Benediction, Psalms 89:21-27, Isaiah 61:1-9, John 13:1-15, Pope Frances Daily Activity, The Mystical City of God The Divine History and Life of The Virgin Mother of God - Book 6:7 THE WAY OF THE CROSS, Catholic Catechism Part Two Section 1:2:5 The Sacarements of Eternal Life
Good Day Bloggers! Wishing everyone a Blessed Week!
Year of Faith - October 11, 2012 - November 24, 2013
P.U.S.H. (Pray Until Serenity Happens). It has a remarkable way of producing solace, peace, patience and tranquility and of course resolution...God's always available 24/7.
The world begins and ends everyday for someone. We are all human. We all experience birth, life and death. We all have
flaws but we also all have the gift of knowledge and free will,
make the most of these gifts. Life on earth is a stepping stone to our eternal home in
Heaven. Its your choice whether to rise towards eternal light or lost to
eternal darkness. Material items, though needed for sustenance and
survival on earth are of earthly value only. The only thing that passes
from this earth to Purgatory and/or Heaven is our Soul, our Spirit...it's God's perpetual
gift to us...Embrace it, treasure it, nurture it, protect it...
"Raise not a hand to another unless it is to offer in peace and goodwill." ~ Zarya Parx 2012
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Prayers for Today: Thursday in Lent
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Papam Franciscus
(Pope Francis)
LITURGICAL CELEBRATIONS TO BE PRESIDED BY POPE DURING HOLY WEEK
Vatican City, 25 March 2013 (VIS) – The Office of Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff has made public the calendar of celebrations that are due to be presided by Pope Francis during Holy Week: (Posted at Rome Time which six hours ahead of USA Central Time). View via Video on Vatican TV Live Stream or Audio Vatican Radio.
28 March, Holy Thursday: 9:30am, Chrism Mass in the Vatican Basilica
5:30pm, Mass of the Lord's Supper at the Casal del Marmo youth detention centre (NO live coverage)
29 March, Good Friday: 5:00pm, Celebration of the Lord's Passion in the Vatican Basilica
9:15pm, Via Crucis at the Colosseum
30 March, Holy Saturday: 8:30, Easter Vigil in the Vatican Basilica
31 March, Easter Sunday: 10:15am, Easter Mass in St. Peter's Square
12:00pm “Urbi et Orbi” Blessing
28 March, Holy Thursday: 9:30am, Chrism Mass in the Vatican Basilica
5:30pm, Mass of the Lord's Supper at the Casal del Marmo youth detention centre (NO live coverage)
29 March, Good Friday: 5:00pm, Celebration of the Lord's Passion in the Vatican Basilica
9:15pm, Via Crucis at the Colosseum
30 March, Holy Saturday: 8:30, Easter Vigil in the Vatican Basilica
31 March, Easter Sunday: 10:15am, Easter Mass in St. Peter's Square
12:00pm “Urbi et Orbi” Blessing
Pope Francis’ Homily for Chrism Mass, Holy Thursday 2013
Dear
Brothers and Sisters,
This morning I have the joy of celebrating my first Chrism Mass as the Bishop of Rome. I greet all of you with affection, especially you, dear priests, who, like myself, today recall the day of your ordination.
This morning I have the joy of celebrating my first Chrism Mass as the Bishop of Rome. I greet all of you with affection, especially you, dear priests, who, like myself, today recall the day of your ordination.
The readings of our Mass speak of God’s “anointed ones”: the suffering Servant of Isaiah, King David and Jesus our Lord. All three have this in common: the anointing that they receive is meant in turn to anoint God’s faithful people, whose servants they are; they are anointed for the poor, for prisoners, for the oppressed… A fine image of this “being for” others can be found in the Psalm: “It is like the precious oil upon the head, running down upon the beard, on the beard of Aaron, running down upon the collar of his robe” (Ps 133:2). The image of spreading oil, flowing down from the beard of Aaron upon the collar of his sacred robe, is an image of the priestly anointing which, through Christ, the Anointed One, reaches the ends of the earth, represented by the robe.
The sacred robes of the High Priest are rich in symbolism. One such symbol is that the names of the children of Israel were engraved on the onyx stones mounted on the shoulder-pieces of the ephod, the ancestor of our present-day chasuble: six on the stone of the right shoulder-piece and six on that of the left (cf. Ex 28:6-14). The names of the twelve tribes of Israel were also engraved on the breastplate (cf. Es 28:21). This means that the priest celebrates by carrying on his shoulders the people entrusted to his care and bearing their names written in his heart. When we put on our simple chasuble, it might well make us feel, upon our shoulders and in our hearts, the burdens and the faces of our faithful people, our saints and martyrs of whom there are many in these times…
From the beauty of all these liturgical things, which is not so much about trappings and fine fabrics than about the glory of our God resplendent in his people, alive and strengthened, we turn to a consideration of activity, action. The precious oil which anoints the head of Aaron does more than simply lend fragrance to his person; it overflows down to “the edges”. The Lord will say this clearly: his anointing is meant for the poor, prisoners and the sick, for those who are sorrowing and alone. The ointment is not intended just to make us fragrant, much less to be kept in a jar, for then it would become rancid … and the heart bitter.
