Category Archives: Holy Week

The First GLORIOUS Mystery – THE RESURRECTION – by Deacon Marty McIndoe

Agony and Difficulty, Angels, Church, Community, Consecration, Crucifixion, Death and Dying, Early Church Fathers, Easter, Eucharist, Evangelism, Holy Week, Jewish roots, Liturgy, Prayer, Preaching, Resurrection, Rosary, Scripture, Spirituality, Teaching

The First GLORIOUS Mystery: The RESURRECTION – by Deacon Marty McIndoe

All four Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John tell us about the resurrection of Jesus. They vary in different details, and order, but essentially tell us the profound truth that Jesus rose from the dead after being crucified and buried. This is essential to our faith. This is the heart of our faith. This is the heart of the good news. The resurrection of Jesus shows us that that death no longer has a hold on the world, or on us. This is so essential to our faith that EVERY Sunday we celebrate it by going to mass where we remember the death and resurrection of Jesus and we follow His command in John chapter 6, verse 54 to “eat my body and drink my blood”. The Eucharist that we receive is the resurrected-glorious, body, blood, soul and divinity of Jesus. It is so important to do this that the Church has made it an obligation to attend mass EVERY Sunday (or Saturday evening in anticipation). Sunday, as the day of Jesus’ Resurrection was so important to the early Church that, even though they were good Jews, they started to move the Sabbath from Saturday to Sunday to recognize the Resurrection. We should reflect on this central facet of our faith even more than just once a week. Reciting the Rosary and the Glorious Mystery helps us to do this.

The gospel accounts tell us that after Jesus died on the cross (clearly shown by the gospels and eyewitness accounts), he was taken down and laid in a tomb. On the third day, the women went to visit His tomb and He was gone. They were greeted by angels and by the resurrected Jesus himself and given instructions to tell the GOOD NEWS of His resurrection. The Resurrection of Jesus is further shown by His glorified presence to the apostles and disciples for a forty day period before His Ascension to Heaven. One of my favorite stories from the Gospel during this period is the story of how Jesus appeared to His disciples in His glorified body in the Upper Room. Thomas was not there and when the disciples told Thomas of seeing the resurrected Jesus, he told them that he could not believe this unless he, himself, put his fingers in to the nail holes and his hand in to the pierced side of Jesus. Shortly after, the disciples were again gathered and this time Thomas was with them. Jesus again appeared in His resurrected, glorious body and looked to Thomas and told him to place his fingers in His nail holes and His pierced side. Thomas responded with, “my Lord, and my God”. I think that it is interesting that Thomas, forever known as DOUBTING Thomas because of his initial doubt, gave one of the greatest expressions of belief and faith found in the gospels. This gives us all hope. In Mark 9:24 the father of a boy possessed by a demon said to Jesus, “Lord I believe, help my unbelief.” This is a cry we too can utter at times, especially in difficult moments.

Another resurrection story that I love is the walk to Emmaus (Luke 24: 13-35). In this narrative, we have two of Jesus’ disciples walking from Jerusalem to Emmaus (7 mile walk). As they walk, they are discussing the death of Jesus and how the women found an empty tomb. It appears that they didn’t fully understand that this meant that Jesus was resurrected from the dead. The resurrected Jesus then appeared to them and walked along with them, but they did not recognize Him. As they walked, He explained to them all of the Scriptures that talked about the Messiah and His death and resurrection. When they came to an Inn, they stopped for some rest and food. It was here that Jesus took bread and broke it and at that time they recognized Him in the “breaking of the bread”. After that, He disappeared and they immediately walked back to Jerusalem to tell the others that they had seen the resurrected Jesus. This is definitely an eucharistic moment. As a matter of fact, the whole story reminds us of the two parts of the mass that we celebrate, (and the final dismissal where we are given our mission). His explaining the scriptures reminds us of the Liturgy of the Word, and His breaking of the bread reminds us of the Liturgy of the Eucharist. We too are called, each time we attend mass, to recognize Jesus in both Word and Eucharist. At the end of mass we are told to GO FORTH and share the gospel message with others, just as the disciples on the walk to Emmaus did. This is our mission.

I cannot stress enough that the Resurrection of Jesus is the important event that allowed the Good News to spread. It is essential to our faith. Even St. Paul, in his first letter to the Corinthians (1 Cor 15:14) says, “if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith”. It is so important for us to celebrate His Resurrection and remember this always. The First Glorious Mystery of the Rosary helps us to do this.

Questions to Ponder:

1 – How often do I think about how Jesus ROSE from the dead?

2 – Do I offer Him thanks and praise for dying and rising for me?

3 – Do I attend mass at least on Sunday (or Saturday evening) every week?

4 – Do I listen closely to all the readings in the “Liturgy of the Word”?

5 – Do I pay close attention to the Homily and think about it afterwards?

6 – Do I recognize that the Eucharist is the risen, glorified, body, blood, soul and divinity of Jesus?

7 – When I have moments of unbelief, do I ask God to help my unbelief?

8 – When a friend or family member loses a loved one, do I offer HOPE and FAITH and LOVE?

9 – Do I ponder the Mystery of the Resurrection in my prayer life and in the rosary?

10 – Do I follow the mission given to me to share the GOOD NEWS with others?

