Month of the Eucharist

April is dedicated to the Most Holy Eucharist. Above all, one post cannot express the necessary sentiments of joy in regards to the Holy Eucharist, which is the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Our Lord Jesus Christ. Below are a few of the many posts on my blog dedicated to the Holy Eucharist as well as prayers. Let us pray the Litany in Reparation to Our Lord in the Eucharist this month.

Prayers:

• Anima Christi
• Prayer before the Blessed Sacrament
• Prayer to Jesus in the Holy Sacrament of the Altar

Information:

• What is the Eucharist?
• "Catechism on the Real Presence" by St. John Vianney
• "Catechism on Communion" by St. John Vianney
• "Catechism on the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass" by St. John Vianney
• "Catechism on Frequent Communion" by St. John Vianney

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Catholic Carnival 114

Catholic Carnival 114 is now available on Profound Gratitude.

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USCCB: Number of Religious Sisters

These from the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, the National Religious Retirement Office:

The number of religious sisters at the end of 2006 is 55,500. Average age is 70. 73% are 65 and older.

Let us pray that vocations increase for the Traditional religious orders. They are, after all, the only orders with newer vocations.

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Tuesday in the Octave of Easter

"I have seen the Lord" (Luke 20:18)
Easter Tuesday as a Holy Day of Obligation
When writing about the rank of days in the Catholic Liturgical calendar, there are various ways to label them. In the modern Church, they will use the terms solemnity, feast, memorial, or optional memorial. In the 1962 Missal, we have First, Second, Third, or Fourth Class feastdays. But before the 1962 Missal up until the changes made by Pope Pius XII in 1955, there were from least to most important: Simples, Semidoubles, Lesser Doubles or also known as Doubles, Greater Doubles, Doubles of the second class, and lastly Doubles of the first class.
Using the traditional pre-1955 calendar, we notice something very interesting about Easter Monday and Easter Tuesday. Easter Monday and Tuesday are doubles of the first class whereas the rest of the Easter Octave is a semi-double.  Even with the variation in rank, the Easter Octave is privileged and no other feastday may occur in the Octave. But what's unique about Easter Monday and Easter Tuesday is that no other saints are commemorated those days in the Mass or the Divine Office.
Why the special treatment for Easter Monday and Easter Tuesday? It is because they were universal holy days of obligation for a very long time. Easter Tuesday was not dropped from the list until 1777; Easter Monday was dropped from the universal list at the beginning of the 20th century but is still a Holy Day of Obligation in many places to this very day. In Catholic European countries, it is still common to have Easter Monday off as a paid holiday.
Scripture Readings for Today (1962 Propers of the Mass):
LESSON Acts 13:16, 26-33
In those days, Then Paul rising up and with his hand bespeaking silence, said: "Men, brethren, children of the stock of Abraham, and whosoever among you fear God: to you the word of this salvation is sent. For they that inhabited Jerusalem and the rulers thereof, not knowing him, nor the voices of the prophets which are read every sabbath, judging him, have fulfilled them. And finding no cause of death in him, they desired of Pilate that they might kill him. And when they had fulfilled all things that were written of him, taking him down from the tree, they laid him in a sepulchre. But God raised him up from the dead the third day. Who was seen for many days by them who came up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who to this present are his witnesses to the people. And we declare unto you that the promise which was made to our fathers, This same God hath fulfilled to our children, raising up Jesus Christ Our Lord."
GRADUAL Ps. 117:24; Ps. 106:2 This is the day the Lord has made; let us be glad and rejoice in it.V. Let those who have been redeemed by the Lord now speak, those whom He has redeemed from the hand of the enemy and gathered together from all lands.
Alleluia, alleluia!V. The Lord, who was suspended upon the cross for us, is risen from the tomb.
SEQUENCEMay you praise the Paschal Victim,immolated for Christians.The Lamb redeemed the sheep:Christ, the innocent one,has reconciled sinners to the Father.
A wonderful duel to behold,as death and life struggle:The Prince of life dead,now reigns alive.Tell us, Mary Magdalen,what did you see in the way?
"I saw the sepulchre of the living Christ,and I saw the glory of the Resurrected one:The Angelic witnesses,the winding cloth, and His garments.The risen Christ is my hope:He will go before His own into Galilee."We know Christ to have risentruly from the dead:And thou, victorious King,have mercy on us.Amen. Alleluia.
GOSPEL Luke 24:36-47
At that time, Now, whilst they were speaking these things, Jesus stood in the midst of them and saith to them: "Peace be to you. It is I: Fear not." But they being troubled and frightened, supposed that they saw a spirit. And he said to them: "Why are you troubled, and why do thoughts arise in your hearts? See my hands and feet, that it is I myself. Handle, and see: for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as you see me to have." And when he had said this, he shewed them his hands and feet.
But while they yet believed not and wondered for joy, he said: "Have you here any thing to eat?" And they offered him a piece of a broiled fish and a honeycomb. And when he had eaten before them, taking the remains, he gave to them. And he said to them: "These are the words which I spoke to you while I was yet with you, that all things must needs be fulfilled which are written in the law of Moses and in the prophets and in the psalms, concerning me." Then he opened their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures. And he said to them: "Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer and to rise again from the dead, the third day: And that penance and remission of sins should be preached in his name, unto all nations."

 

Reflection: 

Continuing my reflection from yesterday, I wish to focus on the joy of holy women at the scene of the Resurrection. Imagine their joy and astonishment at the words of the angel, "He is not here: for He is risen, as He said" (Matthew 28:6). Since today is a continuing celebration of Easter, let us focus on the Resurrection scene.

As Matthew 16:1 states, it is Mary Magdalen, Mary the mother of James, and Salome who came to the tomb early to anoint Jesus. These women still mourned and lamented because they all believed that Jesus remained buried in the tomb. According to the visions of Blessed Emmerich in "The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ", Jesus's soul had previously appeared to Mary, His Mother. However, after that short encounter, Mary did not tell the others. None of the holy women knew of the Resurrection.

As Mary Magdalene and Salome approached the tomb, the guards remained prostrate outside and a great earthquake occurred (Matthew 28:2). One of them was the centurion who stood beneath the Cross of Our Lord and was converted - his name was Cassius.

The following is an account of the Resurrection from "The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ". The account essentially clarifies the scene and puts together the various parts of the Gospels:

Let us meditate today on the scene of the Resurrection.

A celestial light filled the cave, and an angel was seated on the right side. Magdalen became almost beside herself from disappointment and alarm. I do not know whether she heard the words which the angel addressed to her, but she left the garden as quickly as possible, and ran to the town to inform the Apostles who were assembled there of what had taken place. I do not know whether the angel spoke to Mary Salome, as she did not enter the sepulchre; but I saw her leaving the garden directly after Magdalen, in order to relate all that had happened to the rest of the holy women, who were both frightened and delighted at the news, but could not make up their minds as to whether they would go to the garden or not.