A good priest can be recognized by the way his people are anointed. This is a clear test. When our people are anointed with the oil of gladness, it is obvious: for example, when they leave Mass looking as if they have heard good news. Our people like to hear the Gospel preached with “unction”, they like it when the Gospel we preach touches their daily lives, when it runs down like the oil of Aaron to the edges of reality, when it brings light to moments of extreme darkness, to the “outskirts” where people of faith are most exposed to the onslaught of those who want to tear down their faith. People thank us because they feel that we have prayed over the realities of their everyday lives, their troubles, their joys, their burdens and their hopes. And when they feel that the fragrance of the Anointed One, of Christ, has come to them through us, they feel encouraged to entrust to us everything they want to bring before the Lord: “Pray for me, Father, because I have this problem”, “Bless me”, “Pray for me” – these words are the sign that the anointing has flowed down to the edges of the robe, for it has turned into prayer. The prayers of the people of God. When we have this relationship with God and with his people, and grace passes through us, then we are priests, mediators between God and men. What I want to emphasize is that we need constantly to stir up God’s grace and perceive in every request, even those requests that are inconvenient and at times purely material or downright banal – but only apparently so – the desire of our people to be anointed with fragrant oil, since they know that we have it. To perceive and to sense, even as the Lord sensed the hope-filled anguish of the woman suffering from hemorrhages when she touched the hem of his garment. At that moment, Jesus, surrounded by people on every side, embodies all the beauty of Aaron vested in priestly raiment, with the oil running down upon his robes. It is a hidden beauty, one which shines forth only for those faith-filled eyes of the woman troubled with an issue of blood. But not even the disciples – future priests – see or understand: on the “existential outskirts”, they see only what is on the surface: the crowd pressing in on Jesus from all sides (cf. Lk 8:42). The Lord, on the other hand, feels the power of the divine anointing which runs down to the edge of his cloak.
We need to “go out”, then, in order to experience our own anointing, its power and its redemptive efficacy: to the “outskirts” where there is suffering, bloodshed, blindness that longs for sight, and prisoners in thrall to many evil masters. It is not in soul-searching or constant introspection that we encounter the Lord: self-help courses can be useful in life, but to live by going from one course to another, from one method to another, leads us to become pelagians and to minimize the power of grace, which comes alive and flourishes to the extent that we, in faith, go out and give ourselves and the Gospel to others, giving what little ointment we have to those who have nothing, nothing at all.
A priest who seldom goes out of himself, who anoints little – I won’t say “not at all” because, thank God, our people take our oil from us anyway – misses out on the best of our people, on what can stir the depths of his priestly heart. Those who do not go out of themselves, instead of being mediators, gradually become intermediaries, managers. We know the difference: the intermediary, the manager, “has already received his reward”, and since he doesn’t put his own skin and his own heart on the line, he never hears a warm, heartfelt word of thanks. This is precisely the reason why some priests grow dissatisfied, become sad priests, lose heart and become in some sense collectors of antiques or novelties – instead of being shepherds living with “the smell of the sheep”, shepherds in the midst of their flock, fishers of men. True enough, the so-called crisis of priestly identity threatens us all and adds to the broader cultural crisis; but if we can resist its onslaught, we will be able to put out in the name of the Lord and cast our nets. It is not a bad thing that reality itself forces us to “put out into the deep”, where what we are by grace is clearly seen as pure grace, out into the deep of the contemporary world, where the only thing that counts is “unction” – not function – and the nets which overflow with fish are those cast solely in the name of the One in whom we have put our trust: Jesus.
Dear lay faithful, be close to your priests with affection and with your prayers, that they may always be shepherds according to God’s heart.
Dear priests, may God the Father renew in us the Spirit of holiness with whom we have been anointed. May he renew his Spirit in our hearts, that this anointing may spread to everyone, even to those “outskirts” where our faithful people most look for it and most appreciate it. May our people sense that we are the Lord’s disciples; may they feel that their names are written upon our priestly vestments and that we seek no other identity; and may they receive through our words and deeds the oil of gladness which Jesus, the Anointed One, came to bring us. Amen.
Reference:
- Vatican News. From the Pope. © Copyright 2013 - Libreria Editrice Vaticana. Accessed 3/28/2013.
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Message, 25. March 2013 Our Lady of Medjugorje Message to the World:
“Dear children! In this time of grace I call you to take the cross of my beloved Son Jesus in your hands and to meditate on His passion and death. May your suffering be united in His suffering and love will win, because He who is love gave Himself out of love to save each of you. Pray, pray, pray until love and peace begin to reign in your hearts. Thank you for having responded to my call.”
March 18 2013 Message to the World via Annual Apparition to Mirjana:
"Dear children! I call you to, with complete trust and joy, bless the name of the Lord and, day by day, to give Him thanks from the heart for His great love. My Son, through that love which He showed by the Cross, gave you the possibility to be forgiven for everything; so that you do not have to be ashamed or to hide, and out of fear not to open the door of your heart to my Son. To the contrary, my children, reconcile with the Heavenly Father so that you may be able to come to love yourselves as my Son loves you. When you come to love yourselves, you will also love others; in them you will see my Son and recognize the greatness of His love. Live in faith! Through me, my Son is preparing you for the works which He desires to do through you – works through which He desires to be glorified. Give Him thanks. Especially thank Him for the shepherds - for your intercessors in the reconciliation with the Heavenly Father. I am thanking you, my children. Thank you."
March 2, 2013 Message From Our Lady of Medjugorje to World:
“Dear children; Anew, in a motherly way, I am calling you not to be of a hard heart. Do not shut your eyes to the warnings which the Heavenly Father sends to you out of love. Do you love Him above all else? Do you repent for having often forgotten that the Heavenly Father, out of His great love, sent His Son to redeem us by the Cross? Do you repent for not having accepted the message? My children, do not resist the love of my Son. Do not resist hope and peace. Along with your prayers and fasting, by His Cross, my Son will cast away the darkness that wants to surround you and come to rule over you. He will give you the strength for a new life. Living it according to my Son, you will be a blessing and a hope to all those sinners who wander in the darkness of sin. My children, keep vigil. I, as a mother, am keeping vigil with you. I am especially praying and watching over those whom my Son called to be light-bearers and carriers of hope for you – for your shepherds. Thank you.”
