Pope Saint Pius

People who know nothing else about Pius V are quite apt to remember him as the Pope of the Rosary, recalling his remarkable connection with the Battle of Lepanto.

Antonio Michael was born into the distinguished but impoverished Ghisleri. His parents could not afford to educate their alert little boy, who seemed far too talented to be a shepherd. One day, as he was minding his father’s small flock, two Dominicans came along the road and fell into conversation with him. Recognizing immediately that he was both virtuous and intelligent, they obtained permission from his parents to take the child with them and educate him. He left home at age 12 and did not return until his ordination many years later.

After a preliminary course of studies, he received the Dominican habit at the priory of Voghera at age 14 and, as a novice, was sent to Lombardy. Here, for the first time, he met the well-organized forces of heresy which he was to combat so successfully in later years.

After his ordination in 1528, he went home to say his first Mass, and he found that Bosco had been razed by the French. There was nothing left to tell him if his parents were alive or dead. He finally found them, however, in a nearby town. After he said Mass, he returned to a career that would keep him far from home for the rest of his life. He began as a lector in theology and philosophy for 16 years.

Then he served as novice-master, than as prior of several convents, Michael proved to be a wise and charitable administrator. He was made inquisitor at Como, Italy, where many of his religious brethren had died as martyrs to the heretics. By the time of Michael’s appointment there, the heretics’ chief weapon was the printed word; they smuggled books in from Switzerland, causing untold harm by spreading them in northern Italy. The new inquisitor set himself to fight this wicked traffic, and it was not the fault of the heretics that he did not follow his brethren to martyrdom. They ambushed him several times and laid a number of complicated plots to kill him, but only succeeded in making him determined to explain the situation more fully to the pope in Rome.

He arrived in Rome on Christmas Eve, tired, cold, and hungry, and here it was not the heretics that caused him pain, but his own brothers in Christ. The prior of Santa Sabina saw fit to be sarcastic and inhospitable to the unimportant looking friar, who said he was from Lombardy. The pope knew very well who he was, however, and immediately gave him the commission of working with the heretics in the Roman prisons.

He was a true father to these unfortunates, and he brought many of them back to the faith. One of his most appealing converts was a young Franciscan, a converted Jew of a wealthy family, who had lapsed into heresy through pride in his writing. Michael proceeded to straighten out his thinking, to give him the Dominican habit, and to assure him of his personal patronage, thus securing for the Church a splendid Scripture scholar and writer.

In 1556, Michael was chosen bishop of Nepi and Sutri. The next year he was named inquisitor general against the Protestants in Italy and Spain and was appointed cardinal, in order, as he said, that irons should be riveted to his feet to prevent him from creeping back into the peace of the cloister. In 1559, Pope Pius IV made him bishop of the war-depleted Piedmont see of Mondovi, to which he soon brought order. Insofar as possible, Michael continued to adhere to the Dominican Rule.

He constantly opposed nepotism. Michael opposed Pius IV’s attempt to make 13-year-old Ferdinand de’Medici a cardinal, and defeated the attempt of Emperor Maximilian II of Germany to abolish clerical celibacy.

January 7, 1565, when the papal chair was vacant following the death of Pius IV, the cardinals, chiefly through the influence of Saint Charles Borromeo, elected Cardinal Ghislieri pope. With great grief, he accepted the office and chose the name Pius V. Charles Borromeo had backed Michael during the election, trusting that he would act as a much-needed reformer.

His judgment proved true: on Pius’s coronation, the money usually distributed to the crowds was given to the hospitals and the poor, and money for a banquet for the cardinals and other dignitaries was given to poor convents. When someone criticized this, he observed that God would judge us more on our charity to the poor than on our good manners to the rich. Such an attitude was bound to make enemies in high places, but it endeared him to the poor, and it gave right-thinking men the hope that here was a man of integrity, and one who could help to reform the clergy and make a firm stand against the Lutheran heresy.

There were massive problems of immediate urgency during the brief reign of Pius V. From within, the peace of the Church was disturbed by the several heresies of Luther, Calvin, and the Lombards, and by the need for clerical reform. In addition, England was tottering on the brink of a break with Rome. The Netherlands were trying to break away from Spain and had embraced Protestantism. The missions across the sea needed attention. And all through the Mediterranean countries, the Turkish were ravaging Christian cities, creeping closer to world conquest. In the six years of his reign, Pope Pius V had to deal with all these questions–any one of which was enough to occupy his entire time.

One of Pius’s first actions was to demand that bishops should live in their dioceses and parish priests in their parishes. His efforts at regulating his see embraced issues ranging from the abolition of bullfighting, bear-baiting and prostitution, to cleaning out the Roman curia and eliminating nepotism, to cutting down the activities of bandits. He insisted that Sunday must be hallowed. Once a month he held a special court for anyone who felt they had been treated unjustly. He also brought in shipments of corn during a famine at his own expense.

In his personal life he continued to be a devout mendicant friar; as pope he set himself to enforce the decrees of the Council of Trent with energy and effect. The catechism ordered by the Council of Trent was completed during his rule (1566), and he ordered translations made. The breviary reformed (1568) and missal (1570). He also commissioned the best edition to date of the writings of Saint Thomas Aquinas; it was he who made Thomas a Doctor of the Church in 1567.

