Cycle C - Year II:

17 April 2022: Easter Sunday of the Lord's Resurrection 

(Liturgical Color: White)

Readings:

First Reading:        Acts 10:34, 37-43

Second Reading:   Colossians 3:1-4

Gospel:  Please Read  John 20:1-9 

"The Lord is risen!"

TODAY's liturgy joyfully greets us and the whole of humanity with this great news: "The Lord is risen, Alleluia!"  The universal Church celebrates Easter Sunday with Holy Mass to proclaim to the whole world the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.

This is a great day of rejoicing for all Christians!  From the Vigil Mass of Holy Saturday, our joy shines forth when the very first Mass of Easter begins with the joyful singing again of the "Gloria" and the triumphant ringing of bells. The "Gloria" part of the Mass was not heard since the start of the Lenten Season, and the bells were silent after the Mass of the Last Supper.

The evangelist John brings us the Good News on Easter Sunday. This is the gist of what he proclaims:

When Mary Magdala came to visit the tomb of Jesus early morning on the third day, she saw the stone cover already removed from the entrance of the tomb, and the tomb empty.  She went back hurriedly to the other disciples and reported what she saw.  Simon Peter and John went with Mary again to the empty tomb. They saw the burial clothes there, and the cloth that covered Jesus' head neatly rolled up in a separate place. They believed that the Lord is risen, even when they did not yet fully understand what is written in the Scriptures that Jesus had to rise from the dead.

The Resurrection of Jesus is the very corner stone of our Christian faith.   If Jesus did not rise to redeem us from sin, everything we did during the Holy Week, and everything we do now, is going to be meaningless.

Easter Sunday in our Catholic faith is the greatest feast (festum festorum), or the principal feast of the ecclesiastical year.  Our Lord's Resurrection is a concrete and historical event which is the strength and foundation of Christianity.  We celebrate this event with so much joy as it represents the fulfillment of our faith as Christians.

From the time of the first apostles to our generation, we too believe that our Lord Jesus Christ is risen, indeed, Alleluia! Alleluia!  In every Eucharistic celebration at Mass to this day we share in Jesus' Paschal Mystery, meaning, in our Lord's Passion, Death and Resurrection.  We encounter the risen Christ again in the Holy Eucharist.  So that Easter invites us to be witnesses to the whole world that our Lord Jesus Christ is truly risen from the dead!

What is the significant of the Easter event to all of us today?

As we listen to the Easter Gospel proclamation by John, we will bring with us the faith and hope in Jesus' Resurrection. After the anguish of the last few days, it is the time of unbounded joy. Jesus is risen and He is never to die again!

The great gifts of Easter are Hope and Faith.  HOPE, which makes us have the confidence in God, in His ultimate triumph, and in His goodness and love, which nothing can shake.  FAITH, the belief that Christ has triumphed over evil.  We celebrate the mystery of Resurrection, proclaim our faith and hope, and give thanks for these gifts.

The Resurrection of our Lord is our guarantee that God  can overcome anything even death.  Our faith allows us to trust that our God can overcome even our most serious problems and fear during this pandemic.   

The Easter spirit is one of renewal that enables us to have a hopeful and positive attitude, to renew relationships that have been taken for granted, including our relationship with God, and to express appreciation and affection to those closest to us.  Easter allows us to see the world through new eyes, God's eyes, when life comes back to normal again after this pandemic.

Happy Easter Sunday to us all. And thank you for a moment with God.

Ad Jesum per Mariam!

 

 Reflection for Holy Week  (Last of three parts)

Holy Week:

The Catholic Church celebrates during the Holy Week the mysteries of salvation accomplished by our Lord Jesus Christ in the last days of His earthly life. It began last Palm Sunday of the Lord's Passion, commemorating our Lord's messianic entry into Jerusalem, until His blessed Passion and glorious Resurrection.

With the easing of restrictions on the pandemic, the traditional observance of Holy Week is likely to proceed, although with certain basic protocols to keep everyone safe from the COVID-19 virus.

The faithful are encouraged to reflect more deeply on the Passion of our Lord during the Holy Week.

The Paschal Triduum:

The last three days of Holy Week, April 14-16 of 2022, are called the Sacred Paschal Triduum.These are the most holy days of the liturgical year: Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday. On these days the Church celebrates the Paschal Mystery, meaning the passion, suffering and death of the Lord Jesus, followed  by His Resurrection, the triumph of the holy cross and Christ's decisive victory over sin and death.

The Paschal Mystery, or Triduum is a single feast, but celebrated over three days.  We must attend the entire three days of the Triduum to complete the celebration.

Holy Saturday (April 16, 2022) - Day 3

Holy Saturday is the last day of Holy Week, and the last day of the Easter Triduum.  It commemorates the day that Jesus Christ's body is laid into the tomb.  

