Easter Thursday

As you know, Jesus has been appearing to those whom He loves, to make sure they know that He is indeed alive and well. I'm sure He appeared to His Mother first and foremost. He appeared to the Apostles, and to Mary Magdalene.

According to 'The Liturgical Year', 'today's Station is in the basilica of the twelve Apostles; and, instead of putting before us any of the apparitions related by the Gospels as having been made to His Apostles by our Saviour, after His Resurrection, the Church reads to us the one wherewith Magdalen was honored. Why thus apparently forget the very heralds and ambassadors of the New Law? The reason is obvious. By thus honoring her, whom our Lord selected as the Apostle of His Apostles, the Church would put before us, in their full truth, the circumstances of the day of the Resurrection. It was through Magdalene and her companions that the apostolate of the grandest mystery of our Jesus' life upon earth began; they have every right, therefore, to be honored today in the basilica which is sacred to the holy Apostles.

God is all-powerful, and delights in showing Himself in that which is weakest; He is infinitely good and glorious in rewarding such as love Him. This explains how it was that our Jesus gave to Magdalen and her companions the first proofs of His Resurrection, and so promptly consoled them. They were even weaker than the Bethlehem shepherds; they were, therefore, the objects of a higher preference. The Apostles themselves were weaker than the weakest of the earthly powers they were to bring into submission; hence, they too were initiated into the mystery of Jesus' triumph. But Magdalen and her companions had loved their Master even to the Cross and in His tomb, whereas the Apostles had abandoned Him; they therefore had a better claim than the Apostles to Jesus' generosity, and richly did He satisfy the claim...

...We must not be surprised that women were the first to form, around the Son of God, the Church of believers, the Church resplendent with the brightness of the Resurrection: it is the continuation of that divine plan, the commencement of which we have already respectfully studied. It was by woman that the work of God was marred in the beginning; he willed that it should be repaired by woman. On the day of the Annunciation, we found the second Eve making good by her own obedience the disobedience of the first; and now, at Easter, God honors Magdalen and her companions in preference even to the Apostles. We repeat it: these facts show us not so much a personal favor conferred upon individuals, as the restoration of woman to her lost dignity. St. Ambrose states: "The woman was the first to taste the food of death; she is destined to be the first witness of the Resurrection. By proclaiming this mystery, she will atone for her fault; therefore is it that she, who heretofore had announced sin to man, was sent by the Lord to announce the tidings of salvation to men, and to make known to them His grace."


'The Liturgical Year' is a great way to learn of the people, places, and things concerning events from the beginning of the world, right up to and through the history of the Church from its' beginnings. Above is only a small portion of today's readings. However, I would like to end with a Sequence that was composed in honor of Mary Magdalen in the Middle Ages, and sung by our forefathers during the Easter octave. It is exquisite in its' simplicity, and expresses a tender devotion towards this favored penitent, whose name is inseparable from the mystery of the Resurrection, and who was so dear to our blessed Lord that He chose her to be the first to announce to the Apostles and mankind the tidings of His victory over death:


Christ, now changed from a lamb to a lion, rises with his trophy, the glorious conqueror.

By His death, He conquered death: by His death, He opened heaven's gate.

This is the Lamb that hung upon the Cross, and redeemed the whole flock.

There was none found to condole with Him, save Magdalen, who pined with burning grief.

Tell us, O Mary! what sawest thou, when looking at the Cross of Christ?

"I saw my Jesus stripped, and raised on the Cross, by the hands of sinners."

Tell us, Mary, what sawest thou, when looking at the Cross of Christ?

"His head crowned with thorns, His face disfigured with spittle and blows."

Tell us, Mary what sawest thou, when looking at the Cross?

"His hands pierced, His side wounded by a spear, and a fount of living water gushing from the wound."

Tell us, Mary, what sawest thou, when looking at the Cross?

"He commended Himself to His Father; He bowed down His head; He gave up the ghost."

Tell us, Mary, what didst thou, after losing Jesus?

"I kept close to His weeping Mother, and returned with her to the house: I prostrated myself on the ground, and compassionated both Son and Mother."

Tell us, Mary, what didst thou, after losing Jesus?

"An angel thus spoke to me: 'Weep not, Mary! For Christ hath truly risen.'"

