The bells are ringing! The bells are ringing!

A couple days ago, I was praying in the chapel, before the Lord in the Blessed Sacrament. As I was praying, the Lord lifted the veil from my eyes for just about a half a second, and showed me His glory.

When you have few experiences of certain things, you tend to remember each event quite clearly. When you have more experiences, then you remember each of them less and less. When I was discerning the Lord’s call for me to His holy Catholic Church, I remember the first several Masses quite clearly; now I can only picture a handful in my mind.

Let me tell you about the first time I went to St. Mary Cathedral in Austin.

This Mass was important to me in several ways.

This was the first Mass I went to in Austin.

This Mass was the first Mass I went to, with full knowledge that I wanted to be in full communion with the Catholic Church.

This was the first Mass where I heard sacred Church music in the context of the Church.

This Mass, was just on an ordinary Sunday. No feast day, no solemnity. Yet, it was most profound to me. During the Consecration of the species to become the Body and Blood of Christ, there were these bells that were ringing. And I don’t mean just the bells the altar servers shake in the sanctuary. I mean the belfry, the bell tower roared to life! Ding-dong! Ding-dong! Over and over again, across downtown you can hear it! And I was there, as if I was taken up to the third heaven, in the presence of God and His holy Angels.

The bells, the smells, the sights and sounds. The prayers, the songs lifted up my human soul to the depths of God. Although, at the time I could not describe it, now I can adequately describe what happened that day.

Can you imagine it? The bells were there to announce the Kingdom of Heaven! They tell us, “Alleluia! For the Lord God omnipotent reigneth! The kingdom of this world is become the kingdom of our Lord, and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever!”

I wonder people outside must think we’re crazy. Why are they ringing the bells at 12:51pm? They must have their clocks off!

Such an image reminds me of a scene in the Lord of the Rings. When Aragorn King rode with his knights and men into Mordor, the trumpets sounded and the Lords announced, “The Lords of Gondor is come! Let all leave this land or yield them up!”

Yes, the Lord is come. Let sin leave this land. Let death and darkness leave this land. Let the Lord reign.

Sing, o city of Austin. Sing, all ye people living in the slavery of sin. The Lord is come, at last! The King comes to you! Lowly and humble, hidden in majesty!

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Spirit. Amen.

The Lord's Baptism

Today the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church in the United States celebrates the Lord's Baptism.

One of the things that helped open my eyes to the claims of the Church was the clarity and theological depth Joseph Ratzinger has. Now Pope Benedict XVI, his own personal book , Jesus of Nazareth, helped me in my own spiritual walk with Christ, and ultimately, His Church. The rest will be a quotation from Benedict's book on the Lord's Baptism.

Starting with the paragraph on "The actual ritual of Baptism symbolizes this." Too bad the publishers cut out the good part on Eastern iconography. Let me know if you want the missing pages.

The Proclamation of the Birth of Christ

Today, the twenty–fifth day of December,
unknown ages from the time when God created the heavens and the earth and then formed man and woman in his own image.

Several thousand years after the flood,
when God made the rainbow shine forth as a sign of the covenant.

Twenty–one centuries from the time of Abraham and Sarah;
thirteen centuries after Moses led the people of Israel out of Egypt.

Eleven hundred years from the time of Ruth and the Judges;
one thousand years from the anointing of David as king;
in the sixty–fifth week according to the prophecy of Daniel.

In the one hundred and ninety–fourth Olympiad;
the seven hundred and fifty–second year from the foundation of the city of Rome.

The forty–second year of the reign of Octavian Augustus;
the whole world being at peace,

Jesus Christ, eternal God and Son of the eternal Father,
desiring to sanctify the world by his most merciful coming,
being conceived by the Holy Spirit,
and nine months having passed since his conception,
was born in Bethlehem of Judea of the Virgin Mary.

Today is the nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ according to the flesh.

E-mail to an Old Friend

August 17, 2009

Dear Sir,

I hope you're doing well! For the past two weeks and a half I was in Austin moving out of my apartment. I am now at home in Houston with my parents. While I was in Austin, I attended daily Mass everyday. It was amazing. I tried to go everyday while I was in Austin during the school year, but during the summer when I was home in Houston, I haven't been able to since I don't have a car.

I remember talking to you on the phone and you mentioned something about the Mass being central to one's life, the sine qua non. Well, last Saturday was the first time since I came back to Austin that I wasn't able to attend the Holy Mass. By the end of the day, I wasn't feeling that great. There seemed to be something missing. I then figured it out. I can't live apart from God. Not even one day!

Besides this discovery, last Wednesday, something really cool happened! Before daily Mass, as I was praying, I started to pray in Latin! It wasn't something alien to me, nor did it feel any different. As I was in prayer, Psalm 51, Miserere Mei, started to flow from my lips. I started to memorize this psalm since I heard the Latin chant during Lent. At that point, I knew that these were the very exact words I wanted to express to God. The sanctified words of the Holy Spirit given to me to offer back up to God the Father. It wasn't a charismatic gift or an outpouring the Holy Spirit upon me, but at the same time, I knew that the Holy Spirit was at work. I suppose in that sense, praying the psalms versus praying in tongues aren't so different.

This journey is so amazing! It rocks! I can't believe I've been missing out on the sacramental life for so long!

Peace be with you!

Daniel Bui

Dear Daniel,

God is so good. Amazing in the way we thirst for Him alone even when we don't feel thirsty. To have received the grace of the importance of the Mass is wonderful and much to be thanked for ... now learn the Te Deum! (in Latin!) if you have time and inclination.

Penetrate the Mass -- more and more --- forever. You cannot go wrong and it is the Way to the Father.

Now when you get the chance do your prayer in front of the Blessed Sacrament ... and in front of the Blessed Sacrment exposed is a truly wonderful gift. Pray for a car! Then whole worlds open up for you! St Nicholas is the patron of gifts ! And this one is for Our Lord's sake! (Or a motor bike!).

Cheers and blessings.
And thanks for the news,
And asking for your prayers.

Yours.