Christ lies in the grave, the Church waits at the Lord's tomb, mourning and meditating on His suffering and death. After the great battle, He is resting in peace, but upon Him we see the scars of intense suffering. The mortal wounds of His body remain visible to us.

The whole day we keep our spiritual silence to reflect on God's redeeming love who gave up His only Son to save us from sin.  Holy Saturday is and should be the most calm and quiet for the entire Church year. The altar remains stripped and completely bare to reflect our deep sorrow and contrition for Jesus' death.

But although we are in mourning, there is much preparation during the day for the Easter celebration. Liturgically, Holy Saturday lasts until 6 o'clock in the evening or dusk, after which the Easter season begins.

Easter Vigil

The Easter vigil service begins around 10 o'clock in the evening with the blessing of fire and the lighting of a new Paschal Candle.

Nine readings are assigned to the Easter vigil: seven from the Old Testament, and two from the New Testament.  (If necessary, the number of readings may be reduced. But at least three selection from the Old Testament should be read before the Epistle and the Gospel.)

After the last reading from the Old Testament, the priest intones the "Gloria". At that moment the candles at the altar are lit, the lights are switched on, and the church bells are rung again. The statues and icons, in places where they are covered with purple veils during Passiontide are dramatically unveiled.

The liturgy of baptism and renewal of baptismal promises are done after the homily. The rest of the liturgy proceeds like a regular Mass.

The entire celebration of the Easter vigil should begin after nightfall and end before dawn of Sunday. Those who participate at the Easter vigil Mass fulfill their Sunday obligation. However, they may still attend regular Easter Sunday Mass and receive Holy Communion.

The entire Liturgy of the Easter Vigil speaks of our eager expectation of the Resurrection and its exultant occurrence. The darkness of death has been overcome, the glorious light of Christ has appeared. Christ is Risen!  Alleluia! Alleluia!

The Conclusion of the Paschal Triduum:

Finally, the Paschal Triduum is just one great liturgy, which began with the Mass of the Last Supper on Holy Thursday, and ends with the final blessing of the Mass on Easter Vigil.  That is why the Mass on Holy Thursday began with the usual "In the name of the Father...." and the priest's greetings but at the end of the Thursday ceremony the presiding priest just departed silently without any final blessing; it is the same "silent" departure for the ceremony on Good Friday. Also, there is no usual greeting by the priest at the beginning of the liturgy on Good Friday and the Easter Vigil.  The final blessing is given at the end of the Mass on Easter Vigil.  The faithful are encouraged to walk with our Lord to His Calvary from Holy Thursday to His final victory on Easter Vigil... one great Paschal Triduum indeed!

"Salubong"

In most parishes in the Philippines, the traditional "Salubong" is done.

"Salubong" (or the meeting) is a celebration of Christ's resurrection where two processions proceed from opposite ends of the parish towards the church in early morning (4 or 5 in the morning usually, just before dawn).

One procession is a statue of the Risen Lord, and the second procession is of the Virgin Mary wearing dark clothes (black or dark purple) and a black veil, in mourning, and traditionally accompanied by the women faithful.

The two processions meet up in front of the church, where there is a high platform where usually a child dressed as an angel  would lift the veil of the Virgin Mary as soon as she meets up (Salubong) with the Risen Christ. Then the procession heads into the church for Mass.

Ad Jesum per Mariam!

 Good Friday (April 15) -  Day 2 

Good Friday is the second day of the Paschal Triduum. The Liturgy for this day introduces us to the mystery of Christ's redemptive sacrifice on the cross, the very act of our Lord that brought salvation to all.  

         "It is accomplished," and bowing His head He gave up His spirit. (Jn 19:30)

The whole Church today, stripped of its ornaments, the altar bare with no cloths, candles nor cross, and the door of the empty tabernacle stands open, mourns the death of our Savior.

The Liturgy in the afternoon consists of three parts:

(a)  The Liturgy of the Word

The priest and assisting ministers enter in complete silence, without any singing. They prostrate themselves for a few moments of silent prayer in front of the altar, signifying both the abasement of earthly man, and also the grief and sorrow of the Church.

The Passion account from the Gospel of John is read. 

(b)   Veneration of the Cross

A cross, either veiled or unveiled, is carried in procession through the Church, and then venerated by the congregation. We reverently venerate and kiss the wooden cross on which hung the Savior of the world  in order to honor the great sacrifice Jesus made on the cross for us.

Adoration or veneration of an image or representation of Christ's cross does not mean we are actually honoring the material image but rather what it represents. In kneeling before the crucifix and kissing it we are paying the highest honor to our Lord's cross as the instrument of our salvation. In reverencing His Cross we are, in effect, adoring Christ.  Because the cross is inseparable from His sacrifice.

And so we affirm: We adore Thee, O Christ, and we bless Thee, because by Thy Holy Cross Thou has redeemed the world.

