As we celebrate the great solemnity of Easter, I offer my deepest wishes for a truly blessed Easter to each member of my extended family, each of my friends and associates, each of my readers, and each of the people of this region!!!
I ask a special blessing for those who are ill, alone, and/or away from home on this day.
“Pope Francis called on Christians to let the risen Jesus enter their lives and to welcome him with trust as a friend during the Church’s most holy night of the year.”
The National Catholic Register has offered a report on the Easter Vigil celebration at the Vatican, including excerpts from his homily.
To access the complete National Catholic Register report, please visit:
National Catholic Register: Welcome Jesus as a Friend, Pope Encourages at Easter Vigil (30 MAR 13)
“Do not abandon yourselves to despair. We are the Easter people and hallelujah is our song.” – Blessed Pope John Paul II
Thank you, Lord, for the many ways in which You use music and/or the dramatic arts to help us reflect on Your Gospel message.
In a recent post, Deacon Greg Kandra offered some perspectives on Pope Francis.
To access his post, please visit:
The Deacon’s Bench: Pope Francis: the medium and the messenger (29 MAR 13)
“For a stalk to grow or a flower to open there must be time that cannot be forced; nine months must go by for the birth of a human child; to write a book or compose music often years must be dedicated to patient research. To find the mystery there must be patience, interior purification, silence, waiting.” - Blessed Pope John Paul II
Today the Church celebrates Good Friday of the Passion of the Lord. The assigned readings are Isaiah 52:13-53:12; Hebrews 4:14-16, 5:7-9; and John 18:1-19:42. The Responsorial Psalm is Psalm 31 (Psalm 31:2, 6, 12-13, 15-17, 25).
For one version of the Responsorial Psalm set to music, please visit:
YouTube: Responsorial Psalm - Psalm 31 "Prayer to an Ever-faithful God and Father"
Reflections on today’s observance:
Marcellino D'Ambrosio, PhD: Good Friday & the Crucifixion: The Victory of the Cross
The New Theological Movement: A chronology of the passion and death of Jesus (4 APR 12)
Msgr. Charles Pope: Whose Really on Trial Here? Jesus, Pilate or You? (5 APR 12)
Thank you, Lord Jesus, for taking upon Yourself, through Your passion and death, my sins and the sins of all Your people.
In a recent post, Tony Rossi, of The Christophers, offered a refection on Truth, Beauty, and Goodness in our lives.
To access his complete post, please visit:
Christopher Closeup: True Beauty Can Change the World (19 MAR 13)
“Jesus Christ has taken the lead on the way of the cross. He has suffered first. He does not drive us toward suffering but shares it with us, wanting us to have life and to have it in abundance.” – Blessed Pope John Paul II
Today the Church celebrates Holy Thursday. The day is celebrated as the beginning of the priesthood and the institution of the sacrament of the Holy Eucharist. The assigned readings for the Evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper are Exodus 12:1-8, 11-14; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26; and John 13:1-15. The Responsorial Psalm is Psalm 116 (Psalm 116:12-13, 15-18).
For one version of the Responsorial Psalm set to music, please visit:
YouTube: Responsorial Psalm - Psalm 116 “Thanksgiving to a Faithful God Who Saves”
The Gospel reading is as follows:
Before the feast of Passover, Jesus knew that his hour had come to pass from this world to the Father. He loved his own in the world and he loved them to the end. The devil had already induced Judas, son of Simon the Iscariot, to hand him over. So, during supper, fully aware that the Father had put everything into his power and that he had come from God and was returning to God, he rose from supper and took off his outer garments. He took a towel and tied it around his waist. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and dry them with the towel around his waist.
He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Master, are you going to wash my feet?” Jesus answered and said to him, “What I am doing, you do not understand now, but you will understand later.”
Peter said to him, “You will never wash my feet.” Jesus answered him, “Unless I wash you, you will have no inheritance with me.” Simon Peter said to him, “Master, then not only my feet, but my hands and head as well.”
Jesus said to him, “Whoever has bathed has no need except to have his feet washed, for he is clean all over; so you are clean, but not all.” For he knew who would betray him; for this reason, he said, “Not all of you are clean.”
So when he had washed their feet and put his garments back on and reclined at table again, he said to them, “Do you realize what I have done for you? You call me ‘teacher’ and ‘master,’ and rightly so, for indeed I am. If I, therefore, the master and teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash one another’s feet. I have given you a model to follow, so that as I have done for you, you should also do.”
Reflections related to this celebration:
Msgr. Charles Pope: The Seating Plan at the Last Supper (4 APR 12)
The Deacon's Bench: Homily for Holy Thursday: Mass of the Lord’s Supper (27 MAR 12)
Deacon Keith Fournier: Self Giving Love and Washing Feet (28 MAR 13)
Rome Reports: What does the Church celebrate on Holy Thursday? (4 APR 12)
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