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Today's Word: benediction ben·e·dic·tion [ben-i-dik-shuh
n]
Origin: 11175–1225; Middle English < Latin ministerium, equivalent to minister minister + -ium -ium
noun
1. an utterance of good wishes.
2. the form of blessing pronounced by an officiating minister, as at the close of divine service.
3. a ceremony by which things are set aside for sacred uses, as a church, vestments, or bells.
4. ( usually initial capital letter ) . Also called Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. a service consisting of prayers, at least one prescribed hymn, censing of the congregation and the Host, and a blessing of the congregation by moving in the form of a cross the ciborium or monstrance containing the Host.
5. the advantage conferred by blessing; a mercy or benefit.
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Today's Old Testament Reading - Psalms 89:21-22, 25, 27
21 My hand will always be with him, my arm will make him strong.
22 'No enemy will be able to outwit him, no wicked man overcome him;
25 I shall establish his power over the sea, his dominion over the rivers.
27 So I shall make him my first-born, the highest of earthly kings.
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Today's Epistle - Isaiah 61:1-3, 6, 8-9
1 The spirit of Lord Yahweh is on me for Yahweh has anointed me. He has sent me to bring the news to the afflicted, to soothe the broken-hearted,
2 to proclaim liberty to captives, release to those in prison, to proclaim a year of favour from Yahweh and a day of vengeance for our God, to comfort all who mourn
3 (to give to Zion's mourners), to give them for ashes a garland, for mourning-dress, the oil of gladness, for despondency, festal attire; and they will be called 'terebinths of saving justice', planted by Yahweh to glorify him.
6 but you will be called 'priests of Yahweh' and be addressed as 'ministers of our God'. You will feed on the wealth of nations, you will supplant them in their glory.
8 For I am Yahweh: I love fair
judgement, I hate robbery and wrong-doing, and I shall reward them
faithfully and make an everlasting covenant with them.
9 Their race will be famous throughout the nations and their offspring throughout the peoples. All who see them will admit that they are a race whom Yahweh has blessed.
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Today's Gospel Reading - John 13:1-15
The Washing of the Feet
1. LECTIO
a) Initial Prayer
“When you speak, Lord, the
nothingness beats in life: the dry bones become living persons, the
desert flourishes… When I get ready to pray I feel dry, I do not know
what to say. Evidently, I am not in harmony with your will, my lips are
not in tune with my heart, my heart does not make an effort to get in
tune with yours. Renew my heart, purify my lips so that I can speak with
you as you want me to do it, so that I can speak with others as you
wish, so that I can speak with myself, with my interior world, as you
wish”. (L. Renna).
b) The Reading of the Gospel - John 13:1-15
1 Before the festival of the Passover,
Jesus, knowing that his hour had come to pass from this world to the
Father, having loved those who were his in the world, loved them to the
end. 2 They were at supper, and the devil had already put it into the
mind of Judas Iscariot son of Simon, to betray him. 3 Jesus knew that
the Father had put everything into his hands, and that he had come from
God and was returning to God, 4 and he got up from table, removed his
outer garments and, taking a towel, wrapped it round his waist; 5 he
then poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet and
to wipe them with the towel he was wearing. 6 He came to Simon Peter,
who said to him, 'Lord, are you going to wash my feet?' 7 Jesus
answered, 'At the moment you do not know what I am doing, but later you
will understand.' 8 'Never!' said Peter. 'You shall never wash my feet.'
Jesus replied, 'If I do not wash you, you can have no share with me.'
Simon Peter said, 9 'Well then, Lord, not only my feet, but my hands and
my head as well!' 10 Jesus said, 'No one who has had a bath needs
washing, such a person is clean all over. You too are clean, though not
all of you are.' 11 He knew who was going to betray him, and that was
why he said, 'though not all of you are'. 12 When he had washed their
feet and put on his outer garments again he went back to the table. 'Do
you understand', he said, 'what I have done to you? 13 You call me
Master and Lord, and rightly; so I am. 14 If I, then, the Lord and
Master, have washed your feet, you must wash each other's feet. 15 I
have given you an example so that you may copy what I have done to you.
c) Moments of prayerful silence
In a loving listening, words are not necessary, because silence also speaks and communicates love.
2. MEDITATIO
a) Preamble to the Passover of Jesus
The passage of the Gospel of today is
inserted in a literary whole which includes chapters 13-17. At the
beginning we have the account of the Last Supper which Jesus shares with
his disciples, during which he fulfils the gesture of the washing of
the feet (13, 1-30). Then Jesus interweaves a long dialogue of farewell
with his disciples (13, 31 – 14, 31). Chapters 15-17 have the function
to deepen further the previous discourse of the Master. Immediately,
after this, Jesus is arrested (18, 1-11). In any case, these events
narrated in 13, 17,26 are joined already in 13, 1 with the Passover of
Jesus. It is interesting to note this last annotation: from 12, 1 the
Passover is no longer called the Passover of the Jews, but of Jesus.
From now on, it is He, the Lamb of God who will liberate man from sin.
The Passover of Jesus is one that aims to liberate man: a new exodus
which permits to go from darkness to light (8, 12), and which will bear
life and feast in humanity (7, 37).
