Song of Solomon used in Prayers of the Faithful

At the Easter Mass today in the Vatican.

I was half-asleep while listening, but I think in the Holy Father's introduction to the prayers he made reference to the risen Jesus being the Bridegroom and that "we the bride of Christ" await Him with our needs...then each petition began with a quote from the Song of Solomon or the Song of Songs, including the following:

"Upon my bed at night
I sought him who my soul loves"

and

"I went down to the nut orchard,
to look at the blossoms of the valley."

If someone knows where the whole text of the prayers of intercession is online, please let me know.

Fr. Groeschel--"Happy Easter from Judas!"

From the CFR Website:

Let’s take this beautiful feast of Easter and celebrate it by praying in our hearts, “ Jesus is Lord.” That’s the shortest and most succinct Christian creed, “ Jesus is Lord.” Let us joyfully celebrate the resurrection. For years The New York Times has ignored the celebration of Easter entirely. I wrote to them some time ago and they told me they would change, but they didn’t. I’m happy to say that The New York Sun, which is owned by Jewish people and not published on the Sabbath or Sunday, had a beautiful photograph of the Pope on Good Friday morning and also recognition of the Christian message of Easter. Let’s look at where our friends really are. May I ask you to take a look at the New York Sun if you live in our area? In any event keep reminding people, “ Jesus is Lord.”

Divine Mercy Novena--Day Three

Third Day

"Today bring to Me All Devout and Faithful Souls and immerse them in the ocean of My mercy. These souls brought Me consolation on the Way of the Cross. They were that drop of consolation in the midst of an ocean of bitterness."

Go here for instructions.

To the City and the World--"Easter Peace"

As the Risen Lord breathed upon the anxious Apostles saying, "Peace be with you!", Pope Benedict XVI on his 79th birthday greets the City of Rome and the World in 62 languages with a message of peace.

From Asia News Italy:

“May the Risen Lord grant that the strength of his life, peace and freedom be experienced everywhere. Today the words with which the Angel reassured the frightened hearts of the women on Easter morning are addressed to all: "Do not be afraid! ... He is not here; he is risen (Mt 28:5-6)". Jesus is risen, and he gives us peace; he himself is peace. For this reason the Church repeats insistently: "Christ is risen - Christós anésti." Let the people of the third millennium not be afraid to open their hearts to him. His Gospel totally quenches the thirst for peace and happiness that is found in every human heart. Christ is now alive and he walks with us. What an immense mystery of love!”

A Blessed Easter to All!

I live, no not I, but Christ lives within me!

I Am Risen

by Brother Sylvain, of Taize

Holy Saturday

Mandylion

By Michael O'Brien

From the Office of Readings:

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”.

From an Ancient Homily.

Divine Mercy Novena-Day 2

Second Day

Today bring to Me the Souls of Priests and Religious and immerse them in My unfathomable mercy. It was they who gave Me strength to endure My bitter Passion. Through them as through channels My mercy flows out upon mankind.

Go here for instructions.

Spectator's at the Cross

"And the people stood by by, watching"
Luke 23:35

This is a poignant statement made by Luke in his gospel as to what the people of Jesus' time did as they followed him to Calvary and then to his crucifixion.

We spent our Good Friday at a parish that once served the Irish immigrants and now serves the Hispanic and Asian communities that have come into this country. A somber yet festive recreation of the Passion of Jesus with the Stations of the Cross that led us out of the compound of the parish and into the streets of one of the more crime heavy areas of the city. A slow moving procession of about three hundred souls chanting: "Lord have mercy on your people!"as Jesus carrying his cross went through the streets being beaten by Roman soldiers as though he were a beast carrying a load for them--of course he was carrying the load of our sins on that cross!

Along the way the people of the neighborhood gathered at their doors--people of all types, some scantily clad (it was close to 80 degrees--summer like here), some on cell phones :"and they watched"--and of course I too "watched"--they the recreation of the passion in their streets, me the ongoing passion that no doubt is being lived in their lives.

God save us all, we who watch as your Son is crucified. We who stand by as He passes through our streets, offering us mercy that we dare not rise up to receive. We who receive that mercy and do not reach out to share it with those in need.

The local media records the event:



Photo by Cathie Rowland

The Ninth Station of the Cross

The Crucifixion
by Michael O'Brien

From The Way of the Cross celebrated by the Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI, composed by Archbishop Angelo Comastri, © Copyright 2006 - Libreria Editrice Vaticana:

As Pascal insightfully observed:
“Jesus will be in agony until the end of the world;
and we cannot sleep during this time”.[1]

Where is Jesus in agony in our own time?
In the division of our world into belts of prosperity
and belts of poverty ... this is Christ’s agony today.
Our world is made of two rooms:
in one room, things go to waste,
in the other, people are wasting away;
in one room, people die from surfeit,
in the other, they die from indigence;
in one room, they are concerned about obesity,
in the other, they are begging for charity.

Why don’t we open a door?
Why don’t we sit at one table?
Why don’t we realize that the poor
can help the rich?
Why? Why? Why are we so blind?

Good Friday

The Crucifixion
by Michael O'Brien

Divine Mercy Novena-Day 1

First Day

"Today bring to Me All Mankind, especially all sinners and immerse them in the ocean of My mercy. In this way you will console Me in the bitter grief into which the loss of souls plunges Me."

Go here for instructions.

Kung--Expect Big Surprises from Pope

From Ansa Italy:

But, in an article which appeared in Italian daily La Stampa on Thursday, he seemed convinced that change would come, referring confidently to "the surprises of a conservative" .

