Tom Reagan's Reflection on the Centurion

Tom Reagan from TomReagan.com has a wonderful Lenten meditation up. It looks at the role of the Centurion that stood beneath the Cross and said, "Truly, this was the Son of God" (Mark 15:39).

I highly recommend this for today's meditation in Holy Week! It is available at this link (.pdf)

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Stational Church for April 10, 2006

Today's Station is at the Church of St. Praxedes

The spirit of this second day of the holiest of all weeks may be summed up in four words: Jesus, a supper, a penitent and an impenitent.

Jesus—Holy Savior, You are the center of our thoughts and love. Accept our thanks for all that You have done for our salvation.

The Last Supper—A supper for Jesus! In a few days, Jesus will make a supper for us, a "sacred banquet in which Christ is eaten," "symbol of that One Body of which He is the Head and to which He willed that we should be united as members by the closest bonds of faith, hope and charity, so that we should all speak the same thing and that there should be no divisions among us," as the Council of Trent so beautifully said.

A Penitent—Mary, "took a pound of ointment of costly nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair."An impenitent-traitor—An apostle of Christ is changed into a traitor because he loved not Christ, but thirty pieces of silver. "It were better, if this man had not been born."

We entrust ourselves today to St. Praxedes, the virgin who loved Jesus with her beautiful soul, who so often in her home prepared the table for the celebration of the Eucharistic Supper, and who anointed the "feet of Christ," that is, the "lowest members" of the Mystical Body, the poor, by gladly giving to them all she possessed.

Let us pray: Help us, holy virgin, to spend this second day of Holy Week in thy spirit. Through Christ, Our Lord. Amen.

Source: St. John Cantius Parish

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Monday in Holy Week: Year B

Reading 1

Here is my servant whom I uphold,my chosen one with whom I am pleased,Upon whom I have put my Spirit;he shall bring forth justice to the nations,Not crying out, not shouting,not making his voice heard in the street.A bruised reed he shall not break,and a smoldering wick he shall not quench,Until he establishes justice on the earth;the coastlands will wait for his teaching.Thus says God, the LORD,who created the heavens and stretched them out,who spreads out the earth with its crops,Who gives breath to its peopleand spirit to those who walk on it:I, the LORD, have called you for the victory of justice,I have grasped you by the hand;I formed you, and set youas a covenant of the people,a light for the nations,To open the eyes of the blind,to bring out prisoners from confinement,and from the dungeon, those who live in darkness. Is 42:1-7

Gospel

Six days before Passover Jesus came to Bethany,where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead.They gave a dinner for him there, and Martha served,while Lazarus was one of those reclining at table with him. Mary took a liter of costly perfumed oilmade from genuine aromatic nardand anointed the feet of Jesus and dried them with her hair;the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil. Then Judas the Iscariot, one of his disciples,and the one who would betray him, said,“Why was this oil not sold for three hundred days’ wagesand given to the poor?”He said this not because he cared about the poorbut because he was a thief and held the money bagand used to steal the contributions.So Jesus said, “Leave her alone.Let her keep this for the day of my burial.You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me.”The large crowd of the Jews found out that he was there and came,not only because of him, but also to see Lazarus,whom he had raised from the dead.And the chief priests plotted to kill Lazarus too,because many of the Jews were turning awayand believing in Jesus because of him. Jn 12:1-11

Prayer for Monday in Holy Week:

Grant, we beseech Thee, almighty God, that we who fail through weakness in so many difficulties, may be relieved through the Passion of Thine only-begotten Son: Who with Thee liveth and reigneth.

Prayer Source: 1962 Roman Missal

Today meditate on the first Sorrowful mystery - Jesus' agony in the Garden. We remember his pain and anxiety as he awaited Judas to betray Him and bring about all of His suffering and His death.

