Month: December 2023

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A Quick Guide to Morning and Evening Prayer for Christmas Week

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“What page are we on?”

With so many different breviary editions out there, I can’t answer that question in this space. But I can tell you what headings to find, so you can put your ribbons and bookmarks in the right places before you start praying. It looks a little complicated—and this week really IS—but when you set everything up ahead of time, it will make your prayer time easier.

Want some basic information on the Liturgy of the Hours? Get my booklet, The Handy Little Guide to the Liturgy of the Hours (available in print or for Kindle).

Christmas Eve, December 24

Morning Prayer:

Look for “December 24” in the Proper of Seasons section (the front) of your breviary. The antiphons and reading, responsory, and everything following come from there.

The psalms will come from Saturday morning, Week III in the Ordinary section (middle) of your breviary.

Evening Prayer:

Look for “December 25” in the Proper of Seasons and pray Evening Prayer I for Christmas. Everything is contained on those pages.

 

Christmas Day, December 25

Morning Prayer:

Look for “Christmas” in the Proper of Seasons and find Morning Prayer. Also bookmark Sunday, Week I in the Ordinary for the psalms. Everything else is there in the Proper of Seasons.

Make it easy on yourself by downloading my free Christmas Antiphons bookmark. Keep that on Sunday, Week I in the Ordinary, and keep another ribbon or bookmark on Morning Prayer for Christmas. You’ll need that several times in the coming week.

 

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Evening Prayer:

Look in the Proper of Seasons under “Christmas” and find Evening Prayer II. Everything is there.

 

December 26: Feast of Saint Stephen, the First Martyr

Morning Prayer:

Look for “December 26: Stephen, First Martyr” in the Proper of Saints (toward the back of your breviary). Use the antiphons provided there; the psalms come from Sunday, Week I in the Ordinary. After the psalms and canticle, everything is in the Proper of Saints.

Evening Prayer:

Psalms and canticles and their antiphons come from Evening Prayer II for Christmas Day. After the psalms and canticle, everything is found in the Proper of Seasons under “December 26.”

 

December 27: Feast of Saint John, Apostle and Evangelist

Morning Prayer:

Look for “December 27: John, Apostle and Evangelist” in the Proper of Saints (toward the back of your breviary). Use the antiphons provided there; the psalms come from Sunday, Week I in the Ordinary. After the psalms and canticle, everything is in the Proper of Saints.

Evening Prayer:

Psalms and canticles and their antiphons come from Evening Prayer II for Christmas Day. After the psalms and canticle, everything is found in the Proper of Seasons under “December 27.”

 

December 28: Feast of the Holy Innocents

Morning Prayer:

Look for “December 28: Holy Innocents” in the Proper of Saints (toward the back of your breviary). Use the antiphons provided there; the psalms come from Sunday, Week I in the Ordinary. After the psalms and canticle, everything is in the Proper of Saints.

Evening Prayer:

Psalms and canticles and their antiphons come from Evening Prayer II for Christmas Day. After the psalms and canticle, everything is found in the Proper of Seasons under “December 28.”

 

December 29: Commemoration of Thomas Beckett, Bishop and Martyr

Morning Prayer:

Return to Morning Prayer for Christmas Day for the psalms, canticle, and their antiphons. After those, look in the Proper of Seasons under “December 29.” For the Commemoration of Thomas Beckett, the antiphon for the Gospel Canticle and the final prayer come from the Proper of Saints.

Evening Prayer:

Psalms and canticles and their antiphons come from Evening Prayer II for Christmas Day. After the psalms and canticle, everything is found in the Proper of Seasons under “December 29” with the exception of the antiphon for the Gospel Canticle and the final prayer: those come from the Proper of Saints.

 

Saturday, December 30

Morning Prayer:

Return to Morning Prayer for Christmas Day for the psalms, canticle, and their antiphons. After those, everything is found in the Proper of Seasons under “December 30.”

 

Feast of the Holy Family

This is a movable feast that is usually celebrated the Sunday between Christmas and New Year’s Day—unless Christmas is on a Sunday. In 2023, we celebrate this feast beginning the evening of December 30 with Evening Prayer I.

