Holy Thursday

I just wanted to remind everyone that tomorrow is Holy Thursday. None of the churches in Lansing will have anything again this year. Last year, we went to St. Josephat's in Detroit, 90 miles away! It was well worth the drive. When we walked in, we could feel the holiness of the place. The Mass and sermon were awesome! We will be going again this Thursday. The Mass is at 7pm. The church is located at the southwest corner of where I94 and I75 meet, first exit. Hope to see you there. I will be wearing a green shirt.

Palm Sunday

Today is Palm Sunday, and thus begins Holy Week. I am going to copy a lot from 'The Liturgical Year' by the Abbott Gueranger.

"Early in the morning of this day, Jesus sets out for Jerusalem, leaving Mary His Mother, and the two sisters Martha and Mary Magdalene, and Lazarus, at Bethania. The Mother of sorrows trembles at seeing her Son thus expose Himself to danger, for His enemies are bent upon His destruction; but it is not death, it is triumph, that Jesus is to receive today in Jerusalem. The Messias, before being nailed to the cross, is to be proclaimed King by the people of the great city; the little children are to make her streets echo with their Hosannas to the Son of David; and this in presence of the soldiers of Rome's emperor, and of the high priests and pharisees: the first standing under the banner of their eagles; the second, dumb with rage...He is poor, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt, the foal of an ass...

The holy fathers have explained to us the mystery of these two animals. The ass represents the Jewish people, which had been long under the yoke of the Law; the colt, upon which, as the evangelist says, no man yet hath sat, is a figure of the Gentile world, which no one had ever brought into subjection. The future of these two peoples is to be decided a few days hence: the Jews will be rejected, for having refused to acknowledge Jesus as the Messias; the Gentiles will take their place, to be adopted as God's people, and become docile and faithful.
The disciples spread their garments upon the colt; and our Saviour, that the prophetic figure might be fulfilled, sits upon him, and advances towards Jerusalem. As soon as it is known that Jesus is near the city, the Holy Spirit works in the hearts of those Jews, who have come from all parts to celebrate the feast of the Passover. They go out to meet out Lord, holding palm branches in their hands, and loudly proclaiming Him to be King. They that have accompanied Jesus from Bethania, join the enthusiastic crowd. Whilst some spread their garments on the way, others cut down boughs from the palm trees, and strew them along the road. 'HOSANNA' is the triumphant cry, proclaiming to the whole city that Jesus, the Son of David, has made His entrance as her King...
This is the glorious mystery which ushers in the great week, the week of dolours. Holy Church would have us give this momentary consolation to our heart, and hail our Jesus as our King. She has so arranged the service of today, that it should express both joy and sorrow; joy, by uniting herself with the loyal hosannas of the city of David; and sorrow, by compassionating the Passion of her divine Spouse."

Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord. O King of Israel! Hosanna in the highest!

Saturday in Passion Week

I usually don't post anything for Saturdays, but I like what today's readings are. Jeremias, a figure of Christ, has prayed for the Jews for years. He has obtained for them many benefits: Children, an abundance of crops, etc. But they, like the Jews of Jesus' time, have forgotten Who did everything for them. They have relied upon their own resources, ignoring the God that been very good at providing for them. Jeremias, who realizes that the Jews want to kill him, has given up on them, and asks for their demise. No more children, the men to be killed, no more graces for them! Wow! When Jesus comes, he goes through the same problems: the Jews rely on their own devices and rituals, and want to kill Him, also. The Assyrians had ruined the temple once before, and the temple will be brought down again, this time in the year 67AD, the same year that Peter and Paul are slain in Rome. Coincidence? I think NOT!

I would like to end with another hymn/prayer that we don't get to hear anymore; this one taken from the 6th century: Honoring Mary, Our Blessed Mother, and The Holy Cross.

We that, by the fruit of the forbidden tree, lost our life, now seek the tree of life.
He alone hath found this tree, who sees the branch whereon is fixed the fruit.
Our faith tells us, that the fruit, that gives us life, hangs on Mary's breast.
And on the cross, between two thieves, though here he pierced with five wounds.
The Virgin-Mother, and the saving cross, both are mystic trees;
The cross, humble as the hyssop; Mary, noble as the cedar: both are trees of life.
Placed between the two, I know not to which to turn.
O sweet perplexity! O sweet comparison!
Here, my Jesus lies, fondled in his Mother's arms, a weeping little Babe;
There, with his arms stretched out, calling all to his embrace.
Here, 'tis Love itself, too ardent to be hid.
Here, leaning on his Mother's heart, he is fed at her breast;
There, fastened to the tree, he feeds us from his wounds.
The cross supplies us with the food of its refreshing fruit;
The Mother forestalls the cross, feeding the very fruit, feeding him for us.
This, then, is my decision: we cannot have the one without the other.
He that chooses the cross, must have the Mother; for when he comes to the cross, he will find the Mother standing at the foot.
He that chooses the Mother, meets the cross as well, for it was while standing at the cross, that the Mother's heart was pierced.
O Jesus! crucified Son of a crucified Mother! look upon us from thy cross.
O living fruit! O fruit of the tree of life! refresh us with thyself, give us the enjoyment of thine own dear self. Amen.