The Fourth Sorrowful Mystery of the Rosary – THE CARRYING OF THE CROSS by Deacon Marty McIndoe

Agony and Difficulty, Anxiety and Worry, Apologetics, Blessed Virgin Mary, Charity, Church, Cross to Bear, Death and Dying, Divine Mercy, Evangelism, Forgiveness, Holy Week, Morality, Penance and Reconciliation, Preaching, Resurrection, Rosary, Service, Sin, Spirituality, Suffering

All four Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John tell us about Jesus carrying the cross. The Synoptic Gospels, Matthew, Mark and Luke tell us that Simon of Cyrene was chosen to help Jesus carry the cross. John does not mention Simon. Mark alone tells us that Simon was the father of Alexander and Rufus. This detail would make us think that the early Church knew who Alexander and Rufus were, and indeed later scripture does mention Rufus. Simon was from northern Africa in what is today Libya. You can’t help but to consider that his being selected, out of the blue, made a total change in his life. This experience must have made him become a follower of Jesus. Undoubtedly he brought his children in to the WAY too.

John, in his Gospel, tells us that Jesus carried His own cross, but the witness of the Synoptic writers can’t help us but to consider that Jesus had reached the point of pure exhaustion when carrying His cross and could not do it by himself. The Roman soldiers wanted to do what they were ordered to do; to Crucify Jesus. They knew that He needed help to get to Golgotha and thus they ordered Simon of Cyrene to help Him. One can only imagine what Jesus suffered in this ordeal. Remember that he had been beaten and whipped and thus in great pain. Now He had to carry a heavy large beam that was to be His cross, His instrument of torture. Along with the physical pain, He had to endure the mockery of the crowds. He had to also see His Mother Mary, and his disciples and friends, watching Him suffer so much. It must have been such a long and hard road for Him to travel to Golgotha.

I can’t help but to wonder if His friends and disciples remembered how Jesus had earlier told them how they had to pick up their own cross to follow Him. All of them would be used to seeing the crucifixions that were too often used by the Romans to show their power. They knew that a crucifixion was a very painful sacrifice that led to death. Now they had to watch their own leader, their Jesus, walk to His own crucifixion. Did they think that the same thing might happen to them? Did they know that following Jesus would mean that they had to endure hardship, suffering and perhaps even death? Did they have any idea that this terrible sacrifice and suffering would lead to eternal life?

Jesus himself, in His humanity, must have wondered this too. Did the human side of Jesus know that someday His followers would see the cross as the instrument of their salvation? Did he, and His followers know that they would sign themselves with the cross? Did they know that they would have the cross mounted on their walls of their homes and made in to jewelry to wear around their necks? Soon St. Paul would, be saying, “I PREACH CHRIST CRUCIFIED, a stumbling block to many but THE POWER AND WISDOM OF GOD”. To this day, on Good Friday, when we recognize the day when Jesus was crucified, we kiss the cross and say, Behold the Wood of the Cross, on Which was Hung Our Salvation. Truly, this instrument of torture has become the instrument of our salvation.

Questions to Ponder:

1 – Have I really considered how much Jesus suffered for me?

2 – Have I thanked Him for all that He has done for me?

3 – Do I have my own personal cross in my life?

4 – Have I been able to unite my own suffering with the suffering of Jesus?

5 – Do I truly believe that my own cross will lead me to something quite beneficial?

6 – Have I ever been like Simon of Cyrene and helped someone carry their own cross?

7 – Have I ever suffered because of my love of Jesus or for preaching His Good News?

8 – Do I have the cross placed in several prominent places in my home?

9 – Am I ever ashamed to wear a cross?

10 – Do I honor the cross not only on Good Friday, but on every Friday?

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The Third Sorrowful Mystery – THE CROWNING OF THORNS by Deacon Marty McIndoe

Agony and Difficulty, Anxiety and Worry, Death and Dying, Divine Mercy, Forgiveness, Holy Week, Penance and Reconciliation, Relationships, Rosary, Scripture, Sin, Soldiers, Suffering, The Holy Land, , ,

Matthew, Mark and John all tell us of the Crowning of Thorns. They describe how Jesus was put in to a purple cloak (symbolizing Kingship) and had a crown of thorns placed upon His head. They also placed a staff (or reed) in His right hand and knelt before Him saying, “All Hail, King of the Jews” To continue their mockery, the spat upon Him and hit Him upon the head with the staff. They then took off His purple cloak.

None of us want to be mocked, and if we have, we know how difficult it is on us.. Here is the King of Kings, and Lord of Lords, being mocked by the soldiers. How emotionally difficult that must have been for Jesus. People can be so cruel and the Roman soldiers were known for their cruelty. The mocking must have been so intense. There was also serious physical pain. The pain from the Crown of Thorns pushing in to Jesus, as well as the pain from being hit by the staff must have been terrible.

When I went on a pilgrimage tour of Israel, I vividly remember how our bus driver stopped the bus and the tour guide ran out to bring back a branch of thorn bush that grows there. He said this is what was woven in to a crown and placed upon Jesus head. He passed it around the bus and I was shocked to see how long, hard and sharp the thorns were. He also said that the Roman soldiers did much more than just “place” the crown of thorns on Jesus’ head, the forced it down in to the skin to cause a great deal of pain. I can’t even imagine what that must have been like for Jesus. The absolute pain that He endured for us!