Tell us, Mary, what didst thou, after losing Jesus?

"I saw many proofs and signs of the Resurrection of the Son of God"

Tell us, Mary, what sawest thou on the way?

"I saw the sepulchre of the living Christ; I saw the glory of Him that had risen. I saw the angels that were the witnesses; I saw the winding-sheet and the cloths. Christ, my hope, hath risen! He shall go before you into Galilee."

It behooves us to believe the single testimony of the truthful Mary, rather than the whole wicked host of the Jews.

We know that Christ hath truly risen from the dead. Do thou, O Conqueror and King! have mercy upon us. Amen.


Is that beautiful or what?

She is called "the Penitent". St. Mary was given the name 'Magdalen' because, though a Jewish girl, she lived in a Gentile town called Magdale, in northern Galilee, and her culture and manners were those of a Gentile. St. Luke records that she was a notorious sinner, and had seven devils removed from her. She was present at Our Lords' Crucifixion, and with Joanna and Mary, the mother of James and Salome, at Jesus' empty tomb. Fourteen years after Our Lord's death, St. Mary was put in a boat by the Jews without sails or oars - along with Sts. Lazarus and Martha, St. Maximin (who baptized her), St. Sidonius ("the man born blind"), her maid Sera, and the body of St. Anne, the mother of the Blessed Virgin. They were sent drifting out to sea and landed on the shores of Southern France, where St. Mary spent the rest of her life as a contemplative in a cave known as Sainte-Baume. She was given the Holy Eucharist daily by angels as her only food, and died when she was 72 (which, by the way, is the same age as when our Blessed Mother died). St. Mary was transported miraculously, just before she died, to the chapel of St. Maximin, where she received the last sacraments.

St. Mary Magdalene, pray for us in our disbelief.

Easter Wednesday

The Hebrew word Pasch signifies passage. The early Fathers of the Church have another meaning for this word, and this will pertain to the real PASCH, which is our Lord in the Holy Eucharist. The Pasch is the passage of the Israelites from Egypt to the Promised Land. These three events really happened on the same day in history: the banquet of the lamb, the death of the first-born of the Egyptians, and the departure from Egypt.

They had to pass through water to reach their destination, as we go through Baptism to reach ours. The death of the first-born, for us anyway, is when we leave sin behind and become Christians. These aren't just coincidences, people.

Anyway, today we hear about the Apostles fishing and catching nothing. Then Jesus appears on the seashore, are He tells them to cast their nets again. This time, they catch a great amount of fish. Interestingly enough, at least to me, is the number of fish they hauled in. Scripture tells us the number was 153. I can't think about why this number was inserted into scripture, why it is so important, and then it hit me years ago: It is the exact number of 'Aves', or 'Hail Marys', in the entire Rosary, when 15 decades are recited. Coincidence? I think NOT! Our Lady is intrepid when seeking out future believers, and she will reel in those are not yet within the boat, as I was at one time.



The Wednesday of Easter week is also the day set apart, at Rome, for the blessing of the 'Agnus Dei'. Traces of this ceremony date back to the 7th century, so it's not just another gimmick. I happen to have a couple of these, which were blessed by Pope Pius XII.

Agnus Dei is Latin for "Lamb of God", it is also the name of one of the oldest sacramentals of the church. It is a small disc of wax stamped with a lamb which represents Our Lord and victim. Sometimes the Lamb is shown with a halo and a cross or a pennon( a streamer). The wax is taken from Paschal candles or candles blessed by the Pope on Candlemas Day. The Pope solemnly blesses them on Wednesday of Holy Week in the first and every subsequent seventh year of his reign...In the prayers of the blessing, the dangers of fire, flood, storm, plague and childbirth are referred to.

This sacramental is sometimes worn about the neck, much like we would wear a medal, and is used as a reminder to seek God's protection in times of trouble. As the blood of the Lamb in the old testament protected each household from the destroying angel, the purpose of these sacramentals is to protect those who use them from all malign influences. The efficacy of this sacramental is not, of course, from the wax, the balsam, or the chrism, the efficacy of the 'Agnus Dei' is from the blessing of the church and the merits of the "Lamb of God", Who takes away the sins of the world.

