The Feast Of Mercy

April 27-28 2019: 2nd Sunday of Easter, Divine Mercy Sunday.

During the course of Jesus' revelations to Saint Faustina on the Divine Mercy He asked on numerous occasions that a feast day be dedicated to the Divine Mercy and that this feast be celebrated on the Sunday after Easter. The liturgical texts of that day, the 2nd Sun-day of Easter, concern the institution of the Sacrament of Penance, the Tribunal of the Divine Mercy, and are thus already suited to the request of Our Lord. This Feast, which had already been granted to the nation of Poland and been celebrated within Vatican City, was granted to the Universal Church by Pope John Paul II on the occasion of the canonization of Sr. Faustina on 30 April 2000. In a decree dated 23 May 2000, the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments stated that "throughout the world the Second Sunday of Easter will receive the name Divine Mercy Sunday, a perennial   invitation to the Christian world to face, with confidence in divine benevolence, the difficulties and trials that mankind will experience in the years to come." These papal acts represent the highest endorsement that the Church can give to a private revelation, an act of  papal infallibility  proclaiming the certain sanctity of the mystic, and the granting of a universal feast, as requested by Our Lord to St. Faustina. 

Concerning the Feast of Mercy Jesus said:
Whoever approaches the Fountain of Life on this day will be granted complete forgiveness of sins and punishment. (Diary 300)

I want the image solemnly blessed on the first Sunday after Easter, and I want it to be venerated publicly so that every soul may know about it. (Diary 341)
This Feast emerged from the very depths of My mercy, and it is confirmed in the vast depths of my tender mercies. (Diary 420)

“On one occasion, I heard these words: My daughter, tell the whole world about My Inconceivable mercy. I desire that the Feast of Mercy be a refuge and shelter for all souls, and especially for poor sinners. On that day the very depths of My tender mercy are open. I pour out a whole ocean of graces upon those souls who approach the fount of My mercy. The soul that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion shall obtain complete forgiveness of sins and punishment.* [our emphasis] On that day all the divine floodgates through which grace flow are opened. Let no soul fear to draw near to Me, even though its sins be as scarlet. My mercy is so great that no mind, be it of man or of angel, will be able to fathom it throughout all eternity.  Everything that exists has come forth from the very depths of My most tender mercy. Every soul in its relation to Me will contemplate My love and mercy through-out eternity. The Feast of Mercy emerged from My very depths of tenderness. It is My desire that it be solemnly celebrated on the first Sunday after Easter. Mankind will not have peace until it turns to the Fount of My Mercy.” (Diary 699)

Yes, the first Sunday after Easter is the Feast of Mercy, but there must also be deeds of mercy, which are to arise out of love for Me. You are to show mercy to our neighbours always and everywhere. You must not shrink from this or try to absolve yourself from it. (Diary 742)

I want to grant complete pardon to the souls that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion on the Feast of My mercy. (Diary 1109)

 

As you can see the Lord's desire for the Feast includes the solemn, public  veneration of the Image of Divine Mercy by the Church, as well as personal acts of veneration and mercy. The great promise for the individual soul is that a devotional act of sacramental penance and   Communion will obtain for that soul the plenitude of the divine mercy on the Feast.

*The Cardinal of Krakow, Cardinal Macharski, whose diocese is the centre of the spread of the devotion and the sponsor of the Cause of Sr. Faustina, has written that we should use Lent as preparation for the Feast and confess even before Holy Week! So, it is clear that the confessional requirement does not have to be met on the Feast itself. That would be an impossible burden for the clergy if it did. The Communion requirement is easily met that day, however, since it is a day of obligation, being Sunday. We would only need confession again, if received earlier in Lenten or Easter Season, if we were in the state of mortal sin on the Feast.

 

(https://www.ewtn.com/Devotionals/mercy/feast.htm)

When did Jesus rise from the dead?

April 20-21 2019: EASTER SUNDAY
When did Jesus rise from the dead?

 

In the Gospel accounts, Jesus is said to have risen from the dead "on the third day" or "after three days." This appears to be a contradiction in terms, and could make it appear that there are multiple possibilities as to when Jesus rose from the dead. Also, the fact that Jesus died on a Friday makes these phrases even more confusing, as a Sunday resurrection could be scrutinized based on this discrepancy.

However, according to biblical scholar Ben Witherington, it should not worry us, as the Gospel writers were not using terms that have the same scientific precision that our modern language possess.

The problem with this sort of modern reasoning is that it assumes the Gospel writers intended always to write with precision on this matter. In fact the phrase "after three days" in the New Testament can simply mean "after a while" or "after a few days" without any clear specificity beyond suggesting several days, in this case parts of three days, would be involved.