His was a rigorous character; he made full use of the Inquisition and his methods of combating Protestantism were ruthless. Pius had hoped to convert Queen Elizabeth of England. The unfortunate Mary Queen of Scots enjoyed his sympathy and encouragement. He sent reassuring letters to her, and once, at a time when no priest was allowed to go near her, he granted her special permission to receive Holy Communion by sending her a tiny pyx that contained consecrated Hosts. It was he who finally had to pronounce excommunication on Elizabeth of England in 1570, after he had given her every possible chance of repentance.

Pope Pius V had a high estimate of papal power in secular matters. When he excommunicated Elizabeth I, he absolved her subjects of the allegiance to her as queen. Some would say that this served only to endanger the Catholics in her realm, but essentially the attempt to save the souls of his flock was the prominent concern, however, many were accused of treason and martyred. That he also came into conflict with Philip II of Spain shows with what consistency he applied his principles.

He encouraged the new society founded by Saint Ignatius of Loyola and established the Jesuits in the Gregorian University. He consecrated three Jesuit bishops for India, gave Saint Francis Borgia his greatest cooperation, and helped to finance missionaries to China and Japan. He built the church of Our Lady of the Angels for the Franciscans and helped Saint Philip Neri in his establishment of the Oratory. Probably the act for which he will be longest remembered in his leadership at the time of the Battle of Lepanto.

In 1565, the Knights of Saint John defended Malta against a tremendous attack by the Turkish fleet and lost nearly every fighting man in the fortress. It was the pope who sent encouragement and money with which to rebuild their battered city. The pope called for a crusade among the Christian nations and appointed a leader who would be acceptable to all. He ordered the Forty Hours Devotion to be held in Rome, and he encouraged all to say the Rosary.

When the Christian fleet sailed out to meet the enemy, every man on board had received the sacraments, and all were saying the Rosary. The fleet was small, and numerically it was no match for the Turkish fleet, which so far had never met defeat. They met in the Bay of Lepanto on Sunday morning, October 7, 1565. After a day of bitter fighting, and, on the part of the Christians, miraculous help, the Turkish fleet–what was left of it–fled in disgrace, broken and defeated, its power crushed forever.

Before the victorious fleet returned to Rome, the pope had knowledge of the victory through miraculous means. He proclaimed a period of thanksgiving; he placed the invocation, “Mary, Help of Christians” in the Litany of Loreto and established the feast in commemoration of the victory. It was almost the last act of his momentous career for he fell victim to a painful illness that killed him in less than a year. He was attempting to form an alliance of the Italian cities, France, Poland, and other Christian nations of Europe to march against the Turks when he died. He is enshrined at Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome.

Although he was criticized for ‘wanting to turn Rome into a monastery,’ Saint Pius had the respect of the Roman people, who knew his personal goodness and concern for everybody’s welfare. He gave large sums to the poor, lived a life of austerity and piety, and personally visited the sick in hospitals. Pius V is remembered as one of the most important popes of the Counter-

Born: in Bosco (near Alessandria), Italy, on January 17, 1504

Died: May 1, 1572

Papal Ascension: elected January 7, 1566; crowned January 17, 1566

Beatified: May 1, 1672 by Pope Clement X

Canonized: On May 22, 1712, Pope Clement XI enrolled him in the catalogue of the Saints

Representation: In art, he is shown reciting a rosary; or with a fleet in the distance; or with the feet of a crucifix withdrawn as he tried to kiss them.

 

Saint Catherine of Siena

She was the youngest but one of a very large family. Her father, Giacomo di Benincasa, was a dyer; her mother, Lapa, the daughter of a local poet. They belonged to the lower middle-class faction of tradesmen and petty notaries, known as “the Party of the Twelve”, which between one revolution and another ruled the Republic of Siena from 1355 to 1368. From her earliest childhood Catherine began to see visions and to practice extreme austerities. At the age of seven she consecrated her virginity to Christ; in her sixteenth year she took the habit of the Dominican Tertiaries, and renewed the life of the anchorites of the desert in a little room in her father’s house. After three years of celestial visitations and familiar conversation with Christ, she underwent the mystical experience known as the “spiritual espousals”, probably during the carnival of 1366. She now rejoined her family, began to tend the sick, especially those afflicted with the most repulsive diseases, to serve the poor, and to labor for the conversion of sinners. Though always suffering terrible physical pain, living for long intervals on practically no food save the Blessed Sacrament, she was ever radiantly happy and full of practical wisdom no less than the highest spiritual insight. All her contemporaries bear witness to her extraordinary personal charm, which prevailed over the continual persecution to which she was subjected even by the friars of her own order and by her sisters in religion. She began to gather disciples round her, both men and women, who formed a wonderful spiritual fellowship, united to her by the bonds of mystical love. During the summer of 1370 she received a series of special manifestations of Divine mysteries, which culminated in a prolonged trance, a kind of mystical death, in which she had a vision of Hell, Purgatory, and Heaven, and heard a Divine command to leave her cell and enter the public life of the world. She began to dispatch letters to men and women in every condition of life, entered into correspondence with the princes and republics of Italy, was consulted by the papal legates about the affairs of the Church, and set herself to heal the wounds of her native land by staying the fury of civil war and the ravages of faction. She implored the pope, Gregory XI, to leave Avignon, to reform the clergy and the administration of the Papal States, and ardently threw herself into his design for a crusade, in the hopes of uniting the powers of Christendom against the infidels, and restoring peace to Italy by delivering her from the wandering companies of mercenary soldiers. While at Pisa, on the fourth Sunday of Lent, 1375, she received the Stigmata, although, at her special prayer, the marks did not appear outwardly in her body while she lived.