In the mean time Cassius had remained near the sepulchre in hopes of seeing Jesus, as he thought he would be certain to appear to the holy women; but seeing nothing, he directed his steps towards Pilate's palace to relate to him all that had happened, stopping, however, first at the place where the rest of the holy women were assembled,

to tell them what he had seen, and to exhort them to go immediately to the garden. They followed his advice, and went there at once. No sooner had they reached the door of the sepulchre than they beheld two angels clothed in sacerdotal vestments of the most dazzling white. The women were very much alarmed, covered their faces with their hands, and prostrated almost to the ground; but one of the angels addressed them, bade them not fear, and told them that they must not seek for their crucified Lord there, for that he was alive, had risen, and was no longer an inhabitant of the tomb. He pointed out to them at the same moment the empty sepulchre, and ordered them to go and relate to the disciples all that they had seen and heard. He likewise told them that Jesus would go before them into Galilee, and recalled to their minds the words which our Saviour had addressed to them on a former occasion: 'The Son of Man will be delivered into the hands of sinners, he will be crucified, and the third day rise again.' The angels then disappeared, and left the holy women filled with joy, although of course greatly agitated; they wept, looked at the empty tomb and linen clothes, and immediately started to return to the town. But they were so much overcome by the many astounding events which had taken place, that they walked very slowly, and stopped and looked back often, in hopes of seeing our Lord, or at least Magdalen.

In the mean time. Magdalen reached the Cenaculum. She was so excited as to appear like a person beside herself, and knocked hastily at the door. Some of the disciples, were still sleeping, and those who were risen were conversing together. Peter and John opened the door, but she only exclaimed, without entering the house, 'They have taken away the body of my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him,' and immediately returned to the garden. Peter and John went back into the house, and after saying a few words to the other disciples followed her as speedily as possible, but John far outstripped Peter. I then saw Magdalen reënter the garden, and direct her steps towards the sepulchre; she appeared greatly agitated,

partly from grief, and partly from having walked so fast. Her garments were quite moist with dew, and her veil hanging on one side, while the luxuriant hair in which she had formerly taken so much pride fell in dishevelled masses over her shoulders, forming a species of mantle. Being alone, she was afraid of entering the cave, but stopped for a moment on the outside, and knelt down in order to see better into the tomb. She was endeavouring to push back her long hair, which fell over her face and obscured her vision, when she perceived the two angels who were seated in the tomb, and I heard one of them address her thus: 'Woman, why weepest thou?' She replied, in a voice choked with tears (for she was perfectly overwhelmed with grief at finding that the body of Jesus was really gone), 'Because they have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him.' She said no more, but seeing the empty winding-sheet, went out of the sepulchre and began to look about in other parts. She felt a secret presentiment that not only should she find Jesus, but that he was even then near to her; and the presence of the angels seemed not to disturb her in the least; she did not appear even to be aware that they were angels., every faculty was engrossed with the one thought, 'Jesus is not there! where is Jesus?' I watched her wandering about like an insane person, with her hair floating loosely in the wind: her hair appeared to annoy her much, for she again endeavoured to push it from off her face, and having divided it into two parts, threw it over her shoulders.

She then raised her head, looked around, and perceived a tall figure, clothed in white, standing at about ten paces from the sepulchre on the east side of the garden, where there was a Plight rise in the direction of the town; the figure was partly hidden from her sight by a palm-tree, but she was somewhat startled when it addressed her in these words: 'Woman, why weepest thou? Whom seekest thou?' She thought it was the gardener; and, in fact, he had a spade in his hand, and a large hat (apparently made of the bark of trees) on his head. His dress was similar to that worn by the gardener described in the parable which Jesus

had related to the holy' women at Bethania a short time before his Passion. His body was not luminous, his whole appearance was rather that of a man dressed in white and seen by twilight. At the words, 'Whom seekest thou? she looked at him, and answered quickly, 'Sir, if thou hast taken him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him; and I will take him away.' And she looked anxiously Around. Jesus said to her, 'Mary.' She then instantly recognised his beloved voice, and turning quickly, replied, 'Rabboni (Master)!' She threw herself on her knees before him, and stretched out her hands to touch his feet; but he motioned her to be still, and said, 'Do not touch me, for I am not yet ascended to my Father; but go to my brethren and say to them: I ascend to my Father and to your Father, to my God and your God.' He then disappeared.

The reason of the words of Jesus, 'Do not touch me,' was afterwards explained to me, but I have only an indistinct remembrance of that explanation. I think be made use of those words because of the impetuosity of Magdalen's feelings, which made her in a certain degree forget the stupendous mystery which had been accomplished, and feel as if what she then beheld was still mortal instead of a glorified body. As for the words of Jesus, 'I am not yet ascended to my Father,' I was told that their meaning was that he had not presented himself to his Father since his Resurrection, to return him thanks for his victory over death, and for the work of the redemption which he had accomplished. He wished her to infer from these words, that the first-fruits of joy belong to God, and that she ought to reflect and return thanks to him for the accomplishment of the glorious mystery of the redemption, and for the victory which he had gained over death; and if she had kissed his feet as she used before the Passion, she would have thought of nothing but her Divine Master, and in her raptures of love have totally forgotten the wonderful events which were causing such astonishment and joy in Heaven. I saw Magdalen arise quickly, as soon as our Lord disappeared, and run to look again in the sepulchre,

as if she believed herself under the influence of a dream. She saw the two angels still seated there, and they spoke to her concerning the resurrection of our Lord in the same words as they had addressed the two other women. She likewise saw the empty winding-sheet, and then, feeling certain that she was not in a state of delusion, but that the apparition of our Lord was real, she walked quickly back towards Golgotha to seek her companions, who were wandering about to and fro, anxiously looking out for her return, and indulging a kind of vague hope that they should see or hear something of Jesus.

The whole of this scene occupied a little more than two or three minutes. It was about half-past three when our Lord appeared to Magdalen, and John and Peter entered the garden just as she was leaving it. John, who was a little in advance of Peter, stopped at the entrance of the cave and looked in. He saw the linen clothes lying on one side, and waited until Peter came up, when they entered the sepulchre together, and saw the winding-sheet empty as has been before described. John instantly believed in the Resurrection, and they both understood clearly the words addressed to them by Jesus before his Passion, as well as the different passages in Scripture relating to that event, which had until then been incomprehensible to them. Peter put the linen clothes under his cloak, and they returned hastily into the town through the small entrance belonging to Nicodemus.

The appearance of the holy sepulchre was the same when the two apostles entered as when Magdalen first saw it. The two adoring angels were seated, one at the head, and the other at the extremity of the tomb, in precisely the same attitude as when his adorable body was lying there. I do not think Peter was conscious of their presence. I afterwards heard John tell the disciples of Emmaus, that when he looked into the sepulchre he saw an angel. Perhaps he was startled by this sight, and therefore drew back and let Peter enter the sepulchre first; but it is likewise very possible that the reason of his not mentioning the circumstance in his gospel was because

humility made him anxious to conceal the fact of his having been more highly favoured than Peter.

