The Silence of Holy Saturday

Despite most people's regular work or shopping day, yard work, or Easter Sunday preparations, liturgically, this is the quietest day of the Church Year:  no Mass, no Gospel passage, empty tabernacles,  just silence as Jesus lies in the sealed tomb.  Lent is officially over, but some people continue fasting this day to commemorate the absence of Jesus.  Really, a good day to MAKE time to reflect on what happened to us during Lent as well as on the mission of Jesus.  His conquest of Death will be finalized by his Resurrection, but for now, we visualize him descending to the realm of the dead to free Adam, Eve and all who have gone before him. An ancient and beautiful homily portrays Jesus as calling Adam from his sleep, Awake O Sleeper, and with vivid imagery recounts the conversation between the Creator, and Adam, the man who became his father, whose sin called forth the Sinless One to take on all sins and wipe them away by his death.  There are many paradoxes and blessings we can ponder today.  Let us take the opportunity to be silent and do so.
Bro. Rene

Selfless Sacrifice

Good Friday...a solemn day, fittingly, the Book of Lamentations is appropriate, for there is much to lament, and yet much over which to rejoice and give thanks.  We wail over the abandonment and destruction of Jerusalem, a wailing that applies to the death of Jesus...abandoned by all, save for his mother, Mary Magdalene and his beloved disciple John at the foot of his cross.  He cries out with the words of Psalm 22, "My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?" (Ps 22 1). His mission, his three years of preaching and healing, of remaining faithful to his Father's will, end in apparent utter failure. The pain of the scourging, the betrayal, denial, and do not equal the pain of rejection and failure.  Truly, "he emptied himself" and had nothing more to give than to turn his spirit over to his Father:  the total selfless sacrifice.
There are times in our lives when we feel some of this...rejections from all colleges or medical schools to which we applied...the feeling of  "Now what, where?"  A similar loneliness and abandonment to what Jesus felt.  A call to unite with Jesus on the cross and turn our lives and futures completely over to the Father.  As clearly demonstrated by the Resurrection, this is only a passing phase leading to something better than we have ever planned or for which we have hoped.  Let us all, no matter what our circumstances, turn ourselves over to this loving Father and continue to trust in him and serve him.
 Almighty and eternal God, you have restored us to life by the triumphant death and resurrection of Christ. Continue this healing work within us. May we who participate in this mystery never cease to serve you. We ask this in the name of Jesus the Lord. Amen.   Post Communion Prayer for Good Friday. 

A Day of Gifts

Holy Thursday, the first day of the Triduum, three days focused on the last days of Jesus and culminating with the Resurrection, celebrates the institution of the priesthood and the Holy Eucharist, and the example of service symbolized by the washing of the feet....the maundatum in Latin, giving the name Maundy Thursday to this day.  It is a day we learn what Jesus meant to give of self, to serve, and not to count the cost.  He has given us the example, and as his followers, he asks us to do the same.  An would-be impossible task, if he did not feed us with himself in the Eucharist, the reception of which makes us a bit more like him each time we receive it.  The priesthood insures that the Bread of Life will always be available.  Jesus thought of everything.  May we show our gratitude by incorporating his example into our lives.
Bro. Rene

Thirty Pieces of Silver

As we hear Matthew's account of the betrayal ( Mt 26:14-15) today, we might ask how a chosen disciple of Jesus could "sell" his leader for a relatively small sum of money.  More importantly, we might examine ourselves and our behaviors, which, although not the exact equivalent of taking money for the life of another human being, friend or foe, in small ways might be considered betrayals and sell-offs for reputation, misplaced esteem, or acceptance.  Gossip, "locker room" tales and jokes told to impress and "fit in",  neglect of weekly worship, disregard for poor and struggling families, "cheating" on the job, cheating on a spouse...breaking any of the commandments and finding excuses to justify ourselves and not admit guilt...the list piles up. What do we gain for these measly pieces of silver?  Is there not a misdirected Judas within each one of us?  It is exactly for him that Jesus died...let us not betray him by refusing his merciful love.
Bro .Rene

Betrayal, Denial

It seems that Judas, son of Simon the Iscariot had given at least some thought to turning Jesus over to the Pharisees, but Peter in his protest to "lay down his life for Jesus" (Jn 13:37) demonstrates that his denial was born of fear "on the spot" and not premeditated. Seems like another example of what St. Paul describes and what we all know:  The good that I want to do, I do not, and the evil I do not want to do, I do." (Rm 7:19)   Judas is evidently haunted by his guilt which progressively engulfs him, even to the point of recognizing that he has betrayed an innocent man, with the opportunity to ask forgiveness, but continues in his despair to suicide.  Peter, realizing what he had done, weeps bitterly under the glance from Jesus, but does not despair, and rises from his fall to reassume his leadership role among the Apostles, and the Church.
We carry elements of both these men within us in our daily betrayals and denials, needing  the strength and courage that come from the eyes of Jesus to choose the path or Peter and not the path of Judas. Jesus, look upon me in my weakness and in your mercy, save me from discouragement and despair.
Bro. Rene

Attentive to Jesus

Holy Week gives us the opportunity to BE with Jesus.  The example of Mary, sister of Martha and Lazarus sets the stage for the week as she anoints the feet of Jesus with an expensive perfume and dries them with her hair.  What an intimate expression of the love and attentiveness which seems to have been her habitual way of relating to him.  We are aware of the classic situation when she sat attentive to Jesus while Martha "was busy about many things."  Jesus enjoyed her company, and, evidently she enjoyed his.  Jesus defends her lavish "waste" of the costly nard, acknowledging his appreciation at being so "coddled" (for he would not always be with them),  and  hinting of his burial. We have no indication that Mary knew that a few days hence, that burial would take place, but she wanted to show her extreme love for him at any cost, even to the criticism it provoked.
In what ways can we anoint the feet of Jesus?  In what ways can we express our love for him who has expressed his love for us in such an extreme way?
Bro. Rene

A Disturbing Week

The Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem sets the stage for a disturbing week. With disturbing news hitting us daily, we might be desensitized to the events of Jesus's final week, but let's not be. Acclaimed with palms and hosanna's as he enters Jerusalem, he will leave it mounted on a cross atop Calvary five days later. Within that time, confrontation, betrayal, denial, abandonment, scourging, mockery, total emptying even as he gives himself to us in Bread and Wine and saves us from eternal death by his death.  We know that his death is not the end, for there is the glorious Resurrection on Easter Sunday, a week from now, but to get there, even though he dreaded it and we too might dread it and want to jump from now to Easter, skipping the suffering, these measured steps must be taken one at a time.  May we willingly enter into this week, as Jesus did, side by side with him to support him in some small way as Dismas, the Good Thief did, returning our love and gratitude for his limitless and universal love.
Bro. Rene