Mainly through the misgovernment of the papal officials, war broke out between Florence and the Holy See, and almost the whole of the Papal States rose in insurrection. Catherine had already been sent on a mission from the pope to secure the neutrality of Pisa and Lucca. In June, 1376, she went to Avignon as ambassador of the Florentines, to make their peace; but, either through the bad faith of the republic or through a misunderstanding caused by the frequent changes in its government, she was unsuccessful. Nevertheless she made such a profound impression upon the mind of the pope, that, in spite of the opposition of the French king and almost the whole of the Sacred College, he returned to Rome (17 January, 1377). Catherine spent the greater part of 1377 in effecting a wonderful spiritual revival in the country districts subject to the Republic of Siena, and it was at this time that she miraculously learned to write, though she still seems to have chiefly relied upon her secretaries for her correspondence. Early in 1378 she was sent by Pope Gregory to Florence, to make a fresh effort for peace. Unfortunately, through the factious conduct of her Florentine associates, she became involved in the internal politics of the city, and during a popular tumult (22 June) an attempt was made upon her life. She was bitterly disappointed at her escape, declaring that her sins had deprived her of the red rose of martyrdom. Nevertheless, during the disastrous revolution known as “the tumult of the Ciompi”, she still remained at Florence or in its territory until, at the beginning of August, news reached the city that peace had been signed between the republic and the new pope. Catherine then instantly returned to Siena, where she passed a few months of comparative quiet, dictating her “Dialogue”, the book of her meditations and revelations.

In the meanwhile the Great Schism had broken out in the Church. From the outset Catherine enthusiastically adhered to the Roman claimant, Urban VI, who in November, 1378, summoned her to Rome. In the Eternal City she spent what remained of her life, working strenuously for the reformation of the Church, serving the destitute and afflicted, and dispatching eloquent letters in behalf of Urban to high and low in all directions. Her strength was rapidly being consumed; she besought her Divine Bridegroom to let her bear the punishment for all the sins of the world, and to receive the sacrifice of her body for the unity and renovation of the Church; at last it seemed to her that the Bark of Peter was laid upon her shoulders, and that it was crushing her to death with its weight. After a prolonged and mysterious agony of three months, endured by her with supreme exultation and delight, from Sexagesima Sunday until the Sunday before the Ascension, she died. Her last political work, accomplished practically from her death-bed, was the reconciliation of Pope Urban VI with the Roman Republic (1380).

Among Catherine’s principal followers were Fra Raimondo delle Vigne, of Capua (d. 1399), her confessor and biographer, afterwards General of the Dominicans, and Stefano di Corrado Maconi (d. 1424), who had been one of her secretaries, and became Prior General of the Carthusians. Raimondo’s book, the “Legend”, was finished in 1395. A second life of her, the “Supplement”, was written a few years later by another of her associates, Fra Tomaso Caffarini (d. 1434), who also composed the “Minor Legend”, which was translated into Italian by Stefano Maconi. Between 1411 and 1413 the depositions of the surviving witnesses of her life and work were collected at Venice, to form the famous “Process”. Catherine was canonized by Pius II in 1461. The emblems by which she is known in Christian art are the lily and book, the crown of thorns, or sometimes a heart–referring to the legend of her having changed hearts with Christ. Her principal feast is on the 30th of April, but it is popularly celebrated in Siena on the Sunday following. The feast of her Espousals is kept on the Thursday of the carnival.

The works of St. Catherine of Siena rank among the classics of the Italian language, written in the beautiful Tuscan vernacular of the fourteenth century. Notwithstanding the existence of many excellent manuscripts, the printed editions present the text in a frequently mutilated and most unsatisfactory condition. Her writings consist of  the “Dialogue”, or “Treatise on Divine Providence”; a collection of nearly four hundred letters; and a series of “Prayers”.

The “Dialogue” especially, which treats of the whole spiritual life of man in the form of a series of colloquies between the Eternal Father and the human soul (represented by Catherine herself), is the mystical counterpart in prose of Dante’s “Divina Commedia”.

A smaller work in the dialogue form, the “Treatise on Consummate Perfection”, is also ascribed to her, but is probably spurious. It is impossible in a few words to give an adequate conception of the manifold character and contents of the “Letters”, which are the most complete expression of Catherine’s many-sided personality. While those addressed to popes and sovereigns, rulers of republics and leaders of armies, are documents of priceless value to students of history, many of those written to private citizens, men and women in the cloister or in the world, are as fresh and illuminating, as wise and practical in their advice and guidance for the devout Catholic today as they were for those who sought her counsel while she lived. Others, again, lead the reader to mystical heights of contemplation, a rarefied atmosphere of sanctity in which only the few privileged spirits can hope to dwell. The key-note to Catherine’s teaching is that man, whether in the cloister or in the world, must ever abide in the cell of self-knowledge, which is the stable in which the traveler through time to eternity must be born again.