Jesus is aware that he is about to
conclude his journey toward the Father and, therefore he is about to
bring to an end his personal and definitive exodus. Such a passage,
going to the Father, takes place through the Cross, the central moment
in which Jesus will surrender his life for the good of man.
It strikes the reader when he becomes
aware how the Evangelist John knows how to present the person of Jesus
well, while he is aware of the last events of his life and therefore, of
his mission. So as to affirm that Jesus is not crushed or overcome by
the events which threaten his life, but that he is ready to give his
life. Before, the Evangelist has remarked that his hour had not arrived;
but now in the account of the washing of the feet he says that he is
aware that his hour is close at hand. Such a conscience is at the basis
of the expression of John: “After having loved those who were his in the
world, he loved them to the end” (v. 1). Love for “his own”, for those
who form the new community, has been evident while he was with them, but
it will shine in an eminent way in his death. Jesus shows such a love
in the gesture of the washing of the feet, which in its symbolical
value, shows the continuous love which is expressed in service.
b) The washing of the feet
Jesus is at an ordinary supper with
his disciples. He is fully conscious of the mission which the Father has
entrusted to him: the salvation of humanity depends on him. With such
an awareness he wishes to show “to his own”, through the washing of the
feet, how the work of salvation of the Father is fulfilled and to
indicate in such a gesture the surrender of his life for the salvation
of man. It is the will of Jesus that man be saved, and a longing desire
leads him to give up his life and to surrender. He is aware that the
Father gives Jesus complete freedom of action.
Besides, Jesus knows that his true provenance and the goal of his itinerary is God; he knows that his death on the Cross, the maximum expression of his love, is the last moment of his journey of salvation. His death is an “exodus”; it is the climax of his victory over death, in his surrender (giving his life) Jesus reveals to us the presence of God as the fullness of life and exemption from death.
With this full consciousness of his identity and of his complete liberty Jesus is prepared to fulfil the great and humble gesture of the washing of the feet. Such a gesture of love is described with a great number of verbs (eight) which render the scene absorbing, enthralling and full of significance. The Evangelist in presenting the last action of Jesus toward his own, uses this rhetorical figure of the accumulation of verbs without repeating himself in order that such a gesture remains impressed in the heart and mind of his disciples and of every reader and in order that a commandment may always be remembered, not forgotten. The gesture fulfilled by Jesus intends to show that true love is expressed in tangible actions of service. Jesus despoils himself of his garments and ties around his waist a towel or apron, symbol of service. More precisely, Jesus takes off his garments is an expression which expresses the significance of the gift of life. Which is the teaching which Jesus transmits to his disciples through this gesture? He shows them that love is expressed in service, in giving one’s life for others as he has done.
At the time of Jesus the washing of the feet was a gesture which expressed hospitality and welcome towards the guests. In an ordinary way it was done by a slave or also by the wife, concerning the wife and also the daughters toward their father. Besides, it was the custom that such a rite of the washing of the feet should be done before they sat at table and not during the meal. Such an insertion of Jesus’ action intends to stress or underline how singular or significant his gesture was.
And thus, Jesus gets down to wash the feet of his disciples. The repeated use of the apron which Jesus tied around his waist underlines the attitude of service which is a permanent attribute of the person of Jesus. In fact, when he will have finished the washing of the feet, Jesus does not take off the towel which he used as an apron. Such a detail intends to underline that the service-love does not end with his death. This minute detail shows the intention of the Evangelist to wish to underline the significance and importance of the gesture of Jesus. By washing the feet of his disciples Jesus intends to show them his love, which is one with that of the Father (10, 30.38). This image with which Jesus reveals God is really shocking: he is not a Sovereign who resides exclusively in Heaven, but he presents himself as the servant of humanity in order to raise it to the divine level. From this divine service flows, for the community of believers, that liberty which comes from the love which renders all its members as “lords” (free) because they are servants. It is like saying that only liberty creates the true love. From now on, service which the believers will render to man will have as its purpose that of restoring the relationship among men in whom equality and liberty are a consequence of the practice of reciprocal service. Jesus, with his gesture intends to show that any domination o tentative to prevail over man is contrary to the attitude of God who, instead, serves man to raise him to himself. Besides, the pretensions of superiority of one man over another, no longer have any sense, because the community founded by Jesus does not have any pyramidal characteristics, but horizontal dimensions, In which each one is at the service of others, following the example of God and of Jesus. In synthesis, the gesture which Jesus fulfilled expresses the following values: the love toward the brothers demands to be expressed in fraternal acceptance, hospitality, that is, in permanent service.
Besides, Jesus knows that his true provenance and the goal of his itinerary is God; he knows that his death on the Cross, the maximum expression of his love, is the last moment of his journey of salvation. His death is an “exodus”; it is the climax of his victory over death, in his surrender (giving his life) Jesus reveals to us the presence of God as the fullness of life and exemption from death.
With this full consciousness of his identity and of his complete liberty Jesus is prepared to fulfil the great and humble gesture of the washing of the feet. Such a gesture of love is described with a great number of verbs (eight) which render the scene absorbing, enthralling and full of significance. The Evangelist in presenting the last action of Jesus toward his own, uses this rhetorical figure of the accumulation of verbs without repeating himself in order that such a gesture remains impressed in the heart and mind of his disciples and of every reader and in order that a commandment may always be remembered, not forgotten. The gesture fulfilled by Jesus intends to show that true love is expressed in tangible actions of service. Jesus despoils himself of his garments and ties around his waist a towel or apron, symbol of service. More precisely, Jesus takes off his garments is an expression which expresses the significance of the gift of life. Which is the teaching which Jesus transmits to his disciples through this gesture? He shows them that love is expressed in service, in giving one’s life for others as he has done.