It is so very important that we take time, as often as we can, to remember all that Jesus suffered for us. Many of our hymns reflect this. One of my favorites is “See the Destined Day Arise “ originally written by Venantius Fortunatus in 569. Here is one verse:

Who but Christ had dared to drain, steeped in gall, the cup of pain,
And with tender body bear thorns, and nails, and piercing spear?
Slain for us, the water flowed, mingled from your side with blood;
Sign to all attesting eyes of the finished sacrifice.

The sacrifice of Jesus on Good Friday was indeed a sacrifice of great physical and emotional pain. He did it all for us!

Questions to Ponder:

1 – Do I try to always make Jesus my King, and follow Him?

2 – Do I meditate on, and appreciate all the He did for me?

3 – How did I feel when I was mocked?

4 – When I was mocked, was I able to peaceably receive it without lashing out?

5 – Have I made sacrifices to help others?

6 – When I have been in pain, either physically or emotionally, have I joined it to Jesus’ pain?

7 – When I have been in pain, either physically or emotionally, have I offered it for others?

8 – Have I confessed for any times that I mocked others and caused them pain?

9 – In my own sufferings, do I see God at work in and through me?

10 – Take a moment to meditate on the words of St. Maximillian Kolbe: “For Jesus Christ I am prepared to suffer still more”.

The Second Sorrowful Mystery – THE SCOURGING AT THE PILLAR by Deacon Marty McIndoe

Agony and Difficulty, Anxiety and Worry, Blessed Virgin Mary, Church, Death and Dying, Fasting, Forgiveness, Holiness, Holy Week, Jewish roots, Lent, Penance and Reconciliation, Rosary, Sin, Spirituality, Suffering, ,

All three synoptic gospels (Matthew, Mark and Luke) as well as John’s gospel tell of how Jesus was tortured in one way or another before being crucified, Matthew and Mark and John mention that Jesus was scourged, or flogged. Luke says that He was punished. The mention of the pillar is not in scripture, however, it was common Roman practice to strip a man before crucifixion and to tie him to a pillar and then to whip him. Also, Church tradition not only tells us that he was tied to a pillar, but the Church is in possession of the pillar that Jesus was whipped on. The Roman’s were very good at inflicting pain, and there is no doubt that Jesus suffered greatly here, even to pealing off of his back skin. The scourging was done with a flagrum, which is a leather whip with three or more leather tails that had plumbatae (small metal balls or sheep bones) attached to the end of each tail. These not only inflicted great pain, but also would rip open the skin. Jesus suffered greatly from this scourging.

When the Romans tortured Jesus, they did so in front of the public on the very streets that Jesus walked, teached and healed people. Mel Gibson, in his movie about the PASSION of Jesus, delivers the scourging scene that makes even the most hardened of hearts, cringe from the pain that Jesus suffered. There is no doubt that the pain that Jesus felt during this scourging was immense. On top of that immense physical pain, I can just imagine the emotional pain that Jesus felt. Here were the people that Jesus was dying for, now mocking him. Here were His children, whom He loved so much, giving Him terrible pain. He must have seen his own mother, Mary as well as His disciples gathered around watching Him be scourged. How difficult, emotionally, that must have been on Jesus.

Jesus knew that He was on the way to be crucified and how painful that was going to be. Now He had to suffer the agonizing pain of being scourged. We cannot forget that as painful as the actual crucifixion was, there was so much pain leading up to it. When we think about how Jesus was BOTH, human and divine, we have to realize that THE WORD, the second person of the Holy Trinity bore suffering for us. He suffered so that we could be saved and to show us the oceans of Mercy that He has for us. The Church is so right in asking us to do something special, every Friday (the day of the week that Jesus died) to help us remember His great love for us and the suffering that He endured for us. Before Vatican II we were asked to give up meat on Fridays, every Friday all year long. Vatican II took that obligation away, except for during Lent, BUT asked us to do something on our own to remember Friday as the day that Jesus suffered and died.

Questions to Ponder:

1 – Do I really appreciate all that Jesus did for me to give me His Salvation?

2 – When I have suffered either physically or emotionally, have I asked to unite it to Jesus’ suffering?

3 – Have I attended Stations of the Cross, during Lent?

4 – Do I thank God for all that He has done for me?

5 – Do I do something special every Friday to remember that Jesus suffered and died for me?

6 – Have I thought about the humanity of Jesus, as well as His Divinity?

7 – Do I do anything to help those who suffer throughout the world?

8 – Is there anything that I do that causes people to suffer?

9 – Do I attend mass regularly so as to be able to re-live what Jesus has done for me?

10 – Do I make use of the many resources the Church has, so as to learn more about Jesus?

An Ancient Homily for Holy Saturday morning – by Deacon Marty McIndoe

Angels, Anxiety and Worry, Church, Creation, Death and Dying, Early Church Fathers, Easter, Forgiveness, Holy Week, Lent, Resurrection, Spirituality

The Church’s Liturgy of the Hours contains an Ancient Homily from an unknown writer. All clergy and religious read this every year. I personally think that it is so beautiful that everyone should have a chance to read it. For that reason, I am including it here:

The Lord’s descent into Hell

Something strange is happening – there is a great silence on earth today, a great silence and stillness. The whole earth keeps silence because the King is asleep. The earth trembled and is still because God has fallen asleep in the flesh and he has raised up all who have slept ever since the world began. God has died in the flesh and hell trembles with fear.