Born: March 25, 1347 at Siena, Tuscany, Italy

Died: April 29, 1380 of a mysterious and painful illness that came on without notice, and was never properly diagnosed

Canonized: July 1461 by Pope Pius II

Representation:  cross; crown of thorns; heart; lily; ring; stigmata

Patronage:  against fire, bodily ills, diocese of Allentown, Pennsylvania, USA, Europe, fire prevention, firefighters, illness, Italy, miscarriages, nurses, nursing services, people ridiculed for their piety, sexual temptation, sick people, sickness, Siena Italy, temptations

Divine Mercy~by Fr. Bryan Wolf

“I desire to grant unimaginable graces to those souls who trust in My mercy. Even a sinner most hardened, if only once recite the Chaplet, he will obtain grace from My infinite mercy.”  The Diary of Sister Mary Faustina

The Sunday after Easter has been designated Divine Mercy Sunday, a devotion actively promoted by Pope John Paul II before his death and instituted edictally by him in 2000 when he Canonized Sister Mary Faustina a Saint.  In fact it was Pope John Paul II, when being Archbishop of Krakow in 1965 began the informative process to certify the testaments of Sister Faustina.

Born in 1905 Maria Faustina Kowalska, became a nun at the young age of 20 after relating her many visions of a suffering Christ she had through her childhood and adolescents.  So passionate were her claims that, even without much formal education, she so moved superiors to admit her to the Convent of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy. There in 1931, after having been diagnosed the year before with tuberculosis, she records in her spiritual diary of having mystic visitations from Jesus; who she described as appearing to her as the “King of Divine Mercy.”

In her diary, Sister Faustina details how Christ delegated to her a sacred mission to have people implore His Divine Mercy. Jesus commanded her to have painted His image, as it appears in Divine Mercy representations. Jesus told her to accompany the image with the prayerful words, “Jesus, I trust in you.”  Lastly Jesus inspired Sister Faustina to compose a simple prayer that He begged people recite- The Chaplet of Divine Mercy.  “Whoever will recite it will receive great mercy at the hour of death. When prayed in the presence of a dying person, truly I shall stand between them and My Father not as a judge, but as the Merciful Savior. Even a sinner most hardened, if only once recite the Chaplet, he will obtain grace from My infinite mercy. Truly I tell you, the greater the sin- the greater claim they have to My mercy and justice.”

This final thoughts are the ones that strike me as the most profound. No matter what transgressions, how far removed we might feel from the promise of salvation because of our own failings- through His Divine Mercy and the Chaplet to pray, Christ assures us of His infinite mercy. This is key.

Without doubt many of us- dare I say all of us, fall short in our desire to be a good Christian. We may pray, attend church and even do good works- but the road is narrow and difficult. Our tempers get the best of us. Pressed for time, our religious responsibilities become moved to “the back burner”.  We procrastinate ( I know I do, often ) and waste away time on things that seem important at the moment and then, truly are not at all.

But through Sister Faustina, Christ tells us He knows this. He understands this. “Tell them to surrender to My mercy and to call upon Me. To trust in Me and My infinite mercy.” Almost knowing there would be many who will not even find the time or ability to recite the prayerful Chaplet, Jesus inspired Sister Faustina to record the one sentence summation- “Jesus, I trust in you.”

Furthermore, I am struck by the investigation of then Archbishop Wojtyla ( Pope John Paul II ) where he considers the writings of Sister Faustina and her claims of mystical visitation. “I feel obliged to believe. For one so simple, so inwardly reflective- ( Sister Faustina ) possessed a great knowledge. She knew of the Trisagion without any formal exposure. Indeed, Our Lord has spoken to her.”  The Trisagion ( Holy Three Times ) is an introductory prayer of sorts used in the Divine Liturgies of the Eastern Orthodox and Byzatine Rite Churches. It are these words, “Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One” that were written by Sister Faustina to conclude the Chaplet of Divine Mercy. Archbishop Wojityla discovered that these words dismayed Sister Faustina as she found them obscure, thought this evidence that Jesus desired to unify the many Christians religions unto himself. ( We ourselves should take example from the devotion of Pope John Paul II to Sister Faustina and The Divine Mercy Chaplet, as he himself today is to be Canonized Saint by Pope Francis.)

Sister Faustina died from her illness at the young age of 33, the same age as our Savior. She left us a beautiful prayer and legacy to impart Christ’s mercy upon even the most stubborn of us. In all the hectic moments of our day- in the constant whirlwind of unimportant things that seem to demand our attention, we are offered a moment of pause and reflection. A sublime prayer that offers up the Divine Mercy of Christ himself, as King of Divine Mercy, to stand- not before us, but with us- at our hour of greatest need.

“Eternal Father, I offer you the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of your dearly beloved Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world. For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world. Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole world.” ( The basic foundation of The Divine Mercy Chaplet, though structure and recited to accord with Rosary beads. )

“Eternal God, in whom mercy is endless and the treasure of compassion inexhaustible, look kindly upon us and increase your mercy in us; that in difficult moments we might not despair nor become despondent, but with great confidence submit ourselves to your Holy will- which is love and mercy itself. Amen.”

He Lives!!! ~ The Very Reverend Lady Sherwood, OPoc

John 20:1-18

20:1 Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb. 20:2 So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.” 20:3 Then Peter and the other disciple set out and went toward the tomb. 20:4 The two were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 20:5 He bent down to look in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he did not go in.

20:6 Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen wrappings lying there, 20:7 and the cloth that had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen wrappings but rolled up in a place by itself. 20:8 Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; 20:9 for as yet they did not understand the scripture, that he must rise from the dead.

20:10 Then the disciples returned to their homes. 20:11 But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb; 20:12 and she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had been lying, one at the head and the other at the feet.