The guards at this moment began to revive, and rising, gathered up their lances, and took down the lamps, which were on the door, from whence they cast a glimmering weak light on surrounding objects. I then saw them walk hastily out of the garden in evident fear and trepidation, in the direction of the town.

In the mean time Magdalen had rejoined the holy women, and given them the account of her seeing the Lord in the garden, and of the words of the angels afterwards, whereupon they immediately related what had been seen by themselves, and Magdalen wended her way quickly to Jerusalem, while the women returned to that side of the garden where they expected to find the two apostles. Just before they reached it, Jesus appeared to them. He was clothed in a long white robe, which concealed even his hands, and said to them, 'All hail.' They started with astonishment, and cast themselves at his feet; he spoke a few words, held forth his hand as if to point out something to them, and disappeared. The holy women went instantly to the Cenaculum, and told the disciples who were assembled there that they had seen the Lord; the disciples were incredulous, and would not give credence either to their account or to that of Magdalen. They treated both the one and the other as the effects of their excited imaginations; but when Peter and John entered the room and related what they likewise had seen, they knew not what to answer, and were filled with astonishment.

Peter and John soon left the Cenaculum, as the wonderful events which had taken place rendered them extremely silent and thoughtful, and before long they met James the Less and Thaddeus, who had wished to accompany them to the sepulchre. Both James and Thaddeus were greatly overcome, for the Lord had appeared to them a short time before they met Peter and John. I also saw Jesus pass quite close to Peter and John. I think the former recognised him, for he started suddenly, but I do not think the latter saw him.

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Cardinal George has a fractured hip

I ask readers to please pray for my Cardinal, Francis Cardinal George. Below is a Catholic World News article concerning his accident.

Chicago, Apr. 9, 2007 (CWNews.com) - Chicago's Cardinal Francis George was released from a local hospital on Easter Sunday after suffering a fractured hip in an accident during a Holy Saturday service.

Cardinal George slipped and fell while he was blessing food baskets scheduled for Easter delivery by the members of St. Ferdinand's parish in Chicago's northwest. Participants in the service said that after sprinkling holy water, the cardinal evidently slipped on the wet marble floor.

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Survey shows Italian Catholics Ignorant of the Faith

This news is very disheartening. I try to consistently teach true Catholicism on this weblog and as a priest, I hope to continue teaching. I wish that more priests would educate their parishioners because this is very unsettling.

Apr. 9, 2007 (CWNews.com) - A survey of Italian Catholics has discovered a startling lack of basic information about the content of the faith.

A poll of 600 Catholics, conducted by the firm Ferrari, Nasi and Grisantelli for the newspaper Il Giornale, found that just 50% of respondents knew that Jesus Christ had composed the “Our Father,” while 56% could correctly identify the Holy Trinity, and 23% did not know that Easter is the feast celebrating Jesus’ resurrection. 59% were unable to name the four evangelists while 24% do not recognize that Jesus is both God and man.

While 60% of respondents identified themselves as very or moderately religious, only 9% answered all survey questions correctly; 17% were wrong in their answers to every question.

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Monday in the Octave of Easter

"He is not here. He has risen" (Luke 24:6)
Easter Monday as a Holy Day of Obligation
When writing about the rank of days in the Catholic Liturgical calendar, there are various ways to label them. In the modern Church, they will use the terms solemnity, feast, memorial, or optional memorial. In the 1962 Missal, we have First, Second, Third, or Fourth Class feastdays. But before the 1962 Missal up until the changes made by Pope Pius XII in 1955, there were from least to most important: Simples, Semidoubles, Lesser Doubles or also known as Doubles, Greater Doubles, Doubles of the second class, and lastly Doubles of the first class.
Using the traditional pre-1955 calendar, we notice something very interesting about Easter Monday and Easter Tuesday. Easter Monday and Tuesday are doubles of the first class whereas the rest of the Easter Octave is a semi-double.  Even with the variation in rank, the Easter Octave is privileged and no other feastday may occur in the Octave. But what's unique about Easter Monday and Easter Tuesday is that no other saints are commemorated those days in the Mass or the Divine Office.
Why the special treatment for Easter Monday and Easter Tuesday? It is because they were universal holy days of obligation for a very long time. Easter Tuesday was not dropped from the list until 1777; Easter Monday was dropped from the universal list at the beginning of the 20th century but is still a Holy Day of Obligation in many places to this very day. In Catholic European countries, it is still common to have Easter Monday off as a paid holiday.
Scripture Readings for Today (1962 Propers of the Mass):

LESSON Acts 10:37-43

In those days, Peter, standing in the midst of the people, said, "You know the word which hath been published through all Judea: for it began from Galilee, after the baptism which John preached. Jesus of Nazareth: how God anointed him with the Holy Ghost and with power, who went about doing good and healing all that were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. And we are witnesses of all things that he did in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem: whom they killed, hanging him upon a tree. Him God raised up the third day and gave him to be made manifest, Not to all the people, but to witnesses preordained by God, even to us, who did eat and drink with him, after he arose again from the dead. And he commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that it is he who was appointed by God to be judge of the living and of the dead. To him all the prophets give testimony, that by his name all receive remission of sins, who believe in him."

GRADUAL Ps. 117:24, 2

This is the day the Lord has made; let us be glad and rejoice in it.
V. Let Israel proclaim now that the Lord is good, that His mercy endures forever.

Alleluia, alleluia!
V. An angel of the Lord came down from heaven, and drawing near, rolled back the stone, and sat on it.

SEQUENCE
May you praise the Paschal Victim,
immolated for Christians.
The Lamb redeemed the sheep:
Christ, the innocent one,
has reconciled sinners to the Father.

A wonderful duel to behold,
as death and life struggle:
The Prince of life dead,
now reigns alive.
Tell us, Mary Magdalen,
what did you see in the way?

"I saw the sepulchre of the living Christ,
and I saw the glory of the Resurrected one:
The Angelic witnesses,
the winding cloth, and His garments.
The risen Christ is my hope:
He will go before His own into Galilee."
We know Christ to have risen
truly from the dead:
And thou, victorious King,
have mercy on us.
Amen. Alleluia.

GOSPEL Luke 24:13-35

At that time, two of the disciples of Jesus went, the same day, to a town which was sixty furlongs from Jerusalem, named Emmaus. And they talked together of all these things which had happened. And it came to pass that while they talked and reasoned with themselves, Jesus himself also, drawing near, went with them. But their eyes were held, that they should not know him. And he said to them: "What are these discourses that you hold one with another as you walk and are sad?" And the one of them, whose name was Cleophas, answering, said to him: "Art thou only a stranger in Jerusalem, and hast not known the things that have been done there in these days?" To whom he said: "What things?" And they said: "Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet, mighty in work and word before God and all the people. And how our chief priests and princes delivered him to be condemned to death and crucified him. But we hoped that it was he that should have redeemed Israel. And now besides all this, to-day is the third day since these things were done. Yea and certain women also of our company affrighted us who, before it was light, were at the sepulchre, And not finding his body, came, saying that they had all seen a vision of angels, who say that he is alive. And some of our people went to the sepulchre and found it so as the women had said: but him they found not." Then he said to them: "O foolish and slow of heart to believe in all things, Which the prophets have spoken. Ought not Christ to have suffered these things and so, to enter into his glory?" And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded to them in all the scriptures the things that were concerning him.