He has gone to search for our first parent, as for a lost sheep. Greatly desiring to visit those who live in darkness and in the shadow of death, he has gone to free from sorrow the captives Adam and Eve, he who is both God and the son of Eve. The Lord approached them bearing the cross, the weapon that had won him the victory. At the sight of him Adam, the first man he had created, struck his breast in terror and cried out to everyone: “My Lord be with you all.” Christ answered him: “And with your spirit.” He took him by the hand and raised him up, saying: “Awake, O sleeper, and rise from the dead, and Christ will give you light.”

I am your God, who for your sake have become your son. Out of love for you and for your descendants I now by my own authority command all who are held in bondage to come forth, all who are in darkness to be enlightened, all who are sleeping to arise. I order you, O sleeper, to awake. I did not create you to be held a prisoner in hell.

Rise from the dead, for I am the life of the dead. Rise up, work of my hands, you who were created in my image. Rise, let us leave this place, for you are in me and I am in you; together we form only one person and we cannot be separated. For your sake I, your God, became your son; I, the Lord, took the form of a slave; I, whose home is above the heavens, descended to the earth and beneath the earth. For your sake, for the sake of man, I became like a man without help, free among the dead. For the sake of you, who left a garden, I was betrayed to the Jews in a garden, and I was crucified in a garden.

See on my face the spittle I received in order to restore to you the life I once breathed into you. See there the marks of the blows I received in order to refashion your warped nature in my image. On my back see the marks of the scourging I endured to remove the burden of sin that weighs upon your back. See my hands, nailed firmly to a tree, for you who once wickedly stretched out your hand to a tree.

I slept on the cross and a sword pierced my side for you who slept in paradise and brought forth Eve from your side. My side has healed the pain in yours. My sleep will rouse you from your sleep in hell. The sword that pierced me has sheathed the sword that was turned against you.

Rise, let us leave this place. The enemy led you out of the earthly paradise. I will not restore you to that paradise, but I will enthrone you in heaven. I forbade you the tree that was only a symbol of life, but see, I who am life itself am now one with you. I appointed cherubim to guard you as slaves are guarded, but now I make them worship you as God. The throne formed by cherubim awaits you, its bearers swift and eager. The bridal chamber is adorned, the banquet is ready, the eternal dwelling places are prepared, the treasure houses of all good things lie open. The kingdom of heaven has been prepared for you from all eternity.

FASTING: The Second Discipline of Lent – by Deacon Marty McIndoe

Church, Conversion, Easter, Fasting, Holiness, Holy Week, How to be Catholic, Jewish roots, Lent, Liturgy, Miracles, Prayer, Relationships, Scripture, Service, Spirituality

Last week, on Ash Wednesday we heard the gospel telling us how Prayer, Fasting and Almsgiving are at the heart of our Lenten disciplines, and I wrote about Prayer. This week we will look at the Second Discipline, fasting. It appears that fasting has become very popular in today’s culture for health reasons. HEALTHLINE says that fasting does many things to help the body. It promotes blood sugar control, fights inflammation, enhances heart health, boosts brain function, aids weight loss, increases hormone secretion, extends longevity and can even be an aid to cancer prevention. That all sounds, and is very good. However fasting can also help us in our Spritual Life.

Throughout history, many different religions have promoted fasting. Besides Christianity, it is used in Islam, Buddhism, Jainism, Hinduism, Judaism and Taoism. For the Catholic it is mandated for adults on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday and is recommended for all of the Fridays of Lent. Note: abstaining from meat is also mandated for the Fridays of Lent. In Catholicism, fasting usually means reducing the amount of food that you take in, so that the whole day is not beyond one meals worth. In contrast, in Islam, fasting usually means staying away from all food, drink, and sexual relations from sunrise to sunset for the days where it is required. They also devote one month, their month of Ramadan, to 30 days of fasting.

As Catholics, we fast in order to build our self-mastery, to embrace God more fully in our lives. During Lent, fasting (along with prayer and almsgiving) helps us to better prepare for the JOY OF EASTER! We even “fast” from singing ALLELUIA during Lent so that our EASTER ALLELUIA means more to us. We “fast” from singing the GLORIA and ringing the bells during mass. Our altars “fast” from having beautiful flowers on them. This is all to help us truly celebrate the heart of the Christian message which is the EASTER ALLELUIA, THE LORD IS RISEN.

Fasting should make our prayers more meaningful, more serious. It should show us how denying ourselves something physical can strengthen us in our spiritual life. It should teach us more about making a commitment to something, namely God and His mission for us. Fasting should also help us in detachment, namely giving up something that we may have become too attached to. When we have too many attachments, our life gets too cluttered and there is little room for God. Fasting helps us get back to what really matters in our life, our spirituality, our relationship to God.

The scriptures are filled with verses about fasting, both in the Old Testament (the Hebrew scriptures) and in the New Testament (the Christian scriptures). Our roots are in the Hebrew Scriptures so I would first like to include some to help inspire us in the need for fasting.

Joel 1: 12 “Yet even now,” declares the Lord, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning;

Ezra 8:23 So we fasted and implored our God for this, and he listened to our entreaty.

