Twice in today's Gospel reading from St. John's Gospel (
20:11-18), Mary Magdalene is asked why is she weeping. First, the angels in the tomb, who were sitting where Jesus' body had lain, ask Mary, "Woman, why are you weeping?" Then Jesus, whom Mary does not initially recognize, also asks her, "Woman, why are you weeping?"
To the angels, Mary replies, "Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him." She does not yet believe that our Lord has been raised from the dead. She had arrived early in the morning to find the tomb open, and she had run to find Peter and John to tell them what she had seen. Peter and John had come to the tomb and found it as Mary had described it to them. Both go into the tomb, and St. John records that after going in, he believed (20:8). Peter and John returned to their homes, and Mary remained.
Now, she weeping stoops to go into the tomb where she sees the angels. In her grief, she is not afraid of the angels' presence. Instead, after answering their question about why she is weeping, she turns around as if it were nothing to have seen angels. Her grief is so great that she only wants an answer to her question of where they have lain the body of Jesus.
She sees Jesus when she turns around out of the tomb, but she does not recognize Him. Instead, she thinks He is the gardener. Our Lord asks her why she is weeping, and adds, "Whom do you seek?" Again her grief has made her single-minded, and she questions the one who she thinks is the gardener as to where he might have placed Jesus' body.
Our Lord loves Mary Magdalene, and He simply says her name, "Mary" to identify Himself. She instantly recognizes our Lord and grasps Him while crying out "Teacher!"
In reflecting on this passage, I could not help thinking about the love of Mary Magdalene for Jesus. She was grief stricken that His body was not in the tomb. She wanted to know what had happened to Him. She was unconcerned about herself. Unlike any other person in the Bible, except our Lady, she was not terrified at the sight of angels probably because she was overcome with sorrow over what had happened to Jesus.
We know that she had stood at the foot of the cross with our Lord's mother, another Mary, and John (19:25). She had seen the full extent of our Lord's Passion. Now she only hoped to pay her respects and give honor to the He who had died such an awful death, but she could not because she could not find Him.
The questions I had to ask myself was whether I sought the Lord with such fervor and whether I was so single-minded in my concern over honoring the Lord. Do I, like Mary Magdalene, seek Him out to love Him in return for what He has done for me?
The beauty of this account is how, although Mary did not initially understand the full meaning of the empty tomb, Jesus rewarded her devotion to Him by revealing Himself to her as the Resurrected Lord. Her faith and understanding were increased, and she immediately obeyed the Lord's command to tell the disciples what had happened to her. This type of devotion is so beautiful that our Church has from early on encouraged us to model Mary Magdalene's piety:
When Mary Magdalen came to the tomb and did not find the Lord's body, she thought it had been taken away and so informed the disciples. After they came and saw the tomb, they too believed what Mary had told them. The text then says: "The disciples went back home," and it adds: "but Mary wept and remained standing outside the tomb."
We should reflect on Mary's attitude and the great love she felt for Christ; for though the disciples had left the tomb, she remained. She was still seeking the one she had not found, and while she sought she wept; burning with the fire of love, she longed for him who she thought had been taken away. And so it happened that the woman who stayed behind to seek Christ was the only one to see him. For perseverance is essential to any good deed, as the voice of truth tell us: "Whoever perseveres to the end will be saved."
from a
homily by Pope Saint Gregory the Great
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In today's Gospel reading (
Matthew 28:8-15), we see three responses to Christ's resurrection by three different groups of people. All three respond in fear, but only one group also exhibits joy and trust in God. First, the soldiers who witnessed the earthquake, the angel, and the angel's rolling back of the stone which covered our Lord's grave (28:2-4) absolutely terrified the guards. Scripture says they became like dead men. What do they do with their fear? They go to the chief priests and tell them everything that had happened (11).
Second, the chief priests, although it is not explicitly stated in Scripture, are afraid. They are afraid that what Jesus had said would happen will be believed to have happened, namely, He has risen from the dead. In their fear, they pay off the guards to spread the story that the while the guards slept, the disciples came and stole the body of Jesus to fake His resurrection. It is interesting to note how fear begets fear and fear will work together with the fearful to produce lies, bribery, and faithlessness. The guards are so afraid they agree to this plan, and they trust the chief priests to make everything right with their superiors if they become concerned about the report of the guards having fallen asleep on duty. The chief priests are so afraid of losing power that they are willing to bribe guards, in other words have dealings with Gentiles, and instigate a false story.