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Lenten Prayer of St. Ephraim

The Great Lenten Prayer of St Ephraim

O Lord and Master of my life, cast from me the spirit of sloth, despondency, lust for power and idle talk. (Prostration)

But grant unto me, Thy servant, a spirit of chastity, humility, patience and love. (Prostration)

Yea, O Lord and King, grant me to see my own faults and not to judge my brothers and sisters. For Thou art blessed unto ages of ages. Amen.(Prostration)

O God, cleanse Thou me a sinner (12 times, with as many bows, and then again the whole prayer from the beginning throughout, and after that one great prostration)

Image Source: Believed to be in the Public Domain

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Top 10 Suggestions for A Catholic Holy Week

"In Holy Week, we participate in the most sublime drama of religious history" (Fr. Pius Parsch)

Today is Palm Sunday, the beginning of Holy Week. This is the week that changed the course of history when Our Lord, Jesus Christ, suffered, died, and rose again for us. This Thursday is Holy Thursday, the commemoration of the Lord's Supper—when He gave us the gift of Himself in the Holy Eucharist.

The Triduum ceased being holy days of obligation a few hundred years ago in the 17th/18th century due to the Reformation and secularism which required people to work these days. But the fact that they are not presently Holy Days of Obligation does not mean we should let these most sacred days pass by. In fact, in previous eras, all commerce and governments would close to allow the faithful all of Holy Week and all of Easter Week off. We need to recover these traditions.

Here are my Top 10 Suggestions for A Catholic Holy Week:

1. Attend Mass each day, especially on Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday. Read the Mass propers each day this week, even the traditional readings for Holy Monday, Holy Tuesday, and Holy Wednesday. 
2. Offer a daily Rosary for the souls that have died this Lent and for the conversion of sinners.
3. Pray such prayers as the Litany of the Most Precious Blood every day. The Racolta has excellent prayers in honor of the Precious Blood, which is worth saying. There is also the Litany of the Passion.
4. Take part in visiting Seven Churches Visitation, a traditional devotion where you visit seven churches on the evening of Holy Thursday to pray before the altars of repose at each church.
5. Go to Confession to ensure that you are in the state of grace for these holy days.
6. Read the entire Dolorous Passion according to the visions of Blessed Anne Catherine Emerich
7. It is a requirement to fast on Good Friday, but if your health allows, fast also during the day on Holy Saturday and at night on Holy Thursday. Lent was traditionally 40 days of fasting and 46 days of abstinence. Good Friday also was, in former times, a day of the strictest fasting, and the faithful were encouraged to eat nothing at all on Good Friday, if possible. See: Fasting Rules
8. Pray for the catechumens who will be received into the Church this week and receive the Sacraments. And pray for any public sinners who are reconciled. 
9. Pray the Divine Office more regularly this week. If you do not have a Breviary in your library. Pray it online at Divinum Officium.
10. Pray the Stations of the Cross on Good Friday and observe strict silence from 12 PM to 3 PM.

Do not let these days of grace go by without participating deeply in the Church's sacred rites. The drama of the Passion is about to unfold.

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Jesus Dynasty: Don't read it

I just watched a 9 minute news segment by ABC News about an upcoming book "The Jesus Dynasty" by James D. Tabor. This is the first time that I have heard about this new book. Dr. Tabor's book centers around two lies - there was no virgin birth and Jesus Christ did not rise again from the dead. He also claims that Jesus had a half-brother James who became the king of Jesus's new dynasty after the crucifixion.



This is preposterous! This book joins the growing list of "Christian" books attacking the truth of Our Lord. With the DaVinci Code's success, we see a growing number of people repeating lies against Our Savior that have circulated since the first century solely to gain wealth. Dr. Tabor believes that the Resurrection did not take place but rather that Jesus's body was moved. How sad that this lie has been believed for centuries as the Gospels states clearly:

While they were going, some of the guard went into the city and told the chief priests all that had happened. They assembled with the elders and took counsel; then they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers, telling them, "You are to say, 'His disciples came by night and stole him while we were asleep.' And if this gets to the ears of the governor, we will satisfy (him) and keep you out of trouble." The soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed. And this story has circulated among the Jews to the present [day] (Matthew 28:11-15).