Exodus 34: 28 So he was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights. He neither ate bread nor drank water. And he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the Ten Commandments.

Nehemiah 1: 4 As soon as I heard these words I sat down and wept and mourned for days, and I continued fasting and praying before the God of heaven.

2 Samuel !: 12 They mourned and wept and fasted till evening for Saul and his son Jonathan, and for the army of the LORD and for the nation of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword.

Esther 4: 16 “Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my attendants will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish.”

The New Testament also has many verses on fasting.

Matthew 6: 16-18 “And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

Acts 13:2 While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”

Acts 14: 23 And when they had appointed elders for them in every church, with prayer and fasting they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed.

Luke 2: 37 and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying.

Luke 18: 12 I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’

Luke 4: 2-4 where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry. 3 The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.” 4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone.’”

Fasting is good for our bodies and for our spirituality. It can also be good for others. We will talk about that next week when we look at the third Lenten discipline, Almsgiving.

THE MOST PRODUCTIVE LENT EVER

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A look at Prayer and the Garden of Gethsemane

by Deacon Marty McIndoe

The Gospel that is read on Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent, gives us three disciplines to use during Lent. They are Prayer, Fasting and Almsgiving. I personally think that the first discipline, Prayer is the most important one, because it can help us to determine how to put fasting and almsgiving to work for Lent. It is the one that puts us in to a special communion with God. After all, how can you grow closer to someone without spending time with him and communicating with him? For me, personal prayer starts off with praising God for all that He has done for us. I then often take to Him my intentions, and then I wait in silence for what He might have to say to me. Yes, I believe that prayer truly is communication. I speak to Him and He speaks to me. Sometimes we are so busy and our surroundings are so noisy that we don’t experience that. Lent is a great time to quiet down and listen to God.

Lent is a time set aside by the Church for us to work a little harder at becoming the person that Jesus wants us to be. The Church gives us many tools to help us do that, but I would like to share with you some thoughts on how to really begin. Whenever you read the Gospels you can’t help but to notice that Jesus, even when He is working hard in His ministry preaching and healing, takes time to go away from His disciples and His ministry work to spend time alone with God in prayer. Sometimes He goes up a mountain, sometimes He goes in to a desert, and sometimes He just goes outside of town. No matter where He goes, He finds a place where He can be alone with God in prayer. Jesus, by His own example tells us that we too must find time to pray. It isn’t enough to just work for the Lord, but we must also pray to the Lord.

Saint Benedict chose as a model for himself and for his follower the phrase, “Ora et Labora” or in English, “Prayer and Work”. St. Ignatius tells us, “Pray as if everything depends on God; work as if everything depends on you.” Both Saints, when they mention WORK are talking about the work that God calls us to, not just going out to milk the cows or whatever labor we have to do. Psalm 127:1 tells us, “Unless the LORD builds a house, they who build it labor in vain; Unless the LORD guards a city, the watchman stays awake in vain.” For a Christian, we cannot do anything without prayer to God. That is so true in our desire to become who God calls us to be. Before we start any endeavor, we must bring it to the Lord in prayer. We must listen to anything He tells us about it and we must do as He directs. We need His direction and Blessings on all that we do.

Lent is also a time to prepare us to better understand what Holy Week is all about. It prepares us to better understand Psalm Sunday, Holy Thursday, Good Friday and the Easter event. Let us now pause for a moment and look at the center of Holy week, what happens on Holy Thursday evening. After Jesus celebrates His last supper (and Passover) with His disciples on Holy Thursday, He goes out to the Garden of Gethsemane with His disciples to pray (and to be betrayed by Judas). Jesus knows what an ordeal He has to experience, and He knows that He needs the strength of prayer to do the work of the Father. He leads the disciples in to the garden, but then goes away, in solitude, to pray. It is a very difficult prayer for Him. He comes out of the prayer strengthened to be able to face the betrayal, the trial, the rejection of the people, the lashing, the carrying of the cross and finally the Crucifixion itself.

Since Jesus has set for us such a great example of going to a place of prayer, and at the time of His greatest ordeal, we must recognize that He does this to show us how we too need a place to pray and be alone with God before we face any of the work that the Father has for us. Lent is a time of work that the Father has for us and it must be a time of prayer. There is so much strength in prayer and we often forget about it and leave it by the wayside. I propose to you that during this Lent, you start taking time each day away from all you activities to pray. I also suggest that you find, or perhaps make, a prayer place.

Late last Spring, my wife and I went to visit one of my favorite authors, Annabelle Moseley, to have her autograph a book that I was giving to a dear friend of mine. While there, she told me about her new book which would soon be coming from the publisher. The new book was called, AWAKE WITH CHRIST – Living the Catholic Holy Hour in Your Home. She told me that the book talks about how important it is to have your own place of prayer in your home, your own Garden of Gethsemane. She showed me the one that she had made right outside her home in her garden. She also gave me a pre-publication copy of the book to read and to do a book review on. I read it and, like her other books, I fell in love with it. I purchased some books to give away and posted a review on Amazon (you can see it there). I would HIGHLY encourage you to get your own copy of this book as a way to start off your Lent. I think that you will find that it has practical answers on how (and why) to build a prayer place in your home. She even tells you how to do it for children. This book is not only an explanation of the importance of prayer, but it is a book to help us learn how to pray. It is a book that talks about how we need a special place to pray. It is a book that is perfect for LENT.