20:13 They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.”

20:14 When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus.

20:15 Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?”

Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.”

20:16 Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to him in Hebrew, “Rabbouni!” (which means Teacher).

20:17 Jesus said to her, “Do not hold on to me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'”

20:18 Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”; and she told them that he had said these things to her.

Today, we celebrate the greatest day in the history of the world! Today we celebrate the Great Truth that Our Lord Jesus Christ, who was crucified on a cross and died for each of us, arose from the dead in just three days!!  Our Lord Jesus was victorious over death and over the Grave. Our Lord rose up from the dead leaving the tomb empty. He was seen by Mary Magdelene, so that she could tell all the wonderful news!  We who are truly one with the Lord were victorious over death with His rising from death, and all of us who truly believe and follow Him, though like Him we must suffer the physical death of the body, we will be raised again to share with the Lord the Father’s eternal glory.

Where oh grave is thy victory for those who truly believe, love and follow the teachings of our Lord? There is none!! Yes, it may seem to some that when we lose loved ones to physical death, that it is the end for them, but didn’t people think exactly the same when our Lord was laid in physical death in the tomb? Of course they did!! But we who are one with our Lord know better! We know that because Our Lord Jesus died and was risen, that our bonds of eternal death were broken and have fallen from us like the cutting of shackles and has set us free. The Lord Jesus died so that each of us who truly believe will have eternal life, Such Love for us sinners that he would take on death for each of us and then turn the eternal darkness of the grave into such a wonderful victory of which we can all share!! Our Lord Lives!! He lives today together with the Father in Heaven, where all who truly believe will also live in eternal rejoicing!

 

FRIDAY

John 19:17-37 (NIV)

17 Carrying his own cross, he went out to the place of the Skull (which in Aramaic is called Golgotha). 18 There they crucified him, and with him two others—one on each side and Jesus in the middle.

19 Pilate had a notice prepared and fastened to the cross. It read: jesus of nazareth, the king of the jews. 20 Many of the Jews read this sign, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and the sign was written in Aramaic, Latin and Greek. 21 The chief priests of the Jews protested to Pilate, “Do not write ‘The King of the Jews,’ but that this man claimed to be king of the Jews.”

22 Pilate answered, “What I have written, I have written.”

23 When the soldiers crucified Jesus, they took his clothes, dividing them into four shares, one for each of them, with the undergarment remaining. This garment was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom.

24 “Let’s not tear it,” they said to one another. “Let’s decide by lot who will get it.”

This happened that the scripture might be fulfilled that said,

“They divided my clothes among them
    and cast lots for my garment.”[a]

So this is what the soldiers did.

25 Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 26 When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her, “Woman,[b] here is your son,” 27 and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.

The Death of Jesus

28 Later, knowing that everything had now been finished, and so that Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I am thirsty.” 29 A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus’ lips. 30 When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

31 Now it was the day of Preparation, and the next day was to be a special Sabbath. Because the Jewish leaders did not want the bodies left on the crosses during the Sabbath, they asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies taken down. 32 The soldiers therefore came and broke the legs of the first man who had been crucified with Jesus, and then those of the other. 33 But when they came to Jesus and found that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. 34 Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus’ side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water. 35 The man who saw it has given testimony, and his testimony is true. He knows that he tells the truth, and he testifies so that you also may believe. 36 These things happened so that the scripture would be fulfilled: “Not one of his bones will be broken,”[c] 37 and, as another scripture says, “They will look on the one they have pierced.”[d]

Thursday

A Reading from the Gospel According to Luke

Institution of the Lord’s Supper

14 And when the hour came, he reclined at table, and the apostles with him. 15 And he said to them, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. 16 For I tell you I will not eat it[a] until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” 17 And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he said, “Take this, and divide it among yourselves. 18 For I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” 19 And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 20 And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.[b] 21 But behold, the hand of him who betrays me is with me on the table. 22 For the Son of Man goes as it has been determined, but woe to that man by whom he is betrayed!” 23 And they began to question one another, which of them it could be who was going to do this.

Who Is the Greatest?

24 A dispute also arose among them, as to which of them was to be regarded as the greatest. 25 And he said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those in authority over them are called benefactors. 26 But not so with you. Rather, let the greatest among you become as the youngest, and the leader as one who serves. 27 For who is the greater, one who reclines at table or one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines at table? But I am among you as the one who serves.

28 “You are those who have stayed with me in my trials, 29 and I assign to you, as my Father assigned to me, a kingdom, 30 that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

Jesus Foretells Peter’s Denial

31 “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you,[c] that he might sift you like wheat, 32 but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.” 33 Peter[d] said to him, “Lord, I am ready to go with you both to prison and to death.” 34 Jesus[e] said, “I tell you, Peter, the rooster will not crow this day, until you deny three times that you know me.”

Scripture Must Be Fulfilled in Jesus

35 And he said to them, “When I sent you out with no moneybag or knapsack or sandals, did you lack anything?” They said, “Nothing.” 36 He said to them, “But now let the one who has a moneybag take it, and likewise a knapsack. And let the one who has no sword sell his cloak and buy one. 37 For I tell you that this Scripture must be fulfilled in me: ‘And he was numbered with the transgressors.’ For what is written about me has its fulfillment.” 38 And they said, “Look, Lord, here are two swords.” And he said to them, “It is enough.”

