Holy Thursday: April 2015

The Paschal Triduum

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, with our Lord's messianic entry into Jerusalem, until his blessed Passion and glorious Resurrection.

The weekdays of this week are dedicated to the celebration of penance. The faithful are also encouraged to reflect more deeply on the Passion of our Lord.

The last three days of Holy Week are called the Sacred Paschal Triduum, which begins on Holy Thursday.

Holy Thursday

In the Catholic Church, Holy Thursday (also known as Maundy Thursday) is the day that we celebrate

the Last Supper, at which Jesus instituted the Mass and the Sacrament of Holy Eucharist.

During the Mass, the reenactment of the washing of the feet of the twelve disciples is done 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, though there is no exact requirement.

During the Offertory part of the Mass, the faithful are encouraged to offer gifts in cash or kind for the needy members of the community.

After the distribution of Communion, a ciborium with hosts for Communion on the following day (Good Friday) is left on the altar. Following the prayer 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 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.

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

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

Ad Jesum per Mariam!

Cycle B - Year I: 29 March 2015

Palm Sunday of the Lord's Passion
(Liturgical color: Red)

Part 1: Mark 11:1-10
Part 2: Mark 15:1-39

A journey of love!

Our Lenten pilgrimage is almost complete. Palm Sunday of the Lord's Passion is the day on which the Church enters upon the mystery of the Death, Burial and Resurrection of our Lord through the triumphal procession of Christ as King and the proclamation of his Passion.

In the Church's liturgy, Palm Sunday of the Lord's Passion marks our entry into the holiest season of Holy Week, the days during which we journey with Jesus on his way of the cross and anticipate his Resurrection on Easter.

Red is the color of the altar cloth and the vestments of the Priest.

The liturgy has two Gospel readings from Saint Mark. The people gather in a suitable place outside the Church, or chapel, for the blessing of the palms. The first Gospel is about Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem, which is read after the blessing of palm branches and before the Mass proper.

The second Gospel reading is during the Mass, which narrates the Passion and Death of Jesus. We are invited to reflect on both these Gospel proclamations.

Palm Sunday: (Mk 11:1-10) Jesus enters the city of Jerusalem amidst the shouts of the people. "Many

people spread their cloaks on the road, and others spread leafy branches that they had cut from the fields. Those preceding him as well as those following keep crying out: 'Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!'"

Reflection on the first Gospel: Going to Jerusalem is a decisive step in completing Jesus' mission as he makes final preparation for his journey to Calvary. Amidst the shouts and welcome of the crowd, Jesus sees beyond their noise his suffering, torture and death on the cross of salvation. Yet he submits himself completely to the will of the Father.

In practical life, we, too, are called to enter into our own "Jerusalem" even as we are challenged to surrender ourselves completely to the will of the Father. Sometimes, or often times perhaps, we may not always understand; yet we cannot waiver in our faith. We must trust God as our loving Father who cannot, and will not, forsake us. This Palm Sunday, let us welcome Jesus, our King, into the "Jerusalem" of our hearts.

The Passion and Death of Jesus: (Mk 15:1-39) In the second Gospel proclamation, we hear the same crowd who welcome him in Jerusalem, this time shouting a different tune as Jesus is brought before Pilate: "Crucify him!" And so the road to Calvary is sealed for Jesus; he is crucified and died on the cross. His triumphal entry into Jerusalem ended in a journey of love to Calvary, as Jesus gives up his life to redeem us from sin.

Reflection on the second Gospel: During the Holy Week, let us meditate more intently on the Passion and Death of our Lord Jesus. Indeed, God so loves us to give up his only Son to die in order to save us from eternal punishment. There is no greater love than this: by his suffering, death and resurrection our Lord Jesus Christ has bridged the gap between God and man. Therefore, with all faith and devotion let us follow our Lord to Calvary, so that as we partake of the cross we may have a share also in his Resurrection and in his life eternal in heaven.