As she does with her other books, Annabelle refers continually to scripture and to the wisdom of the Saints to help us on our Prayer journey. Again, she also uses her poetic gifts to charge the book with poems and to lift us high towards God. Along with that, her love of gardening motivates us as we prepare our own Garden of Gethsemane. The practical explanations of how to make a prayer space (inside or outside), as well as how to make a Holy Hour is great for adults and for them to teach their children. Jesus, on the night that He was betrayed, said to His disciples, “Could you not watch one hour with me?” – Matthew 26: 40 This book will help you be happy to stay with Jesus for His Holy Hour. It will help you to have the most productive Lent ever.

MYSTAGOGY – AN EXPERIENCE FOR ALL OF US – by Deacon Marty McIndoe

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MYSTAGOGY – EXPERIENCING THE MYSTERIES

In the RCIA program, the period following the reception in to the Church is known as a period of Mystagogy.  Mystagogy is a time where the mysteries of the Church are revealed to the new Catholics.  It is revealed through their experience of the Sacraments and through all that the Church offers them.  Although teaching is involved, experience and sharing about that experience is the way the mysteries are revealed.  The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (Chicago, 1988) manual states: “. The purpose of the mystagogy is to enable the newly baptized to draw from their sacramental experience a new sense of the faith, the Church, and the world”.  As a leader in the RCIA program in my parish, I try to encourage our Neophytes to experience as much as they can, the resources that the Church offers them.  Truly, I believe that this is good for all the people of the Church as well.

Those who have gone through the RCIA program have experienced at Easter NEW LIFE.  They are, in a spiritual sense, born anew.  I have truly seen, throughout the years, a big change in them.  They are more alive in the faith.   We established Catholics have also been enlivened by experiencing all that Lent and Easter has given us.  Our faith should truly be renewed.  I believe that a period of mystagogy is appropriate for us too.  We need to experience all that the Church offers us, and there is so much.  We are constantly called to grow in our faith by using the sacraments and other tools that the Church gives us.  When we grow in our faith we become more of who God wants us to be.  When we do that, we become happier, more fulfilled and more at peace.   We can grow in our experience of all that the Holy Spirit gives us by receiving the Spirit’s gifts and fruits.  Literally, we can set the world on fire.

I would like to share some of my thoughts on how to do this.  I thought that I would do this in a list format.  Sometimes it is good to have a list of some of the things that the Church can offer to us so that we can grow in our faith.  Here is a list (certainly not a full one) of things that will help us to grow in our faith:

TWELVE STEPS TO HELP US GROW IN OUR FAITH

1 – Go to mass at least every Sunday.  The mass is the Summit and Source of our faith.  In the mass we hear God’s Word proclaimed and explained and we receive the most precious gift of His Body and Blood.   We pray together and experience community and are sent forth.  I attend daily mass because I believe it can do more for me than anything else.

2 – Pray.  When you are in Love with someone, communication is a natural expression of that Love and a way that Love can grow.  Prayer is communication with God.  There are so many ways to pray.  I love praying the Liturgy of the Hours.  It is now so easy to do and so available by placing an app on your smart phone.   I use the ibreviary app.  It is a no cost app.   Try it out, you will be glad that you do.  I would suggest at least praying Morning prayer and Evening prayer.

I also like to use what I call “gut” prayer.  This is totally spontaneous and can be done at any time.  It comes from deep within us, our “gut”.   Sometimes my gut prayer is filled with praise and thanksgiving.  Often it is filled with “why me God?”  And “why are you allowing this to happen?”   It is a prayer of honesty and truth and feelings.

3 – Eucharistic Adoration.  This is also a form of prayer, but it goes beyond regular prayer.  It is a time to adore the Lord as he is present to us in His Risen Body in the Eucharist.  It is certainly a time for prayers of thanksgiving and praise but can also be a time for prayers of supplication.  I go to Eucharistic Adoration at least once a week.

4 – The Sacrament of Reconciliation.   St. Paul tells us that we have all sinned and fall short of the glory of God.  All means all.  Christians too sin.  Even the Pope goes to confession.  There is no doubt that when I do something that I know is wrong, or more often, fail to do something I know that I should have done, I immediately ask for God’s forgiveness.  However, it is very freeing to regularly confess our sins to a priest and to hear him give us God’s forgiveness.

5 – The Rosary.  I love praying the rosary.  I try to do it every day.  In the rosary you can meditate on the mysteries of God’s touch to mankind.  The rosary is meant to be a meditative prayer where we literally focus on many of the stories from the scriptures about our salvation.  I look at it as a mini-course on God’s love and action.

6 – The Bible.  The Bible is a special gift that the Church has given to the world.  In it we hear God’s Word and receive direction and support for our lives.  Every liturgy that the Church does has at least one reading from the Bible.  We should listen closely to it at every liturgy but it also should have a special place in our homes.  The Catholic Church has given us the Bible and it is up to the Catholic Church to help us understand it.  I highly recommend using a Catholic study guide; My favorite is The Word Among us.   Going to a good Catholic Bible study is great (stay away from Protestant ones as they can misinterpret the Bible).  There are many online resources to help us (see last page).