And they drew nigh to the town whither they were going: and he made as though he would go farther. But they constrained him, saying: "Stay with us, because it is towards evening and the day is now far spent." And he went in with them.

And it came to pass, whilst he was at table with them, he took bread and blessed and brake and gave to them. And their eyes were opened: and they knew him. And he vanished out of their sight. And they said one to the other: "Was not our heart burning within us, whilst he spoke in the way and opened to us the scriptures?"

And rising up, the same hour, they went back to Jerusalem: and they found the eleven gathered together, and those that were with them, Saying: "The Lord is risen indeed and hath appeared to Simon." And they told what things were done in the way: and how they knew him in the breaking of bread.

Reflection:

Today the Church continues the celebration of Easter since today is Easter Monday. Easter, the feast of all feasts in the Church, is celebrated especially throughout its Octave. An Octave is the seven days following a feast with the feast day itself included. They are all part of the same liturgical celebration that extends over the course of these days. 

What is truly profound is that Jesus Christ really and physically rose from the dead! It is a historical event. Not just His soul rose, but also He bodily rose from the dead after dying on the Cross and descending into Hell. As I read in "The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ", our Lord, at the instance of His death on the Cross, descended to the Limbo of the Fathers. In the Limbo of the Fathers, He preached to the patriarchs, prophets, and holy people that had died before Heaven was opened by His death (1 Peter 4:6). Included among these people were Adam and Eve. What many people are not taught is that the exact place of Jesus's Crucifixion on Mt. Calvary is exactly above the spot where the first Adam was interred. The Body of the New Adam (Jesus) covered that of the Old Adam! Jesus also went to Purgatory and gazed upon Hell. According to "The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ," Jesus talked with Judas, who was in the Hell of the Damned, though our Lord did not enter into the Hell of the Damned.

According to the same private revelations, Jesus also commanded nearly one hundred of the holy people in the Limbo of the Fathers to re-enter their bodies temporarily. He then commanded them to visit their relatives and preach the truth - that Jesus Christ was the salvation of the world. With the darkness and earthquakes too, many people were converted and believed after the Crucifixion. All of this took place roughly one hour after Jesus died on the Cross. Yet, the patriarchs, prophets, etc in their bodies did not look like Jesus's glorified bodies. They merely re-entered their bodies temporarily to fulfill the command of Jesus. Afterward, their souls again left their bodies. They would remain in this temporary holding period until our Lord entered into Heaven on Ascension Day and opened the gates of Heaven. On that day, the Limbo of the Fathers was closed.

Note: The Limbo of the Fathers is not to be confused with the Limbo of the Infants

Concerning Jesus, Scripture attests, "He is the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep" (1 Cor. 15:12). With His glorified Body, He is no longer bound by the limitations of time, space, or physics. As we believe as part of the Faith also, Mother Mary was assumed body and soul into Heaven. They remain the only two people to have a glorified body. But we too shall follow! That is our hope! The very same Body we have now will be raised again at Judgment. For we are sinners, so our Resurrection is yet to come. At the time of Judgment, all people will be united with their bodies. At that time, the prophets, patriarchs, saints, etc will all received a glorified body.

Today let us meditate on Jesus's physical Resurrection as well as His descent into Hell. And let us also pray the Regina Coeli.

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The Solemnity of Easter

Alleluia! 

Today the whole Church rejoices in the greatest celebration in the entire liturgical year - even greater than Christmas. For today, in the city of Jerusalem, Our Crucified and Buried Lord, rose again in all glory and power. 

As we read the familiar words of the following Gospel, may Our hearts rejoice like those of the holy women and Mother Mary when they first heard the words - Jesus is Risen: 

"When the sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary, the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go and anoint him. Very early when the sun had risen, on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb. They were saying to one another, “Who will roll back the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?” When they looked up,they saw that the stone had been rolled back; it was very large. On entering the tomb they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed in a white robe, and they were utterly amazed. He said to them, “Do not be amazed! You seek Jesus of Nazareth, the crucified. He has been raised; he is not here. Behold the place where they laid him. But go and tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him, as he told you’” (Mark 16:1-7).

The following information on Customs for Easter is from Fish Eaters:

On this, the holiest day of the entire year, and for the entire Octave of Easter, Latin Catholics greet each other with the words of Luke 24:34, "Surrexit Dominus vere, alleluia!" ("The Lord is risen indeed!"). The person so greeted responds, "Et apparuit Simoni, alleluia!" ("And hath appeared unto Simon!"). Catholics may even answer their telephones with this greeting. An old Ukrainian legend relates that, after His Resurrection, Christ threw Satan into a deep pit, chaining him with twelve iron chains. When Satan has chewed through each of the twelve chains, the end of the world will come. All year long, the Evil One gnaws at the iron, getting to the last link in the last chain -- but too late, for it is Easter, and when the people cry "Christ is risen!" all of Satan's efforts are reversed. When the faithful stop saying the Easter acclamation, the end of time has come... 

Throughout the entire Easter Season, the Angelus prayer that is offered, when possible, at the ringing of the Angelus bells, is replaced by the joyous Regina Coeli, which begins, "Queen of Heaven rejoice, alleluia: For He whom you merited to bear, alleluia, Has risen as He said, alleluia." On this most beautiful of Feasts, the Easter table should be adorned with the best of everything -- the most beautiful china, a pure, white tablecloth, the best possible wine, flowers (especially pussy willow, lilies, and spring bulb flowers), etc., all with the colors white and gold -- symbolizing purity and glory -- and the traditional symbols of Easter predominating. And we should look our best, too; it is common for those who can afford it to buy a new outfit to wear on this day. This custom springs from the idea of "newness" inherent in the entire Season -- the new members of the Church baptized at the Vigil in their new Baptismal albs, the New Law, a new life in Christ. Read more...

Let us make Easter, the holiest day in the year, and the Octave that follows, some of the holiest days of our lives. Our entire observance of Lent was for this day - to honor the Risen King! Come, let us worship Him!

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The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ

Last night I finally finished my Lenten reading, "The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ" according to the visions of Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich. The pain and torture inflicted upon Our Lord in this book were more graphically described than in Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ". Yet, this book was the perfect Lenten reading. The private revelation of Blessed Emmerich is approved as authentic by the Holy Catholic Church.

I read most of it on Good Friday and the account of the Resurrection on Holy Saturday. It is one of the most spiritually edifying books that I have ever read. I recommend it that everyone reads this book during Lent. It certainly deserves a 10/10. Below are a few comments that I have written on it before:

"The account I just finished reading of the Last Supper was so poignant and incredibly detailed. I did not know that the Supper Room of Jesus at one time housed the Ark of the New Covenant! Plus, the home was set up so that in the most inner part, Jesus and the 12 disciples ate the Last Supper, while being separated from the other areas by a veil. It is symbolic of the Temple veil! And, the Holy Grail was originally owned by Abraham and even used by Melchizedek!"

