Once again we enter into the season of Advent. This is a time of penance.

We ended the ecclesiastical year with a look at the end of the world and we begin the ecclesiastical year again looking at the end of the world. Our Holy Mother the Church frequently is calling to our mind the advice in Ecclesiasticus: In all thy works remember thy last end, and thou shalt never sin (7:40).

To entice us to a true penance we must look forward to our end and the final judgment when we will give an account to God of our lives _ of every action, word, thought and omission.

Thus, in looking forward to our end we are by necessity forced to look back upon our past life, because we will have to give an account for this. And in the examination of our lives up to this day we see that there is much that we need to make amends for before we will be ready to meet Christ our judge.

In preparation for the celebration of Our Lord's birthday, we prepare our souls for His coming as the few elect among the chosen people prepared themselves for His first coming on Christmas day. The anxious longing and praying was accompanied by much prayer and fasting.

For this season of penance to be fruitful for us we need to carefully examine and cleanse our conscience from sin by a good confession.

We must practice both interior and exterior mortification. We must practice interiorly the curbing of our passions, the extirpation of our inordinate inclinations, especially of vanity, pride, worldly mindedness, avarice, uncharitableness, anger and self-love. We must practice the exterior mortifications of: diminution of meat and drink, the guarding of the senses, especially the eyes, the ears, and the tongue, and abstaining from worldly enjoyments. We must practice these interior and exterior mortifications, partly to prevent future sins, partly to satisfy for the temporal punishment due to sins already committed.

Next we must pray. Penance and prayer go together and are inseparable; there never was a true penitent who was not zealous in prayer; there never was a saint who was not given to prayer. The Church wishes us also to practice prayer, especially during Advent. Instead of the Ite missa est, which the priest says, turned toward the people at the end of mass, he now says, turned toward the altar, Benedicamus Domino (Let us bless the Lord) by which the Church intimates her wish that we should follow the custom of the early Christians who on penitential days did not leave the house of God immediately after the services, but remained for some time in prayer.

Pray, therefore during Advent with greater zeal and fervor than before. If you have been careless in saying your morning and evening prayers, resolve to be punctual in saying them. Say the Angelus three times a day, because the principal mystery of Advent, the Incarnation of Our Lord Jesus Christ, is commemorated in this prayer. As often as possible spend some time in spiritual reading.

Advent is also a time for works of mercy. For penance logically leads to acts of mercy. Christ made many sacrifices in poverty and suffering for our salvation. Should not His love and mercy induce us to be charitable towards our neighbor, and to perform works of mercy? If God sees that we are charitable and merciful towards the poor and needy, assisting them in their necessities, he will show us mercy and pardon our sins. The Archangel Raphael said to Tobias: "Prayer is good with fasting and alms, more than to lay up treasures of gold: for alms delivereth from death, and the same is that which purgeth away sins, and maketh to find mercy and life everlasting." (Tob. 12: 8,9)

Redeem your sins by alms and works of mercy to the poor. If you deprive yourselves during Advent of certain dainties which are not necessary, and refrain from worldly enjoyments, you can save more or less, and these savings should be given to the poor.

Make use of the pious exercises which the Church prescribes and recommends. Receive the holy Sacraments of Penance and of the Blessed Eucharist: mortify yourselves interiorly and exteriorly, to atone for your sins, to prevent a relapse, and to make progress in virtue. Pray fervently, and perform as many works of mercy as you can. If you sanctify Advent in such a manner, it will become to you a time of grace and salvation.

Colin Mawby KSG, Choral Conductor, Organist and composer has gone to his eternal reward aged 83.

Mr Mawby was educated at Westminster Cathedral Choir School becoming assistant at the organ at 12 years of age. He would eventually return to Westmister in 1961 as Master of Music. He also held the position of Choral Director at the Irish State Broadcaster, Radio Telefís Éireann.  