7 – Charity and Service.  Every Christian is called to be a person of action.  We are called to feed the poor, heal the sick, visit the lonely and those in prisons etc.  Every parish has some sort of ministry to help us do that.  Check it out and become involved.  Put your faith in to action.

8 – The Blessed Virgin Mary.  The Lord literally gave His mother to us to help us in our journey towards Him.  Since the very beginnings of the Church Mary has been held in high esteem and has helped the Church and all Christians in many ways.  It is good to learn about Mary and to ask her intercession in your life.  She loves you as her own son or daughter.

9 – The Saints.  The Saints were all ordinary people just like you and me.  They struggled with the same things we struggled with and they were able to grow so close to Jesus and follow Him that the Church assures us that they are in heaven.  They intercede for us in prayer and they love it when we ask them to do so.  Try to learn as much as you can about the Saints and learn from them how to follow the Lord.

10 – Go on a Retreat.  A retreat is simply a time set aside for you to get away from the normal distractions in life and to draw closer to the Love that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit have for you.   Some retreats have themes, and some are simply quiet time with the Lord.  Try one, you will love it.

11 – Visit Holy Sites.  Throughout the world there are places that one would consider a Holy Site.  It might be one because of its history and what happened there, or it could be just an ordinary place that has been set aside for people to visit and grow closer to God.  I have been fortunate to visit many Holy Sites throughout the world, including the Holy Land, Rome and several places where Mary has appeared.  I have one Holy Site nearby, The Shrine of Our Lady of the Island that I love to visit and spend time with the Lord.

12 – Be Proud to be Catholic.  The more you learn about the Church, the prouder you will be.  Yes, the Church is not perfect (the priest sex scandal shows us that), but it is something that Jesus Himself started and maintains.  No other organization on this planet has lasted as long as the Church has.  It is an instrument of God’s grace.  Let your pride in the Church show.  Tell others about it.

There are so many other resources that the Church offers us that we should take advantage of.  I have compiled a partial list of some important Internet Resources and include that here.  There are also so many great books out there that you could (should) read.  Perhaps another time I will look in to that.  May our good Lord bless you in your walk with Him.

CATHOLIC    INTERNET    RESOURCES

CATHOLIC WEB SITES

SITES EVERY CATHOLIC SHOULD USE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THEIR FAITH:

The Vatican:                                       www.vatican.va    (choose English in the menu at top right)

EWTN:                                                 www.ewtn.com

New Advent:                                       www.newadvent.org

Catechism of the Catholic Church:   www.scborromeo.org/ccc.htm

US Conference of Bishops:                www.usccb.org

Catholic Answers:                              www.catholic.com

News Vatican:                                     www.news.va

Catholic News Service:                       www.catholicnews.com

Rome Reports:  (video news)                        www.romereports.com    Choose English at top right

Jimmy Akin:                                        www.jimmyakin.com

Life Teen:  (for Youth, but….)                        www.lifeteen.com

Amazing Catechists:                           www.amazingcatechists.com

Cardinal Newman Society:                www.cardinalnewmansociety.org

Strange Notions:                                www.strangenotions.com

uCatholic                                            www.ucatholic.com

Catholic Lane:                                     www.catholiclane.com

Institute of Catholic Culture:            www.instituteofcatholicculture.org  FREE Catholic Courses

Word on Fire:                                     www.wordonfire.org

Dynamic Catholic:                              www.dynamiccatholic.org

CATHOLIC APPS FOR YOUR SMART PHONE:

Search your play store for these apps

Liturgy of the Hours:                          ibreviary

Catholic prayers and readings etc.   laudate

Novena prayers etc                            pray

Catholic radio                                     Relevant Radio

The Bible                                            Bible

Eternal Word Network                      EWTN

Mass times                                         Catholic Mass times

Catholic Dating                                   Ckiss

HE IS RISEN, ALLELUIA! an Easter Reflection by Matt Chicoine

Apologetics, Church, Easter, Holy Week, Resurrection, Saints, Scripture

Today Christianity across the world celebrates the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Easter is a celebration of a miraculous—and seemingly impossible—event. The feast of Jesus’ Resurrection holds a special place in my heart.  I wish to share the basic biblical proof of the Resurrection, examples from some saints, and my own personal experience.

Note: If you still have questions related to a more cerebral and logical argument for the Resurrection of Jesus, I highly recommend Carl Olson’s: Did Jesus Really Rise from the Dead?

Gospel evidence

Since there is a lot of evidence to refer to and I prefer to keep today’s post as concise as possible I will only focus on the two strongest pieces of evidence, I found to be convincing for me in showing validity in Jesus’ Resurrection. First, the witness of the women being the initial people to notice the empty tomb is strong evidence. The reason for this is due to in 1st century Palestine life women did not enjoy the benefits of voting, membership in the workforce, or even respect to be witnesses in events like today.

Why would the Gospel writers uniformly state that the first witnesses to the empty tomb and to proclaim Jesus as risen were women unless it was true? It still does not make sense to me why the gospel writers would embarrass the apostles by placing women in a place of honor at being the first evangelizers of Jesus’ Resurrection unless that was the truth!