I strongly suggest this book should be read during Lent. If you don't or can't get a physical copy, you can read The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ online. If you want to order one, I recommend the Tan Books version.

Private Revelation

Like all private revelation since the time of the Bible, these visions and promises do not have to be believed by anyone. The Church, in her authority, declares them worthy of belief, but a Catholic does not have to believe them in order to remain a Catholic.

Pope Benedict XV in 1903 said: "The approbation of such revelations implies nothing more than, after mature examination, it is permissible to publish them for the unit of the faithful. Though they don't merit the same credence as the truths of religion, one can, however, believe them out of human faith, conforming to the rules of prudence by which they are probable, and supported by sufficient motives that one might believe in them piously."

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Easter 2007: Urbi et Orbi

Here is the text of Pope Benedict XVI's Urbi et Orbi Address for Easter 2007. The Urbi et Orbi Address is given on Christmas Day and Easter each year by the Holy Father:

Dear Brothers and Sisters throughout the world,
Men and women of good will!

Christ is risen! Peace to you! Today we celebrate the great mystery, the foundation of Christian faith and hope: Jesus of Nazareth, the Crucified One, has risen from the dead on the third day according to the Scriptures. We listen today with renewed emotion to the announcement proclaimed by the angels on the dawn of the first day after the Sabbath, to Mary of Magdala and to the women at the sepulchre: “Why do you search among the dead for one who is alive? He is not here, he is risen!” (Lk 24:5-6).

It is not difficult to imagine the feelings of these women at that moment: feelings of sadness and dismay at the death of their Lord, feelings of disbelief and amazement before a fact too astonishing to be true. But the tomb was open and empty: the body was no longer there. Peter and John, having been informed of this by the women, ran to the sepulchre and found that they were right. The faith of the Apostles in Jesus, the expected Messiah, had been submitted to a severe trial by the scandal of the cross. At his arrest, his condemnation and death, they were dispersed. Now they are together again, perplexed and bewildered. But the Risen One himself comes in response to their thirst for greater certainty. This encounter was not a dream or an illusion or a subjective imagination; it was a real experience, even if unexpected, and all the more striking for that reason. “Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, ‘peace be with you!’” (Jn 20:19).

At these words their faith, which was almost spent within them, was re-kindled. The Apostles told Thomas who had been absent from that first extraordinary encounter: Yes, the Lord has fulfilled all that he foretold; he is truly risen and we have seen and touched him! Thomas however remained doubtful and perplexed. When Jesus came for a second time, eight days later in the Upper Room, he said to him: “put your finger here and see my hands; and put out your hand and place it in my side; do not be faithless, but believing!” The Apostle’s response is a moving profession of faith: “My Lord and my God!” (Jn 20:27-28).

“My Lord and my God!” We too renew that profession of faith of Thomas. I have chosen these words for my Easter greetings this year, because humanity today expects from Christians a renewed witness to the resurrection of Christ; it needs to encounter him and to know him as true God and true man. If we can recognize in this Apostle the doubts and uncertainties of so many Christians today, the fears and disappointments of many of our contemporaries, with him we can also rediscover with renewed conviction, faith in Christ dead and risen for us. This faith, handed down through the centuries by the successors of the Apostles, continues on because the Risen Lord dies no more. He lives in the Church and guides it firmly towards the fulfilment of his eternal design of salvation.

We may all be tempted by the disbelief of Thomas. Suffering, evil, injustice, death, especially when it strikes the innocent such as children who are victims of war and terrorism, of sickness and hunger, does not all of this put our faith to the test? Paradoxically the disbelief of Thomas is most valuable to us in these cases because it helps to purify all false concepts of God and leads us to discover his true face: the face of a God who, in Christ, has taken upon himself the wounds of injured humanity. Thomas has received from the Lord, and has in turn transmitted to the Church, the gift of a faith put to the test by the passion and death of Jesus and confirmed by meeting him risen. His faith was almost dead but was born again thanks to his touching the wounds of Christ, those wounds that the Risen One did not hide but showed, and continues to point out to us in the trials and sufferings of every human being.

“By his wounds you have been healed” (1 Pt 2:24). This is the message Peter addressed to the early converts. Those wounds that, in the beginning were an obstacle for Thomas’s faith, being a sign of Jesus’ apparent failure, those same wounds have become in his encounter with the Risen One, signs of a victorious love. These wounds that Christ has received for love of us help us to understand who God is and to repeat: “My Lord and my God!” Only a God who loves us to the extent of taking upon himself our wounds and our pain, especially innocent suffering, is worthy of faith.

How many wounds, how much suffering there is in the world! Natural calamities and human tragedies that cause innumerable victims and enormous material destruction are not lacking. My thoughts go to recent events in Madagascar, in the Solomon Islands, in Latin America and in other regions of the world. I am thinking of the scourge of hunger, of incurable diseases, of terrorism and kidnapping of people, of the thousand faces of violence which some people attempt to justify in the name of religion, of contempt for life, of the violation of human rights and the exploitation of persons. I look with apprehension at the conditions prevailing in several regions of Africa. In Darfur and in the neighbouring countries there is a catastrophic, and sadly to say underestimated, humanitarian situation. In Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of the Congo the violence and looting of the past weeks raises fears for the future of the Congolese democratic process and the reconstruction of the country. In Somalia the renewed fighting has driven away the prospect of peace and worsened a regional crisis, especially with regard to the displacement of populations and the traffic of arms. Zimbabwe is in the grip of a grievous crisis and for this reason the Bishops of that country in a recent document indicated prayer and a shared commitment for the common good as the only way forward.

Likewise the population of East Timor stands in need of reconciliation and peace as it prepares to hold important elections. Elsewhere too, peace is sorely needed: in Sri Lanka only a negotiated solution can put an end to the conflict that causes so much bloodshed; Afghanistan is marked by growing unrest and instability; In the Middle East, besides some signs of hope in the dialogue between Israel and the Palestinian authority, nothing positive comes from Iraq, torn apart by continual slaughter as the civil population flees. In Lebanon the paralysis of the country’s political institutions threatens the role that the country is called to play in the Middle East and puts its future seriously in jeopardy. Finally, I cannot forget the difficulties faced daily by the Christian communities and the exodus of Christians from that blessed Land which is the cradle of our faith. I affectionately renew to these populations the expression of my spiritual closeness.

Dear Brothers and sisters, through the wounds of the Risen Christ we can see the evils which afflict humanity with the eyes of hope. In fact, by his rising the Lord has not taken away suffering and evil from the world but has vanquished them at their roots by the superabundance of his grace. He has countered the arrogance of evil with the supremacy of his love. He has left us the love that does not fear death, as the way to peace and joy. “Even as I have loved you – he said to his disciples before his death – so you must also love one another” (cf. Jn 13:34).

