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Happy feast of the Annunciation! Today is the day we celebrate Christ’s incarnation in the womb of the Virgin Mary! The song I am about to share with you is technically a Christmas song, but I think it fits today’s feast! And it is one of my favorites!
I’ve included the lyrics because they are so beautiful, I don’t want you to miss a word. My favorite line is the very first: The angel Gabriel from heaven came His wings as drifted snow his eyes as flame.
- The angel Gabriel from heaven came His wings as drifted snow his eyes as flame “All hail” said he “thou lowly maiden Mary, Most highly favored lady,” Gloria!
- “For know a blessed mother thou shalt be, All generations laud and honor thee, Thy Son shall be Emanuel, by seers foretold Most highly favored lady,” Gloria!
- Then gentle Mary meekly bowed her head “To me be as it pleaseth God,” she said, “My soul shall laud and magnify his holy name.” Most highly favored lady. Gloria!
- Of her, Emanuel, the Christ was born In Bethlehem, all on a Christmas morn And Christian folk throughout the world will ever say: “Most highly favored lady,” Gloria!
Easter Friday! One of the few Fridays of the year that is completely free from any penitential acts, and, in fact, should be treated like a Sunday! Feast! Eat meat! Have dessert after every meal! The Lord has truly risen!
(And your probably wondering, “great, what is with the half-eaten croissant?” Well, I forgot to take a picture before I ate it, and the crumbs look so flaky, you get a better idea of how wonderful it was.)
So this is what I’ve been up to . . .
Okay, so all the Irish-y stuff happened before I went MIA, but I never had a chance to show you!
This photo has been making the rounds on the internet, you’ve probably already seen it, but I wanted to share it again. Pictured here is Bl. John Paul II, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, and Pope Francis. Note: There has been some discussion as to if the man in the middle is in fact Cardinal Bergoglio. I google the photo several times, and found a couple of newspapers carrying it and captioned as being Benedict XVI, Francis, and John Paul II. However, this does not mean the media is infallible (are we shocked?), nor am I for that matter. If in fact the third man in the photo is not Bergoglio, well, my friends, you have experienced a true sacred-monkeys-in-the-Vatican-moment! 
In the mean time, just appreciate the photo for what it is worth.
(Do we call him Pope Francis or Pope Francis I? I think it is Pope Francis until there is a Pope Francis II, and then he would be Francis I. Just like a John Doe, doesn’t become John Doe Sr. until there is a John Doe Jr., but I don’t know for sure. Need to do some research on that one.)
This morning Pope Francis visited the basilica of Mary Major in Rome, to pray to our Lady. If you haven’t been (or even if you have) to Mary Major, check out the 3D views here, it is an amazing church!
The Installation of Pope Francis as Bishop of Rome is scheduled for March 19, 2013 – the feast of St. Joseph. They should reveal his coat of arms them, I can’t wait to see what it will be!
We have a new pope! Pope Francis! Formerly Cardinal Jorge Marie Bergoglio, Archbishop of Buenos Aries!
The Sistine Chapel awaits the Princes of the Church as they assemble to select a new pope. Keep the cardinals in your prayers during this time!
Here is some information you might find useful during the conclave:
How a Pope is Elected (via Joan in Ordinary Time).
When the new pope is announced the first name you will hear is the given first name of the Pope, in Latin. Here is a cheat sheet of all the cardinals first names in Latin.
Today Pope Benedict XVI steps down from the Chair of Peter at 2 p.m. EST. I will miss him so! I was there, standing in a crush at the front row at St. Peter’s square when he was elected. Thank you, Holy Father, for all that you have given me these past eight years! You’ll be in my prayers. Ti voglio bene!
P.S. If you want solid, up-to-date information on what is going on at the Vatican now, I reccomend that you follow Whispers in the Loggia.
Today is the great feast of the Chair of Peter! Christ passed the authority of his Church here on earth to St. Peter and to the successors of St. Peter. (And I say to thee: That thou art Peter; and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. Matt 16:18) The Chair of Peter, recognizes the authority St. Peter and his successors. (More theologically minded friends feel free to correct me if I am wrong!) Today’s feast is particularly thrilling in light of the fact that in a short time there will be a new Pope sitting on the chair before Easter.
The picture above shows the requilary of the Chair of Peter (the actual chair is under the grate of the large baroque chair) in St. Peter’s Basilica. You can’t see it in this picture, but whole altar is covered in candle holders for huge tapers – I think the candles they use must be a yard tall each. Today all these tapers will be put in their place and lit. It is a beautiful sight! What you also can’t tell is just how big this altar is – that chair in the middle is huge! I once got to see the workers at St. Peter’s cleaning the altar, two grown men can fit in the sit of that chair and it still dwarfs them.
Someone found my blog today by using the search terms vatican ash wednesday leave ashes on? Here in America a little ashen cross is traced on the forehead on Ash Wednesday. In Europe they sprinkle the ash on your head (like the picture above). Ashen-forehead-crosses are messy and the recipient starts to look like chimney sweep, esp. if they were distributed in the morning. I usually end up somehow getting mine all over the place: in my eyes, on papers, on my shirt, fingers – I am so messy.
In the end, I couldn’t find anything that said it’s wrong with washing the ash off. I usually wait until it no longer resembles a cross – which isn’t long.
Pope Benedict XVI is abdicating. Still trying to wrap my brain around this one. . .
