sets of saints who are venerated; all of them are martyrs of the early Church.

In this month of November we try to keep in our prayers especially the souls of the faithful departed. As we see in the readings for this Sunday, it is also an opportunity for us to reflect on the meaning of our own salvation, the reality of our human mortality, and importance of being spiritually prepared for eternal life.

This past week we began the month of November with the Solemnity of All Saints and the Feast of All Souls. As the Liturgical calendar draws to a close, concluding with the Feast of Christ the King, the Church guides the attention of the faithful to a contemplation of the ‘Last Things’.

...from the nature of the human mind, time is necessary for the full comprehension and perfection of great ideas...

"Moreover, in the Catholic Church itself, all possible care must be taken, that we hold that faith which has been believed everywhere, always, by all."

Patron Saint of: Canada

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