Although its origin is shrouded in the mist of antiquity, the sacramental 'Agnus Dei' is first mentioned in historical Church accounts as early as the sixth century, and referred to frequently by the early to middle ninth century. Thus, for over ten centuries the 'Agnus Dei' has been a popular and treasured sacramental to Catholics, especially to those living in Europe where it was most easily obtained. Yet, regrettably, few Catholics living today have ever even heard of the 'Agnus Dei'.

The name "Agnus Dei" was given to special discs of wax impressed with the figure of a lamb, the "Lamb of God" which were blessed by the reigning Pope in a ceremony so solemn that the Pope was said to consecrate the sacramentals. Popes traditionally consecrated 'Agnus Deis' only during the first year of their pontificate and again every seven years.

In earlier times, on Holy Saturday, the Pope, with the assistance of the Archdeacon of Rome, prepared the wax from the previous year's paschal candles, adding both chrism and balsam to the wax. The 'Agnus Deis' were subsequently consecrated on the Wednesday of Easter week and distributed on Saturday of the same week. In more recent times, the wax was prepared by monks and then consecrated by the Pope and distributed. When visiting Cardinals would visit the Holy Father, an 'Agnus Dei' wax disc (or several of the discs) would be placed into his miter. The Cardinals then distributed the 'Agnus Deis' as they saw fit.


As in the paschal candle, the wax typifies the virgin Flesh of Christ, the cross associated with the lamb suggests the idea of a victim offered in sacrifice, and as the blood of the paschal lamb of old protected each household from the destroying angel, so the purpose of these consecrated medallions is to protect those who wear or possess them from all malign influences. In the prayers of blessing, special mention is made of the perils from storm and pestilence, from fire and flood, and also of the dangers to which women are exposed in childbirth. Miraculous effects have been believed to follow the use of these objects of piety. Fires are said to have been extinguished, and floods stayed.

In a wonderful article by Charles Hugo Doyle, entitled "The Forgotten Sacramental," the author provides a summary of the special virtues of the 'Agnus Dei', as cited by Popes Urban V, Paul II, Julius III, Sixtus V and Benedict XIV, which include the following benefits:

They foster piety, banish tepidity, preserve from vice and dispose to virtue.

They cancel venial sins and purify from the stain left by grievous sin after it has been remitted in the Sacrament of Penance.

They banish evil spirits, deliver from temptation and preserve from eternal ruin.

They are a protection from a sudden and unprovided death.

They dispel fears occasioned by evil spirits. They are a protection in combat, and have power to ensure victory.

They deliver from poison and from the snares of the wicked.

They are excellent preventatives against sickness and are also an efficacious remedy -- especially in cases of epilepsy. They hinder the ravages of pestilence, of epidemics and infectious diseases.

They quiet the winds, dissipate hurricanes, calm whirlwinds, and keep away tempests.

They save from shipwreck and the danger of lightning and floods.

It is said that Pope St. Pius V, who had recourse to this expedient sacramental when the river Tiber was in flood stage and seemed likely to submerge the city. We are told that when an 'Agnus Dei' had been thrown into the river, the angry waters at once subsided.

Needless to say, due to the limited quantity of the 'Agnus Deis' which were available, those which could be obtained were cherished by the faithful and gratefully passed down from generation to generation.

Sad to say: The End Of An Ancient Tradition has come upon us.

Elected to the Chair of Peter in the latter half of 1963, Pope Paul VI is said to have consecrated 'Agnus Deis' in the traditional manner during the Easter season of 1964. According to the ancient tradition, Pope Paul VI could have again consecrated the 'Agnus Deis' during the Easter season of 1971 - inexplicably, he did not. Nor did he ever again consecrate the 'Agnus Deis'. Pope John Paul I, of course, was Supreme Pontiff for only 33 days - and did not consecrate any 'Agnus Deis'.

Pope John Paul II, closing in on his 20th year as Pope, did not reestablish the 'Agnus Dei' tradition. As is the case with so much of traditional Catholicism subsequent to Vatican Council II, the 'Agnus Dei' was abandoned, probably "in the spirit of the Council" -- just when it became apparent that the sacramental was truly needed.

To the best of our knowledge, no official reason has ever been given by Rome as to why the ancient and revered traditional practice was abandoned.