Finally, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary who also witnessed the earthquake, the angel, and the angel rolling away the stone are afraid. However, the angel says to them, "Do not be afraid", and the angel tells them that the Lord, whom they seek, has risen. Scripture records that they "departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell His disciples" (8). The key is that they also had joy. Were they afraid? Yes, but they were joyful because they heard that Jesus had risen from the dead. Their faith enabled them to believe the words of the angel, and their faith moved them to obey his command to tell the disciples.
Jesus rewards their faith by meeting them on the way to the disciples. They worship the Lord when they see Him because they are filled with the joy of the great work that has been accomplished. Jesus, whom they love, was crucified, but now He has risen from the dead. He is alive and in front of them. He too, says, "Do not be afraid; go and tell my brethren" (10). It is not recorded by St. Matthew, but I think that they were no longer afraid after they met our Lord. He told them to not be afraid, and His perfect love will cast out all fear.
When I am afraid, I need to remember this Gospel reading. Jesus wants us to not fear because He is with us. And He helps us to overcome our fear with greater faith which He gives us. The women demonstrate how to handle fear. Trust in God. Rejoice in what He has done. Move ahead based on the joy of Christ's resurrection and despite your fear.
He is Risen! Alleluia!
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The stone which the builders rejected has become the head of the corner. This is the Lord's doing: it is marvelous in our eyes.Psalm 118:22
The Psalm for today's Easter Mass is intimately connected with the Passover and Jesus' Passion and Resurrection. As Scott Hahn points out in his commentary on the
Gospel of Mark, Psalm 118 was sung by the pilgrims as they approached Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover. In St. Mark's account of Jesus' Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem (11:1-10), there are references to Psalm 118. First, the "leafy branches which they cut from the fields" (8) alludes to the Psalm 118:27 where the psalmist writes, "bind the festal procession with branches." Next, the cry of "Hosanna!" (9), references the cry of "Save us, we beseech thee, O Lord" of Psalm 118:25. Finally, the crowd's cry of "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!" (9) is a direct quote from Psalm 118:26. St. Mark uses these to point out that Jesus is the Messiah who has come to Jerusalem at the Passover because Psalm 118 is a Messianic psalm. However, by referencing this Psalm in Jesus Triumphal Entry, St. Mark prepares us for the end of the week when Jesus will be rejected and crucified. The psalm notes that the leaders of Israel will reject the Messiah, but those who are able to see what the Lord is doing will marvel at God's mighty act of salvation (Psalm 118:22-23).
Twice, at a tree, man rejected God. First in the Garden of Eden, Adam disobeyed God's command and took of the tree from which the Lord had forbidden him to eat the fruit (Genesis 3:11). Then at Calvary, the Second Adam who had come to undo what the first Adam had done, was rejected on the tree of the cross.
In today's Responsorial Psalm, the psalmist refers to the stone which the builders rejected. Jesus had used this quotation to describe what the religious leaders of His day were doing--rejecting Him (Mark 12:10-11). He spoke this at the end of the parable of the wicked tenants who had killed the servants and son of the vineyard owner. Jesus identifies His listeners as those who have rejected Him because He is the Son of the vineyard owner. The vineyard is Israel, and the religious leaders are the wicked tenants. In other words, Jesus has come to Jerusalem and He has judged it as lacking in faith because the people do not recognize Him as the Messiah who was foretold in the prophets and the Messianic psalms. Jesus extends His condemnation of the lack of fruit from Israel by His cursing of the fig tree which is another symbol for Israel (Mark 11:12-14,20-22).
However, the first judgment falls upon Jesus Himself as He accepts the judgment for the sin of the world. On Good Friday, our Lord paid the ransom for our sins as He died on the Cross--the perfect, innocent sacrifice for our sins. Today, we celebrate the fruit of His mercy because death was not the end. These are the words of Psalm 118:16-17 which foretell Jesus' victory over death as the Messiah:
The right hand of the Lord is exalted, I shall not die, but I shall live, and recount the deeds of the Lord.
Praise be Jesus Christ! He has risen, He has risen indeed!