Thankfully, Catholic Culture just published a short article precisely on how such theories to disprove the Resurrection are ridiculous. Here is part of the article:

It is, of course, inconceivable that the stone could have been moved without waking the “sleeping” guards, and even more inconceivable that the grave robbers would take the trouble to unwrap the body and set the head-covering neatly aside before getting safely away. But the logical fallacy of this accusation against the disciples is more outrageous still. As St. Augustine noted, if the guards were awake, how could the theft have succeeded? And if the guards were asleep, how could they identify the disciples as thieves?

My advice: Again, don't waste your time on such blasphemy. The Gospels are the true stories - not what some 21st Century archeologist wants to believe.

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What a Hectic Mass

Well, I knew today's Mass would be very different with it being Palm Sunday, but I wasn't expected for today. At my parish we started with a simple entrance, where everyone remained in their seats and didn't process in. I prefer the solemn procession where all process into the Church waving Palm branches.

Following this, the lector accidentally read the wrong Gospel account of the Passion for a few minutes. My priest realized this after a few minutes and gave her the correct reading. No one went to the correct Communion line - it was just a mess.

I guess this is just another penance, though.

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Welcoming New Catholics: Please help

I realized Saturday night how close we truly are to Holy Saturday - it's one week away. This truly special day is the day when most people enter the Catholic faith. For me, two years ago, I experienced this firsthand - it was literally the best day of my life.

I wanted to welcome all of those new Catholics from our St. Blog's community. Could you please let me know of bloggers that will be entering the Church at the Easter Vigil this coming Saturday. I wanted to officially welcome them and create a short paragraph for each of them. I have also asked Owen at Luminous Miseries II to design a special logo for all of you new Catholics welcoming you into the Church. I will post it in a few days if everything goes well. Please feel free to display it on your blogs then.

Thanks

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Palm Sunday

Today is the Second Sunday of Passiontide (Palm Sunday), the day we commemorate Christ's triumphant ride into Jerusalem. All of this is alluded to in the prophecy of Zacharias 9:9-10 :

Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Sion, shout for joy, O daughter of Jerusalem: BEHOLD THY KING will come to thee, the just and saviour: he is poor, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass. And I will destroy the chariot out of Ephraim, and the horse out of Jerusalem, and the bow for war shall be broken: and he shall speak peace to the Gentiles, and his power shall be from sea to sea, and from the rivers even to the end of the earth.

The people welcomed and worshipped Our Lord and Master as rode triumphantly into Jerusalem. But, in just one week the people of Jerusalem and the elders would be the ones who would call out: "Crucify Him."

The Gospel account is as follows:

And having said these things, he went before, going up to Jerusalem. And it came to pass, when he was come nigh to Bethphage and Bethania, unto the mount called Olivet, he sent two of his disciples, Saying: Go into the town which is over against you, at your entering into which you shall find the colt of an ass tied, on which no man ever hath sitten: loose him, and bring him hither.

And if any man shall ask you: Why do you loose him? you shall say thus unto him: Because the Lord hath need of his service. And they that were sent, went their way, and found the colt standing, as he had said unto them. And as they were loosing the colt, the owners thereof said to them: Why loose you the colt? But they said: Because the Lord hath need of him. And they brought him to Jesus. And casting their garments on the colt, they set Jesus thereon.

And as he went, they spread their clothes underneath in the way. And when he was now coming near the descent of mount Olivet, the whole multitude of his disciples began with joy to praise God with a loud voice, for all the mighty works they had seen, Saying: Blessed be the king who cometh in the name of the Lord, peace in heaven, and glory on high! And some of the Pharisees, from amongst the multitude, said to him: Master, rebuke thy disciples. To whom he said: I say to you, that if these shall hold their peace, the stones will cry out.

And when he drew near, seeing the city, he wept over it, saying: If thou also hadst known, and that in this thy day, the things that are to thy peace; but now they are hidden from thy eyes. For the days shall come upon thee, and thy enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and straiten thee on every side, And beat thee flat to the ground, and thy children who are in thee: and they shall not leave in thee a stone upon a stone: because thou hast not known the time of thy visitation (Luke 19:28-44)

So many prophesies were fulfilled on this Sunday of His Passion. In the Annunciation, Gabriel said to Mary: "The Lord God shall give unto Him the throne of David, His father; and He shall reign in the house of Jacob forever." That day is now at hand.