Brothers and sisters in faith, who are listening to me from every part of the world! Christ is risen and he is alive among us. It is he who is the hope of a better future. As we say with Thomas: “My Lord and my God!”, may we hear again in our hearts the beautiful yet demanding words of the Lord: “If any one serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there shall my servant be also; if any one serves me, the Father will honour him” (Jn 12:26). United to him and ready to offer our lives for our brothers (cf. 1 Jn 3:16), let us become apostles of peace, messengers of a joy that does not fear pain – the joy of the Resurrection. May Mary, Mother of the Risen Christ, obtain for us this Easter gift. Happy Easter to you all.

© Copyright 2007 - Libreria Editrice Vaticana

Image Source: AP Photo/L'Osservatore Romano, HO

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Pope Benedict XVI: "Hell Exists"

The below article, which is very relevant and important, was found on LifeSiteNews:

Pope Warns: "Hell . . . Exists and is Eternal"

By John-Henry Westen

ROME, March 27, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - In a homily delivered Sunday, Pope Benedict XVI stated, "Jesus came to tell us that He wants us all in heaven and that hell - of which so little is said in our time - exists and is eternal for those who close their hearts to His love."

The warning about hell comes in the context of love. In fact, it is because of God's love that He warns us about the possibility of eternal separation from Him. God is, "above all, love," said the Pope. "If He hates sin it is because He has an infinite love for all human beings." The Lord's aim, said Benedict, was "to save a soul and to reveal that salvation is only to be found in the love of God."

While it is true that hell is rarely spoken of even from the pulpit nowadays, some bishops have been moved to warn about hell when motivated by love - by an overwhelming concern for the salvation of those entrusted to their care.

Image Source (of Easter Sunday 2007): AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia

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Proudly Entered the Catholic Church 2007

Last year I created a special post welcoming all new Catholics, and this year I have done the same. I am very pleased that the Curt Jester kindly created the above image. I have had it created for all of you! Please save it and post it on your blogs, websites, etc.

Please visit the weblogs of these people and welcome them into the Universal Church, the one established by Jesus Christ. Pray for them too!

This year 150,000 people will proudly enter the Universal Church in the United States. Deo Gratias! Each and everyone one of these people has a story about their journey to the Catholic Church. I know some of these bloggers well and others I have never talked with before. However, I offer my support and congratulations to all of them. May the Life-Giving Sacraments of the Easter Vigil lead them to life everlasting.

• Rise and Pray
• This Catholic Journey
• Rutabaga Dreams
• Epiphany Of Faith
• Coffee Klath
• Profound Gratitude
• Meandering Home
• Absolutely No Spin
• Paleocrat ETC
• Mooshpitmatt's Xanga
• One Foot in Front of the Other
• Et tu, Jen?

Note: If you are interested in entering the Catholic Church, I highly endorse the programs offered through CatechismClass.com. 

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Holy Saturday

Today is Holy Saturday. We sit and mourn today - waiting for the Resurrection. Today is a day of silence and mourning. I recommend listening to the Lamentations chanted. Today our Lord is in the Limbo of the Fathers, preaching to the souls of the Just who came before Him.

Some parishes will still have tombs set up in honor of our Lord. In some places, it is customary to visit these tombs and pray today as we await the greatest miracle of all - our Lord raising Himself.

Today is a traditional day of fasting up until noon (or whenever one attends the Vigil Mass, whichever is later).

The Book of Blessing notes in the introduction to the Blessing of the First Meal of Easter (nos. 1701-1723) that, “The custom of blessing food for Easter arose from the discipline of fasting throughout Lent and the special [Paschal] Easter fast during the Triduum.  Easter was the first day when meat, eggs, and other foods could again be eaten. According to custom, food may be blessed for consumption at the first meal of Easter, when fasting is ended and the Church is filled with joy in the Resurrection."

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Paschal Triduum: Let us Journey with Our Lord

At last, Holy Thursday is here. Today we will commemorate the Institution of the Eucharist, the Institution of the Sacred Priesthood upon the Disciples, and Jesus's agony and arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane. I have found no account of the Passion more mystical and beneficial for my own spiritual life than the account in "The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ" according to the visions of Blessed Catherine Emmerich. I suggest all people read the account of Holy Thursday for today. It can be read online.

And so today we will celebrate and remember these events. Tomorrow we will spiritual journey with Our Lord. Tomorrow at 9 AM we will remember that His Passion begins. Jesus Christ was condemned to death. We will remember His Scourging at the Pillar of Flagellation, His Crowning with Thorns, and His Carrying the Cross. Tomorrow at 12 Noon, we will commemorate the instance when He was nailed to the Cross and lifted up from the Earth. And three hours later, at 3 PM, we will recall His death. Those three hours are the holiest hours in the year. Little to no talking should be done during that time.

For this reason, I will not be blogging anymore during the Sacred Paschal Triduum. Instead I will be journeying with my Lord. Tomorrow I will dress in all black, pull the shades and blinds closed, turn off televisions, computers, and telephones. Tomorrow I will journey with My Lord to His death. Good Friday is a day of abstinence and fasting. Please, at all moments, pray tomorrow.

Holy Saturday I will continue fasting until Noon like the Catholics of past generations did. Until the Vigil Mass, I will spiritually follow My Lord to His Tomb and sit outside and weep. It was our sins that condemned Him to death.

I encourage all of my readers to do the same - spiritually journey with Our Lord, pray the Divine Office each day, attend Mass each day of the Triduum, and pray, fast, and give alms.

Below is some information that I have previously posted on liturgical law for the Triduum. Following that are my articles on the Triduum from last year. And now I will leave the blogging world for a few days and follow My Lord who gave up His Life for each and everyone of us.

Liturgical Law and the Triduum:

HOLY THURSDAY

Washing of Women's feet is completely forbidden by the Apostolic See. This is reserved to men, preferably twelve of number, thus it symbolizes the twelve apostles. (Source: Paschales Solemnitatis). From Jan. 16, 1988, No. 51 of the circular letter states: "The washing of the feet of chosen men which, according to tradition, is performed on this day, represents the service and charity of Christ, who came 'not to be served, but to serve.' This tradition should be maintained, and its proper significance explained."

GOOD FRIDAY

A day of mandatory Fasting and Abstinence (Canon 1251).

Upon entering our pews, we are to genuflect to the Crucifix not the tabernacle because the Eucharist is not present today in the Tabernacle (Source: GIRM 274).

The priest, upon approaching the altar, is to prostrate himself before it (USCCB). Concerning the adoration of the Cross, "A plenary indulgence is granted to the faithful, who in the solemn liturgical action of Good Friday devoutly assist at the adoration of the Cross and kiss it" (Source). The crucifix should be covered in a red or black material. Also, the baptismal founts are drained on this day until the evening of the Easter Vigil.

This is the only day of the liturgical year in which Mass is not, and is prohibited from being celebrated. A Liturgy of the Word with Communion is done by a priest with the special rite prepared in the Sacramentary. Holy Father Benedict XVI permits black to replace the red in the Liturgy of the Word, but red most be worn for the Rite of Holy Communion. A cope is appropriate for the Liturgy of the Word, and is permissible for the Communion Rite. This distinguishes Mass from Communion Services.

