The First of the 12 Paschal Vigil Prophecies is from Genesis chapter 1 thru 2:2. We have assigned this reading for March 15th and 18th.
From: The Liturgical Year by Dom Prosper Gueranger Vol. VI
Continue reading “Lenten Blog: The First Prophecy”Think On Death
Just yesterday we received the blessed ashes made from the burning of last year’s Palms from Palm Sunday. At the imposition the priest said over us: “Remember man that thou art dust, and to dust thou shalt return”
Death is sanitized in our day and often we do not face it, or even have the opportunity to face it squarely, because it is so easily covered and hidden by modern advances. People “pass away”, or “are no longer with us”, we are afraid or embarrassed to say plainly they are dead. This is a great disservice to us and cheats us of one of the most important aspects of life and that is the contemplation of death. This is good medicine to prepare us for life everlasting. For those who believe in the Resurrection meditation on one’s death is no morbid exercise, but rather a fuel for holiness.
Continue reading “Think On Death”Beginning Lent
The upcoming posts which I intend to offer somewhat regularly thru Lent will consist of reflections given to the community at St. Patrick’s. We are reading thru the four Gospels and the 12 Paschal Vigil Prophesies Monday thru Saturday and concluding on the Saturday before Holy Week, (see reading list).
For those who might like to join us in the readings or simply follow along below is:
- Today’s reflection
- An admonition not to waste another lent
- The Lenten lectionary of the Gospels and 12 prophesies
The Holy Innocents
On the feast of the Savior’s Nativity we read the account of the Angel who appeared to the shepherds and said “I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people… “
And yet just three days following this announcement of joy and peace we are jarred by today’s remembrance of the brutal slaughter of the babes of Bethlehem and surrounding districts.
Continue reading “The Holy Innocents”The Visitation
Immediately following his opening lines to the most excellent Theophilus, Luke tells the story of the conception of St. John the Baptist. The Gospel message always begins with the prophets and usually with the greatest of the prophets, John the Baptist. We would also note it was a requirement for the Apostle who would replace Judas as a foundational stone of the Church to have been personally acquainted with and a participant in the ministry of John. This special relationship between John and Jesus is nowhere more obvious than in the first chapter of Luke’s gospel. Continue reading “The Visitation”
Pentecost V: More Righteous Than a Pharisee
Our Gospel lesson is from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount and begins with an arduous requirement:
“For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.” (Matt. 5:20) Continue reading “Pentecost V: More Righteous Than a Pharisee”
Holiness Leads to Happiness
There is nothing more important in this life than to possess and be possessed by the Holy Spirit. The descent of the Spirit at Pentecost fulfills Christ’s saving death and even creation itself. God created the world so that He might become a man, and he became man so that he might in the Ascension take our humanity into heaven, and he took our humanity into heaven so that He could send the Spirit to us, and He sent the Spirit to us so that the Spirit might take us to where He is in heaven. All that to say: the Spirit descends that we might ascend. Continue reading “Holiness Leads to Happiness”
Man Enthroned
We endured the 40 days of Lent in preparation for the Joy of Christ’s Resurrection. We now come to the end of the 40 day period of Paschal tide. In these 40 days the Resurrected Lord remained with us, manifesting his glorious presence and teaching concerning the kingdom of God. One of the critical things he did during this time was to cement the Apostles in their authority as the foundation of the Church. He taught them and gave them commandments concerning the establishment and governance of His Church. I believe it was during this time that the foundation was laid at least in their hearts for what would become the Gospels and much of the NT.
An Excerpt from Adult Bible Study Notes on Hebrews 4:12
THE WORD OF GOD
Hebrew 4:12 For the word of God is quick (living), and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner (judge) of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
Continue reading “An Excerpt from Adult Bible Study Notes on Hebrews 4:12”
Ashes for Joy
It may strike you as odd that on Ash Wednesday we read a passage from Jesus’s sermon on the Mount, in which he warns us not to be like the hypocrites who, when they fast, adopt a sad countenance and disfigure their faces so they may appear to be fasting. After all, we have just smeared ashes on our foreheads to mark the beginning of Holy Lent, (a practice dating back to ancient times).