Saturday evening, December 30:

Look for “Holy Family” in the Proper of Seasons and find Evening Prayer I. Use the antiphons provided there; the psalms come from the Common of the Blessed Virgin Mary (toward the back of your breviary). After the psalms and canticle, everything is in the Proper of Seasons.

Sunday, December 31, Morning Prayer:

Look for “Holy Family” in the Proper of Seasons and find Morning Prayer. Use the antiphons provided there; the psalms come from Sunday, Week I in the Ordinary. After the psalms and canticle, everything is in the Proper of Seasons.

 

Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God

Sunday, December 31, Evening Prayer:

Look for Look for “January 1” in the Proper of Seasons and pray Evening Prayer I. Use the antiphons provided there; the psalms come from the Common of the Blessed Virgin Mary (toward the back of your breviary). After the psalms and canticle, everything is in the Proper of Seasons.

Monday, January 1, Morning Prayer:

Look for “January 1” in the Proper of Seasons and find Morning Prayer. Use the antiphons provided there; the psalms come from Sunday, Week I in the Ordinary. After the psalms and canticle, everything is in the Proper of Seasons.

Monday, January 1, Evening Prayer:

Look for Look for “January 1” in the Proper of Seasons and pray Evening Prayer II. Use the antiphons provided there; the psalms come from the Common of the Blessed Virgin Mary (toward the back of your breviary). After the psalms and canticle, everything is in the Proper of Seasons.

 

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Copyright 2023 Barb Szyszkiewicz
Photos copyright 2023 Barb Szyszkiewicz, all rights reserved.

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An Open Book: December 2023

franciscanmom4 Comments

It’s been 3 months since I put together a real reading roundup for #AnOpenBook. Maybe in the New Year I’ll get better about doing this consistently. (See, sometimes I can be an optimist!)

Before we begin, if you still need any Advent resources or a Sunday-readings devotional for Year B, check out my recommendations.

The first Wednesday of each month, Carolyn Astfalk hosts #OpenBook, where bloggers link posts about books they’ve read recently. Here’s a taste of what I’ve been reading:

nullThe latest in Antony Barone Kolenc’s Harwood Mysteries for middle-school readers, Murder at Penwood Manor, is one of those stories that will keep your teen reading late into the night. Xan, an orphaned teen who was first taken in by monks and then came to live with an uncle in a distant town, seeks to exonerate a crusader who has returned from the Holy Land and is now accused of the murder of a romantic rival. Xan is accompanied in his quest to save Laurence the crusader by two young women, one in formation at a local abbey and another who appears to be his love interest. (Review copy from Loyola Press.) Read my full review.

 

nullRachel and Ted Schluenderfritz of 5Sparrows.com, collaborated on a new children’s book, The Narrow Gate, which is a parable about our human tendency to accumulate too much stuff. In this story, a community packs up everything everyone owns in search of a new location where there is water—the one thing they don’t have. But all that stuff they’ve brought along turns into a bigger obstacle than anyone realized. The book concludes with a page of questions for kids and a second page of questions for readers of all ages. (Review copy from Emmaus Road Publishing.)

 

nullNew from Our Sunday Visitor publishing is In My Mother’s Womb by Fr. Bill Deschamps, Christine Schroeder, Mary Roma, and Susan J. Bellavance, illustrated by Dan Andreasen. This week-by-week picture book that chronicles the development of a child in the womb, skillfully intermingling scientific information (the approximate size of the growing child, the formation of various organs, and the development of physical abilities) with Scripture verses, in a true celebration of the new life God has created through the baby’s parents. This book is appropriate for children of all ages and would particularly be enjoyed by a family anticipating the birth of a new baby. (Review copy from the publisher.)

 

nullSr. Josephine Garrett, CSFN, shares her spiritual memoirs in HOPE: An Invitation. I didn’t know what to expect when I opened this book, but I found it to be not only hope-filled, but joy-filled as well. That is not to say that the author takes a Pollyanna look at life, because she is very honest about struggle, work, and pain. But in all of it, she finds hope and encourages the reader to seek to do the same. There is plenty to ponder in this little book. “The entire life of a saint becomes an act of hope” (59). (Review copy from the publisher, Our Sunday Visitor.)

