Te Deum

STAND
TE DEUM Te Deum laudámus: * te Dóminum confitémur. Te ætérnum Patrem * omnis terra venerátur. Tibi omnes Angeli, * tibi Cæli, et univérsæ Potestátes: Tibi Chérubim et Séraphim * incessábili voce proclámant:					TE DEUM We praise thee, O God, * we acknowledge thee to be the Lord. All the earth doth worship thee, * the Father everlasting. To thee all Angels cry aloud, * the Heavens, and all the Powers therein. To thee Cherubim and Seraphim * continually do cry.
During the following Tersanctus all make a profound reverence:
Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus * Dóminus Deus Sábaoth. Pleni sunt cæli et terra * majestátis glóriæ tuæ. Te gloriósus * Apostolórum chorus, Te Prophetárum * laudábilis númerus, Te Mártyrum candidátus * laudat exércitus. Te per orbem terrárum * sancta confitétur Ecclésia, Patrem * imménsæ majestátis; Venerándum tuum verum * et únicum Fílium; Sanctum quoque * Paráclitum Spíritum. Tu Rex glóriæ, * Christe. Tu Patris * sempitérnus es Fílius.					Holy, Holy, Holy, * Lord God of Sabaoth; Heaven and earth are full * of the Majesty of thy glory. The glorious company of the Apostles * praise thee. The goodly fellowship of the Prophets * praise thee. The noble army of Martyrs * praise thee. The holy Church throughout all the world * doth acknowledge thee; The Father, * of an infinite Majesty. Thine honourable, true, * and only Son; Also the Holy Ghost, * the Comforter. Thou art the King of Glory, * O Christ. Thou art the everlasting * Son of the Father.
During the following verse all make a profound reverence:
Tu, ad liberándum susceptúrus hóminem: * non horruísti Vírginis uterum. Tu, devícto mortis acúleo, * aperuísti credéntibus regna cælórum. Tu ad déxteram Dei sedes, * in glória Patris. Judex créderis * esse ventúrus.					When thou tookest upon thee to deliver man, * thou didst not abhor the Virgin's womb. When thou hadst overcome the sharpness of death, * thou didst open the Kingdom of Heaven to all believers. Thou sittest at the right hand of God, * in the glory of the Father. We believe that thou shalt come * to be our Judge.
Here all genuflect.
Te ergo quæsumus, tuis fámulis súbveni, * quos pretióso sánguine redemísti.					We therefore pray thee, help thy servants, * whom thou hast redeemed with thy precious Blood.
Here all rise.
Ætérna fac cum Sanctis tuis * in glória numerári. Salvum fac pópulum tuum, Dómine, * et bénedic hereditáti tuæ. Et rege eos, * et extólle illos usque in ætérnum. Per síngulos dies * benedícimus te.					Make them to be numbered with thy Saints, * in glory everlasting. O Lord, save thy people, * and bless thine heritage. Govern them, * and lift them up for ever. Day by day * we magnify thee;
During the following verse by local custom a profound reverence is made:
Et laudámus nomen tuum in sæculum, * et in sæculum sæculi. Dignáre, Dómine, die isto * sine peccáto nos custodíre. Miserére nostri, Dómine, * miserére nostri. Fiat misericórdia tua, Dómine, super nos, * quemádmodum sperávimus in te. In te, Dómine, sperávi: * non confúndar in ætérnum.					And we worship thy Name * ever, world without end. Vouchsafe, O Lord, to keep us * this day without sin. O Lord, have mercy upon us, * have mercy upon us. O Lord, let thy mercy lighten upon us, * as our trust is in thee. O Lord, in thee have I trusted, * let me never be confounded.

The Te Deum is one of my favorite prayers. Like many ancient hymns its authorship is in question. Some parts may have been composed as early as 168 while other parts are ascribed to later years by such authors as St. Cyprian and St. Ambrose. The Te Deum is tradionally said in Thanksgiving for a special blessing ( election of a pope, coronation of a King, baptism). The Te Deum is still chanted on the last day of each year in St. Peter's Basilica in thanks for all of the blessings of the previous year. It is often sung as "Holy God We Praise Thy Name" or "God We Praise Thee" at Mass or after Benediction. Its combination of simple and sublime lyrics make it timeless in my estimation.

Astronomy in the life of an ordinary person

I have never been especially interested in astronomy, though I occasionally feel the tug to look up when there is a clear sky full of mysterious celestial bodies. What I find most interesting about astronomy and the study of the night sky is its incredibly important role in shaping the world we live in and our perspective of the world.

