Celebrate Easter

Today as we celebrate Easter, I share with you the Gospel reading for today in the Catholic church.  This passage will be read by either a priest or deacon, during the Easter Mass that is celebrated during the day, throughout the world.  It comes from the Gospel of John, chapter 20, verses 1-9:

On the first day of the week,
Mary of Magdala came to the tomb early in the morning,
while it was still dark, 
and saw the stone removed from the tomb.
So she ran and went to Simon Peter 
and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told them, 
“They have taken the Lord from the tomb, 
and we don’t know where they put him.”
So Peter and the other disciple went out and came to the tomb.
They both ran, but the other disciple ran faster than Peter 
and arrived at the tomb first; 
he bent down and saw the burial cloths there, but did not go in.
When Simon Peter arrived after him, 
he went into the tomb and saw the burial cloths there, 
and the cloth that had covered his head, 
not with the burial cloths but rolled up in a separate place.
Then the other disciple also went in, 
the one who had arrived at the tomb first, 
and he saw and believed.
For they did not yet understand the Scripture 
that he had to rise from the dead.

Holy Saturday

The following is an ancient homily written by an anonymous source, but one which sums up what today means for Christians around the world as we approach Easter:


What is happening? Today there is a great silence over the earth, a great silence, and stillness, a great silence because the King sleeps; the earth was in terror and was still, because God slept in the flesh and raised up those who were sleeping from the ages. God has died in the flesh, and the underworld has trembled.

Truly he goes to seek out our first parent like a lost sheep; he wishes to visit those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death. He goes to free the prisoner Adam and his fellow-prisoner Eve from their pains, he who is God, and Adam's son.

The Lord goes into them holding his victorious weapon, his cross. When Adam, the first created man, sees him, he strikes his breast in terror and calls out to all: "My Lord be with you all." And Christ in reply says to Adam: "And with your spirit." And grasping his hand he raises him up, saying:

"Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give you light.

I am your God, who for your sake became your son, who for you and your descendants now speak and command with authority those in prison: Come forth, and those in darkness: Have light, and those who sleep: Rise.

I command you: Awake, sleeper, I have not made you to be held a prisoner in the underworld. Arise from the dead; I am the life of the dead. Arise, O man, work of my hands, arise, you who were fashioned in my image. Rise, let us go hence; for you in me and I in you, together we are one undivided person.

For you, I your God became your son; for you, I the Master took on your form; that of slave; for you, I who am above the heavens came on earth and under the earth; for you, man, I became as a man without help, free among the dead; for you, who left a garden, I was handed over to Jews from a garden and crucified in a garden.

Look at the spittle on my face, which I received because of you, in order to restore you to that first divine inbreathing at creation. See the blows on my cheeks, which I accepted in order to refashion your distorted form to my own image.

See the scourging of my back, which I accepted in order to disperse the load of your sins which was laid upon your back. See my hands nailed to the tree for a good purpose, for you, who stretched out your hand to the tree for an evil one.

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 healed the pain of your side; my sleep will release you from your sleep in Hades; my sword has checked the sword which was turned against you.

But arise, let us go hence. The enemy brought you out of the land of paradise; I will reinstate you, no longer in paradise, but on the throne of heaven. I denied you the tree of life, which was a figure, but now I myself am united to you, I who am life. I posted the cherubim to guard you as they would slaves; now I make the cherubim worship you as they would God.

The cherubim throne has been prepared, the bearers are ready and waiting, the bridal chamber is in order, the food is provided, the everlasting houses and rooms are in readiness; the treasures of good things have been opened; the kingdom of heaven has been prepared before the ages."

Anonymous 

Lent update

How's your Lent going so far?  Is it your best Lent ever?  Are you having trouble fasting and giving up something?  Do you feel any closer to God?  Have you spent any additional time in prayer and/or service or ministry to God?  Are you reading the Bible or any other spiritual or theological books to draw you into a more deeper understanding of God's purpose and direction for your life?  Lent is a time for spiritual exercises to help you make your walk with God a better and more fulfilling one.  Use these weeks before Easter to draw closer to Jesus and walk with Him as the Holy Spirit leads you.  God is good...all the time!