Let's pray that the current Holy Father will resume the renew the ancient and wonderful 'Agnus Dei' sacramental.

He needs our prayers every day.

Easter Tuesday

Israel is obstinate in recognizing their Redeemer. In vain do the Prophets tell them that 'a Lamb is to be sent forth, who shall be King of the earth; that he shall come from the desert to the mount of the daughter of Sion.' (Isa. xvi, I) Satan, too, and his wicked angels, had scoffed at this Lamb; they had despised Him, as being too meek and humble to be dreaded; and when they saw Him shedding His Blood on the Cross, a shout of exultation rang through the regions of hell. But what was their dismay, when they saw this Lamb descending like a lion into limbo, and setting free from their bondage the countless prisoners of the four thousand previous years? And, after this returning to our earth, and inviting all mankind to receive 'the liberty of the glory of the children of God'.

O Jesus! how terrible is thy Passover to thine enemies! but how glorious for them that serve Thee! The people of Israel feared it not, because their houses were marked with the blood of the figurative lamb. We are more favored than they: our Lamb is the Lamb of God, and thy Blood is signed, not upon our dwellings, but upon our souls. Thy Prophet foretold the great mystery when He said that on the day of thy vengeance upon Jerusalem, they would be spared whose foreheads should be marked with the Tau. (Ezech. ix, 6) Israel despised the prophecy, which is our joy. The Tau is the sign of thy Cross, dear Jesus! It is thy Cross that shields, and protects, and gladdens us in this Pasch of thy Passover, wherein thy anger is all for thine enemies, and thy blessings all for us! (This sign is the crossing we do when we make 'the sign of the Cross on ourselves)



The following is a Preface, taken from the Roman-French missal of the Middle Ages. It was a favorite Easter hymn with the people of those days; and though somewhat unpolished, is full of vigor. It is very smooth, melodious and expressive. I like it, so, therefore, it is here.

Sequence:

Now shines through the world the bright fair day, whereupon are triumphantly told the splendid combats of Christ.

He gloriously conquered the haughty enemy, and routed his most wicked hosts.

Unhappy sin of Eve, whereby we were all deprived of life! Happy the fruit of Mary, whereon we all now feed together!

Blessed be the noble Queen, the Mother of the King, who robbed hell of its prey, and now reigns in heaven above.

O eternal King! graciously receive the hymns we devoutly sing to thee.

Thou sittest on the right hand of thy Father.
Universal Conqueror! thou didst vanquish death, and enter into the jos of heaven.

O mercy of Christ! how great, how sublime, how beautiful, how sweet, how tender art thou!

Praise, honour and power be to thee didst lighten our heavy weight of old!

Purchased by the Blood of the infinitely merciful Lamb, the Church glitters with the ruby flowers of her redemption.

He who by his mighty power washed away our sins, loads us with precious gifts.

Bewildered in my admiration of this day's wonders, I am unworthy to proclaim its great mysteries.

Son of David! Child of the tribe of Juda! thou didst rise in glory, a lion in strength.

Thou wast seen on earth as a gentle lamb.

zit was thou that in the beginning didst create the world.

Thou hast ascended to the kingdom above; and there thou mercifully rewardest the just with the rewards of everlasting joy.

Say, satan, thou wicked spirit, what now hath thy craft profited thee?

The victory of Christ has bound thee fast in fetters of fire.

O ye tribes and nations, be astounded! Who hath heard of miracles like these?

That death should so conquer death? That criminals should receive favour like unto this?

O incredulous Jew! hast thou no shame, that thou canst continue so?

See how the Christians rejoice, singing to the Redeemer their holy hymns.

Therefore, O Jesus, our merciful King! forgive us our sins, loosen our fetters.

Grant that thy elect may rise with thee to heavenly glory, and to their just merits give recompense. Amen.

Easter Monday

The Pascal Lamb was to be without blemish; its blood was to be sprinkled as a protection against the destroying angel, and its flesh was to be eaten.

This was the tradition from the beginning of time; all the Prophets announced it to be so; Moses taught it; and Jesus fulfilled this command with Himself being the Lamb that was to be sacrificed, and this would replace the old tradition with the new. And we all know, that at the minute of His death on the Cross, the old way of doing things was forever changed and would be no more acceptable to the Father.

