The Lord is my portion

Dominus pars haereditatis meae et calicis mei; tu es qui restitues haereditatem meam mihi.
The Lord is the portion of my inheritance, and of my cup; Thou shalt restore my inheritance to me

This was the verse that the new cleric used to repeat after the Bishop while his hair was being ceremonially snipped. In the Directorium Sacerdotale, Valuy suggests that the priest should kiss his cassock each morning before he puts it on, and recite that verse. Well it would be a good reminder for the cleric to value and cherish the ecclesiastical state.

I sometimes wish that I had been able to receive the minor orders. (They were substituted with "lay ministries" by Pope Paul VI in Ministeria Quaedam but are rarely given to lay people.) Nevertheless, the idea of the Lord being the cleric's portion is a good one to ponder from time to time.

Nowadays, the passing of the years have given me a natural tonsure which is shown particularly when I have a part in those photos of the Classical Rite of Mass that are such a staple of the Catholic blogosphere.

See this link for a Brief history of the cassock and tonsure

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