At the time of Jesus the washing of the feet was a gesture which expressed hospitality and welcome towards the guests. In an ordinary way it was done by a slave or also by the wife, concerning the wife and also the daughters toward their father. Besides, it was the custom that such a rite of the washing of the feet should be done before they sat at table and not during the meal. Such an insertion of Jesus’ action intends to stress or underline how singular or significant his gesture was.
And thus, Jesus gets down to wash the feet of his disciples. The repeated use of the apron which Jesus tied around his waist underlines the attitude of service which is a permanent attribute of the person of Jesus. In fact, when he will have finished the washing of the feet, Jesus does not take off the towel which he used as an apron. Such a detail intends to underline that the service-love does not end with his death. This minute detail shows the intention of the Evangelist to wish to underline the significance and importance of the gesture of Jesus. By washing the feet of his disciples Jesus intends to show them his love, which is one with that of the Father (10, 30.38). This image with which Jesus reveals God is really shocking: he is not a Sovereign who resides exclusively in Heaven, but he presents himself as the servant of humanity in order to raise it to the divine level. From this divine service flows, for the community of believers, that liberty which comes from the love which renders all its members as “lords” (free) because they are servants. It is like saying that only liberty creates the true love. From now on, service which the believers will render to man will have as its purpose that of restoring the relationship among men in whom equality and liberty are a consequence of the practice of reciprocal service. Jesus, with his gesture intends to show that any domination o tentative to prevail over man is contrary to the attitude of God who, instead, serves man to raise him to himself. Besides, the pretensions of superiority of one man over another, no longer have any sense, because the community founded by Jesus does not have any pyramidal characteristics, but horizontal dimensions, In which each one is at the service of others, following the example of God and of Jesus. In synthesis, the gesture which Jesus fulfilled expresses the following values: the love toward the brothers demands to be expressed in fraternal acceptance, hospitality, that is, in permanent service.
c) Peter’s Resistance
The reaction of Peter before the
gesture of Jesus is expressed in attitudes of surprise and protest.
There is also a change in the way in which he related to Jesus: Peter
calls him “Lord” (13, 6). In such a title Jesus is recognized as having a
level of superiority which is in conflict with the “washing” of the
feet, an action which belongs, instead, to an inferior subject. The
protest is expressed energetically by the words: “Are you going to wash
my feet?” In Peter’s eyes this humiliating gesture of the washing of the
feet seemed to him as an inversion of values which regulate the
relationship between Jesus and men: the first one is the Master, Peter
is a subject. Peter disapproves the equality which Jesus wants to create
among men. To such misunderstanding Jesus
responds inviting Peter to accept the sense of washing his feet as a
witness of his love toward him. More precisely, he wants to offer him a
concrete proof of how he and the Father love him.
But Peter in his reaction does not give in: he categorically refuses that Jesus should get down at his feet. According to Peter each one should carry out his own role, it is not possible to have a community or a society based on equality. It is not acceptable that Jesus abandons his position of superiority to render himself equal to his disciples. Such an idea of the Master disorientates Peter and leads him to protest. Not accepting the service of love of his Master, he neither accepts that he dies on the cross for him (12, 34; 13, 37). It is as to say that Peter is far away from understanding what is true love, and such an obstacle is an impediment so that Jesus can show it to him by his action. In the mean time, if Peter is not ready to share the dynamics of love which manifests itself in reciprocal service he cannot share the friendship with Jesus and runs the risk, truly, to exclude himself. Following the admonition of Jesus “If I do not wash you, you can have no share with me” (v. 8), Peter adheres to the threatening words of the Master, but without accepting the profound sense of the action of Jesus. He shows himself open, ready to let Jesus wash his feet, not only the feet, but also his hands and head. It seems that it is easier for Peter to accept Jesus’ gesture as an action of purification or ablution rather than as a service. But Jesus responds that the disciples have become pure (“clean”) at the moment when they accepted to allow themselves to be guided by the Word of the Master, rejecting that of the world. Peter and the disciples no longer need the Jewish rite of the purification but to allow themselves to have their feet washed by Jesus; or rather to allow themselves to be loved by him, conferring them dignity and liberty.
d) The Memorial of Love
At the end of the washing of the feet
Jesus intends to give his action a permanent validity for his community
and at the same time to leave to it a memorial or commandment which
should always regulate the fraternal relationships. Jesus is the Lord, not in the
dimension of domination, but in so far as he communicates the love of
the Father (his Spirit) which makes us children of God and qualified to
imitate Jesus who freely gives his love to his own. Jesus intended to
communicate such an interior attitude to his own, a love which does not
exclude anyone, not even Judas who is about to betray him. Therefore, if
the disciples call him Lord, they have to imitate him; if they consider
him Master, they have to listen to him.
e) Some question to meditate on
- he got up from the table: How do you
live the Eucharist? In a sedentary way or do you allow yourself to be
moved to action by the fire of the love which you receive? Do you run
the risk that the Eucharist in which you participate is lost in
contemplative Narcissism, without leading to the commitment of
solidarity and sharing? Your commitment in favour of justice, of the
poor, does it come from the habit of encountering Christ in the
Eucharist, from the familiarity with him?
- he removed his outer garments: when
from the Eucharist you go to daily life, do you know how to remove the
garments of your own benefit, your calculations, personal interests to
allow yourself to be guided by an authentic love toward others?