Secondly, the Gospel of Matthew already shows alternative explanations already surfacing to explain the disappearance of Jesus’ body when the tomb was opened. According to Matthew, the priests and elders charged the Roman soldiers to create a story to explain why the tomb was empty. They [priests and elders] state, “You are to say, ‘His disciples came during the night and stole him while we were asleep’. If any word of this gets to the procurator, we will straighten it out with him and keep you out of trouble.” (Matthew 28:13-14).  This never made sense to me. If the apostles were fraudulent, why the Matthew plainly write about the theory of the stolen body of Jesus? Such a theory only makes sense as a lie developed by the priests and elders.

Saintly Sources

Because of the vast array of saints to attest to the truth of the Resurrection, I will only focus on two for conciseness’ sake—St. Peter and St. Paul. The thing that I really love about St. Peter is his fervor to follow the gospel after Jesus’ Resurrection. In addition to being the 1st pope of the Catholic Church, Peter testified to the truth of the Gospel as a martyr via crucifixion.

St. Paul represents arguably the greatest conversion in the history of Christianity. Paul went from being a murderer of Christians to the Church’s great evangelizer and writer of almost 2/3 of the New Testament. These two men show us that they encountered someone who transformed them. Peter and Paul’s conversions are an effect of the power of Jesus’ Resurrection!

My Testimony

While my own testimony does not hold the same weight at Scripture and Tradition, I still am convinced that certain things in my life transpired due to a power outside of my control and full understanding. During my darkest days a few years ago, I learned of the power of God. He rose me up from the loss of a job and our miscarriages. God continues to demonstrate the glory of His Resurrected Son in seemingly ordinary things too. For example, I asked my cousin to pray for my wife for an important interview. My cousin told me, “Of course, and incidentally she [my wife] was the person my cousin and his fiancée scheduled to pray for, in a special way, anyways.” This is not the first time this seeming coincidence happened to my cousin.

Through Scripture, Tradition [the saints], and my personal experience with daily and extraordinary events I have come to more deeply realize the Resurrection of Jesus as an historical fact. I pray that you come to enjoy this truth in Scripture, Tradition, and your own life’s experiences!

Check out Matt’s blog at http://Thesimplecatholic.blog

Domestic Terrorism: A Good Friday Reflection – by Deacon Marty McIndoe

Anxiety and Worry, Church, Death and Dying, Healing, Holy Week, Terrorism, ,
And Jesus Wept

Twenty four years ago today, April 19th, the nation suffered a horrendous loss as 168 men, women and children (19) were killed by a domestic terrorist bombing brought about by Timothy J. McVeigh and Terry L. Nichols.   The bombing destroyed or damaged 324 buildings within a 16 block radius of Oklahoma City.   The blast shattered glass in 258 other buildings and destroyed 86 cars.  Besides the 168 people killed about 680 people suffered injuries from the blast.  The emotional damages caused by the blast are immeasurable.   Truly our nation suffered greatly and families are still suffering from their loss. 

Five years after the bombing, on April 19th, 2000 the Oklahoma City National Memorial was dedicated at the site.  The memorial consists of 168 stone and glass chairs representing each life lost.  It is very sad to see them all, especially the 19 smaller chairs representing the children that were killed.   Remembrance services are held every year on April 19th.   Certainly this large tragedy can never be forgotten. 

A teddy bear sits on a chair in the field of chairs at the Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum in Oklahoma City, Tuesday, April 19, 2011, on the 16th anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombing. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

Directly across from the site of the bombing is the oldest parish church in Oklahoma City, St. Joseph Old Cathedral.  The Cathedral was badly damaged but has been rebuilt.  The parish rectory was destroyed by the explosion.  At the site of the demolished rectory, the parish has placed their own memorial.  It is an Italian marble statue of Jesus with His back towards the site of the bombing.  Jesus has His head down and His hand over His face in sorrow.  Around the statue are pillars representing the children and unborn babies who were killed by the blast.   The name of the sculpture is “And Jesus Wept” (See picture on top).  It was dedicated in 1998.

This year the anniversary of the bombing falls on Good Friday.   I can’t help but to see a message for all of us in this.  First of all, acts of terror such as these really show the depravity of those who plan them.  They have no concern for the people who are so horrendously affected.  To call this sin would be an understatement.  It reflects the pure evil, the pure darkness that Jesus came to shed His light upon.  It shows why Jesus endured so much suffering for the sin that permeates humankind. 

Secondly, it shows how our knowledge of how Jesus suffered can help us in our own suffering.  The Catholic Church has always placed redemptive value upon the sufferings that we find in our own lives.  Somehow, our own sufferings are united with the sufferings of Jesus.  Somehow His sufferings can help us in our sufferings.  When we experience our own crosses, His cross helps us to endure.

Thirdly, we know that the sufferings and death of Jesus upon the cross led to the Resurrection of Jesus on Easter morning.  People of faith know that even though we miss our loved ones when they die, some day we will all be back together in the precious gift of heaven.  Jesus suffered and died and rose from the dead so that we might have life forever in the presence of our Heavenly Father.

We as Christians must do everything that we can to fight the evil within the world.  We must fight it with hope and with love.  The statue of Jesus weeping reminds us how Jesus joins in with us in mourning our losses and in mourning the sin and evil that can be so destructive to life.  Everything about God is about LIFE.   Everything about evil is about death.  When we work with God, we work on the side of life.  When we are caught up in sin and evil, we work on the side of death.  God calls us to choose life, not death.