Until Advent…

Easter Customs for the Home has ideas for celebrating all 50 days of Easter (!).

Posting will resume here in Advent (December 1st this year).
In the meantime, feel free to check out “Tidbits Under the Table,” for more general spiritual lights.

Until then, blessings, and thanks for reading!

Easter Sunday

JMJ

Blessed Resurrection Sunday!

Entrance Antiphon:
I have risen, and I AM with you still, alleluia.
You have laid your hand upon me, alleluia.
Too wonderful for me, this knowledge, alleluia, alleluia.
Or:
The Lord is truly risen, alleluia.
To Him be glory and power for all the ages of eternity, alleluia, alleluia

Collect:
O God, who on this day,
through Your Only Begotten Son,
have conquered death
and unlocked for us the path to eternity,
grant, we pray, that we who keep
the solemnity of the Lord’s Resurrection
may, through the renewal brought by Your Spirit,
rise up in the light of life.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
who lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, forever and ever. Amen.

Readings:
Acts 10: 34, 37-43 (St. Peter proclaims Jesus’ death and resurrection)
Psalm 118: 1-2, 16-17, 22-23 “This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad”
Colossians 3:1-4 (set your heart on things above)
OR I Corinthians 5:6-8 (celebrate, not with corruption, but with sincerity and truth)

Sequence:
Christians, to the Paschal Victim
Offer your thankful praises!
A Lamb the sheep redeems: Christ,
Who only is sinless,
Reconciles sinners to the Father.
Death and life have contended in that combat stupendous:
The Prince of life, Who died, reigns immortal.
Speak, Mary, declaring
What you saw wayfaring.
“The tomb of Christ, Who is living,
The glory of Jesus’ resurrection;
Bright angels attesting,
The shroud and napkin resting.
Yes, Christ my hope is arisen”
To Galilee He goes before you.”
Christ indeed from death is risen, our new life obtaining.
Have mercy, victor King, ever reigning!
Amen. Alleluia.

+John 20:1-9 (At Mary Magdalene’s word, Peter and John run to the empty tomb)
OR +Luke 24:1-12 (The women meet an angel at the tomb, Peter runs to the tomb)

Not all can see
the Risen Christ

God…granted that He be visible,
not to all,
but to us, the witnesses chosen by God in advance
~Acts 10:40-41

So many, steeped in darkness
cannot tell
the Light has come!
still bound by chains
to things of earth,
contaminated
with the putrid yeast of sin.

We must be Magdalenes of mercy!
swift of foot
to tell the news,
to send them flying to the tomb,
to lift their hearts
to holy heights
where Christ is seated
with of the Lord,
to bid them join our celebration,
now that mercy’s been out-poured.

Our joy increases
when it’s shared!

The Risen One cannot be seen like a piece of wood or stone.
He can only be seen by the person to whom He reveals Himself.
And He only reveals Himself to the one He can entrust with a mission…
Seeing must not remain just seeing;
it must become love and witness.
-Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger

Does your life make Jesus’ resurrection visible to those around you?

Easter Vigil

JMJ

As darkness falls
a new day breaks
and life begins to stir…
we strike a fire
and start to pray:

Dear brethren,
on this most sacred night,
in which our Lord Jesus Christ
passed over from death to life,
the Church calls upon Her sons and daughters,
scattered throughout the world,
to come together to watch and pray.
If we keep the memorial
of the Lord’s paschal solemnity in this way,
listening to His Word and celebrating His mysteries,
then we shall have the sure hope
of sharing His triumph over death
and living with Him in God.

Let us pray.
O God, Who through Your Son
bestowed upon the faithful the fire of Your glory,
sanctify + this new fire, we pray,
and grant that,
by these paschal celebrations,
we may be so inflamed with heavenly desires,
that with minds made pure
we may attain festivities of unending splendor.
Through Christ our Lord.
Amen.