Witherington even showed an example from the Old Testament in which "‘after three days’ means the very same thing as ‘on the third day.'" So while these phrases in modern English appear to be contradictory, "These texts were not written to meet our modern exacting standards when it comes to time." Furthermore, "days" in Jewish reckoning were not the midnight-to-midnight 24 hours that we use today, and typically started at sundown of one day and ended on the following sun-down.

 

Getting back to the primary question, when did Jesus rise from the dead?

According to the traditional biblical narrative, Jesus died on a Friday afternoon, the "day of preparation" before the Sabbath, which for Jews was on Saturday. Apologist Jimmy Akin reconstructs the timeline of Jesus’ death and resurrection, based on the Gospels and Jewish traditions, as follows.

If Jesus was crucified and died Friday afternoon, that would be the first day; at sundown on Friday the second day would begin; then at sundown on Saturday the third day would begin. So Jesus was indeed "raised on the third day" (Matthew 20:19).

This is consistent with Matthew’s account of the women who visited the empty tomb on Sunday morning, "After the sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb … Then the angel said to the women in reply, ‘Do not be afraid! I know that you are seeking Jesus the crucified. He is not here, for he has been raised just as he said'" (Matthew 28:5-6).

As a result, Jesus likely rose from the dead between sundown on Saturday and dawn on Sunday, before Mary Magdalene reached the tomb. It’s not surprising that the Church has always followed this timeline, with the Easter Vigil service on Saturday night already celebrating Jesus’ resurrection. This placement of Jesus’ death on Saturday night corresponds with the biblical narrative and Jewish practices at the time.

While we don’t know the exact time Jesus rose from the dead, the important part is that Jesus did rise from the dead and opened for us the gates of Heaven and the promise of a future resurrection at the end of this world

Philip Kosloski Aleteia, Apr 15, 2019

What does Jesus have that they don’t?

April 13-14 2019: Palm Sunday

Jesus bests his opponents, even on the cross, What does Jesus have that they don’t? We get to see how Jesus compares to various leaders this Sunday, in the readings for Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion, Year C.  

Luke’s Gospel juxtaposes them deliberately: We meet the cocky apostles and their modest leader, the unfair, timid Pilate and his courageous victim.
 
Jesus literally takes the form of bread for his Apostles; they argue about which of them is greatest.
 

Jesus begins by saying, "I have eagerly desired to have this meal with you."

He institutes the Eucharist saying, "This is my body which is given up for you." He institutes the priesthood, saying, "Do this in memory of me."
 The first communicants and first priests respond by breaking out into a boasting argument. They have totally missed the point of Jesus’ washing of their feet and providing them the Eucharist, and he has to lecture them at length to get them back on track.
 
Jesus faces death with great reluctance, then accepts it; Peter brags that he is ready to die, then rejects it.
 

In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus prays, "Father, if you are willing, remove this chalice from me; nevertheless not my will but yours be done." He was eager to share the Eucharist with his apostles, but he is not eager to die. Humanly, he shrinks from the pain.
 
Peter brags, "Lord, I am ready to go with you to prison and death." But then he hears, "Peter, the crock will not crow this day, until you three times deny that you know me."


Jesus’ obedience to the Father overcomes the Agony in the Garden, where he "encounters all the temptations and confronts all the sins of humanity," as St. John Paul put it.

But Peter’s obedience to Jesus can’t even overcome his sleepiness.

Peter betrays Jesus and runs away, while Jesus strengthens everyone he meets.
Jesus tells Peter, "I have prayed that your own faith may not fail … you must strengthen your brothers," but Peter’s faith can’t even withstand the scrutiny of a maid who confronts him when Jesus is on trial.

Meanwhile, Jesus, despite being beaten and driven to death, spends his last moments on earth teaching the Apostles, healing the soldier that Peter wounds, teaching the women of Jerusalem, forgiving his killers, reaching out to the thief crucified with him, and even converting a centurion.
 

Jesus shows his greatness while the leaders in the story shame themselves.
Jesus endures getting slapped, spit on, ridiculed and being humiliated intellectually and emotionally: He gets betrayed by his friends, bettered in unfair arguments framed by the Sanhedrin and Pilate and then dismissed as inconsequential by Herod.

But despite it all, his attackers come off looking worse than Jesus.
 He shows he is a better man than the Council, by refusing to play their game. They want to know if Jesus claims he is the Christ, not whether he is the Christ. Jesus explains their attitude: "If I tell you, you will not believe, and if I question, you will not respond." They are totally closed.
 