Jesus Prays on the Mount of Olives

39 And he came out and went, as was his custom, to the Mount of Olives, and the disciples followed him. 40 And when he came to the place, he said to them, “Pray that you may not enter into temptation.” 41 And he withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and knelt down and prayed, 42 saying, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.” 43 And there appeared to him an angel from heaven, strengthening him. 44 And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.[f] 45 And when he rose from prayer, he came to the disciples and found them sleeping for sorrow, 46 and he said to them, “Why are you sleeping? Rise and pray that you may not enter into temptation.”

Betrayal and Arrest of Jesus

47 While he was still speaking, there came a crowd, and the man called Judas, one of the twelve, was leading them. He drew near to Jesus to kiss him, 48 but Jesus said to him, “Judas, would you betray the Son of Man with a kiss?” 49 And when those who were around him saw what would follow, they said, “Lord, shall we strike with the sword?” 50 And one of them struck the servant[g] of the high priest and cut off his right ear. 51 But Jesus said, “No more of this!” And he touched his ear and healed him. 52 Then Jesus said to the chief priests and officers of the temple and elders, who had come out against him, “Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs? 53 When I was with you day after day in the temple, you did not lay hands on me. But this is your hour, and the power of darkness.”

Peter Denies Jesus

54 Then they seized him and led him away, bringing him into the high priest’s house, and Peter was following at a distance. 55 And when they had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and sat down together, Peter sat down among them. 56 Then a servant girl, seeing him as he sat in the light and looking closely at him, said, “This man also was with him.” 57 But he denied it, saying, “Woman, I do not know him.” 58 And a little later someone else saw him and said, “You also are one of them.” But Peter said, “Man, I am not.” 59 And after an interval of about an hour still another insisted, saying, “Certainly this man also was with him, for he too is a Galilean.” 60 But Peter said, “Man, I do not know what you are talking about.” And immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed. 61 And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the saying of the Lord, how he had said to him, “Before the rooster crows today, you will deny me three times.” 62 And he went out and wept bitterly.

Jesus Is Mocked

63 Now the men who were holding Jesus in custody were mocking him as they beat him. 64 They also blindfolded him and kept asking him, “Prophesy! Who is it that struck you?” 65 And they said many other things against him, blaspheming him.

Judas – Devil or Angel?

Holy Wednesday
April 16, 2014

1st Reading: Isaiah 50:4-9a
Response: Psalm 70
2nd Reading: Hebrews 12:1-3
Gospel: John 13:21-32

Oh God, come to my assistance; Lord, make haste to help me.

My Sisters and Brothers;

Today, I think, I am going to turn things around just a little bit. I am going to dive right into the Gospel message and then end on a lighter note; in all honesty, our Gospel is fairly dark. We do, however, need to honor the journey and focus on what is happening at this moment in the Celebration of the Word.

Today we bring into our minds the account of Judas’ betrayal of Jesus, but there is a very small snippet of information I feel is overlooked every time this story is told – (John 13:27) “After he received the piece of bread, Satan entered into him. Jesus said to him, “Do quickly what you are going to do.” The intimation in this verse is that Judas was possessed and not in control of his own actions or deeds. The opposite, of course, could also be true – perhaps, just maybe, Judas was evil all along and Jesus was smarter than Judas thought. But aside from arguing whether or not Judas is evil and condemned for all time think about this: what if Judas had never handed Jesus over to the guards? What if, instead, Jesus lived? Think about it for a moment.

Now think about this: would you listen to a modern news report of a man who walked from town to town healing the sick and nurturing the poor, or would you instead take notice of a man who did those things, but was now being condemned and put to death for healing others? In today’s world of instant news and instant gratification we call such a thing “sensationalism,” but sadly, it works. That is just how we humans sit up and take notice. That’s how we remember important events – by the controversy surrounding said events.

Did Judas do a bad thing, or was he actually a herald who showed the world who the Christ really was? Was Judas a betrayer, or was he the betrayed? All Judas did was point (or kiss) the Divine human who was the proclaimed Son of God.

Perhaps we have this whole Judas thing wrong. Perhaps Judas was a herald announcing the new era of the Redeemer – the Son of the Almighty God – the Christ. Maybe, just maybe, Judas had no choice. Maybe he HAD to deliver the “good news” to the rest of the world through a sensational act. If Judas did NOT turn the Christ over to the soldiers would we today know about the resurrection? Would there have even been a resurrection if there hadn’t been a passing from this world?

Look, we spend so much time condemning that we forget the other possibilities – the ones of greatness – the proclamations. Judas was no worse than any of his fellow disciples and yet history portrays him as evil and soulless – despite that there is evidence pointing to Judas other than this betrayal story.

The other disciples rejected the Christ by claiming they had no idea who he was. Even after His resurrection, they still denied his very existence until he showed them his wounds; yet this Judas person proclaimed to the world that not only did he know him, but then showed the world who was the Man born Divine so there could be no question of His existence.

Without Judas the Gospel messages may have never been fulfilled. Why exactly is that a bad thing? Even our Christ tells him to go and do what he MUST do. Why then can’t we accept that Judas too had a role to play in the Divine script? Something else to consider: was Judas also forgiven? Didn’t the Christ suffer, die and resurrect for ALL sins?

Was Judas a devil or an angel? What is it you teach: hatred or love?