Jesus, since His resurrection, has appeared to various people, like the two disciples in today's reading who were on their way to Emmaus. They were hidden from recognizing Him until He broke bread, after which He disappeared from their view. Maybe we are not meant to understand anything until we believe.

A lesson for today, taken from the writings of St. John Chrysostom. He says:

"You are enjoying a daily instruction during these seven days (after this Resurrection). We put before you a spiritual banquet, that thus we may teach you how to arm yourselves and fight against the devil, who is now preparing to attack you more violently than ever; for the greater is the gift you have received, the greater will be the combat you must go through to preserve it...During these following seven days, you have the word of God preached to you, that you may go forth well prepared to fight with your enemies. Moreover, you know it is usual to keep up a nuptial feast for seven days: you are now celebrating a spiritual marriage, and therefore we have established the custom of a seven days' solemnity." (I will strive to put something down during these seven days, to remind and encourage you during your journey)

We are to take these seven days after the Resurrection to prepare ourselves, put on the armor of Faith, gird ourselves, and go out and fight for the Truth!

'We ourselves have been like these two disciples. Our sentiments have been more those of the Jew than of the Christian. Hence our love of earthly things, which has made us heedless of such as are heavenly, and has thereby exposed us to sin. We cannot, for the time to come, be thus minded. The glorious Resurrection of our Jesus eloquently teaches us how to look upon the crosses sent us by
God. However great may be our future trials, we are not likely to be nailed to a cross, between two thieves. It is what the Son of God had to undergo; but did the sufferings of the Friday mar the kingly splendour of the Sunday's triumph? Nay, is not his present glory redoubled by his past humiliations? Therefore let us not be cowards when our time for sacrifice comes; let us think of the eternal reward that is to follow.' (from The Liturgical Year)


The following is taken from a sermon in 1883:

Resisting the Enemies of Our Salvation
by Fr. Johann Evangelist Zollner, 1883


Put you on the armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the deceits of the devil. The Apostle compares Christians to soldiers who go to war, amply provided with the necessary arms. The enemy with whom they must struggle is the devil, the author of all evil, the father of lies, the seducer from the beginning of the world, who goes about, like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.--1 Pet. 5: 8. This arch-enemy of our salvation is not only strong, but also full of cunning; he comes when he is least expected and attacks the unguarded senses, causing the most violent temptations; he does not attack openly, in front, but artfully, sideways, and therefore does not represent the sins to which he wishes to seduce us in their real form, but under the appearance of an indifferent thing, or even a virtue. Thus he calls pride, noble self esteem; avarice, wise economy; impurity, human weakness or natural pleasure; injustices and impositions. He studies the weakness of every one, and therefore tempts each man to that sin to which he is most inclined.

REJOICE! HE HAS RISEN!

He is risen! He is not here! The Corpse, laid by the hands of them that loved their Lord, on the slab that lies in that cave, is risen; and, without removing the stone that closed the entrance, has gone forth, quickened with a life which can never die. No man has helped Him. No prophet has stood over the dead Body, bidding it return to life. It is Jesus Himself, and by His own power, that has risen. He suffered death, not from necessity, but because He so willed; and again, because He willed, He has delivered Himself from its bondage. 0 Jesus! Thou, that thus mockest death, art the Lord our God! We reverently bend our knee before this empty tomb, which is now for ever sacred, because, for a few hours, it was the place of thy abode. Behold the place where they laid him! Behold the winding sheet and bands, which remain to tell the mystery of thy having once been dead! The angel says to the women: "Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified! He is not here!" The recollection makes us weep. Yes, it was but the day before yesterday that His Body was carried hither, mangled, wounded, bleeding. Here, in this cave, from which the has now rolled back the stone--in this cave, which his presence fills with a more than midday brightness--stood the afflicted Mother. It echoed with the sobs of them that were at the burial, John and the two disciples, Magdalen and her companions. The sun sank beneath the horizon, and the first day of Jesus's burial began. But the prophet had said: 'In the evening weeping shall have place; and in the morning gladness.' This glorious, happy morning has come, O Jesus! and great indeed is our gladness at seeing that aching hearts, is now but the trophy of thy victory! Thy precious wounds are healed! It was we that caused them; permit us to kiss them. Thou art now living, more glorious than ever, and immortal. And because we resolved to die to our sins, when thou wast dying in order to expiate them, thou willed that we, too, should live eternally with thee; that thy victory over death should be ours; that death should be for us, as it was for thee, a mere passage to immortality, and should one day give back, uninjured and glorified, these bodies which ae to be lent for a while to the tomb. Glory, then, and honour, and love, be to thee, O Jesus! who didst deign not only to die, but to rise again for us!