How beautiful is the love of Our Lord! Not only did He die, but He willingly suffered all the humiliation, pain, beatings, mocking, and anxiety leading up to His death. Today we celebrate His triumphant ride into Jerusalem, where He will complete the Paschal Mystery. But, we are ever mindful that it is because of our sinfulness that the Lamb of God was forced to ride on an ass to the city of His Crucifixion.

For Christ came to die but became victorious over death. He came to suffer but rose again in splendor. We too must follow Him. We must embrace every suffering and pain in our lives. Not only must we accept these sufferings, but we most forgive our attackers. If love is not carved upon our hearts then how can we ever hope to enter Heaven? Jesus Christ was condemned by these men and women who first welcomed Him, and it is only by His forgiveness that we, like them, can hope to enter Heaven. When I pray about Heaven to Our God I do not say "Lord, permit me to enter your Kingdom." I say, "Master, permit me to sit in the farthest corner of your Kingdom that your light still might shine upon me for I am unworthy of anything greater."

We cannot completely understand what must have been the most profound joy for some as He rode in the city. Those following Jesus were even chanting: "Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the Kingdom of our father David that is to come! Hosanna in the highest!" This song is sung at every Catholic Mass as we remember the Kingship of the Lord.

For on this day those that were wise saw what the prophets and faithful would have died to witness - our salvation was to be won. For Christ, the Victor over death, was saving His people - the people of Abraham, Issac, and Jacob. The entire New Testament leads up to this triumphant day - Christ is saving His people. Our God had come to set us free and institute the New Covenant. How great a day this must have been.

Today at Mass we will hear the Gospel account of the Passion of Our Lord. And we will also receive the Blessed Palms. The Blessing of the Palms, traditionally done with several prayers, is one of the three principal blessings in the Church's Year (the others being Candles on Candlemas and ashes on Ash Wednesday). Palms were not just used in this instance of Jesus' triumphant entrance into Jerusalem. The early martyrs are depicted in art with palms - symbolic of their own triumph over death.

More information on Palm Sunday can be found at Fish Eaters. For videos and the Traditional Mass Propers for today's Holy Mass, please see my post on the Traditional Mass Propers for the Second of Passiontide.

Prayer:


O Almighty and everlasting God, Who didst cause our Savior to take upon Him our flesh and to undergo the cross, for an example of humility to be imitated by mankind: mercifully grant that we may deserve to possess not only the lesson of His patience but also the fellowship of His Resurrection. Through the same our Lord.

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Stational Church: April 8, 2006

Today's Stational Church is at the Basilica of St. John before the Latin Gate

The Station on this eve of Palm Sunday is of a comparatively late origin—formerly, the Pope spent a part of the day distributing alms to the poor, and rested in preparation for Holy Week.

St. John's before the Latin Gate was chosen as a stational church. Near the place where the Appian Way branches off, forming the Latin Way to the left, it was built on the spot where St. John was, by order of Domitian, plunged into a cauldron of boiling oil. St. John, who with Mary shared the privilege of standing near the Cross, also joined his sacrifice to that of Christ when he gladly accepted martyrdom in the boiling oil.May St. John teach us the spirit of active, soulful participation in the very mysteries in which he did partake in with great faith, reverence and love. The mystery of the Lord's Table, the mystery of the Lord's Cross and the mystery of the Lord's Triumph.

Let us pray: May the people prosper, who are devoted to Thee by the affection of pious devotion, we beseech Thee, O Lord, that instructed by the holy rites, they may be made more pleasing to Thy majesty, and more, may they abound in excellent gifts. Through Christ, Our Lord.Amen.

Source: St. John Cantius Parish

For more information on the miracle here that saved the life of St. John, please see Lives of the Saints and scroll down. For more information, the Liturgy of the Hours today, and the source of the above photo, see this link.

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