Of course we all know that there are 365 days in a year because that is how long it takes for the Earth to revolve once around the sun and there are 30 days in a month beacause that's close to how long it takes for the moon to revolve once around the earth. Beyond this many holidays occur around unusual astronomical events. In many cases people who worshipped the heavenly bodies had festivals on these days and after the people were converted to Christianity new Christian feast were created for these days to quash the remant pagan feasts.

What ever possessed these people, from at least the dawn of history until, almost certainly, the middle ages to keep such careful track of the goings-on in the heavens? Perhaps it was because they were present in a way that they are not to most people in 2006. The difference between them and us is, of course, electricity. Most people, at least in the West live in cities which are lit perpetually. Therefore, one never has to the chance to see a sky just dripping with stars. As little as 100 years ago, every time someone was outside at night they were treated to the ancient display.

From my own experience, I have found few things more inspiring than gazing at the night sky apart from human-created light. I would recommend everyone find the chance to look at this primeval display sometime in their life.

I blithely imagine the Greeks, sans TV, sitting around a fire and looking at the sky, thinking and discussing their myths and stories and imaging their heroes in the heavens, still full of life. I guess I might even argue that this is part of the disconnect (NDD nature deficit disorder) that afflicts more people today than at any other time in the human existence.

Keen as are the arrows
Of that silver sphere
Whose intense lamp narrows
In the white dawn clear,
Until we hardly see,
we feel that it is there.
- To a Skylark, Percy Bysshe Shelley

Many a night I saw the
Pleiades, rising thro' the
mellow shade,
Glitter like a swarm of fire-flies
tangled in a silver braid.
- Locksley Hall, Alfred Lord Tennyson

Andromeda! Sweet woman!
why delaying, So timidly
among the stars: come hither!
Join this bright throng, and
nimbly follow whither
They all are going.
- Endymion, John Keats
The Universe is an infinite
sphere, the centre of which is
everywhere, the circumference
nowhere.
- Pensées, Blaise Pascal

Weatherunderground provides constellation maps for every zipcode for every month for free. If you are so inclined it is a very efficient way to teach yourself some of the constellations.

When only Mozart will suffice

It's 2.38 am as I begin this scrawl. The title should portend the gloomy state of things. For, there are times in one's life when only the most purified, magnanimous, and sublime creation of the human mind can arrest someone from the foggy pall of stupor that rolls in at times of distress. Has any man been more generous in woe than the Miricale of Salzburg? The build-up of concertos, symphonies, quartets, quintets, sonatas, operas, polonaises et cetera is an indestructable shelter from the tumult of the ceaseless march of time which features harmony not half as deep as the dissonance of Mozart. No combination of tones can so effortlessly seize the soul and shake it back to life while remaining disinterested in the fleeting and detestable overtly-emotional grip of much modern composition. We should pine for such transcendence in all of our creations. 215 years has not bested that first fourth of the second movement of the Clarinet Concerto in A major.

Oh yah. And when will the Brewers win again? Ever? A question that has haunted the minds of Wisconsinites for the last 24 or 14 years depending on whom you ask. What went wrong this year? Well, that's a multi-faceted question to say the least. It didn't help when Sheets and Ohka both went down and Doug Davis imploded, but that's no excuse for the more recent tailspin. The bigger areas of concern, as I see it, are the unspeakable acts of villainy committed by the "Brewers" bullpen. At least they act like they are playing for the success of the Brewers. And the decprepit geriatric output by the offense. We all knew that things must get worse when Carlos Lee left, but not this bad. The felling of Weeks was big, I think. Though he may not be your Juan Pierre, Luis Castillo slap-and-run leadoff hitter I think he still works well at the top. I see him as more of a Molitor-esque presence. Hitting for average but also possessing some pop and above average speed. Ignitor Junior, I reckon. After the top spot things get questionable. Is a healthy JJ Hardy going to hit for a high enough average to hit in the two spot. I could also see Cory Hart fitting in the two-spot with his decent speed and naturally sweet swing. A mature Prince has to be a lock in the three spot as he can hit for average and awesome power. Then there is the gaping hole at cleanup being filled by Mench. I love Mench as a hitter but he is just not cleanup material. Bill Hall? Hall can be a great and powerful and clutch hitter but his swing has some holes and he can't seem to shake juvenile mistakes on the bases. I think he'd be a better five or six hitter, but with what we have to work with I guess you have to put him in the cleanup spot. To Be Continued...maybe