Pope Benedict XVI bestowed the membership of the Ordo Sancti Gregorii Magni on him in 2006.

Composing many liturgical pieces, Mr Mawby also wrote a number of secular works.

Colin Mawby was a patron of the Latin Mass Society.

Requiescat in pace.

Our holy faith teaches us that Jesus Christ will come again at the end of the world to judge the living and the dead. There will be the sound of the trumpet of the angels. All those who have ever lived will be raised from the dead and gathered together before Jesus Christ that they may be judged publicly just as they were judged privately the first time. Very many will not have a favorable judgment and it will be a truly terrifying time for them. "Many are called, but few are chosen."

At this judgment each soul will stand before God and the rest of mankind, to have his entire life exposed every thought, word, deed, and omission. And then when God pronounces the judgment, all of mankind will see and know that He is just.

If sinners would only consider that their crimes which they are so ashamed of and which they work so hard to hide from the eyes of men, are not hidden from God and will be revealed to everyone on the last day, how different their lives would be.

How terrible is the shame, confusion, and humiliation. But, how much more terrible will it be to behold the face of God as He passes a judgment of damnation. God, Whose face we were created to behold for all of eternity. That face that was to be a source of happiness and consolation is turned into a terror for the damned. This is the last time that they will ever see Him. And this terrifying image will be with them for all of eternity. They will never be able to put it out of their minds _ not even for an instant.

These damned souls will be cast into Hell where they will never see God. Their whole being was created for only one purpose _ to spend all of eternity in the presence of God _ but, now they cannot. Their bodies are now united to their souls and will suffer with them. They still have this tendency toward God but, they are repulsed by Him. And because they are repulsed by Him they now hate Him. They hate Him Whom they were made to love. The very one that gave them existence. And they hate themselves because they know that their misery has been brought upon themselves through their own fault. They hate the saints in Heaven because they are envious of their blessedness. They hate the other souls in Hell who likewise suffer the same situation, because they can offer them no consolation or joy. There is not even any pleasure from being in the company of others. And there is no escaping from the physical suffering caused by the eternal fire, nor from the misery caused by the spiritual torment. Their suffering is never mitigated in the least. There is no sleep, or distraction; there is no forgetting even for a moment their own misery. There is no death to release them.

We must reflect upon these miseries now so that we will be moved to do all that is in our power to avoid them in the future. How are we to escape these eternal miseries? The majority of the world will be damned, and only a few will be saved. What can we do to be among the few that are chosen?

In the Gospels from these past couple of weeks we have been shown parables concerning the Kingdom of Heaven and what we must do to enter. It is time now for us to reflect upon these Gospels and make certain that we make appropriate application of them to our own lives.

With the majority of the world on its way to Hell, it appears that it must be difficult to get to Heaven. And in one sense it is. The path to Hell is wide and pleasant, and the path to Heaven is narrow, rocky and steep. The path to Heaven requires of us to carry our crosses daily out of love for God.

On the other hand it seems that nothing could be easier. Once we accept that first grace to embrace and take up our crosses, then we will find that our crosses are not bitter but sweet, not heavy but light. Christ, Himself will come to our aid, He will lift us up, He will carry us to Heaven Himself.

Let us take that first step and give ourselves over to God. Let us deny ourselves and take up the cross. We all have something to suffer with here on earth, the difference between the damned and the saints, is that the saints accepted and patiently bore their suffering for the love of God. The damned refused to accept their crosses and constantly ran from them. In seeking to run from our crosses we only find larger ones awaiting us around the corner. And if we continue our entire lives always trying to avoid all that is bitter or difficult then we are certain to find the heaviest and bitterest cross waiting for us in Hell were we will never be able to avoid or ignore it.

We must all one day die, but what is death to those that love God? To God death is but a sleep. He can just as easily raise us up from death as He can rouse us from sleep.