Lent

This Wednesday is Ash Wednesday and marks the beginning of the Lenten season.  Traditionally, many people choose to give up something like chocolate or desserts, in order to draw themselves closer to God during the 40 days of Lent.  Others choose to do something extra, like go to morning Mass or say the Rosary every day, as a way to draw themselves closer to Christ.  Whatever you choose to do, prayerfully consider how you might use the 40 days of Lent to make you a better person, a better Christian, a better parent, sibling, or friend.  Use this Lent to make a difference.  Let's make this the best Lent ever!

Happy New Year 2016

Wishing everyone a very Happy New Year in 2016.  I hope this is your best year ever.  It can be if you choose to do things which will improve yourself and make a better version of you.  January is always a great time to reflect on things that you can do to make your life easier, and more productive. The key is to write down your goals and start a plan to make it happen.  Another idea is to write down things that you can cut out of your life or get rid of.  Things that are non-productive or time wasting activities. Of course, down't make your goals too lofty.  They need to be challenging but should also be attainable.  Are you really going to lose 30 pounds or run 10 miles a day?  Most people fail with their new year's resolutions either because they make them too hard or they don't write them down. Don't make that mistake.  So good luck and make this new year the one that counts!

Happy Boxing Day

This is an edited blog post that was originally written in 2008:


Today is the day after Christmas. It is a day when kids play with their Christmas presents and parents sleep in and relax, if they are lucky enough to not have to go to work. It's also a day when lots of people return Christmas presents to the stores and exchange them for something else. For still others it has become a day to shop for super discounted items as stores continue to make deals to get rid of their Christmas supplies and overstocked items. For this reason, it is now being called Black Friday #2. But on my calendar it says Boxing Day (Canada). Boxing Day? What is Boxing Day and why is it on my calendar? It also says Kwanzaa on my calendar today, but that is a topic for another day. I did a little research and found out that Boxing Day is celebrated in Great Britain (England), Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. It has it's roots going back to the Middle Ages in England and spread to the previously named countries over time. The name derives from the fact that in the early days, servants were required to work on Christmas Day, but were given the next day off. Their employers would give them gift "boxes" on that day (hence, Boxing Day), to thank them for their services. As time went on, people expanded the tradition to include other service people, like doormen, porters, mail carriers, and the like. I think this is possibly where the tradition of giving someone a tip comes from. Tipping is a good idea for a future blog also. Anyway, for whatever reason Boxing Day has continued on as a holiday in these other Anglo-Saxon countries besides ours. I'm not sure why this tradition did not make it to America (although tipping sure did). So that begs the question. Why is it on my calendar? Is it because all calendars sold in America are also sold in Canada where they celebrate Boxing Day? Or is it because there are plenty of Canadians who now reside in the United States? I'm not sure. Hey wait a minute...some calendars also say St. Stephen. What's that? Now this is really getting confusing. St. Stephen's Day is also an English holiday, and a Catholic Feast Day, marking the day that Saint Stephen was martyred by being stoned to death in Jerusalem in 34 or 35 A.D. This is where we get the line "on the feast of Stephen" from the Christmas carol, Good King Wenceslas. If fact, many websites on this topic suggest that St. Stephen's Day was the name of the holiday before it became known as Boxing Day. So there you have it. A history lesson and my thoughts on Boxing Day.

An empty Christmas

Most people don’t understand Christmas. They never think beyond the Babe in the manger. But Christmas is about emptiness—an empty throne, an empty manger, an empty cross, and an empty tomb, all of which fill our empty hearts. It’s a circuit. When Jesus traveled from heaven to earth, He used a round-trip ticket with stops along the way. He left the throne for the manger, the manger for the cross, the cross for the tomb, and the tomb for the throne. He left blessings behind at every stop. He emptied Himself so we might be filled. That’s the true story of Christmas.

Robert J. Morgan, "A Blue Danube Christmas"