Christ yesterday and today
(the priest cuts a vertical line in the Easter candle)
the beginning and the end
(he cuts a horizontal line)
the Alpha
(he cuts the letter Alpha above the vertical line)
and the Omega
(he cuts the letter Omega below the vertical line)
All time belongs to Him
(he cuts the first numeral of the current year in the upper left corner of the cross)
and all the ages
(he cuts the second numeral of the year in the upper left corner)
To Him be glory and power
(he cuts the third numeral in the lower left corner)
through every age and forever. Amen.
(he cuts the last numeral in the lower right corner)
By His holy
(the priest inserts a grain of incense in the top of the cross)
and glorious wounds
(the priest inserts a grain of incense in the center of the cross)
may Christ the Lord
(the priest inserts a grain of incense in the bottom of the cross)
guard us
(the priest inserts a grain of incense in the left tip of the cross)
and protect us. Amen.
(the priest inserts a grain of incense in the right tip of the cross)

The priest lights the paschal candle from the new fire, saying:
May the Light of Christ rising in glory
dispel the darkness of our hearts and minds.

As the people process into the darkened church behind the paschal candle,
the priest or deacon carrying it sings three times:
The Light of Christ
to which the people respond three times
Thanks be to God
After the second time, all light candles from the Paschal candle and continue in procession.
Once everyone is in their place, the lights of the church are turned on.

The Paschal Proclamation (Exultet)
Exult, let them exult, the hosts of heaven,
exult, let Angel ministers of God exult,
let the trumpet of salvation sound aloud our mighty King’s triumph!
Be glad, let earth be glad, as glory floods her,
ablaze with light from her eternal King,
let all corners of the earth be glad,
knowing an end to gloom and darkness.
Rejoice, let Mother Church also rejoice,
arrayed with the lighting of His glory,
let this holy building shake with joy,
filled with the mighty voices of the peoples.

(Therefore, dearest friends,
standing in the awesome glory of this holy light,
invoke with me, I ask you,
the mercy of God almighty,
that He who has been pleased to number me,
though unworthy, among the Levites,
may pour into me His light unshadowed,
that I may sing this candle’s perfect praises.)

V: The Lord be with you.
R: And with your spirit.
V: Lift up your hearts.
R: We lift them up to the Lord.
V: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
R: It is right and just.

It is truly right and just,
with ardent love of mind and heart,
and with devoted service of our voice,
to acclaim our God invisible, the almighty Father,
and Jesus Christ, our Lord, His Son, His Only Begotten.
Who for our sake paid Adam’s debt to the eternal Father,
and pouring out His own dear Blood
wiped clean the record of our ancient sinfulness.
These then are the feasts of Passover,
in which is slain the Lamb, the one true Lamb,
whose Blood anoints the doorposts of believers.
This is the night,
when once You led our forebears,
Israel’s children, from slavery in Egypt
and made them pass dry-shod through the Red Sea.
This is the night
that with a pillar of fire
banished the darkness of sin.
This is the night
that even now, throughout the world,
sets Christian believers apart from worldly vices
and from the gloom of sin,
leading them to grace,
and joining them to His holy ones.
This is the night
when Christ broke the prison-bars of death, and rose
victorious from the underworld.
Our birth would have been no gain,
had we not been redeemed.
O wonder of Your humble care for us!
O love, O charity beyond all telling,
to ransom a slave You gave away Your Son!
O truly necessary sin of Adam,
destroyed completely by the Death of Christ!
O happy fault
that earned so great, so glorious a Redeemer!
O truly blessed night,
worthy alone to know the time and hour
when Christ rose from the underworld!
This is the night
of which it is written:
The night shall be as bright as day,
dazzling is the night for me,
and full of gladness.
The sanctifying power of this night
dispels all wickedness, washes faults away,
restores innocence to the fallen, and joy to mourners,
drives out hatred, fosters concord,
and brings down the mighty.
On this, Your night of grace,
O holy Father, accept this candle, a solemn offering,
the work of bees and of Your servants’ hands,
an evening sacrifice of praise,
this gift from Your most holy Church.
But now we know the praises of this pillar,
which glowing fire ignites for God’s honor,
a fire into many flames divided,
yet never dimmed by sharing of its light,
for it is fed by melting wax,
drawn out by mother bees
to build a torch so precious.
O truly blessed night,
when things of Heaven are wed to those of earth,
and divine to the human.
Therefore, O Lord,
we pray You that this candle,
hallowed to the honor of Your name,
may persevere undimmed,
to overcome the darkness of this night
Receive it as a pleasing fragrance,
and let it mingle with the lights of heaven.
May this flame be found still burning by the Morning Star:
the one Morning Star who never sets,
Christ Your Son,
who coming back from death’s domain
has shed His peaceful light on humanity
and lives and reigns for ever and ever.
Amen.