From 'The Liturgical Year'


Today is the day the Lord has made. Let us be glad and rejoice in it! He has broken the chains of death, and has opened the gates of heaven for all of us. If we choose.

HOLY SATURDAY

'A night has passed over the tomb, wherein lies buried the Body of the God-Man. Death is triumphant in that silent cave, and holds captive Him that gives life to every creature: but this triumph will soon be at an end. The soldiers may watch, as best they will, over that grave: they cannot hold Jesus prisoner, as soon as the moment fixed for His Resurrection comes. The holy angels are there, profoundly adoring the lifeless Body of Him, whose Blood is to reconcile all things, both on earth, and in heaven. This Body, though for a brief interval separated from the Soul, is still united to the Person of the Son of God; so likewise the Soul, during its separation from the Body, has not for an instant lost its union with the Blood which lies sprinkled on Calvary, and which, at the moment of the Resurrection of the God-Man, is to enter once more into His sacred veins.

Let us also return to the sepulchre, and adore the Body of our buried Jesus. Now, at last, we understand what sin has done: by sin, death entered into the world; and it passed upon all men. Though Jesus knew no sin, yet has He permitted death to have dominion over Him, in order that He might make it less bitter to us, and by His Resurrection restore unto us that eternal life, of which we had been deprived by sin. How gratefully we should appreciate this death of our Jesus! By becoming Incarnate, He became a servant; His death was a still deeper humiliation. The sight of this tomb, wherein His Body lies lifeless and cold, teaches us something far more important than the power of death: it reveals to us the immense, the incomprehensible love of God for man. He knew that we were to gain by His humiliations; the greater His humiliations, the greater our exaltation: this was His principle, and it led Him to what seems like an excess! Let us, then, love this sacred sepulchre, which is to give us life. We have thanked Him for having died for us upon the Cross; let us thank Him, but most feelingly, for having humbled Himself, for our sake, even to the tomb!' (from 'The Liturgical Year)


Today is Holy Saturday. Christ's cold body is in the Holy Sepulchre. His living soul, however, is busy. He visits the souls of the dead to announce to them that their deliverance is at hand. I personally think He went, at least to the gates, of hell, where the damned souls are, to tell them that from now on the Name of Jesus will be revered, and that all knees shall bend in heaven, on the earth, and under the earth. Just my opinion. I will now turn again to our beloved Abbot, Gueranger. He has an interesting take:

'In the centre of the earth there are four immense regions, into which no one living can ever enter: it is only by divine revelation that we know of their existence. The farthest from us is the hell of the damned, the frightful abode where satan and his angels and the reprobate are suffering eternal torments. It is here that the prince of darkness is ever forming his plots against God and His creatures. Nearer to us, is the limbo wherein are detained the souls of children, who departed this world before being regenerated (baptized). The opinion which has met most favour from the Church is that these souls suffer no torment; and that, although they can never enjoy the beatific vision, yet are they enjoying a natural happiness, and one that is proportionate to their desires. Above the abode of these children, is the place of expiation, where souls that have departed this life in the state of grace cleanse themselves from any stains of lesser sins, or satisfy for the debt of temporal punishment still due to divine justice. And lastly, still nearer to us, is the limbo where are kept from heaven the saints who died under the old Law. Here are our first parents Adam and Eve, Abel, Noe, Abraham, Moses, David, and the prophets; the just Gentiles, such as that great saint of Arabia, Job; and those holy personages who were closely connected with our Lord, such as Joachim and Anne, the parents of His blessed Mother, Joseph her spouse and His own foster-father, and John His precursor, together with his holy parents Zachary and Elizabeth.'