HOLY SATURDAY

While not required by the current Code of Canon Law, Traditionalists will abstain and fast until the Vigil Mass.

Readings should not be cut out. While the rubrics opt. for this, it is suggested that all be read. The Easter Vigil is the most important vigil in the Church and the readings "portray the whole history of human salvation, from the time of Adam to Jesus Christ." (PBXXI)

Past Posts on the Triduum:

• Top Ten Suggestions for Holy Week
• Holy Thursday
• Holy Thursday: Plenary Indulgence
• Good Friday information
• Good Friday Prayer
• Pope Benedict XVI's Good Friday service (2006)
• Easter Proclamation
• Holy Saturday

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Stational Church: Wednesday in Holy Week

Inside St. Mary Major (c) A Catholic Life Blog, 2016

Today is Spy Wednesday. Today's Stational Church is at the Basilica of St. Mary Major.  For information on this devotion, see the Stational Churches of Lent Homepage. I will post on each Stational Church for Lent. Information is from the Canon Regulars of St. John Cantius:

Could we have a more powerful leader to Jesus Christ on this, the last day of preparation, than Mary, our Most Holy Mother? Into thy hands, dearest Mother, we place the humble efforts we have made since Ash Wednesday. Mother of Our Savior, carry them, together with thy own most worthy and most pleasing merits, to the throne of divine mercy. Petition the eternal Father that through the infinite merits of His Son and through thy powerful intercession, He would "look down on this His family for which our Lord Jesus Christ hesitated not to be delivered up into the hands of wicked man, and to undergo the torment of the Cross."

If a few hours separate us from the arrival of the Paschal Mysteries. "Behold, the Savior comes. Behold His reward is with Him and His work before Him."

Only all men the Savior died — for Mary and for Judas, and for all who stand between these two. The winepress of the Cross has made one "Queen of all the Saints," and the other—God only knows! Lord, turn not away thy face from Thy servant. Mary, my Mother, pray for me that the Divine Blood of Thy Son be to me a laver of redemption and of life.

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Spy Wednesday

Since tomorrow is Holy Thursday, today is Spy Wednesday, the day Judas continued conspiring against Our Lord. For more information, see my post from last year.

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The Chrism Mass

Last night I was honored to dress in cassock, surplice, and Roman Collar as I journeyed to my Cathedral to celebrate the Chrism Mass. Dozens and dozens of priests were there from all corners of my diocese. I was honored to sit with other seminarians and take part in the Chrism Mass. In the Mass, my bishop blessed the oil of catechumens, the oil of the sick, and he consecrated the oil of chrism. All parishes in the diocese will use the newly blessed oil in the coming year.

Information on Chrism Masses can be found at these websites:

• Watch a Chrism Mass from Diocese of Salt Lake
• Information from the USCCB
• "Chrism Mass" by Paul Turner

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Stational Church: Tuesday in Holy Week

Today's Stational Church is at the Church of St. Prisca. Dom Gueranger writes, "In Rome, the Station for today is in the church of St. Prisma, which is said to have been the house of Alula and his wife Prisma, to whom St. Paul sends his salutations in his Epistle to the Romans. In the third century, Pope St. Eustachian had translated thither, on account of the sameness of the name, the body of St. Prisca, a virgin and martyr of Rome."

For information on this devotion, see the Stational Churches of Lent Homepage. I will post on each Stational Church for Lent. Information is from the Canon Regulars of St. John Cantius:

The last Lenten Station is that of Saint Prisca on the Aventine Hill. It is only a short way from the church of Saint Sabina, from which the procession left forty days ago to visit the tombs of the Martyrs. It is significant that the point of departure and the final arrival of the Lenten stations are on the Aventine Hill, for it was considered particularly sacred by the early Christians. It was in fact here that St. Peter and St. Paul lived for some time in the house of Saints Aquila and Priscilla, which was located on the spot where the church now stands.

St. Prisca, the faithful co-worker of St. Paul in the apostolate of "Christ Crucified," leads us into the Sacred Triduum. We recommend to her our prayers and intentions. May this woman of faith, who was privileged to hear from the Doctor of the Gentiles of the power and triumph of the Cross, watch over us and assist us" that we may celebrate the mysteries of Our Lord's Passion in such a manner as to deserve to obtain God's pardon."

Let us pray: (Pause in silent prayer, reflecting on your Lenten observances.). Through Christ, Our Lord. Amen.

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Stational Church: Monday in Holy Week

Today's Stational Church is at the Church of St. Praxedes. Dom Gueranger writes, "The Station, at Rome, is in the church of Saint Praxedes. It is in this church that Pope Paschal I, in the ninth century, placed two thousand three hundred bodies of holy martyrs, which he had ordered to be taken out of the catacombs. The pillar to which our Saviour was tied during His scourging is also here."

For information on this devotion, see the Stational Churches of Lent Homepage. I will post on each Stational Church for Lent. Information is from the Canon Regulars of St. John Cantius:

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.

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The Royal Banners Forward Go

The Hymn (The royal banners forward go):

The royal banners forward go,
The cross shines forth in mystic glow;
Where he in flesh, our flesh who made,
Our sentence bore, our ransom paid.

There whilst he hung, his sacred side
By soldier's spear was opened wide,
To cleanse us in the precious flood
Of water mingled with his blood.

Fulfilled is now what David told
In true prophetic song of old,
How God the heathen's King should be;
For God is reigning from the tree.

O tree of glory, tree most fair,
Ordained those holy limbs to bear,
How bright in purple robe it stood,
The purple of a Savior's blood!

Upon its arms, like balance true,
He weighed the price for sinners due,
The price which none but he could pay,
And spoiled the spoiler of his prey.

To thee, eternal Three in One,
Let homage meet by all be done:
As by the cross thou dost restore,
So rule and guide us evermore.

Amen.

Photo Source: Te Deum

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Pope Benedict XVI Celebrates Palm Sunday

Pope Benedict XVI presided at Mass to commemorate Palm Sunday today. Below is his homily, as translated by Zenit. Bold statements are my own emphasis.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

In the Palm Sunday procession we join ourselves to the crowd of disciples who, in festive joy, accompany the Lord in his entrance into Jerusalem. Like them we praise the Lord in a loud voice for all the great deeds we have seen. Yes, we too have seen and continue to see the great deeds of Christ: how he brings men and women to renounce the comforts of life and put themselves completely at the service of the suffering; how he gives courage to men and women to oppose violence and lies, to make a place in the world for truth; how he, in secret, leads men and women to do good for others, to bring about reconciliation where there was hate, to create peace where enmity reigned.

This procession is above all a joyous testimony that we give to Christ, in whom the face of God is made visible to us and thanks to whom the heart of God is open to all of us. In the Gospel of Luke, the account of the beginning of the procession on the outskirts of Jerusalem is composed in part on the model of the rite of coronation with which, according to the First Book of Kings, Solomon was made heir to David's kingship (cf. 1 Kings 1:33-35).