Let us pray: Almighty and everlasting God, in your tender love for the human race you sent your Son our Savior Jesus Christ to take upon him our nature, and to suffer death upon the cross, giving us the example of his great humility. Mercifully grant that we may walk in the way of his suffering, and also share in his Resurrection, through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

A blessed Sunday to us all. And thank you for a moment with God.

Ad Jesum per Mariam!

Cycle B - Year I:  22 March 2015

Fifth Sunday of Lent
(Liturgical color: Violet)

John 12:20-33

To die in order to live!

As we near the end of our Lenten pilgrimage, the readings in this Sunday's liturgy prepare us for the mystery of our Lord's passion and glorification.

In the Gospel narratives, Jesus took the opportunity to bring his disciples to a new and deeper understanding of their faith. He wanted to teach them who He really was and what his mission was about.

Jesus speaks to them about his "hour" of glory, referring to his death and resurrection: "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified." (Jn 12:23)

Before we go further, let us understand the style of writing by the evangelist John. Bible scholars say that, unlike the Synoptic Gospels, the Gospel written by John does not carry parables. However, he uses similitudes, which function like parables.

Jesus uses the similitude-parable of the grain of wheat to reveal the mystery of his passion and glorification. He told his disciples: "Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit." (Jn 12:24)

What do we understand by this teaching?

The grain of wheat is Jesus. We can say that in his earthly life, he is constrained by physical limitations.

But in death and in his resurrection, his life will have a universal dimension; He will effect the salvation of humanity. In other words, by his cross and resurrection, Jesus came to redeem the world from sin, restore human beings to a proper relationship with their heavenly Father and open up the gates of heaven to all who come to know and love Him. Jesus' glory is thus revealed, not only in his resurrection but also in the very act of dying.

For Christians in our generation, Jesus tells us to follow in his path of suffering and resurrection. We must become the seed of grain that dies, the life that loses itself, and the servant who follows. Because Jesus is our very guarantee that other seeds that fall on the ground and die in the name of love, our love for our Lord Jesus, will produce an abundant harvest.

A blessed Sunday to us all. And thank you for a moment with God.

Ad Jesum per Mariam!

Cycle B - Year I:  15 March 2015

Fourth Sunday of Lent
(Liturgical color: Rose or Violet)

John 3:14-21

Rejoice and be joyful!

The Entrance Antiphon sets the tone for this Sunday's liturgy: "Rejoice Jerusalem, and all who love her. Be joyful, all who were in mourning; exult and be satisfied at her consoling breast."

The Fourth Sunday of Lent is also called Laetare Sunday. In Latin laetare means "rejoice". Hence,

Laetare Sunday has traditionally been regarded as a day of celebration, on which the austerity character of Lent is briefly lessened. Thus, the usual purple vestments and altar cloths are set aside, and rose ones are used instead. The point is to provide us encouragement in our Lenten pilgrimage as we progress toward the end of our penitential season.

The center piece of the Gospel passage for the Fourth Sunday of Lent also reinforces the theme of rejoicing: "God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might have eternal life." (Jn 3:16)

Belief in Jesus as our Lord and Savior sums up our Catholic faith. But how do we understand and live our faith?

Catholics believe that faith is necessary for salvation but also we believe in the indispensable value of exterior works that manifest interior faith. Because it is not faith or works that can save us. Rather, it is faith and works together that cooperate with God's free gift of salvation. Thus, Catholics hold the more balanced approach: faith is necessary for salvation and so are good works that demonstrate that faith, yet acknowledging that even our merits due to our good works are themselves God's gift of grace to us.

In sum, our understanding regarding the relationships between faith, works and merits should draw us into a deeper awe and reverence for exactly how much God really loves us. In the words of the evangelist John, God loves us so much that he gave his only Son to die for us.

God continues to pour out his grace upon us that even the good that we do has God himself as its source and ultimate end. Because without God's grace, our good works would have no reference point. But with God's grace, we participate in the very process of how we will be saved and come into the everlasting light and glory of heavenly bliss.