With that in mind, let’s go back to our first reading for a moment. We are teachers, preachers, healers, and lovers. We are constantly listening for the Word of God – the presence of the Christ in our midst – so that we might be able to share what we learn and participate in the celebration of life eternal. But what is it we are teaching – what we want to see or what we are called to see? Is there a difference? How can I not preach what I have experienced in my own life and how can others not do the same?

We are, each of us, called to be present to all aspects of our being, yet we readily deny those aspects of ourselves which make us uncomfortable. We cast away those parts of our being which are natural and instinctive, while at the same time trying to force others to live in the shadows of some contrived sense of perfection. One of the greatest beings of our history is made to look like a monster because he did what he was supposed to do – announce to everyone the beginning of the new world through the birth and coming resurrection of the Christ, our Messiah. Judas told the world exactly who the Christ was – and is. It was up to the people at that point to either love Him or destroy him. Judas didn’t kill Jesus – the people who professed to love Him did – and still do.

Have we really heard the real message of the Christ’s life and ministry, or are we again forcing our own perceptions and interpretations onto something which could have important implications in our lives? What do we teach through our actions? How do we show the world around us what we have discovered through the loving and FORGIVING God?

(Isaiah 50:5) “The Lord GOD has opened my ear, and I was not rebellious, I did not turn backward.” I hear you my God, and I am here.

In the name of the Creator God, the Redeemer Son, and the Sanctifying Spirit. +Amen

Blessed Margaret of Castello

  Margaret was born blind into a poor, mountain family, who were embittered by her affliction. When she was five years old, they made a pilgrimage to the tomb of a holy Franciscan at Castello to pray for a cure. The miracle failing, they abandoned their daughter in the church of Città-di-Castello and returned to their home.

    Margaret was passed from family to family until she was adopted by a kindly peasant woman named Grigia, who had a large family of her own. Margaret’s natural sweetness and goodness soon made themselves felt, and she more than repaid the family for their kindness to her. She was an influence for good in any group of children. She stopped their quarrels, heard their catechism, told them stories, taught them Psalms and prayers. Busy neighbors were soon borrowing her to soothe a sick child or to establish peace in the house.

    Her reputation for holiness was so great that a community of sisters in the town asked for her to become one of them. Margaret went happily to join them, but, unfortunately, there was little fervor in the house. The little girl who was so prayerful and penitential was a reproach to their lax lives, so Margaret returned to Grigia, who gladly welcomed her home.

    Later, Margaret was received as a Dominican Tertiary and clothed with the religious habit. Grigia’s home became the rendezvous site of troubled souls seeking Margaret’s prayers. She said the Office of the Blessed Virgin and the entire Psalter by heart, and her prayers had the effect of restoring peace of mind to the troubled.

    Denied earthly sight, Margaret was favored with heavenly visions. “Oh, if you only knew what I have in my heart!” she often said. The mysteries of the rosary, particularly the joyful mysteries, were so vivid to her that her whole person would light up when she described the scene. She was often in ecstasy, and, despite great joys and favors in prayer, she was often called upon to suffer desolation and interior trials of frightening sorts. The devil tormented her severely at times, but she triumphed over these sufferings.

    A number of miracles were performed by Blessed Margaret. On one occasion, while she was praying in an upper room, Grigia’s house caught fire, and she called to Margaret to come down. The blessed, however, called to her to throw her cloak on the flames. This she did, and the blaze died out. At another time, she cured a sister who was losing her eyesight.

    Beloved by her adopted family and by her neighbors and friends, Margaret died at the early age of 33. From the time of her death, her tomb in the Dominican church was a place of pilgrimage. Her body, even to this day, is incorrupt. More than 200 miracles have been credited to her intercession after her death. She was beatified in 1609. Thus the daughter that nobody wanted is one of the glories of the Church

    After her death, the fathers received permission to have her heart opened. In it were three pearls, having holy figures carved upon them. They recalled the saying so often on the lips of Margaret: “If you only knew what I have in my heart!” (Attwater2, Benedictines, Dorcy).

Born: in 1287 at Meldola, Vado, Italy

Died: April 13th, 1320 of Natural Causes (Her body is incorrupt)

Beatified: October 19th, 1609 by Pope Paul V

Patronage: Against poverty, disabled people, handicapped people, impoverishment, people rejected by religious orders, physically challenged people, poverty.

 

For the Sake of Love~ by Fr. Bryan Wolf

” Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! ”  John 12:13

The crowds had gathered for the festival.  There was even a greater excitement and anticipation among them as word spread that Jesus, the “king of Israel ” ( John 12:13 ) was himself coming into Jerusalem!  The people lined the streets. They spread their cloaks on the ground before him.  They waved palm branches and threw them at the feet of the donkey he rode upon. It was indeed a triumphant welcome, befitting a king.  Reports of his miracles had preceded Jesus, most especially and recently how he had raised Lazarus from the dead.

Who was this man, that the crowds struggled now to draw near to him? To catch a glimpse of him. The fervor built in a great hopeful crescendo. Here came the new “king of Israel ” who, like Moses before him, would free them this time from the opperssion of Rome.  Such was the celebration that day that not even Jesus’ own disciples could really understand everything that was going on that day, in the tumult of the moment ( John 12:16 )  There was more than likely bewilderment within the crowd as well, to see Jesus riding a simple donkey and not up upon a majestic war horse. How was this is inspire the overthrow of the Empire?