Dear brethren,
now that we have begun our solemn Vigil
let us listen with quiet hearts to the Word of God.
Let us meditate on how God in times past saved His people
and in these, the last days, has sent us His Son as our Redeemer.
Let us pray that our God may complete this paschal work of salvation
by the fullness of redemption.

Readings
Genesis 1:1-2:2 (Creation)
Psalm 104:1-2, 5-6, 10, 12-14, 24, 35 “Lord, send out Your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth”
or Psalm 33:4-7, 12-13, 20-22 “The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord”
Genesis 22:1-18 (Abraham’s sacrifice of Isaac–foreshadowing of Jesus crucifixion)
Psalm16:5-11 “Keep me safe O God; You are my hope”
Exodus 14:15-15:1 (the parting of the Red Sea–foreshadowing of Baptism)
Exodus 15:1-17 “Let us sing to the Lord; He has covered Himself in glory”
Isaiah 54:5-14 (God, our Bridegroom, will take us back, and love us)
Psalm 30:1-13 “I will praise You, Lord, for You have rescued me”
Isaiah 55:1-11 (God offers us food and water without cost from His abundance)
Isaiah 12:2-3 “You will draw water joyfully from the springs of salvation”
Baruch 3:9-15, 32-4:4 (we are in need because we have forsaken God, the Source of everything)
Psalm 19:8-11 “Lord, You have the words of everlasting life”
Ezekiel 36:16-28 (God will forgive and renew us for His own sake)
Psalm 42:2-43:4 “Like a deer that long for running streams, my soul longs for You, my God”
or Psalm 51:12-19 “Create a clean heart in me, O God”
Romans 6:3-11 (because we have been baptized into Jesus’ death, death has no more power over us)
Psalm 118:1-23 “Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!”
+Matthew 28:1-10 (the two Marys meet an angel, then the risen Lord)

Let there be light!
~Genesis 1:3

a pillar of fire
banished the darkness of sin
~Exultet

The light of faith
braced Abraham’s hand,
foretold the holy sacrifice
of God
upon the mount:

He reasoned that God was able to raise from the dead,
and so he received Isaac back as a symbol
~Hebrews 11:19

It led the sons of Israel
dry-shod
through watery grave
that swallowed up
their slavery.
It brings us to rebirth
through sacred font–
a path that goes through death
to life,
baptized into His death,
to live in Christ.

I have been crucified with Christ;
yet I live,
no longer I,
but Christ lives in me
~Galatians 2:20

And as we follow it
(this Light!)
we find our way to tenderness,
to covenant,
to wisdom, joy and holiness,
to rest and deep fulfillment
in the splendor of the Lord.

This is the baptized life
that we renew
this blessed night
as rising Light
dispels the darkness
and gives blinded eyes their sight.

All praise to God!

Are you aware of Christ living in you–and you in Him?
Do you walk as a child of the light (cf. 1 Thessalonians 5:5)?

Holy Saturday

JMJ

Blessed Holy Saturday,

Our Lord is in the bowels of the earth

Just as Jonah spent three days and three nights
in the belly of the whale,
so will the Son of Man spend three days and three nights
in the bowels of the earth.
~Matthew 12:40

It was rebellion
that got Jonah on the ship
in flight from God.
Obedience
then sent him to the whale
to calm the storm
that stirred the seas
(and Jonah’s heart)
before it led to holiness
in Nineveh
(cf. Jonah 1-3).

So, too,
rebellion
that began with Adam
raised the storm
of soul
that Jesus came to quell
with His obedience
to death.

The world is still,
profoundly silent,

the sea’s raging abated
~Jonah 1:15

straining for
the first returning
of the Voice
that will be burning
as it races with salvation
throughout all of space and time.

