The tradition of the Roman Church marks today’s feast of the martyrs Pope Saint Sixtus and his four deacon companions by blessing the first grapes of the harvest. This is a sign that, with the feast of the Transfiguration, the Church has entered into a time of fullness, a time that looks for completion.
At the Monastery of the Glorious Cross in Branford, Connecticut, the faithful will bring grapes to Mass tomorrow. These will be arranged on a table on the edge of the sanctuary. At the end of Mass, the grapes will be blessed, using the form given in the Roman Ritual:
BLESSING OF GRAPES
V. Our help is in the name of the Lord.
R. Who made heaven and earth.
V. The Lord be with you.
R. And with your spirit.
Let us pray.
Bless, we beseech you, O Lord, this fresh fruit of the vine,
which You have graciously brought to full ripeness
with the dew of heaven, abundant rain, and calm and fair weather.
You have given them for our use;
grant that we may receive them with thanksgiving
in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, the True Vine,
who lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God for ever and ever.
R. Amen.
(And they are sprinkled with holy water.)
His Excellency, the Bishop of the Diocese of Tulsa, Oklahoma has given
Father Mark a special mandate to live in adoration before the Most
Blessed Sacrament, in a spirit of thanksgiving and intercession, that he
might make reparation before the Eucharistic Face of Jesus for all his
brothers in Holy Orders. At the same time, he is available to the
priests and deacons of the Diocese for spiritual and sacramental
support in their pursuit of holiness.
How odd the timing. Stan and I just spent 3 wonderful days in the California wine country of Sonoma. We had many conversations with vintners about the upcoming "crush" (harvest) which is actually, for California, late Sept.-early Oct. Of course, we could not find anyone focused on Sacramental wines.....