When we die we lose everything that the world has and gives, such as honors, dignities, money, real estate, pleasures, and enjoyments. Whatever a man may be here on earth, after his death he is no longer what he was in life; with the last breath all difference of station ceases, and the mightiest autocrat is no more than the humble laborer in his hut. Death places all on a common level, never discriminates, but makes all alike. And just as honors and dignities fade into nothingness, so also money and real estate disappear in death. If you should possess the most elegant mansion, the best and largest tract of land, and money by millions, and be engaged in a most lucrative business, you cannot take a cent's worth of all these goods with you into eternity. The same may be said of earthy pleasures and joys: with death they dissolve like soap-bubbles and even the body that enjoyed them falls into dust.

To the worldling such losses are cause for much grieving and sorrow because they have loved and used these things inordinately and placed all their happiness in their use. But, for he who loves God he has refused to place his felicity in the things of this earth. Their loss does not bring forth sorrow or regret. He has never lived for these things and has always known that the time of separation must come and he is willing and even eager to let go of all the things of this earth.

Those who love God follow the admonition of St. Paul: "Brethren, the time is short; it remaineth, that they also who have wives, be as if they had none; and they that weep as though they wept not, and they that rejoice, as if they rejoiced not; and they that buy, as though they possessed not; and they that use the world, as if they used it not; for the fashion of the this world passesth away." These words of Christ's also are constantly before the minds of those who love Him: "What doth it profit a man, if he gain the whole world, and suffer the loss of his own soul?"

When we die we also lose a life that is full of dangers to salvation. There are no more temptations, and no more risks of ever offending God again. Death brings an end to the struggles and dangers to our salvation. For the just man death also brings to an end a life of tribulations and sufferings. Therefore the just rejoice when they die, because in death they lose nothing but a miserable life connected with countless dangers and trials. For those just who have led lives of innocence or have done penance for their sins they will find in death all that they ever hoped for and more. They will find the eternal vision of the Blessed Trinity. "Blessed are the clean of heart for they shall see God."

They will find in Heaven Mary, the mother of God; the Angels and Saints, and especially many relatives and acquaintances. Oh with what joy will they not be saluted at their entrance into heaven by the Blessed, with what love will they not be embraced! And how unspeakably happy will they not esteem themselves, for now they can live in the company of the angels and saints, who love them and live with them in undisturbed peace!

They will find unspeakable joy. St. Augustine says: "The felicity of heaven can be acquired, but never estimated; it can be merited, but not described." And St. Paul says: "Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither hath it entered into the heart of man, what things God hath prepared for them that love Him. And these joys will last forever.

This is how pious Catholics die. To them the words of the Holy Ghost apply: "Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord." Yes, they are blessed, whether we look at what they lose, or at what they find. We all must certainly wish to have a holy and happy end, to die a good death. Well, then, let us lead a good life; for a good life is inevitably followed by a good death. We must do what is required for a good death. Guard against every injustice and sin; and if we have sinned, bring forth fruits worthy of penance. Stand firm in the Lord, cling to the Catholic faith, and serve God with immutable fidelity all the days of our lives, and then we may confidently hope that our last hour will be the happiest of our whole life, for we will die the death of the just.

Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.

We easily see the image and inscription on the coin but not so readily the image and inscription that is placed upon our bodies and souls. Our catechism informs us that we are all made to the image and likeness of God. Based upon this alone we must see the necessity of returning ourselves to God. Added to this are the graces that we received in Baptism and the other sacraments. Our souls have been washed and purified and the indelible image of God has been emblazoned upon them.

We are temples of the Holy Ghost and marked with the image of God. It cannot become any clearer that it is we ourselves that belong to God and we must return ourselves to Him.

The tithing of money, flocks, grain, herbs, etc. is only a substitution for the gift of ourselves that God demands from us. God commanded an offering of the first fruits of our labors from the beginning. The tithe or ten percent takes the place of ourselves; that is why the offering must be of the first fruits, it must be the best that we have to offer.