Or rather, after the Eucharist you are not capable of removing your garments of domination and of arrogance to put on those of simplicity, of poverty?
- taking a towel he wrapped it around
his waist: this is the image of the “Church of the apron”. In the life
of your family, of your ecclesial community, do you walk on the street
of service, of sharing? Are you directly involved in the service to the
poor and to the least? Do you know how to see the face of Christ who
asks to be served, loved in the poor?
3. ORATIO
a) Psalm 116 (114-115), 12-13; 15-16; 17-18
The Psalmist who finds himself in the
time and in the presence of the liturgical assembly sings his sacrifice
of thanksgiving. Voltaire who had a special predilection for v. 12
expressed himself as follows: “What can I offer to the Lord for all the
gifts which he has given me?”
What return can I make to Yahweh
for his generosity to me?
I shall take up the cup of salvation
and call on the name of Yahweh.
for his generosity to me?
I shall take up the cup of salvation
and call on the name of Yahweh.
Costly in Yahweh's sight
is the death of his faithful.
I beg you, Yahweh!
I am your servant,
I am your servant and my mother was your servant;
you have undone my fetters.
is the death of his faithful.
I beg you, Yahweh!
I am your servant,
I am your servant and my mother was your servant;
you have undone my fetters.
I shall offer you a sacrifice of thanksgiving
and call on the name of Yahweh.
I shall fulfil my vows to Yahweh,
witnessed by all his people
and call on the name of Yahweh.
I shall fulfil my vows to Yahweh,
witnessed by all his people
b) Final Prayer
Fascinated with the way in which God expressed his love toward his own, Origin prayed as follows:
Jesus, come, my feet are dirty.
Become a servant for me, pour the water in the basin;
come, wash my feet.
I know it, what I am saying is daring,
but I fear the threat of your words:
“If I do not wash you,
you can have no share with me”.
Wash then my feet,
so that I may have a share with you.
(Homily 5 on Isaiah)
Become a servant for me, pour the water in the basin;
come, wash my feet.
I know it, what I am saying is daring,
but I fear the threat of your words:
“If I do not wash you,
you can have no share with me”.
Wash then my feet,
so that I may have a share with you.
(Homily 5 on Isaiah)
And Saint Ambrose having an ardent desire to correspond to the love of Jesus, expresses himself as follows:
Oh, my Lord Jesus,
allow me to wash your sacred feet;
you got them dirty when you walked in my soul…
But where will I take the water from the fountain
to wash your feet?
In lacking that
I only have the eyes to weep:
bathing your feet with my tears,
do in such a way that I myself remain purified.
(Treatise on penance).
allow me to wash your sacred feet;
you got them dirty when you walked in my soul…
But where will I take the water from the fountain
to wash your feet?
In lacking that
I only have the eyes to weep:
bathing your feet with my tears,
do in such a way that I myself remain purified.
(Treatise on penance).
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Featured Item of the Day from Litany Lane
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Saint of the Day: Feria
Feast Day: March 28
Patron Saint:
Attributes:
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Today's Snippet I: Book 6, Chapter 7
The Mystical City of God,
The Divine History and
Life of The Virgin Mother of God
THE WAY OF THE CROSS.
The sentence of Pilate against our Savior having been
published in a loud voice before all the people, the executioners loaded the
heavy Cross, on which He was to be crucified, upon his tender and wounded
shoulders. In order that He might carry it they loosened the bonds holding
his hands, but not the others, since they wish to drag Him along by the loose
ends of the ropes bound his body. In order to torment Him the more they drew two
loops around his throat. The Cross was fifteen feet long, of thick and heavy
timbers. The herald began to proclaim the sentence and the whole confused and
turbulent multitude of the people, the executioners and soldiers, with great
noise, uproar and disorder began to move from the house of Pilate to mount
Calvary through the streets of Jerusalem. The Master and Redeemer of the world,
Jesus, before receiving the Cross looked upon it with a countenance full of
extreme joy and exultation such as would be shown by a bridegroom looking at the
rich adornments of his bride, and on receiving it, He addressed it as follows:
"O Cross, beloved of my soul, now prepared and ready to
still my longings, come to Me, that I may be received in thy arms, and that,
attached to them as on an altar, I may be accepted by the eternal Father as the
sacrifice of his everlasting reconciliation with the human race. In order to die
upon thee, I have descended from heaven and assumed mortal and passible flesh;
for thou art to be the sceptre with which I shall triumph over all my enemies,
the key with which I shall open the gates of heaven for all the predestined (Is.
22, 22), the sanctuary in which the guilty sons of Adam shall find mercy
and the treasurehouse for the enrichment of their poverty. Upon thee I desire to
exalt and recommend dishonor and reproach among men, in order that my friends
embrace them with joy, seek them with anxious longings, and follow Me on the
path which I through thee shall open up before them. My Father and eternal God,
I confess Thee as the Lord of heaven and earth (Matth. 11, 25), subjecting
Myself to thy power and to thy divine wishes, I take upon my shoulders the wood
for the sacrifice of my innocent and passible humanity and I accept it willingly
for the salvation of men. Receive Thou, eternal Father, this sacrifice as
acceptable to thy justice, in order that from today on they may not any more be
servants, but sons and heirs of thy kingdom together with Me" (Rom. 8, 17).