Seven Sorrows of Our Lady

Today, the Friday in Passion Week, is also dedicated to the Sorrows of Our Blessed Mother standing beneath The Cross, and with this her compassion. I was reading a book yesterday, and I found this comparison very interesting. Mary needs to stand beneath this Tree, just as Eve stood beneath a tree. One is under the tree of life but causes us all to have sin on our souls; while the other stands under The Tree of Life, which will clear us from our sins. And notice in scripture that she is STANDING, not on the ground sobbing uncontrollably. She is to be our bulwark of Faith and Truth if we ask her for help. I would like to end with this Complaint, whereby the Church unites herself with Mary's Dolours.

Near the cross, while on it hung her Son, the sorrowing Mother stood and wept.
A sword pierced he soul, that sighed, and mourned, and grieved.
Oh! how sad, and afflicted, was that blessed Mother of an only Son!
The loving Mother sorrowed and mourned at seeing her divine Son suffer.
Who is there would not weep to see Jesus' Mother in such suffering?

Who is there could contemplate the Mother and the Son in sorrow, and not join his own with theirs?
Mary saw her Jesus tormented and scourged for the sins of his people.
She saw her sweet Child abandoned by all, as he breathed forth his soul and died.
Ah, Mother, fount of love, make me feel the force of sorrow; make me weep with thee!
Make this heart of mine burn with the love of Jesus my God, that so I may content his heart.
Let me share with thee the sufferings of thy Son, for it is for me he graciously deigned to be wounded and to suffer.
Make me lovingly weep with thee: make me compassionate with thee our crucified Jesus, as long as life shall last.
This is my desire, to stand nigh the cross with thee, and be a sharer in thy grief.
Peerless Virgin of virgins! be not displeased at my prayer: make me weep with thee.
Make me to carry the death of Jesus; make me a partner of his Passion, an adorer of his Wounds.
Make me to be wounded with his Wounds; make me to be inebriated with the cross and Blood of thy Son.
And that I may not suffer the eternal flames, let me be defended by thee, O Virgin, on the day of judgment!
O Jesus! when my hour of death comes, let me, by thy Mother's aid, come to my crown of victory.
And when my body dies, oh! give to my soul the reward of heaven's glory. Amen

Civil War

Today is the 150th Anniversary of the firing on Fort Sumpter, thus beginning the Civil War. Let us remember those who fought and died in that war, that we can do the same type of thing these days; defending what is right and good, especially within the Church.

I am going to try to correlate, in my own little way, what I think about this problem. The Vatican II brought about with it dissenters who, like the Rebs in the Civil War, wanted to change things, not necessarily for the good of the nation and the world. The dissenters definitely changed what was good and right in the Church, bringing about changes which make us appear more like protestants, where I came from, rather than helping protestants become more like us and making them want to come into Christ's Church, the Holy Roman Catholic and Apostolic Church. So in this way, the 'rebs' won the battle, and have prevailed for 45 years. However, they will NOT win the war in the long run. Christ's Truth will win, if we remain faithful and pray a great deal. Heaven, help us. We've been in this desolate desert for 45 years now, straying away from God Almighty. WAKE UP! Maybe a 'Sherman' type in the form of Lebevre has been trying to lead us to the sea, knowing casualties will happen along the way, but risking all to conquer. I don't know!?

We preach Christ Crucified

We preach Christ Crucified because without remembering Him on the Cross makes our talking in vain.

St. Augustine said: "The True God will let no sheep be deceived that does not want to be deceived. Nor will He abandon any soul that has not first abandoned Him."

Remembering this and saying the prayer to the Holy Ghost will protect us from doing wrong, if we just ask.

Passion Sunday

Today is Passion Sunday. Jesus confronts the Pharisees and calls them hypocrites and liars to their face. He says that if He "says that if He says that He does not know the Father, He would be like them, liars. Man! Don't we wish that we had this courage sometimes? To confront our enemies with this kind of courage? After He says these things to them, He somehow disappears from their sight, because He knows that He will not die from a stoning. I would like to end with another appropriate hymn from an ancient liturgy. This one is the composition of St. Venantius Fortunatus, Bishop of Poitiers.


"Brightly shineth the blessed cross, whereupon hung the Body of our Lord, when, with His Blood, He washed our wounds.

Become, out of tender love for us, a meek Victim, this divine Lamb did by the cross rescue us His sheep from the jaws of the wolf.

'Twas there, with His hands nailed to the wood, that He redeemed the world from ruin, and by His own death, closed the way of death.

Here was fastened with cruel nails that hand which delivered Paul from sin, and Peter from death.

O sweet and noble tree! how vigorous in thy growth, when, on thy branches, hang fruits so rare as these!

Thy fresh fragrance gives resurrection to many that lay in the tomb, and restores the dead to life.

He that shelters beneath thy shade, shall not be scorched either by the moon at night or by the midday sun.

Planted near the running waters, Thou art lovely in Thy verdure, and blossoms ever fresh blow on each fair branch.

Between thine arms hangs the pendant Vine, whence wine most sweet flows in a ruddy stream."

Lord, that we may see.