When the Israelites left their bondage in Egypt, we see among the many plagues, one that struck the first born male that opened the womb. The Israelites learned that the first fruits of their labors and their offspring belong to God. Rather than demanding the first male from every family, God accepted a dedicated family to take the place of all the others; the tribe of Levi. God accepted this family of priests as an offering for everyone else.

Today we do not have a hereditary priesthood, but rather a more perfect one where God calls men to willingly offer themselves for His honor and glory and for the benefit of their fellow men. Added to this is the sacrifice of all the religious, both men and women. These chosen souls offer themselves on behalf of all men. They pray the psalms every day, offering the prayers that the world owes to God. These are the ones that give themselves completely over to the original plan of God – offering themselves and all that they have to Him. They bear within and without their bodies and souls the image of God; and their entire life is spent in rendering themselves to God.

The priests and religious also have become the offering for the rest of the world. They represent the tithe of the rest of men – the first and best fruits that we have to offer. It is a sad state of affairs that we find ourselves in today. There are very few true priests and religious and so likewise the offering to God is much less than the original plan of offering God the first fruits or the tithe of ten percent.

We owe this debt to God and unless this debt is paid we will find that we are unacceptable to Him. Our offerings (if we even make an offering) are not the best that we have. We have taken the best for ourselves and the world and will give whatever is left over to God. How often do we hear that religious have wasted their talents in the convent or cloister when they could have done so much in the world? The real question we should be wondering about is, how so many can waste their talents in the world when they could have done so much for God and man in the convent or cloister.

Too many religious and priests have forgotten that their first duty is to God and their offering is first to Him. They rather think of serving their fellow men and have become great “humanitarians” rather than holy and acceptable offerings to God on behalf of their fellow men.

Let us pray for true vocations to the priesthood and the religious life. Let us pray that those who have been called will make themselves holy, pleasing, and acceptable to God. Let us offer these priests and religious both our material and spiritual support because they have freely chosen to offer themselves on our behalf to God.

Let us encourage the best of our young to give themselves to God, rather than to the world. Only in this way will our offerings be acceptable.

We still must completely belong to God but the priests and religious offer us an opportunity to pay a tithe of what we have. This tithe on our behalf is acceptable to God as we pray for and support them and they cooperate and fulfill their obligations.

Approaching the end of the ecclesiastical year, Mother Church uses the liturgy to prepare us for the Last Judgment. First, she warns us that life is a warfare, as Job realized (Offertory). She warns us against the “deceits of the devil,” trying to destroy our riches of Divine Grace.
 
She warns us also “against flesh and blood.” as explained in the Epistle, which also describes what the well-equipped Christian must wear for this war. But God will be “our refuge” (Gradual). Consoling too are the words of Mardochai (Introit), confiding in God even when his beloved people faced destruction. Our second preparation consists in forgiveness of all injuries suffered during this life-struggle, even as we, relying on Divine Mercy, expect the forgiveness of all debts to the Divine Justice (Gospel). The Prayer, Secret and Communion are in line with these sentiments of struggle against flesh and devil and of the exercise of charity toward our neighbour.
 
Today falls the Feast of St. Hubertus: Confessor. The 8th Century Saint is one of the Four Holy Marshals, patron of hunters, archers and dogs, invoked for protection against rabies, plague and other diseases— perhaps these days the Swine Flu. Bread is blessed in his honour on this day for the faithful to take home. The Blessing is in the rituale. Ask the holy Saint to protect our families from a pandemic. St. Hubert was a libertine and noble-man who enjoyed hunting. One day, on Good Friday, he was hunting and chased down a stag who turned with a crucifix between its antlers. A voice told Hubert to change his ways or he would be condemned to hell. Changing his life, he studied for the priesthood upon the death of his wife and was consecrated Bishop of Maastricht, Netherlands. Later, he became first Bishop of Liege.