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From Christian Prayer, Lenten Readings, Reading 13: The Lord descends into hell --
Ancient Homily on Holy Saturday:
Something strange is happening -- there is a great silence on earth today, a great silence and stillness. The whole earth keeps silence because the King is asleep. The earth trembled and is still because God has fallen asleep in the flesh and he has raised up all who have slept ever since the world began. God has died in the flesh and hell trembles with fear.
He has gone to search for our first parent, as for a lost sheep. Greatly desiring to visit those who live in darkness and in the shadow of death, he has gone to free from sorrow the captives Adam and Eve. The Lord approached them bearing the Cross, the weapon that had won him the victory. At the sight of him Adam, the first man he had created, struck his breast in terror and cried out to everyone: 'My Lord be with you all.' Christ answered him: 'And with your spirit.' He took him by the hand and raised him up, saying: 'Awake, o sleeper, and rise from the dead, and Christ will give you light.'
I am your God, who for your sake have become your son. Out of love for you and your descendants I now by my own authority command all who are held in bondage to come forth, all who are in darkness to be enlightened, all who are sleeping to arise. I order you, o sleeper, to awake. I did not create you to be held a prisoner in hell. Rise from the dead, for I am the life of the dead. Rise up, work of my hands, you who were created in my image. Rise, let us leave this place, for you are in me and I in you; together we form one person and cannot be separated.
For your sake I, your God, became your son; I, the Lord, took the form of a slave; I, whose home is above the heavens, descended to the earth and beneath the earth. For your sake, for the sake of man, I became like a man without help, free among the dead. For the sake of you, who left a garden, I was betrayed to the Jews in a garden, and I was crucified in a garden.
See on my face the spittle I received in order to restore to you the life I once breathed into you. See there the marks of the blows I received in order to refashion your warped nature in my image. On my back see the marks of the scourging I endured to remove the burden of sin that weighs upon your back. See my hands, nailed firmly to a tree, for you who once wickedly stretched out your hand to a tree.
I slept on the cross and a sword pierced my side for you who slept in paradise and brought forth Eve from your side. My side has healed the pain in yours. My sleep will rouse you from your sleep in hell. The sword that pierced me has sheathed the sword that was turned against you.
Rise. Let us leave this place. The enemy led you out of the earthly paradise. I will not restore you to that paradise, but will enthrone you in heaven. I forbade you the tree that was only a symbol of life, but see, I who am life itself am now one with you. I appointed cherubim to guard you as slaves are guarded, but now I make them worship you as God. The throne formed by cherubim awaits you, its bearers swift and eager. The bridal chamber is adorned, the banquet is ready, the eternal dwelling places are prepared, the treasure houses of all good things lie open. The kingdom of heaven has been prepared for you from all eternity.
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Good Friday and God's Infinite Mercy
As I mentioned, my wife and I learned yesterday that our unborn child was at risk for neural tube defects. We spent a restless night in which we really did not know what to think. We accepted His Will no matter what it might be, but we prayed that our child was healthy and the test results were incorrect.
My wife was not able to sleep, and I slept for a few hours before waking up in sometime in the dark hours of the morning. We talked with each other and prayed silently. We besought our Lord to help our child. And I know that I asked our Lady of Guadalupe and many other saints to intercede for us. We both were able to sleep for a few more hours, but I rose not knowing whether we would be able to have a sonogram today or whether we would have to wait until Monday to learn if there was any truth to the test results. The prospect of a long weekend of uncertainty weighed heavy upon me.
Praise be Jesus Christ, today, right after I posted a Good Friday message, we received a call telling us that we were able to have a sonogram performed by a doctor who would be able to see us just before he left for the weekend. It was a long and quiet drive to the hospital as my wife offered up our silent prayers to Him who alone was in control of the entire situation.
Thanks be to God, the sonogram indicated that our child, who is sixteen and half weeks old, does not show any signs of neural tube defects. In fact, everything checked out fine. When the doctor told us the news, I was so happy that I almost cried, and my wife was numb with relief. We kept asking the doctor if indeed there were no signs of what the screening test had indicated. And he kept replying that he saw no evidence. All the other signs that the doctor checked showed healthy development. There is an indication that our child's arms are not up to expected growth, but we know that we will simply entrust that concern to our Lord and the intercession of His saints.