GOSPEL (Matt. XXVIII, 1-7,) , In the end of the Sabbath, when it began to dawn towards the first day of the week,came Mary Magdalen, and the other Mary, to view the sepulchre. And behold there was a great earthquake. For an angel of the Lord descended from heaven: and coming, rolled back the stone, and sat upon it. And his countenance was as lightning, and his raiment as snow. And for fear of him, the guards were struck with terror, and became as dead men. And the angel answering, said to the women: Fear not you: for I know that you seek Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here, for he is risen, as he said. Come, and see the place where the Lord was laid. And going quickly, tell ye his disciples that he is risen: and behold, he will go before you into Galilee; there you shall see him. Lo, I have foretold it to you.

'Noli me Tangere' by Corregio

St. Paul tells us that our religion is vain, unless we have faith in the mystery of our Lord's Resurrection. Where was this faith on the day after our Lord's death? In one heart only--and that was Mary's. As it was her chaste womb that had held within it Him whom heaven and earth cannot contain, so, on this day, by her firm and unwavering faith, she resumes within her single self the whole Church. How sacred is this Saturday, which, notwithstanding all its sadness, is such a day of glory to the Mother of Jesus! It is on this account that the Church has consecrated to Mary the Saturday of every week.


Do not omit on this day to thank our Lord for the many graces He has given us through His Passion and Death, to be followed shortly by His glorious Resurrection!

GOOD FRIDAY--Our Redemption is here

I'm going to add something that I have on a tee shirt. The shirt features the Crucifixion and states:
If I'm OK, and you're OK, explain this!

Let the words of St. Augustine touch your heart, when he places the crucified Redeemer before our mind in the following words: "Behold the wounds of Jesus who is hanging on the cross, the blood of the dying, the price of our redemption! His head is bowed to give the kiss of peace; His side is open to love; His arms are extended to embrace us; His whole body sacrificed for our redemption. Let these words be the subject of your meditation that He may be wholly in your heart who is nailed to the cross for you."

I would also like to add a prayer from last night, Maunday Thursday. On this day, Jesus gave a mandate, or 'mandatum', in which Jesus gave the Apostles these instructions:

To offer the Body and Blood of Him in the Most August Sacrament of the Eucharist, and to wash the feet of others, thus humbling themselves.

Here is the prayer, in which we pray for those who are not within the fold of the Divine Shepherd, Jesus. This is an indulgenced prayer (200 days each time said), from Pope Pius VII in 1815:

Jesus, my God, my Saviour, true God and true man, in that lowly homage with which the Faith itself inspires me, with my whole heart I adore and love Thee in the most august Sacrament of the Altar, in reparation for all the acts of irreverence, profanation, and sacrilege, which I myself may ever have committed, as well as for all such like acts that ever have been done and in ages yet to come. I adore Thee, my God, not indeed as Thou deservest, not as much as I am bound to adore, but as far as I am able; and I would that I could adore Thee with all the perfection of which a reasonable creature is capable. Meantime I purpose now and ever to adore Thee, not only for those Catholics who adore and love Thee not, but also for the conversion of all bad Christians, and for all heretics, schismatics, Mohammedans, Jews, and idolators. Jesus, my God, mayest Thou be ever known, adored, loved, and praised every moment, in the most Holy and Divine Sacrament. Amen.

May we all be true to our promises we have made to God throughout our lives. Jesus, have mercy.

It is said that this is the pillar where Jesus was scourged. It is in Rome, as are all of the other articles of the Crucifixion; the Crown of thorns, the nails, the hammer, the pincers used to remove the nails, Veronica's veil, and the Cross. His Church has it all.


MANNER OF CONTEMPLATING CHRIST'S BITTER PASSION
Christ also suffered for us: leaving you an example that you should follow his steps. (I Peter II. 21.)

"Whence does it come," writes St. Alphonsus Ligouri, "that so many of the faithful look with so much indifference at Christ on the cross? They generally assist during Holy Week at the commemoration of His death without any feeling of gratitude or compassion, as if it were a fable or an event in which they had no interest. Know they not, or believe they not what the gospel relates of Christ's passion? Indeed they know it, and believe it, but do not think of it. It is impossible that he who believes and meditates, should fail, to become burning with love for God who suffers and dies for love of him." "But why, we may ask here, are there so many who draw so little benefit even from the contemplation of the passion and death of Jesus? Because they fail to consider and imitate the example which Christ gives in His sufferings."