As we near the high point of our Lenten journey let us pray for God's grace so that we can bring and share Christ's light to our world, through our Catholic faith and good works.

A blessed Sunday to us all. And thank you for a moment with God.

Ad Jesum per Mariam!

Cycle B - Year I:  

8 March 2015: Third Sunday of Lent
(Liturgical color: Violet)

John 2:13-25

The Church is a house of worship, prayer!

Christians are meek and humble of heart. But sometimes, it becomes an excuse for doing nothing, for not getting involved to cleanse our chaotic world. Edmund Burke (the Irish political philosopher) once said: "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing."

In our Christian faith, is it a "sin" to get angry?

We read in this Sunday's Gospel our Lord Jesus getting angry. In his zeal for God's house, Jesus cleanses the temple of defilement by proclaiming in strong words: "... stop making my Father's house a marketplace!" (Jn 2:16)

So what really happened? Jesus is in Jerusalem for the Passover, which is a customary time of pilgrimage for the Jews. But He found the outer courtyard of the temple chaotic, with money changers doing business, animals are being sold for sacrifice. So Jesus used physical force to expel those doing trade in the temple courtyard.

We hear Jesus call the temple "my Father's house". He is saying something about Himself: He is the Messiah, the Son of God.

But Jesus is also saying something about the Temple of Jerusalem. The temple is the dwelling place of God. Thus, it is a sacred place, a house of prayer and worship dedicated to the glory of God. It is not meant to be chaotic, like "a house of trade" or a marketplace.

The same also applies to our local parish in our generation. A Church is a house of prayer and the house of the Lord. It is not a social hall, picnic grove or playground for children. The Church is properly the dwelling place of the Lord. It deserves our respect.

In sum, the Gospel reading reminds us of the different kinds of temples: the temple made of stone as the place we make our worship; the temple of Christ's Body, which is the Church; and our very own body as a temple of God. In every kind of these temples, we must keep a proper and fitting dwelling place of God, deserving of due respect. So that in the example of Christ cleansing the temple of "impurities" we must be ready to do the same whenever the need arises in our time. In that context, it is not "sinful" to get angry to defend or cleanse God's dwelling place.

A blessed Sunday to us all. And thank you for a moment with God.

Ad Jesum per Mariam

Cycle B - Year I:

1 March 2015: Second Sunday of Lent

(Liturgical color: Violet)

Mark 9:2-10

The Transfiguration of our Lord: a foretaste of God's glory!

Watching the movie "The Passion of Christ" I was overwhelmed with emotions. The movie was so realistic and brutal, like I was actually watching our Lord's suffering on the way to Calvary.

The Apostles have seen for themselves our Lord's passion. It must have been frightening and depressing for them. It is not hard to imagine their gloom and despair as they witnessed Christ's terrible suffering and death. The experience might have shaken their belief in the man called Jesus, whom they thought to be the Messiah. So how did our Lord prepare the disciples for his coming passion and death?

In this Sunday's Gospel, the evangelist Mark wrote about an amazing experience of the chosen disciples. "... Jesus took Peter, James, and John and led them up a high mountain apart by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his clothes became dazzling white.... Then Elijah appeared to them along with Moses, and they were conversing with Jesus." (Mk 9:2-4)

The transfiguration of our Lord was a unique display of his divine character and a glimpse of the glory which Jesus had before He came down to earth in human form. In that holy mountain, the chosen disciples had experience "the already of the not yet", so that the "inner circle" of Jesus' disciples could gain a greater understanding of who Jesus is. These disciples who had only known Jesus in his human body now had a greater realization of the deity of Christ, even when perhaps they could not fully comprehend the experience at that time. Nonetheless, this experience gave them the assurance they needed when the passion and death of our Lord would transpire.