(c)   Holy Communion

The altar is covered with cloth for the Holy Communion part and the ciboria containing the Blessed Sacrament consecrated on Holy Thursday are brought to the altar from the place of reposition.

The Our Father and the Ecce Agnus Dei (This is the Lamb of God) are recited before Holy Communion.

Then the congregation receives Holy Communion.

The Prayer after Communion is said, followed by the final Prayer over the People.

At the end of the rite, the priest and people depart in silence, and the altar cloth is removed, leaving the altar bare again except for the Cross and two or more candlesticks.

Seven Last Words:

In some Churches, the reflections on the Seven Last Words of Jesus are done prior to the  afternoon liturgy. This is a tradition that helps the faithful reflect on the passion of our Lord.

Day of Fasting and Abstinence:

Good Friday as a day of fast and abstinence. According to Church's rule, fasting is required for ages 18 to 60, and abstinence is from age 14.

The Church mourns in silence:

We keep our meditative silence the rest of the day to mourn the death of our Lord Jesus Christ who saved us from our sins, as we await with joyful expectation His resurrection on Easter Sunday.

Let us reflect on how much our Lord loves us. He accepts His cruel death on the cross so that He may bear our infirmities and endure our sufferings.

Ad Jesum per Mariam!

 Reflection for Holy Week  (First of three parts)

Holy Week:

The Catholic Church celebrates during the Holy Week the mysteries of salvation accomplished by our Lord Jesus Christ in the last days of His earthly life. It began last Palm Sunday of the Lord's Passion, commemorating our Lord's messianic entry into Jerusalem, until His blessed Passion and glorious Resurrection.

With the easing of restrictions on the pandemic, the traditional observance of Holy Week is likely to proceed, although with certain basic protocols to keep everyone safe from the COVID-19 virus.

The faithful are encouraged to reflect more deeply on the Passion of our Lord during the Holy Week.

The Paschal Triduum:

The last three days of Holy Week, April 14-16 of 2022, are called the Sacred Paschal Triduum. These are the most holy days of the liturgical year: Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday. On these days the Church celebrates the Paschal Mystery, meaning the passion, suffering and death of the Lord Jesus, followed  by His Resurrection, the triumph of the holy cross and Christ's decisive victory over sin and death.

The Paschal Mystery, or Triduum is a single feast, but celebrated over three days.  We must attend the entire three days of the Triduum to complete the celebration.

Holy Thursday (April 14, 2022) - Day 1

In the morning of Holy Thursday (also known as Maundy Thursday), the Chrism Mass is celebrated by the bishop with his priest in the diocese to signify the close unity of the priests with him. During this Mass the bishop consecrates the Chrism and other oils (consecrated oil used in the administration of certain sacraments and in the performance of certain ecclesiastical functions) in the Church's liturgies.

(The Chrism Mass may be transferred to an earlier day within the Holy Week for justifiable reason.)

The afternoon of Holy Thursday is the celebration of the Mass of the Last Supper, at which Jesus instituted the Holy Mass and the Sacrament of Holy Eucharist.

The reenactment of the washing of the feet of the twelve disciples is done usually by the priest celebrant. The group of men (or sometimes with women) whose feet are to be washed should, as much as possible, represent a cross-section of the local community. The number is traditionally twelve, representing the twelve disciples, though there is no exact requirement.

At the Offertory part of the Mass the faithful are encouraged to offer gifts in cash or in kind for the needy members of the community. It is an opportunity to share material blessings with them as a concrete witnessing of Jesus' humility and love for us, especially the poor and the needy.

The ciborium with consecrated Hosts for Communion on the following day (Good Friday) is left on the altar. Following the prayer by the priest after Communion, the transfer of the Most Blessed Sacrament to the place of repose takes place. It is not allowed to expose the Blessed Sacrament in a monstrance or even in a ciborium. The Blessed Sacrament is reposed. Also, it is not allowed to repose the Blessed Sacrament outside the Church.

When the celebration of the afternoon Mass has ended, the altar is stripped privately. That means any crosses be covered with red or purple veil. Even lamps should not be lit before images of saints.

Also, the organ music is silent from Holy Thursday, Good Friday until the Alleluia at the Easter Vigil, as well as bells and other instruments; the only music permitted during this period is unaccompanied chant.

The faithful are encouraged to do the Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament during the night of Holy Thursday, just as the disciples stayed with the Lord during His agony on the Mount of Olives before the betrayal of Judas.

For Filipino Catholics, the Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament is done through the traditional "Bisita Iglesia" by families or with group of friends or relatives.

The Liturgical celebration on Holy Thursday, from the Evening Mass of the Lord's Supper to the Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament is a blessed opportunity for us to reflect on the practical meaning of the Eucharist in our lives, given the powerful symbolism of foot washing which our Lord Jesus Christ did to His apostles. The Holy Eucharist should inspire us to serve others as well for our Lord's sake.

Part 2 and 3 in following days).

Ad Jesum per Mariam!