None of these sacred mysteries and happenings were hidden
from the great Lady of the world, Mary; for she had a most intimate knowledge
and understanding of them, far beyond that of all the angels. The events, which
She could not see with the eyes of her body, She perceived by her intelligence
and revealed science, which manifested to Her the interior operation of her most
holy Son. By this divine light She recognized the infinite value of the wood of
the Cross after it had come in contact with the deified humanity of Jesus our
Redeemer. Immediately She venerated and adored it in a manner befitting it. The
same was also done by the heavenly spirits attending upon the Queen. She
imitated her divine Son in the tokens of affections, with which He received the
Cross, addressing it in the words suited to her office as Coadjutrix of the
Redeemer. By her prayers to the eternal Father She followed Him in his exalted
sentiments as the living original and exemplar, without failing in the least
point. When She heard the voice of the herald publishing and rehearsing the
sentence through the streets, the heavenly Mother in protest against the
accusations contained in the sentence and in the form of comments on the glory
and honor of the Lord, composed a canticle of praise worship of the innocence
and sinlessness of her all-holy Son and God. The most loving Mother was so
admirably faithful in her sufferings and in imitating the example of Christ our
God, that She never permitted Herself any easement either of her bodily pains,
such as rest, nourishment, or sleep; nor any relaxation of the spirit, such as
any consoling thoughts or considerations, except when She was visited
from on high by divine influence. Then only would She humbly and thankfully
accept relief, in order that She might recover strength to attend still more
fervently to the object of her sorrows and to the cause of his sufferings. The
same wise consideration She applied to the malicious behavior of the Jews and
their servants, to the needs of the human race, to their threatening ruin, and
to the ingratitude of men, for whom He suffered. Thus She perfectly and
intimately knew of all these things and felt it more deeply than all the
creatures.
Another hidden and astonishing miracle was wrought by the
right hand of God through the instrumentality of the blessed Mary against
Lucifer and his infernal spirits. It took place in the following manner: The
dragon and his associates, though they could not understand the humiliation of
the Lord, were most attentive to all that happened in the Passion of the Lord.
Now, when He took upon Himself the Cross, all these enemies felt a new
and mysterious tremor and weakness, which caused in them great consternation and
confused distress. Conscious of these unwonted and invincible feelings the
prince of darkness feared, that in the Passion and Death of Christ our Lord some
dire and irreparable destruction of his reign was imminent. In order not to be
overtaken by it in the presence of Christ our God, the dragon resolved to retire
and fly with all his followers to the caverns of hell. But when he sought to
execute this resolve, he was prevented by the great Queen and Mistress of all
creation; for the Most High, enlightening Her and intimating to Her what She was
to do, at the same time invested Her with his power. The heavenly Mother,
turning toward Lucifer and his squadrons, by her imperial command hindered them
from flying; ordering them to await and witness the Passion to the end on mount
Calvary. The demons could not resist the command of the mighty Queen; for they
recognized and felt the divine power operating in Her. Subject to her sway they
followed Christ as so many prisoners dragged along in chains to Calvary, where
the eternal wisdom had decreed to triumph over from the throne of the Cross, as
we shall see later on. There is nothing which can exemplify the discouragement
and dismay, which from that moment began to oppress Lucifer and his demons.
According to our way of speaking, they walked along to Calvary like criminals
condemned to a terrible death, and seized by the dismay and consternation of an
inevitable punishment.
The executioners, bare of all human compassion and kindness,
dragged our Savior Jesus along with incredible cruelty and insults. Some of them
jerked Him forward by the ropes in order to accelerate his passage, while others
pulled from behind in order to retard it. On account of this jerking and the
weight of the Cross they caused Him to sway to and fro and often to fall to the
ground. By the hard knocks He thus received on the rough stones great wounds
were opened, especially on the two knees and they were widened at each repeated
fall. The heavy Cross also inflicted a wound on the shoulder on which it was
carried. The unsteadiness caused the Cross sometimes to knock against his sacred
head, and sometimes the head against the Cross; thus the thorns of his crown
penetrated deeper and wounded the parts, which they had not yet reached. To
these torments of the body the ministers of evil added many insulting words and
execrable affronts, ejecting their impure spittle and throwing the dirt of the
pavement into his face so mercilessly, that they blinded the eyes that looked
upon them with such divine mercy. Thus they of their own account condemned
themselves to the loss of the graces, with which his very looks were fraught. By
the haste with which they dragged Him along in their eagerness to see Him die,
they did not allow Him to catch his breath; for his most innocent body, having
been in so few hours overwhelmed with such a storm of torments, was so weakened
and bruised that to all appearances He was ready to yield up life under his
pains and sorrows.
From the house of Pilate the sorrowful and stricken Mother
followed with the multitudes on the way of her divine Son, accompanied by saint
John and the pious women. As the surging crowds hindered Her from getting very
near to the Lord, She asked the eternal Father to be permitted to stand at the
foot of the Cross of her blessed Son and see Him die with her own eyes.
With the divine consent She ordered her angels to manage things in such a way as
to make it possible for her to execute her wishes. The holy angels obeyed Her
with great reverence; and they speedily led the Queen through some bystreet, in
order that She might meet her Son. Thus it came that both of Them met face to
face in sweetest recognition of each Other and in mutual renewal of each other's
interior sorrows. Yet They did not speak to one another, nor would the fierce
cruelty of the executioners have permitted such interaction. But the most
prudent Mother adored her divine Son and true God, laden with the Cross; and
interiorly besought Him, that, since She could not relieve him of the weight of
the Cross since She was not permitted to command her holy angels to lighten it,
He would inspire these ministers of cruelty to procure some one for his
assistance. This prayer was heard by the Lord Christ ; and so it happened, that
Simon of Cyrene was afterwards impressed to carry the Cross with the Lord
(Matth. 27, 32). The pharisees and the executioners were moved to this
measure, some of them out of natural compassion, others for fear lest Christ,
the Author of life, should lose his life by exhaustion before it could be taken
from Him on the Cross.