"The cross of Christ," says St. Augustine, "is not only a bed of death, but a pulpit of instruction." It is not only a bed upon which Christ dies, but the pulpit from which He teaches us what we must do. It should now be our special aim to meditate upon the passion of Christ, and to imitate those virtues which shone forth so preeminently in His passion and death. But many neglect to do this: They usually content themselves with compassion when they see Christ enduring such great pains, but they see not with what love, humility, and meekness He bears them; and so do not endeavor to imitate His example. That you, O Christian soul, may avoid this mistake, and that you may draw the greatest possible benefit for your soul, from the contemplation of the passion, and death of Christ, attend to that which is said of it by that pious servant of God Alphonse Rodriguez:

'We must endeavor to derive from the meditation on the mysteries of the passion and death of Christ this effect, that we may imitate His virtues, and this by slowly and attentively considering each virtue by itself, exercising ourselves in forming a very great desire for it in our hearts, making a firm resolution to practice it in words and works, and also to conceive a holy aversion and horror of the opposite vice; for instance, when contemplating Christ's condemnation to the death of the cross by Pilate, consider the humility of Jesus Christ, who being God, as humble as He was innocent, voluntarily submitted and silently accepted the unjust sentence and the ignominious death. Here you see from the example given by Jesus, how you should despise yourself, patiently bear all evil, unjust judgment; and detraction, and even seek them with joy as giving you occasion to resemble Him. To produce these necessary effects and resolutions, you should at each mystery contemplate the following particulars:

First: Who is it that suffers? The most innocent, the holiest, the most loving; the only-begotten Son of the Almighty Father, the Lord of heaven and earth.

Secondly: What pains and torments, exterior and interior, does He suffer?

Thirdly: In what manner does He suffer, with what patience, humility, meekness and love, does He bear all ignominy and outrage?

Fourthly: For whom does He suffer? For all men, for His enemies and His executioners.

Fifthly: By whom does He suffer? By Jews and heathens, by soldiers and tyrants, by the devil and all impious children of the world to the end of time, and all who were then united in spirit with His enemies.

Sixthly: Why does He suffer? To make reparation for all the sins of the whole world, to satisfy the justice of God, to reconcile the Heavenly Father, to open heaven, to give us His infinite 'merits that we may from them have strength to follow the way to heaven.

At the consideration of each of these points, and indeed at each mystery of the passion of Christ, the imitation of the example of His virtues is the main object, because the true life of the Christian consists in the imitation of Jesus. In considering each stage of the passion of Christ place vividly before your mind the virtue which thee practiced therein; contemplate it and ask yourself whether you possess this virtue, or whether you still cherish the opposite vice. If you find the latter to be the case make an act of contrition, with the firm resolution to extirpate this vice, and excite in yourself a sincere desire for the opposite virtue. In this way you will draw the greatest advantage from the contemplation of Christ's passion, and resemble Christ; and, as the pious Louis of Granada says, "...there can be no greater honor and adornment for a Christian than to resemble his divine Master, not in the way that Lucifer desired, but in that which He pointed out, when He said: "I have given you an example, that as I have done to you, so do you also."


We find at the cross on Golgotha the different classes of people of our day represented; namely, the pure and innocent; the repenting sinners, firm adherents of Jesus and His teachings; but also the lukewarm (the 'not so hot' whom He will spit out); the wavering, nominal Christians; obdurate heretics, professed infidels and apostates, and for all those pathetic souls who are clueless. So today, mankind is divided into parties such as these.

To which party do you belong, O Christian soul? To which do you wish to belong? Choose! The time of the division is near. The Lord already holds in His hand the winnowing shovel to clear His floor. If you are not a firm adherent of Jesus and His Church, in the storm that is gathering you will be blown like chaff. If you remain with the small group at the cross, in persevering courage, you will stand firm, and on the day when the cross shall appear in the clouds of heaven, you, with Mary, the Mother of the Faithful, with John and with Magdalen, will triumph forever, as a victorious knight of the cross. DECIDE!

Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, the lamb of the new sacrifice, which forever takes place of the old sacrifice of the Jews, which, at this moment, has ended with the death of Christ on His Cross. This is the Real Bread and Real Blood of our dear Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. This is the True sacrifice which is offered at every Mass throughout the world. May God have mercy on us all!