Jesus shows he is a better man that Herod by shutting down his inquiry altogether. Herod has Jesus dressed in a mocking costume but it is Herod who looks ridiculous, not Jesus.
 

Jesus shows he is a better man than Pilate, who decides that Jesus is "not guilty" but he still has him flogged, and eventually crucifies him because he can’t oppose the crowd.

Jesus is such a master of the situation that he can stay true to his resolve despite great cruelty. Pilate is so mastered by the situation that he can’t even oppose his own subjects.
 What does Jesus have that they don’t?



The letter of St. Paul describes it: "He humbled himself, becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross."

Jesus had humility and obedience. These are the key virtues throughout salvation history. Adam and Eve fell because they were proud and stubborn; Noah survived because he was humble and obedient. Abraham showed his humility and obedience with Isaac; Moses showed Pharaoh and then the Israelites the consequences of arrogantly refusing God’s will.
 
The lesson he wants each of us to take is that there is no future for us without humility and obedience, either.
 

We are not great enough to take on the world on our own terms; if we try to, we will fail. God created the world, and we can only succeed on his terms. If we obey him, we will thrive — even if he leads us to a cross.

Tom Hoopes, Aleteia, Apr 11, 2019

Holy Week and Easter: some notes.

5th Sunday of Lent

Holy Week and Easter: some notes.

Palm Sunday: We commemorate Our Lord’s triumphant entrance into Jerusalem just days before His betrayal and death. The 10:30am Mass begins in the back yard of the presbytery. Take the blessed palms home. They may be placed in a prominent position as a reminder of the feast and its message.
Tuesday Second Rite of Reconciliation: The Second Rite highlights the communal effect of sin. In addition to the Salesian priests, there will also be some Dominican confessors. Whether you attend the Second Rite or not, resolve to use this wonderful sacrament before Easter.
 Wednesday Chrism Mass at St Patrick’s Cathedral.

Feel free to attend. Bishop Vincent will bless the holy oils used in the administration of the sacraments during the coming year.  

Holy (Maundy) Thursday: We commemorate the institution of the Eucharist, the institution of the ministerial priesthood, and Our Lord’s command to love one another, liturgically expressed in the ‘mandatum’, the washing of the feet. In his 2016 liturgical decree on this matter, Pope Francis expressed the desire that those participating in this ceremony be representative of the entire community, (rather than just viri, men) "to express the full meaning of the gesture performed by Jesus at the Last Supper, his gift of himself ‘to the end’ for the salvation of the world, his boundless charity."

Good Friday: Good Friday is a day of fast and abstinence, according to ancient tradition. The Liturgy of the Hours (Morning Prayer and Office of Readings) will be recited in the church at 9am. There will be a Passion play in the MacKillop Centre at 11am; and the main liturgical action, the Celebration of the Lord’s Passion, will be at 3pm. On this day there is no Mass throughout the Universal Church, but there is holy communion.

Holy Saturday: The Liturgy of the Hours (Morning Prayer and Office of Readings) will be recited in the church at 9am. The Easter Vigil begins in the back yard of the presbytery at 8pm with the Easter fire. We process into the dark church with lighted candles, lit from the Paschal candle, symbolising Christ, the Light of the world.

Easter Sunday: Please note that there is no 5:30pm evening Mass on Easter Sunday.

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This prayer before a crucifix reminds us of our role in the crucifixion.

My Divine Saviour, what didst Thou become, when for love of souls Thou didst suffer Thyself to be bound to the pillar? Ah! how truly then was fulfilled the word of the Prophet, saying of Thee that from head to foot Thou shouldst be all one wound, so as to be no longer recognizable! What shame Thou didst endure when they stripped Thee of Thy garments! What torments Thou didst undergo in that tempest of countless blows! In what torrents did Thy Most Precious Blood gush forth from Thy bursting veins!

I know well it was not so much the injustice of the Roman governor and the cruelty of the soldiers that scourged Thee as my sins. O accursed sins, that have cost Thee so many pains! Alas, what hardness of heart, when notwithstanding Thy manifold sufferings for me I have continued to offend Thee! But from this day forth it shall be so no longer. United to Thee by bonds of loyalty for ever, as long as I shall live, I shall seek to satisfy Thine offended justice. By the pains Thou didst suffer when bound to the pillar, by the scourges which tore Thine innocent Flesh, by the Blood which Thou didst shed in such abundance, have mercy on this unhappy soul of mine; deliver me today and always from the snares of the tempter; and when I have come to the end of my exile, bring me safely home to Heaven with Thee.
 

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