 

nullFans of local color and restaurant stories will enjoy On the Rocks: The Primadonna Story by Maria C. Palmer and Ruthie Robbins. Written by the daughter of Pittsburgh-area restauranteur Joe Costanzo, Jr., this true story is told in Joe’s voice and recalls his rise and fall as an entrepreneur. Joe’s superior marketing skills put his restaurant on the map, but his lack of good record-keeping regarding his charitable donations, along with his disregard for rules about things like the time bars must close for the night, eventually gain him the attention of law enforcement and he winds up spending six months in a white-collar prison. I wasn’t entirely convinced that Joe was repentant, but the story was entertaining, and the flavor of the neighborhood was well depicted. Be warned: there’s some strong language in this one—not a ridiculous amount, but it is in there. (Review copy from the author.)

 

nullKristin Contino’s novel The Legacy of Us is also a good read for fans of local color. This split-time story is set in Philadelphia, where Liz, a young jewelry designer (who has a day job in a fashion boutique) finds a cameo in a box addressed to her among her late grandmother’s possessions. Along with the necklace is a diary that provides details of her grandmother’s life that no one in the family had known. Liz simultaneously reconnects with her old fiance and meets a new guy who’s understandably reluctant to get involved with someone who still has ties to her ex, losing the cameo in the process and eventually learns to take responsibility for her own mistakes.

 

nullThey Say He Flies at Night by Amy Matayo was one of the most compelling novels I’ve read in quite a while. As the title implies, rumors abound regarding antique-shop owner Walter Lorry, who keeps to himself and sleeps on the porch of his store, even though he owns the house next door but seems never to go in. But Walter’s penmanship is so exquisite that Piper Moore’s soon-to-be mother-in-law pressures her into approaching Walter to design wedding invitations. Piper gets a glimpse into the real story behind the elderly man, and that changes her mind about everything she’d thought about love.

 

I’ve read quite a few forgettable novels in the past few weeks, as well. We won’t talk about those. But my Kindle remembers that I’ve read them.

Links to books in this post are Amazon affiliate links. Your purchases made through these links support Franciscanmom.com. Thank you!

Where noted, books are review copies. If that is not indicated, I either purchased the book myself or borrowed it from the library.

Visit today’s #OpenBook post to join the linkup or just get some great ideas about what to read! You’ll find it at Carolyn Astfalk’s A Scribbler’s Heart and at CatholicMom.com!

Copyright 2023 Barb Szyszkiewicz

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On My Bookshelf: Breaking the Bread Liturgical Year Devotional

franciscanmom1 Comment

Scott Hahn and Ken Ogorek have put together a book that takes Sunday Mass prep to the next level. Breaking the Bread: A Biblical Devotional for Catholics not only offers reflections on the Sunday Mass readings that helps readers understand how all the readings for each Sunday Mass fit together, it also features quotes from the Catechism of the Catholic Church that provide even more background information and connection to the life of the Church.

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Each entry includes four parts:

  • a listing of the Mass readings for the Sunday or holy day (have your Bible or Sunday missal handy, or use the USCCB’s online daily readings);
  • a reflection on the readings for the day, tying them all together;
  • further information including quotes from the Catechism; and
  • questions for reflection and a closing prayer.

The Introduction by Scott Hahn explains how the new lectionary, introduced in 1969, includes more Scripture than had ever been covered during Mass, and how the lectionary, along with the Catechism, helps equip us to transmit the faith to our families.

I can’t say enough about how beautiful this book is. The hardcover volume is clothbound, a lovely dark green embossed in gold. Inside, the glossy pages feature colorful designs as each liturgical season begins, and there are 25 full-color pages featuring sacred art that complement’s the readings for particular Sundays or holy days.

 

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As a parish musician, at Sunday Mass I’m a bit distracted because I’m always listening for the next musical cue. Whether it’s your service at Mass or your young children that diverts your attention from the readings each Sunday, reading this book at home can help you not only stay caught up on the readings from Mass, but enrich your understanding of them with background information from the Catechism. This book can be used to prepare for Sunday Mass or to recap what you heard at Mass later in the day or week.

Ask for Breaking the Bread at your local Catholic bookseller, or order online from Amazon.com or the publisher, Emmaus Road Publishing.

Copyright 2023 Barb Szyszkiewicz

Review copy received from publisher; no compensation was given in exchange for my honest opinion. This post contains Amazon affiliate links; your purchase through these links supports maintenance for this website. Thank you!