Yet, here was Jesus- peaceful, sublime and most certainly reflective. For in his divinity, Jesus knew- this began the week of his Passion. His arrival in Jerusalem would ultimately be climax of his ministry. So much so with the prospects of the events that lay before him that, ” [a]s he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it .” ( Luke 19:41 )  We need to reflect here, as Christ was both divine and human. Did he weep with his human heart of the knowledge of the suffering he was about to undergo, or did he shed tears as God?  In Genesis, God reflects on the Great Flood- ” I establish my covenant with you; Never again will all life be destroyed by the waters of a flood. I have set my rainbow in the clouds. Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember my everlasting covenant with all living creatures of every kind on earth. ” ( Genesis 9:11-16 )

We hear in each Mass, as we recall the ultimate sacrifice of our Lord, that Jesus entered willingly into his Passion. Jesus knew the dark and difficult moments that lay before him. Jesus accepts the betrayal of one so close to him, informs Peter of how he would deny him and even endures the mockery of a trial.  Jesus willingly accepts the public ridicule of his cross and the isolation of that long walk up Calvary.  Even to the desperation of calling out- ” My God, my God, why have you forsaken me ?” ( Matthew 27:45 ) and surrendering- ” It is finished. ” ( John 19:30 )  Jesus knew in this one brief holy week, emotions would go from joy to sadness.

Why would God allow his only son to suffer these cruel indignities?  ” For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son…. ” ( John 3:16 )  Is this not the most valuable lesson that we must both practice and preach, everday?  ” Greater love has no one than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. ” ( John 15:13 )

There is not one among us who would not do everything within our power, to help a friend through painful suffering.  Not one parent who whispers a prayer for God to place the burden upon them and remove it from their child.

These are the two important lessons of our Lord’s Passion, to extend this sacrifice to our neighbors- even to strangers. To come to understand that Christ was not only making his ultimate sacrifice for us but to demonstrate to us that it must be within us to willingly sacrifice for others. Also, to understand there will be situations in life that- pray as we may, we will be unable to alter the circumstances. We must have the faith Christ had, to endure certain hardships with the knowledge that God will guide us and stand by us.

Jesus bravely embraced all the pain and sin of the world. He did that for us, for the sake of the love God has for us. Can we not too, return that love by being ready to sacrifice ourselves for the needs and wants of others? God rose Jesus to eternal glory even after that was done to him here on earth. Keeping God in our hearts, living for others to demonstrate the compassion and mercy of Christ- will God not fulfill for us His promise of eternal life? God will, as God us done for us before. For the sake of love.

Almighty God, as today you entered Jerusalem to reveal to the world your true love for us- let us not withdraw from those difficult moments that will present themselves to us. Let us be ready to offer our own sacrifice for the benefit of others. As we enter this most holy of weeks, give us your grace to keep watch and maintain our Easter vigil. Let us remember and reflect on your sacrifice, so that we may indeed be worthy of your promise of eternal life. Pray that, like Jesus we have the strength and faith to live as Christ lived. To be and do for others and for you. For the sake of Love!   Amen.

 

Choices! Choices! Choices! ~ The Very Rev. Lady Sherwood, OPoc

Romans 8:6-118:6 To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.  8:7 For this reason the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law– indeed it cannot, 8:8 and those who are in the flesh cannot please God. 8:9 But you are not in the flesh; you are in the Spirit, since the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.  8:10 But if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness.  8:11 If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through his Spirit that dwells in you.

Do you like watching television? Perhaps you have digital TV, or cable in your home.  Maybe you like to watch soaps, or a funny comedy, or even a weepy movie. There are so many different things we can choose to watch these days isn’t there? Or maybe you might like to have a pizza for a snack or meal. Which one out of all the varieties do you choose and set you mind upon having? Cheese and tomato perhaps, or hot and spicy, or ham, or pineapple, or even some other type? Choices, choices, choices!!

In our own lives, we also have a choice to make. This choice is to set our minds on flesh, or to set our minds on Spirit. Which do we choose? Is it the Flesh, which does not serve God, and  does not have true peace or eternal salvation from death?  Or do we choose to be in Spirit? Being in Spirit means we accept God into our whole selves, loving and following his teachings in all thoughts, words and actions, literally being one with God through the Holy Spirit in all things. If we are in flesh, then flesh alone is all we are and all we ever will be. Death for those in the flesh is simply that, the death of the flesh, meaning the final end. If we are in Spirit, then Spirit is what we are, the spirit of God. Yes even we who are in spirit have to suffer death of our flesh bodies, but as we are in the Spirit, our Spirit lives on with God our heavenly Father and creator in peace and joy for all eternity, and our physical death is merely a transition, the doorway to our true home with God.

When choosing which digital TV or cable programme we want to watch, we need to decide carefully that it is suitable to watch, as for example there may be children to consider or a person may be of a sensitive nature. With setting our minds to having a pizza, issues to consider could be things like food allergies for example. Likewise and even more vitally important is the choice of being in flesh or being in Spirit, as this choice we make determines whether we truly die or whether we eternally live on. I personally like various programmes and most types of pizza so on these much lesser decisions, I can vary depending on the situation at the time, however, In this vital choice of being in the flesh or in the Spirit, I have definitely chosen to be in the Spirit forever and this is my decision in which I truly rejoice! So what do you choose, Flesh equaling death, or Spirit equaling eternal life? Choices!  Choices!  Choices!  The choice of course is yours, so choose wisely!!!