True enough, these "privileged" disciples never forgot what happened that day on the mountain. They bore witness to it to the other disciples and to countless millions more down through the centuries. They were witnesses of our Lord's transfiguration event and wrote of it later:

St. John wrote of it in his gospel account: "We have seen his glory, the glory of the Father's only Son, full of grace and truth." (Jn 1:14);

St. Peter wrote of it as well: "We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty. For He received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to Him from the Majestic Glory, saying, 'This is my Son, whom I love; with Him I am well pleased.' We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with Him on the sacred mountain." (2 Peter 1:16-18)

On our sad journey of the Lenten pilgrimage, how do we reflect on the joy of the transfiguration of our Lord?

Holy Mother Church places the transfiguration event before us while our journey of Lent is still young, perhaps to assure us of the final goal, the glorified Christ. Our Lord came into the world to win such glory -- for Himself and for all of us. By His incarnation He took our human nature. By His passion and death He purified it. By His resurrection and ascension He gloried it.

But we cannot follow Peter's impulsiveness and hastiness in wanting to "glory" in the Lord's transfiguration immediately. First, we must accompany our Lord in His Lenten journey. There is no shortcut to our heavenly goal, that is to say we could not have the Gospel without sacrifice, holiness without prayer, virtue without effort, Communion without Confession, and Easter without Lent. We cannot escape taking our share in carrying Jesus' cross.

So we must take upon ourselves our share of the Lord's suffering and death so that we also will share in His eternal glory.

This Lent let us pray earnestly and ask God to deepen our faith in His love and His loving plans for us, especially when they do not make sense to us. Let us seek the grace to embrace our crosses and allow them to increase our virtue and to be a channel of God's strength.

A blessed Sunday to us all. And thank you for a moment with God.

Ad Jesum per Mariam!

Cycle B - Year I:

22 February 2015: First Sunday of Lent

(Liturgical color: Violet)

Mark 1:12-15 

Repentance is freedom!

We begin a new liturgical journey called the Season of Lent this Sunday. Lent is a time of preparation for Easter Sunday. Actually, it already began on Ash Wednesday, February 18 this year, with the imposition of blessed ashes on our forehead, and will continue until the Mass of the Lord's Supper exclusive on Holy Thursday.

The liturgical color of the priest's vestment and the altar cloth changes to violet (that is, lighter shade of violet to distinguish it from the violet used during the Season of Advent.)

The Gospel reading for the first Sunday of Lent is the shorter version of Jesus' 40 days of fasting in the desert written by the evangelist Mark. There, Jesus was "tempted by Satan. He was among wild beasts, and the angels ministered to him." (Mk 1:13)

The second part of the Gospel narrative is the start of Jesus' public ministry. After John the Baptist has been arrested, Jesus began his own testimony in Galilee, his home district.

Jesus takes up John's message of repentance and calls disciples to believe in the gospel: "This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel." (Mk 1:15) The word "gospel" literally means "good news" that Jesus has come to deliver.

What do we understand by "repentance"? Let us reflect on the word.

Repentance is always preceded by an acknowledgement of sinfulness. This is possible only by the virtue of humility to recognize that we are in need of God's mercy.

Repentance forces us to look at ourselves for who we really are and who we choose to become in the light of God's own perfection. We are sinful and imperfect creatures. The admission of guilt is always a challenge and never easy to do, but when we do so, the experience is liberating. After all, doesn't God already know our sins? We never fool our omniscient God, that is for sure.

The good news is that repentance frees us to receive God's graces to change our life's direction. Because when we are less full of ourselves and instead more filled with God's light and truth, then we begin to experience the freedom and glory of living as God's children. This is what our Lord Jesus Christ desires for each of us.

Let us pray that the spirit of repentance, through the Sacrament of Reconciliation or Confession, free us to love God more, especially during this Lenten pilgrimage.

The first Sunday of Lent is also National Migrants' Day. Let us include in our prayers the millions of overseas contract workers, especially our overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), and their families to remain faithful to our Lord and use their material blessings to be instrument of the Good News of God's kingdom on earth.

A blessed Sunday to us all. And thank you for a moment with God.

Ad Jesum per Mariam!