Is your soul expectantly still, prepared to heed the Voice of God as He rises from the dead for you?

Good Friday

JMJ

Blessed Good Friday,

Today begins the novena of Divine Mercy.

There is no Entrance Antiphon or Collect–we pick up where we left off last night…

Prayer:
Remember Your mercies, O Lord,
and with Your eternal protection sanctify Your servants,
for whom Christ Your Son,
by the shedding of His Blood,
established the Paschal Mystery.
Who lives and reigns forever and ever. Amen.

OR:
O God, who, by the Passion of Christ Your Son, our Lord,
abolished the death inherited from ancient sin
by every succeeding generation,
grant that just as, being conformed to Him,
we have borne by the law of nature
the image of the man of earth,
so by the sanctification of grace
we may bear the image of the Man of Heaven.
Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Readings:
Isaiah 52:13- 53:12 (He Himself was wounded for our sins)
Psalm 31:1-25 “Father, into Your hands I commend My spirit”
Hebrews 4:14-16, 5:7-9 (Jesus learned obedience and became the source of salvation
for all who obey Him)
+John 18:1-19:42 (the Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ)

It takes a truly regal king
to keep His royal dignity
with spittle on His Face
amid His foes,
still raining blows
upon His torn and tortured frame.

It takes a superhuman grace
to hand out riches from a cross:
the great red rubies beyond price
that He lets fall from pierced hands,
the liquid diamonds
flowing from
His wounded side
that stem the tide
of evil’s rule
and usher in
the font of life.

This is the Book
to which saints look
to find a pattern
for their lives–
to find the path
to greatness
in God’s sight.

It’s only right
that those made in His image
act like Him
under duress.

These are the ones
our Lord can bless.

What impact does Jesus’ Passion have on your image of true greatness?
How does the way you handle suffering compare with His?

 

Holy Thursday

JMJ

Blessed Holy Thursday!

We begin at noon, at the cathedral, as our bishop, our successor to the apostles,
gathers his brother priests to celebrate the Chrism Mass.
At this Mass, chrism,
the perfumed oil which is used to signify the indelible gift of the Holy Spirit
in the Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation and Holy Orders,
will be consecrated.
As Christ (literally, “the anointed one”) was anointed priest, prophet and king
(see Exodus 29: 1-9, I Kings 19:16, Samuel 10:1, Acts 10:38),
so are Christians–with chrism.
The Oil of Catechumens and the Oil of the Sick will be blessed at this Mass,
and priests will renew their commitment to the ordained priesthood
which Christ instituted on this day when He commanded His first bishops,

Do this in remembrance of Me
~Luke 22:19

Chrism Mass

Entrance Antiphon:
Jesus Christ has made us into a kingdom, priests for His God and Father.
To Him be glory and power for ever and ever. Amen.

Collect:
O God, who anointed Your Only Begotten Son with the Holy Spirit
and made Him Christ and Lord,
graciously grant,
that, being made sharers in His consecration,
we may bear witness to Your redemption in the world.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
who lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, forever and ever. Amen.

Readings:
Isaiah 61:1-9 (God’s Servant comes to anoint us with us oil of gladness and to name priests of the Lord)
Psalm 89:21-27 “Forever I will sing the goodness of the Lord”
Revelation 1:5-8 (Jesus made us a royal nation of priests to serve God)
+Luke 4:16-21 (Jesus is God’s Servant, the anointed One)

God has anointed me

empowered me
with consecrated oil
to offer sacrifice to Him,
as priest,
to speak His Word,
as prophet,
and to reign with Him,
as king
within the limits of my life
as laity…

I can sacrifice my trials,
joined to His,
at every Mass.
I can steep my soul
in prayer and study
of His Word
to speak it forth,
and practise
governing
my passions
so that they
submit to Him.

It changes me.

It rocks my world
not only mine,
but those around me
benefit
from what God’s done in me
(and shudder to imagine
what I’d be
left to myself!).