"He is the supreme shepherd who proceeds with slow, small steps. He takes his time and prefers to promote small changes which trigger other bigger ones," he said. When Benedict was elected a year ago, Kung described the cardinals' choice as a "huge disappointment". But he also said he would suspend judgment and wait to see what the new pontiff did .

Holy Thursday

Christ in Gethsemane
by Michael O'Brien

Annual Footwashing Controversies

First a note from the Vatican, via Zenit:

No. 51 of the circular letter states: "The washing of the feet of chosen men which, according to tradition, is performed on this day, represents the service and charity of Christ, who came 'not to be served, but to serve.' This tradition should be maintained, and its proper significance explained."

About a year ago, however, the Holy See, while affirming that the men-only rule remains the norm, did permit a U.S. bishop to also wash women's feet if he considered it pastorally necessary in specific cases. This permission was for a particular case and from a strictly legal point of view has no value outside the diocese in question.

The Pope will wash the feet of 12 laymen (not priests)

Oratory Priest won't wash anyone's feet

Catholic's United for the Faith give their view

Charlotte priest apologizes to women for not washing their feet

While I'm like Peter, I don't want my feet washed and can't imagine who would--including most of the women I know who have very clean feet.

Talk about distractions in the liturgy, why does everything have to take the focus off of Christ? He's about to be crucified and the modern disciples (unlike the original ones) are all worried about who is going to be allowed to have their feet washed!

National Geographic and Gospel of Judas

Actually my favorite part of the presentation was how they mimiced Mel Gibson's Passion of the Christ when do the re-enactments of the Last Supper.

Emergence of the Gospel of Judas Offers a Tangled Tale of Its Own

William Sloane Coffin dead at 81

Former Yale Chaplain.

The Latest

A short note, one commentor on the Good Friday for Liberals wondered about my "headline" for it, saying they identified themselves as a "liberal"...like anything it is a little tongue in cheek as was my choice of a resurrected Christ for the image...there are those who'll pick up on it right away and those who've entered the game rather late who won't have a clue...obviously it'll be Good Friday for everyone this week, but for some the participation in Our Lord's crucifixion may be felt a little easier.

From Catholic World News:

The silence from Rome is getting downright noisy.

The rumor mills have provided dozens of reports that Pope Benedict will soon issue a document regarding the Latin Mass. But the stories are invariably laced with words like "could" and "perhaps." There has been no confirmation from the Vatican, nor any denial.

Vatican officials who might ordinarily provide useful insights are ducking questions. They are not saying that the reports are wrong. They are simply... not saying.

In his own blog Father John Zuhlsdorf has neatly summarized the circumstantial evidence pointing to the likelihood that the Holy Father will soon confirm the right of every priest to use the 1962 Missal. To his impressive collection of evidence, let me add this: the Congregation for Clergy is still leaving open the possibility that Pope Benedict will issue a statement on Holy Thursday-- which is now less than 36 hours away!

Taken all together, the evidence suggests that Church leaders know there is a statement ready for release, but the exact nature of that statement, and its timing, is known only to Pope Benedict and his closest associates, who (as we already know) don't leak stories to the media.

Good Friday for Liberals?

Could this signal the crucifixion of those in the Church of "what's happening now"?

From Catholic News Agency:

According to the source, the announcement could come “between Holy Thursday and Easter Sunday,” but the exact day has not yet been set. Nevertheless, the source said the decision has already been made by the Holy Father and that it’s “only a matter of time” before it is publicly announced.

“A minor official gesture by the Holy Father would be enough to allow the Mass according to the 1962 Missal to celebrated by whoever desires to do so, thus reiterating that this rite is still valid today simply because it was not abolished,” the source told CNA.

The announcement would be in the context of “the reform of the reform” that Pope Benedict XVI is promoting, which includes norms and principles that will be made public in the upcoming post-synod Apostolic Exhortation on the Eucharist.

Amy's Citadel Talk

Christian Historian Decodes DaVinci

The Truly Great "Yes"--Pope on Palm Sunday

From Asia News Italy:

The Cross, a sign of contradiction and of life, was at the heart of the pope’s homily, given after the dramatic account of the Passion by the evangelist Mark. Benedict XVI said: “There was a time, and it is still not entirely over, when Christianity was rejected precisely because of the Cross. The Cross talked about sacrifice, it was said, the Cross is a sign of denial of life. We, on the other hand, want life without restrictions and without renunciation. We want to live, nothing more than to live. Don’t let’s be limited by precepts and bans: we want richness and fullness – this is what was said and is still being said. All this sounds convincing and seductive, it is the language of the serpent, who tells us: ‘Don’t let yourselves be afraid! Eat serenely from all the trees in the garden!’ Palm Sunday, however, tells us that the truly great ‘Yes’ is precisely the Cross, that the Cross is the true tree of life. We are not alive to become masters of life, but to give it. Love is a giving of self, and this is why it is the way of true life, symbolized by the Cross.”

The Cross is “the road”, the “way” along which Jesus wants to lead us, a royal way at odds with the mentality of the world. Meditating on the episode of the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, astride a donkey, Benedict XVI said: “Jesus entered the Holy City riding a donkey, that is, the animal of simple peasants, and what’s more, a donkey that did not belong to him, but one He borrowed for the occasion. He does not turn up in an opulent, royal carriage, or astride a horse, like the world’s great men, but on a borrowed donkey.”

Thus, in him is fulfilled the promise made by the prophets of Israel, the “king of the poor”, the king of peace”, the king “of universality”. Even these terms contradict the prevailing overstated mentality.