How many of us go through life, week after week, month after month, year after year asking ourselves “what can I do for God?” You see a breaking news segment on how a tsunami wiped out 200,000 people in a matter of hours. It’s 10,000 miles away, “what can I do” you ask yourself. You want to volunteer at your church; you keep telling yourself you’ll eventually get around to it, but you never do. Maybe you buy a pair of TOMS and give your tithe and think that’s enough. That’s not a bad start! But many of us that are what I would consider a devout Christian desire to serve God on Earth, as we should. It’s what we are called to do. Jesus said it Himself, “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone.”

"Spiritual life, like any good thing, takes time and effort. From the earliest records available to us, we know that Christians sanctified their lives through daily prayer, which was seen as fundamental to spiritual life. While the specific times and prayers varied throughout Christendom both geographically and temporally, the faithful were generally urged to pray three to five times each day, either in private or together with the community. Thus, it can be said that there has been a rule of praying at least in the morning, around midday, and in the evening for the entire history of Christianity." - Fr. Sergei Sveshnikov, Morning and Evening Prayer Rules in the Russian Orthodox Tradition

Beloved, now is the acceptable time spoken of by the Spirit, the day of salvation, peace and reconciliation: the great season of Advent. This is the time eagerly awaited by the patriarchs and prophets, the time that holy Simeon rejoiced at last to see. This is the season that the Church has always celebrated with special solemnity. We too should always observe it with faith and love, offering praise and thanksgiving to the Father for the mercy and love he has shown us in this mystery. In his infinite love for us, though we were sinners, he sent his only Son to free us from the tyranny of Satan, to summon us to heaven, to welcome us into its innermost recesses, to show us truth itself, to train us in right conduct, to plant within us the seeds of virtue, to enrich us with the treasures of his grace, and to make us children of God and heirs of eternal life.

To all Christians of the Roman Catholic church, Anglican communion, etc., Happy New Liturgical Year! Today is the First Sunday of Advent - a time of expectant waiting and preparation for the feast of Christmas (25 December). In the English speaking churches that follow the Ordinary Form of the Roman Rite, today is also the first official date of implementing the new English translation of the Mass, which is a more solemn and accurate translation of the Latin text. In the Eastern Catholic and Orthodox churches, the Liturgical Year began on 1 September. Christians of these rites are honoring the Nativity Fast (or Philip's Fast) - a period of abstinence and penance in preparation for the Nativity of Christ (25 December). The fast is observed from November 15 to December 24, inclusively, and is similar to the Western Advent, except that it runs for 40 days instead of four weeks.

For many centuries, Christians have asked themselves, “How is it possible to pray without ceasing?” The Eastern Christian fathers and mothers of the earliest centuries of the Church, devised a method of constant prayer which has been near to the hearts of all, since it is Biblical, practical and accessible at any time and in any circumstance by priests, monks, nuns, and lay people. The prayer rope is a circular rope woven from yarn and comprised of knots that is used as an aid in prayer. It is either carried or worn (usually on the wrist). As we sit, stand, or kneel, we hold the prayer rope in our hand (usually the left) between our thumb and our index finger. We pray the prayer known as “The Jesus Prayer” once: "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner!" and then we continue to the move to the next knot. We continue to repeat the prayer, proceeding to the next knot after each prayer, until we come to the end of the prayer rope.

For the early Christians, the cross was a favorite symbol and badge of their faith in Christ. From the writings of St. Gregory the Great (540-604), we know that St. Benedict had a deep faith in the Cross and worked miracles with the sign of the cross. This faith in and special devotion to the cross was passed on to his brother monks and succeeding generations of Benedictines. For this reason, the cross is central to any medal containing the image of St. Benedict. Devotion to the Cross of Christ also gave rise to the striking of medals that bore the image of St. Benedict holding a cross in his right hand and his “Rule for Monasteries” in his left. Thus the cross has always been closely associated with the Medal of St. Benedict, which is often referred to as the Medal-Cross of St. Benedict.

The St. Benedict Holy Rule Tee is the front side of the St. Benedict Medal-Cross. In St. Benedict's right hand he holds the cross of eternal salvation and in his left hand is his “Rule for Monasteries”. On a pedestal to the right of St. Benedict is the poisoned cup, shattered when he made the sign of the cross over it. On a pedestal to the left is a raven about to carry away a loaf of poisoned bread that a jealous enemy had sent to St. Benedict. Above: Crux Sancti Patris Benedicti (“The Cross of our holy father Benedict”). Margins: Eius in obitu nostro praesentia muniamur! (“May we be strengthened by his presence in the hour of our death!”). Below: ex SM Casino MDCCCLXXX (“from holy Monte Cassino, 1880”).

As with all "big" things in life (getting married, getting a degree, getting a job, getting sober, getting divorced), you kind of think, all evidence to the contrary, When THIS happens, it's all gonna start coming together. Finally, I can rest. Finally, the shelf on which I live overlooking the abyss will be many feet wide, maybe even an acre or two, instead of three inches where I am always trying to find a foothold by day, and tossing and turning at night, and my heart is lurching lest I fall into the precipice. Finally I will have a little bit of money. Finally I will have friends...Then you realize two things. None of those things are going to happen. And two, they've happened, in their way, already.

You can pre-order the new Daily Roman Missal for the new English translation of the Roman Missal according to the Roman Missal, Third Edition with the new English translation. The new English translation for the Ordinary Form of the Roman Rite (Novus Ordo) officially goes into effect the First Sunday of Advent – 27 November 2011. The Midwest Theological Forum Daily Roman Missal is the nicest and most comprehensive edition available, and with a choice of covers and colors: Genuine Leather, Bonded Leather or Hardcover in Black or Burgundy. An ideal size 4.75" x 6.75" Buy now, and we will ship it to as soon as they are available. See other resources on the new Mass translation and the reform of the reform. We appreciate your business!

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