Sexagesima Sunday

February 4, 2018
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Weekly Announcements

CONSECRATION (conclusion) (Taken from Notes Made at the Conferences of Dom Prosper Guéranger).   Such is the dread Christian Sacrifice, which takes us back to Calvary, and shows us how tremendous is the Justice of God which required such a Victim. By itself alone, this Sacrifice could have saved millions of worlds. But Our Lord willed that it should be perpetuated. Having been immolated once on Calvary, He can do no more; yet, nevertheless, knowing what human weakness is, he feared lest the Sacrifice of the Cross, only once offered, might at last make little impression on the Faithful. Before long, man would have treated the Sacrifice of Calvary as a mere historic fact, consigned to the pages of the Church’s Annals, where few even would think of seeking it. So Our Lord said to himself: What was done once on Calvary must needs be renewed until the end of time. See here why, in His Love, he devised this Divine Mystery, whereby He comes into the host and immolates Himself anew. And God too sees the importance of this work, and by its very means He is moved to Compassion, and Mercy, and Pardon towards man.   Now let us next examine and find out who it is that produces this change of the Bread and Wine into the Body and Blood of Our Lord is it that operates in this mystery? It behoves us to remember that whenever any One of the Three Divine Persons of the Blessed Trinity acts, the other Two Persons concur in this same Act, in perfect accord. In the Incarnation, the Son becomes Incarnate but it is the Father Who sends Him, and it is the Holy Ghost Who operates the Mystery. In like manner, in Holy Mass, the Father sends the Son, - the Son comes down, the Holy Ghost operates Trans-substantiation, or the changing of the one substance into another.  Thus, in order to express the Action of the Holy Ghost in this Mystery, the Church in her prayer at the Oblation, called upon this Divine Spirit, as we observed, in these words: Veni Sanctificator Omnipotens, aeterne Deus, et benedic hoc sacrificium uo sancto nomini praeparatum.   The Eastern Church has not this Prayer, in her Liturgy; but wishing, as she does, to make known to the people, the action of the Holy Ghost in this Great Mystery, after pronouncing the Words of Consecration over the Bread, the Celebrant says: O Lord, God, deign to send Thy Spirit that He may change this Bread into the Body of Thy Son; and all the people answer: Amen. After consecrating the Wine, the Celebrant again says: O Lord, God, deign to send Thy Spirit that He may change this Wine into the Blood of Thy Son; and all the people answer Amen. But this looks like an anomaly; for when the Priest utters each of these invocations, Trans-substantiation has already been effected. Why then call on the Holy Spirit? This is a remark that has more than once been made; their custom has been maintained, and this is the reason alleged. In order not to mix the acclamation of the people with the words of the Sacred Mysteries, the Eastern Church placed after these the invocations relative to the operation of the Holy Ghost, that is to say, they occur at the very moment chosen in the Latin Church for the Elevation, when she presents the Body and Blood of our Lord, to the adoration of the Faithful. Then it is that the Eastern Church pays homage to the Power and Work of the Holy Ghost. This, we Latins do, beforehand, both in the Prayer: Veni Sanctificator Omnipotens, and in the Prayer: Quam oblationem, in which we say: Ut Corpus et Sanguis fiat. Nevertheless, the Latin Church does not ask the people to approve of her Prayer by an acclamation; and in this place, would imply the recitation of this Prayer, in a loud voice. Now, we have already explained that the Prayer of the Canon is entirely secret, and must be wholly recited in a low voice.
St. Blaise & the blessing of Throats St. Blaise, Bishop and Martyr, was well known for his miraculous cures especially for protection against diseases of the throat. On his way to prison and his eventual martyrdom he was stopped by a woman whose son was choking with a fish bone in his throat. St Blaise blessed the child and the miraculous cure was witnessed by many of the faithful. St. Blaise was then led to his death having worked his last act of charity before laying down his life for Christ. The customary blessing of the throats is done with two wax candles which have been blessed with a special blessing from the Roman Ritual. The blessing of the throats is permitted on the Sunday immediately after Feb. 3, the feast day of St. Blaise.  Throats will be blessed immediately after the 8:00 and 10:00 AM Masses today, for those who were not at church yesterday.   Kroger Community Rewards Update The 21 households that shopped at Kroger between October 1, 2017 and December 31, 2017 (Cycle 2017, Qtr 4) have earned $91.51 for the parish. If you have not already done so, please register your card by visiting krogercommunityrewards.com and following the simple instructions. Your Kroger purchases will then begin to benefit the parish.  Our organization number is 64151, Sacred Heart Church, Fort Wayne, Indiana. This costs both you and the parish nothing.  Please note that it is no longer necessary to re-enroll your card each year.  Thank you!   COFFEE AND DONUTS Next Sunday, February 4, we will have coffee and donuts in the school hall after both 8:00 am and 10:00 am Masses. All are welcome; please join us!
 MASS INTENTIONS FOR THE WEEK
Sunday Feb 4 8:00 AM 10:00 AM Sexagesima Sunday   Jan Wojdelski + Pro Populo
Monday Feb 5   7:30 AM St. Agatha, Virgin and Martyr .   Maria Wojdelska +
Tuesday Feb 6   7:00 AM St. Titus, Bishop     Władysław Żak +
Wednesday Feb 7   6:00 PM St. Romuald, Abbot     Anna Żak +
Thursday Feb 8   7:30 AM St. John of Matha, Confessor     Antoinette Latka +
Friday Feb 9   6:00 PM St. Cyril, Bishop of Alexandria and Doctor     Fr. Paul Miller +
Saturday Feb 10   9:00 AM St. Scholastica, Virgin     Elizabeth Nicolini
Sunday Feb 11 8:00 AM 10:00 AM Quinquagesima Sunday   John F. Coomes Pro Populo