Finally, to complete our early Easter joy the technician told us that our child is a girl! We had wanted to know, and we did not think that we would know until we could have a scheduled sonogram in the middle of May. This was a great good that God brought out of the horrible news that we heard yesterday--God gave us an early sonogram that showed everything is fine and we learned that we have a little girl. Thanks be to God for His infinite mercy!
We drove back from the hospital in such relief and joy we again did not know what to think. This time it felt so much better to be bewildered because this time it was our amazement in our God Who is so good. On this day of fasting, we had a taste of our Lord's infinite mercy which He extended to all on Good Friday two thousand years ago by offering Himself as the perfect sacrifice for our sin.
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Father Groeschel
shares the very sentiments which I have this day:
"Behold the wood of the cross." All around you people are experiencing their personal Calvary. But when you think of it, this is true in any neighborhood, any family, any place where human beings gather. Even working in a business office there are people going through their personal Calvary or, unfortunately, their personal hell. And this is why the great message of Good Friday is charity. God so loved the world that He sent His Son, and His Son brought us salvation and the hope of eternal life. Even the criminals and sadists who led Christ to Calvary were included in His prayer: "Father, forgive them."
In a very touching scene in The Passion, when Jesus, beaten and exhausted, meets Mary on the way to Calvary, the character of Jesus, borrowing from the book of Revelation, says, "Behold, I make all things new." Some of the early Church Fathers tell us that among those gathered to receive the Holy Spirit at Pentecost were some who had shouted "Crucify Him!" in Pilate's courtyard.
By faith even those in very desperate situations can participate in the commemoration and reality of Good Friday. It's everybody's feast day.
Today, my wife and I are experiencing a personal Calvary. Yesterday, we learned of a positive test for neural tube defects in our first child whom my wife is carrying. This child is only 16 and half weeks. We hope to have a sonogram today. We pray that it shows that the test results were wrong and that our child is healthy and strong.
Jesus, I trust in You. Thy Will be done. Please pray that our child does not have any complications and that all is well. Pray for my wife and I to cling to our Lord and trust completely in His mercy.
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Holy Thursday Chrism Mass
For the Holy Thursday Chrism Mass, the Gospel reading is taken from the fourth chapter of Luke (
4:16-21). It is a tremendous reading in which St. Luke notes that our Lord launched his mission from his hometown of Nazareth. Here He was known by friends, family, and neighbors. They knew Jesus, or at least they thought they did.
Isaiah 61:1-2, which is the passage from which Jesus read, was packed with meaning for those who were in the synagogue that day. It declared proclamation of a year of the Lord's favor or the calling of a Jubilee year. According to the Law given by God to Moses (Leviticus 25:1-12), the Jubilee year was to take place every 50 years. It represented the culmination of seven cycles of seven years. Every seventh year was to be a Sabbath year to in which the land was to rest. The Israelites were not to cultivate crops in the seventh year because the Lord would bless the sixth year with enough crops for two years. Seven times that was to be a very special year. At that time all debts were to be cancelled, slaves were to be released, and all land that had transferred hands in the previous 49 years was to be returned to its original owner.
The problem is that Israel did not keep the seven year Sabbath or the Jubilee year. Israel failed to trust in the Lord to provide when the land was to rest, and Israel did not act justly by canceling debt, freeing slaves, and returning property. Partly because of their failure to keep the Jubilee, the Lord sent Israel into exile in Babylon (Jeremiah 34:7).
When Jesus selected chapter 61 of Isaiah, He chose a passage which expressed the longing of the Jews, who although living in the Promised Land, remained in virtual exile under the oppression of the Romans. They waited for the day when the Lord's favor would rest upon Israel and they would be released from the bondage of enemy occupation. The passage indicates that this would occur when the Messiah came, "the Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He has anointed me to preach good news to the poor" (18). The Messiah is the anointed one. Not long before this, Jesus had been anointed by the Holy Spirit at His baptism by John the Baptist (3:22). By recounting the Lord's words at the synagogue, St. Luke is emphasizing that Jesus is the Messiah even as he hinted at this in his baptism account and noted it in his genealogy (3:23-38).