Have you accepted the anointings God wants to give you in the sacraments?
Do you put their meanings into practise in your daily life

The Sacred Triduum

Evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper

At long last we enter the Sacred Triduum,
literally “three days” that form a single celebration
of the Passion, Death and Resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
We see, hear, we smell, we taste, we touch
–we are immersed–
in the mysteries of our salvation.
There are significant intermissions in this one celebration, so that we can go home and rest,
but the celebration we begin tonight will not end until Easter Sunday.
This is the culmination, the highest point, of the entire year.
Come, let us worship…

Entrance Antiphon:
We should glory in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ,
in whom is our salvation, life and resurrection, through whom we are saved and delivered.

Collect:
O God, who have called us to participate
in this most sacred Supper,
in which Your Only Begotten Son,
when about to hand Himself over to death,
entrusted to the Church a sacrifice new for all eternity.
the banquet of His love,
grant, we pray, that we may draw from so great a mystery,
the fullness of charity and of life.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
who lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, forever and ever. Amen.

Readings:
Exodus 12:1-8, 11-14 (the first Passover)
Psalm 116:12-14 “Our blessing-cup is a communion with the blood of Christ”
I Corinthians 11:23-26 (the institution of the Eucharist)
+John 13:1-15 (Jesus washes His disciples’ feet)

This is a night for action.

Don’t let feasting
dull your senses
nor the wine
lull you to sleep.
You need your loins girt,
staff in hand
and sandals on your feet
as those in flight,
for God is on the move!

We must be ready
to move with Him,
leaving slavery behind
to venture forth
into the freedom
of a worship
–tailor-made!–
for such as we.

…for we’re designed for worship!

Not any ritual will do.
But only that one
which God gave us
It’s key that turns the lock,
to open us
and activate
the god-like nature
He created
from the start.

We must re-member Him
as we receive His Flesh and Blood,
by taking on an active sharing
in His life,
His ministry
of making clean,
of setting free,
the ones with dirt upon their feet;
not casting off,
but calling in
those who offend us,
bowing low
to wash their feet.

That’s what He did.
That’s what He does
in us
with priestly dignity.

Have you experienced the freedom of having your life transformed by the liturgy?
Are you ready to move with Jesus?

Wednesday of Holy Week

JMJ

Blessed Spy Wednesday!

Spy Wednesday is a popular term, not a liturgical one,
yet it describes Judas’ new position among the disciples.
Today he becomes a spy among the Twelve, an informer for the enemy,
waiting for the opportune moment to hand over his Lord to condemnation and death.

Entrance Antiphon:
At the Name of Jesus, every knee should bend, of those in Heaven and on the earth,
for the Lord became obedient unto death, death on a cross:
therefore Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Collect:
O God, who willed Your Son to submit for our sake
to the yoke of the Cross,
so that You might drive from us the power of the enemy,
grant us, Your servants, to attain the grace of the resurrection.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
who lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, forever and ever. Amen.

Readings:
Isaiah 50:4-9 (God’s Suffering Servant will not be deterred)
Psalm 69:8-10, 21-22, 31, 33-34 “Lord, in Your great love, answer me.”
+Matthew 26:14-25 (Judas’ first betrayal and Jesus’ subtle invitation to repentance)

There is a greater woe
than death,

a greater curse
than searing pain,
a fate to be avoided
at all costs.

woe to that man
by whom the Son of Man is betrayed.
It would be better for that man
if he had never been born
~Matthew 26:24

There is a second death:

As for the cowards and unbelievers,
the depraved and murderers,
the fornicators and sorcerers,
the idol-worshippers and deceivers of every sort–
their lot is the fiery pool of burning sulfur,
the second death!
~Revelation 21:8

…that never ends!

There they will be tortured day and night,
forever and ever
~Revelation 20:10

This is the danger
that we court
when we betray
the Son of Man,
another Judas
rushing headlong
to our doom.

Far better fate
to die with Him!
To give our faces up to spitting,
give our backs to brutal blows,
to be an outcast,
bear the insults
for His sake.
This is a state
that leads to life:

The victor shall never be harmed
by the second death
~Revelation 2:11

Death rather than sin!
~St. Dominic Savio

Are you motivated to prefer temporary (earthly) suffering over sin?
When are you at risk of betraying Jesus?