Thus the procession of palms is also a procession of Christ the King: We profess the kingship of Jesus Christ, we recognize Jesus as son of David, the true Solomon -- the King of peace and justice. Recognizing him as King means accepting him as the one who shows us the way, the one to whom we entrust ourselves and whom we follow. It means accepting his word every day as the valid criterion for our life. It means seeing in him the authority to whom we submit ourselves. We submit ourselves to him because his authority is the authority of truth.

The procession of palms is -- as it was then for the disciples -- above all an expression of joy, because we can know Jesus, because he allows us to be his friends, and because he has given us the key of life. This joy, that is at the beginning, is also, however, the expression of our "yes" to Jesus and of our availability to go with him wherever he takes us. The exhortation at the beginning of today's liturgy therefore rightly interprets the procession also as a symbolic representation of that which we call "the following of Christ": "Let us ask for the grace to follow him," we said. The expression "the following of Christ" is a description of the whole Christian existence. In what does it consist? What does "the following of Christ" mean concretely?

At the beginning, with the first disciples, the meaning was very simple and immediate: It meant that these persons had decided to leave their profession, their affairs, their whole life, to go with Jesus. It meant a new profession: that of disciple. The basic content of this profession was to go with the master, to entrust oneself entirely to his guidance. Thus the following was an external thing and at the same time something very internal.

The external aspect was walking behind Jesus in his travels through Palestine; the internal aspect was the new existential orientation, which no longer had its points of reference in matters, in the career that determined one's life previously, in one's personal will; instead one surrendered oneself totally to the will of an Other. Being at his service had by now become the reason for living. The renunciation that this demanded from what one once possessed, the detachment from self, we can see in a very clear way in certain scenes of the Gospel.

But with that, it is also evident what the following means and what its true essence is for us: It has to do with an interior change of life. It demands that I no longer be closed in considering my self-realization as the principal purpose of my life. It demands that I give myself freely to an Other -- for truth, for love, for God who, in Jesus Christ, precedes me and points out the way.

What we are talking about here is the fundamental decision to no longer consider utility and gain, career and success as the ultimate goal of life, but to recognize truth and love instead as the authentic criteria. We are talking about the choice between living for myself and giving myself -- for what is greater. And let us understand that truth and love are not abstract values; in Jesus Christ they have become a person. Following him, I enter into the service of truth and love. Losing myself, I find myself.
Let us return to the liturgy and to the procession of palms. The liturgy provides Psalm 24 for the song; this was also used in Israel as a processional song for the ascent of the temple mount. The psalm interprets the interior ascent of which the external ascent is an image, and explains to us once again what it means to ascend with Christ.

"Who may go up the mountain of the Lord?" the psalm asks, and it indicates two essential conditions. Those who ascend and really want to get to the top, to arrive at the true height, must be persons who ask themselves about God. They must be persons who look about themselves in search of God, in search of his face. My dear young friends, how important this is today: not allowing yourselves to be carried here and there by life; not being satisfied with what everyone thinks, says and does. Be attentive to God, seek God. We must not let the question about God dissolve in our souls. The desire for what is greater. The desire to know him -- his face …

The other very concrete condition for the ascent is this: "He who has innocent hands and a pure heart" can stand in the holy place. Innocent hands -- hands that are not used for acts of violence. They are hands that are not dirtied by corruption, by bribes. A pure heart -- when is the heart pure? That heart is pure that does not pretend and does not sully itself with lies and hypocrisy. A heart that remains transparent like water rises up, for it does not know duplicity. That heart is pure that does not weary itself with the drunkenness of pleasure; a heart whose love is true and not only a passion of the moment. Innocent hands and a pure heart: If we walk with Jesus, we will ascend and find purification that carry us truly to that height for which man is destined: friendship with God himself.

Psalm 24 that speaks of the ascent ends with an entrance liturgy before the temple gate: "Lift up your heads, O gates; rise up, you ancient portals, that the king of glory may enter." In the old liturgy of Palm Sunday, the priest, once he arrived at the church doors, knocked loudly with the staff of the cross at the closed doors, which were then opened. It was a beautiful image of Jesus himself who, with the wood of the cross, with the power of his love which he gives, knocked from the side of the world on God's door; from the side of a world that was unable to find access to God.
With the cross, Jesus opens wide the door of God, the door between God and men. Now it is open. But also from the other side the Lord knocks with his cross: He knocks at the door of the world, at the doors of our hearts, which so often and in such great numbers are closed to God. And he speaks to us more or less in this way: If the proofs that God gives of himself in creation do not succeed in opening you to him; if the word of Scripture and the message of the Church leave you indifferent -- then look at me, your Lord and your God.

It is this call that in this hour we let penetrate our hearts. May the Lord help us to open the door of our heart, the heart of the world, so that he, the living God, might, in his Son, arrive in our time and touch our lives. Amen.

Image Source: AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino

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Stational Church: Palm Sunday

St. John Lateran (c) A Catholic Life Blog, 2016

Today's Stational Church is at the Basilica of St. John Lateran. Today is Palm Sunday, the beginning of Holy Week.

For information on this devotion, see the Stational Churches of Lent Homepage. I will post on each Stational Church for Lent. Information is from the Canon Regulars of St. John Cantius:

Today, begins the greatest and holiest week of the year, a week opening with triumph and closing with triumph; a week commencing with the Hosanna, continuing with the Cross and terminating in the Alleluia.

This week is a picture of our Christian life, which began with the "Hosanna to our King" on that day when, at the font, Christ our Redeemer took possession of the city of our soul. At that blessed spot He made us His disciples and gave us the Cross. "If thou will be My disciple, take Thy cross upon thyself and follow Me." He, the divine Cross-bearer, shows us the way, strengthens us while on the way, and leads us to final victory, the eternal Easter with its never-ending Alleluia!

One of the main purposes of this week is to renew the first life—i.e., the Christ-life we received in Holy Baptism—and to prepare us for the second life—the everlasting triumph with Christ, our glorious Head.

In the hustle and bustle of material things we are so apt to forget "the things that are above." Little conscious we are of the sacred mark printed indelibly upon our soul, the character of Baptism and Confirmation, the sign, which neither time nor eternity can efface, and by which we became partakers in the priesthood of the immortal Christ.

The Church needs "Palm-Sunday men and women," who with "the angels in heaven and with the children of Israel, will sing their Hosanna to the conqueror of death.

Let us pray: Grant, O Lord, that what thy people this day bodily do in Thy honor, they may perfect spiritually with complete submission, by gaining a victory over the enemy and ardently loving the work of Thy mercy. Through Christ, Our Lord. Amen. "Hosanna to the Son of David."

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Palm Sunday

Today is the celebration of Palm Sunday. We rejoice as Our Lord triumphantly enters Jerusalem, but we also realize that this same crowd would call for His Death in only a few days. Let us increase our prayer, almsgiving, and fasting this week leading up to the Sacred Triduum.

See my post on Palm Sunday from last year.

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