This is why all eyes are fixed on Jesus when He sits down after reading the passage from Isaiah. All want to know what He will say, and He does not disappoint. He, who they think is only the son of the carpenter Joseph, declares that today this passage has been fulfilled. The report of Jesus full of the Holy Spirit had preceded His return to Nazareth (4:14). Now He is causing a stir because He, the hometown boy known by all, is saying that the long-awaited Messiah has come and the Lord's favor will rest again on Israel.
What did Jesus mean by his commentary on the reading? As Tim Gray notes in
Mission of the Messiah, part of the key to understanding that is to notice that Jesus does not quote the passage from Isaiah exactly. Instead He employs a rabbinic technique of combining two Scripture passages which share an identical word. Jesus left out "the day of vengeance of our Lord" from Isaiah 61:2b and inserted the phrase "to set at liberty those who are oppressed" from Isaiah 58:6. The common word is release (translated "set at liberty") which is the word our Lord wanted to emphasize. A purpose of the Jubilee was to remind Israel that they had been released from bondage in Egypt (Deuteronomy 15:15). Now, our Lord is declaring another release. This time the release is not from an oppressive nation, but release from that which ultimately holds us in chains--sin.
It is no wonder that the Church has chosen this tremendous Gospel reading for the Chrism Mass of Holy Thursday. Jesus is the anointed one, the Messiah, and He has come to free us from sin. When he launched His public ministry in Nazareth, He declared the words that would find their ultimate fulfillment in His Passion. At this mass, the Bishop blesses the Holy Chrism which is used in the sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, and Anointing of the Sick. In these sacraments, we receive the fruit of Christ's holy sacrifice, and we are given the gift of the Holy Spirit. In this, we too, become little anointed ones or Christians. Thanks be to God!
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Wednesday, April 07, 2004
In today's Gospel, we have Matthew's account (
26:14-25) of when Jesus identified Judas as His betrayer. Bishop Sheen, in his Life of Christ, makes the point that what Jesus was also doing was offering Judas an opportunity to turn from what he planned to do. When Jesus said, "Truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me", each of the disciples asked, "Is it I, Lord?", but only one disciple knew that he planned to betray Jesus.
Jesus replies that it will be one who has dipped his hand in the bowl with Him. During the meal, all would have done that. Eating together is a sign of friendship. Jesus is indicating that the one who would betray him would be a friend. He also seeks to remind Judas of His desire for Judas' friendship. As Bishop Sheen notes, Jesus must have loved Judas much in order that his sin was not known by the other disciples. Finally, Jesus offers a warning to Judas of the gravity of what he is about to do.
I cannot help thinking of the times when I have betrayed the Lord. Often it has been silently because I did not speak up when I should have. Is it I, Lord? Yes.
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You always have to start out with the value of life
As
reported in the Hampton Roads Pilot Online, in last Wednesday's news conference for my new bishop, Francis Xavier DiLorenzo, he was asked what he would emphasize in the Diocese of Richmond. He replied, "You always have to start out with the value of life. All other rights are essentially linked to it.”
He has also has displayed his support for the sanctity of marriage:
In 1998, DiLorenzo issued a letter urging Catholics to vote for a referendum that would let Hawaii’s legislators restrict marriage to opposite-sex couples only.
That call was prompted by a court ruling that was favorable to the notion of same-sex marriages. The referendum passed.
These are very good signs. May God grant him wisdom and an increase in faith, hope, and love as the new shepherd for Richmond.
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Jesus and Judas, Peter, and John
Today's Gospel reading,
John 13:21-33, 36-38, tells us of three of the disciples' responses to our Lord as they were with him in the upper room.
Jesus troubled in His spirit, knows the heart of Judas, and He tells all of the disciples that one of them will betray Him. They all wonder who this will be. Peter, in an a bit of unusual timidity does not directly ask Jesus Himself, but he asks John to ask the Lord who it will be. John, who is lying close to the breast of Christ, asks Him who will betray to Lord. And Jesus responds that the one who will betray Him is the one to whom He gives a piece of bread after He has dipped it. Jesus gives the piece of bread to Judas. After he receives the bread, Judas sets his will to betray Jesus. Jesus exhorts him to do what he is going to do quickly. Judas leaves, and the Scripture indicates it was night to show the darkness of Judas' soul and the evil into which he was entering.