Beyond all human thought and estimation was the sorrow of the
most sincere Dove and Virgin Mother while She thus witnessed with her own eyes
her Son carrying the Cross to Mount Calvary; for She alone could fittingly know
and love Him according to his true worth. It would have been impossible for Her
to live through this ordeal, if the divine power had not strengthened Her and
preserved Her life. With bitterest sorrow She addressed the Lord and spoke to
Him in her heart: "My Son and eternal God, light of my eyes and life of my
soul, receive, O Lord, the sacrifice of my not being able to relieve Thee of the
burden of the Cross and carry it myself, who am a daughter of Adam; for it is I
who should die upon it in love of Thee, as Thou now wishest to die in most
ardent love of the human race. O most loving Mediator between guilt and justice!
How dost Thou cherish mercy in the midst of so great injuries and such heinous
offenses! O charity without measure or bounds, which permits such torments and
affronts in order to afford it a wider scope for its ardor and efficacy! O
infinite and sweetest love, would that hearts and the wills of men were all
mine, so that they could give no such thankless return for all that Thou
endurest! O who will speak to the hearts of the mortals to teach them what they
owe to Thee, since Thou hast paid so dearly for their salvation from ruin!"
WORDS OF THE QUEEN. (The Virgin Mary speaks to Sister Mary of
Agreda, Spain.)
I desire that the fruit of the obedience with which thou
writest the history of my life shall be, that thou become a true disciple of my
most holy Son and of myself. The main purpose of the exalted and venerable
mysteries, which are made known to thee, and of the teachings, which I so often
repeat to thee, is that thou deny and strip thyself, estranging thy heart from
all affection to creatures, neither wishing to posses them nor accept them for
other uses. By this precaution thou wilt overcome the impediments, which the
devils seek to place in the way of the dangerous softness of thy nature. I who
know thee, thus advise and lead thee by the way of instruction and correction as
Mother and Instructress. By the divine teaching thou knowest the mysteries of
the Passion and Death of Christ and the one true way of life, which is the
Cross; and thou knowest that not all who are called, are chosen. Many there are
who wish to follow Christ and very few who truly dispose themselves to imitate
Him; for as soon as they feel the sufferings of the Cross they cast it aside.
Laborious exertions are very painful and averse to human nature according to the
flesh; and the fruits of the spirit are more hidden and few guide themselves by
the light. On this account there are so many among mortals, who, forgetful of
the eternal truths, seek the flesh; and the continual indulgence of its
pleasures. They ardently seek honors and fly from injuries: they strive after
riches, and condemn poverty; they long after pleasure and dread mortification.
All these are enemies of the Cross of Christ (Phil. 3, 18), and with dreadful
aversion they fly from it, deeming it sheer ignominy, just like those who
crucified Christ, the Lord.
Another deceit has spread through the world: many imagine
that they are following Christ their Master, though they neither suffer
affliction nor engage in any exertion or labor. They are content with avoiding
boldness in committing sins, and place all their perfection in a certain
prudence or hollow self-love, which prevents them from denying anything to their
will and from practicing any virtues at the cost of their flesh. They would
easily escape this deception, if they would consider that my Son was not only
the Redeemer, but their Teacher; and that He left in this world the treasures of
his Redemption not only as a remedy against its eternal ruin, but as a necessary
medicine for the sickness of sin in human nature. No one knew so much as my Son
and Lord; no one could better understand the quality of love than the divine
Lord, who was and is wisdom and charity itself; and no one was more able to
fulfill all his wishes (I John 4, 16). Nevertheless, although He well could do
it, He chose not a life of softness and ease for the flesh, but one full of
labors and pains; for He judged his instructions to be incomplete and
insufficient to redeem man, if He failed teach them how to overcome the demon,
the flesh and their own self. He wished to inculcate, that this magnificent
victory is gained by the Cross, by labors, penances, mortifications and the
acceptance of contempt: all of which are the trademarks and evidences of true
love and the special watchwords of the predestined.
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Catechism of the Catholic Church
Part Two: The Celebration of the Christian Mystery, Sect 1:2:5
CHAPTER ONE THE PASCHAL MYSTERY IN THE AGE OF THE CHURCH
Article 2 THE PASCHAL MYSTERY IN THE CHURCH'S SACRAMENTS
V. The Sacraments of Eternal Life
1130
The Church celebrates the mystery of her Lord "until he comes," when
God will be "everything to everyone."1 Cor 11:26;
⇒ 15:28. Since the apostolic
age the liturgy has been drawn toward its goal by the Spirit's groaning in the
Church: Marana tha! The liturgy thus shares in Jesus' desire: "I
have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you . . . until it is
fulfilled in the kingdom of God."Lk 22:15 In the sacraments of Christ
the Church already receives the guarantee of her inheritance and even now
shares in everlasting life, while "awaiting our blessed hope, the
appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Christ
Jesus."Titus 2:13 The "Spirit and the Bride say, 'Come . . . Come, Lord Jesus!"'Rev 22:17, ⇒ 20
St. Thomas sums up the various
aspects of sacramental signs: "Therefore a sacrament is a sign that commemorates
what precedes it - Christ's Passion; demonstrates what is accomplished in us
through Christ's Passion - grace; and prefigures what that Passion pledges to
us - future glory."St. Thomas Aquinas, STh III, 60,
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