Later on after Jesus has told that disciples that He is about to go somewhere where they cannot follow, Peter boldly asks Jesus where He is going. Jesus repeats that he cannot follow Him now, but he will follow Him later. Peter has a sense of where Jesus will go because he brashly claims that he will lay down
his life for Jesus. And Jesus prophesies to Peter with compassion, "Will you lay down your life for me? Truly, truly, I say to you, the cock will not crow, till you have denied me three times."
The contrast is clear from later Scripture. As far as we know from Scripture, Judas did not repent of his betrayal of the Lord. Instead, he killed himself. We entrust him to God's mercy. Peter, we know, cried bitter tears of repentance for his denial of Christ and he was restored by Christ (
John 21:15-17). What about the third disciple mentioned in this Gospel reading? John stayed close to our Lord's heart, and he alone was with Jesus at His crucifixion. At different times, we have all been each disciple mentioned. We
must strive to avoid betraying and denying our Lord, and we must pray to remain close to our Lord, recognizing how easy it is for us to be a betrayer or a denier of our Lord. The key the Gospel indicates, is to remain close to the Heart of Jesus because John alone remained with Jesus while Peter and Judas left our Lord. Thanks be to God that Peter was restored in order to strengthen the others. However, we must also never despair as Judas did. We may have betrayed Jesus just as he did, but we must always remember
that Jesus wants to, even longs to, restore us. All we have to do is repent and turn back toward Him.
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The Poor you will always have with you
In today's Gospel reading from
John 1:12, the disciple Judas questions Jesus about why the costly ointment that Mary uses was not sold and the money given to the poor. Jesus replies, "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" (7-8).
These words that Jesus spoke when He rebuked Judas about the use of the costly ointment being "wasted" on Him have puzzled people. After all, Jesus was concerned with the poor. Was He discounting the poor?
John makes it clear that Judas was no more concerned about the poor than those who use Jesus' words to justify doing nothing to help the poor. John wrote," [Judas] said this not because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief and held the money bag and used to steal the contributions" (6).
Actually, the key to understanding what Jesus meant is in the words that He said. Jesus is referring to a passage from determined 15:11:
For the poor will never cease out of the land; therefore I command you, You shall open wide your hand to your brother, to the needy and to the poor, in the land.
As Tim Gray has pointed out in his EWTN series on the Gospel of Mark, by citing this passage, Jesus is making it clear that because the poor will always be with us, we are commanded by God to help them. In other words, Jesus used His rebuke to Judas to show that we should constantly being serving the poor.
Judas had it wrong on two counts. He did not recognize the Messiah who was being anointed in anticipation of His burial by Mary's gift, and he did not recognize his need to "open wide" his hand to assist the poor. May we continue our Lenten generosity even as we have been commanded.
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Having a Personal Relationship with Jesus in the Confessional
I think it is very appropriate that the Papal Household preacher, Capuchin Father Raniero Cantalamessa, focused his last
Lenten reflection on the believer's personal encounter with Christ in the confessional. This beautiful sacrament which is our preparation for the sacrament of sacraments seems not only to be neglected, it seems to have almost been forgotten. The pope recently
noted the tremendous value of frequent confession. He underscored the absolute necessity of this rite to fulfill one's calling:
"It produces a real 'spiritual resurrection,' a restitution of the dignity and goods of the life of the children of God, the most precious of which is friendship with God."
"It would be illusory to seek holiness, according to the vocation that each one has received from God, without going frequently and fervently to this sacrament of conversion and sanctification," the Pope said.
In his comments, Father Raniero Cantalamessa, touched on how we often view this sacrament simply
"as a rite, a habit or a canonical obligation". Instead, echoing the Holy Father's words, he commented that we should view this rite
"as a personal encounter with the Risen One who allows us, as he did Thomas, to touch his wounds, to feel in ourselves the healing force of his blood and taste the joy of being saved".
This is the joy of salvation. Our joy is not that we have sinned, but that is not a problem because our sins do not matter to our Lord. No, we have sinned. Our sins do matter to God. But he wants to personally absolve us of our sins and raise us up as His son or daughter after we have lowered ourselves by the ugliness of our sins against Him.
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He must increase, but I must decrease
These words from St. John the Baptist in John 3:30 echo the theme of Lent and indeed of the whole Christian life. John the Baptist stood at the pinnacle of the prophets of the Old Testament. He is Elijah who came to "turn the hearts of fathers to their children, and the hearts of children to their fathers" (Malachi 4:6). John is the last in a line of prophets who have been exhorting the children of Israel to return to God.
The children of Israel had been awaiting the Messiah for hundreds of years. In fact, they had been waiting for a prophet of God since Malachi who preceded John by several centuries. When John appears in the wilderness near the Jordan River, the people recognize that the time of the Messiah has come. Isaiah had written that the consolation of Israel would begin with a voice crying out in the wilderness, "Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God" (40:3).
Even as this great herald of the Messiah, indeed the friend of the Bridegroom, John knew that he must always give way to the one he announced. He did not consider himself worthy to do the work of a slave of the Messiah by untying the thong of His sandals (Luke 3:16). That is why he said that Jesus must increase, but he must decrease. An obvious lesson of the spiritual life, but one that perhaps we often ignore is this very message that we strive for Christ to increase in every part of us. As Father Groeschel mentions in his
reflection today citing the words of St. Catherine of Sienna, "She said that the Lord revealed to her that she was nothing and that He was everything."
The Church has been calling us during these forty days of Lent to prepare our hearts for the mysteries of Holy Week. May we continue to prepare by giving more room to Christ in our hearts in order that our Everything might replace our nothing.
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It is great to know that God is in charge
As
reported by Zenit, according to the US Bishops' Conference, 150,000 will enter into the fullness of faith this Easter Vigil. Of that number, 24,000 will be baptized. Note, this is only based on three-fourths of the dioceses having responded in time to compile the statistics.
As recent events demonstrate, God continues to grow His Church amidst our very difficult times. (If you want an example go to the
Franciscan Friars of the Renewal page, click on the button to view an update on Father, and read the emails that are sent to Father Groeschel. The ones posted represent thousands which have been sent to him in recent weeks.)
As one who entered into the fullness of faith almost three years ago, I am grateful to God that He continues to call all of us to enter into His joy. It is wonderful to see so many responding to His call. May we continue our work of evangelization in the way that the Lord has seen fit to use us.
More than 150,000 Americans will join the Catholic Church on Holy Saturday, through the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults, says the U.S. bishops' conference.
Among them, more than 62,000 participated in the Rite of Election with their bishops at the beginning of Lent.
About 24,000 of the group will be baptized, confirmed and receive Communion for the first time at the Easter Vigil, and 36,000, who already have been baptized, will embrace full membership in the Catholic Church.
Another 90,000 or so people celebrated the Rite of Election in their parishes rather than attending the diocesan-wide ceremony, usually held at the cathedral.
"The Rite of Election in my diocese was the highlight of the year," said Bishop Edward Slattery of Tulsa, Oklahoma, the chairman of the U.S. bishops' Committee on Evangelization.
"I worried that the cathedral would be next to empty due to all the scandal news this year, but I was delighted to find that the numbers signing the Book of the Elect were higher than last year," he said. "It is great to know that God is in charge."
The numbers at the diocesan ceremonies are based on an early March survey by the U.S. bishops' Secretariat for Evangelization. About three-quarters of the dioceses responded by March 25.
The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults, RCIA, is an ancient rite that was reinstituted in the Church following the Second Vatican Council. It is the usual means for adults to come into the Church.
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I ask God to help us all in our journey together
Mons. Francis Xavier DiLorenzo, the newly appointed bishop of Richmond, offered these
comments regarding the responsibilities of being the shepherd of the Diocese of Richmond:
I ask God to help us all in our journey together. I feel my responsibilities are threefold: Teach about Jesus and His way of life and all else the church wants taught about herself; help persons grow ever closer to Jesus as they encounter Him in both Word and Sacrament; and to govern the Diocese and coordinate our efforts. I call on all priests, deacons, women and men religious and lay ministers to help me in my role as Bishop. It’s essential that our parishes be warm and welcoming communities. We invite the inactive and alienated Catholics to come home. We invite those who do not know the Lord to come and experience Him in both Word and Sacrament within the confines of a warm and welcoming Catholic parish community.”
Bishop DiLorenzo will be installed as the twelfth Bishop of Richmond on Monday, May 24th. (Feast of Mary, Help of Christians)
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