laudare, benedicere, praedicare TO PRAISE, TO BLESS, TO PREACH
"Love Unites" - Saint Catherine of Siena
Holy Week 2020 INSIDE THIS ISSUE: Ideas for Commemorating the Sacred Triduum at Home Recommended Reading: Salvifici Doloris: Apostolic Letter on Christian Meaning of Human Suffering by Pope Saint John Paul II
Free Spiritual Resources Art Reflection Recommendation: Stations of the Cross by Leonard Porter Saint Spotlights: Those who Lived for Years Without the Sacraments
"The Lovely Bond" Saint Catherine of Siena often reminded those around her that love was the motive for the crucifixion. In a letter to one of her spiritual daughters she writes, “I long to see you bound in the bond of divine charity. This is the bond that held the God-man nailed fast to the wood of the most holy cross – for nails would not have been enough to hold him had love not kept him there. This is the lovely bond that binds our soul with God and makes us one thing with him, for love unites.” 1 During this unprecedented time when countless people are unable to receive the sacraments, which tangibly communicate to us the very mystery of communion with the God who is Love (cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, n. 1118), our Catholic faith draws us to hold fast to the love that unites the soul to God. Frequent acts of spiritual communion increase our love for the sacraments and our desire to receive them. Uniting our daily sacrifices and inconveniences to the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, which is still being celebrated throughout the world, magnifies their value. The Mass itself has infinite significance and we are still receiving many graces from it each day because, as the Catechism of the Catholic Church states, “The Eucharist is an efficacious sign and sublime cause of that communion in the divine life… It is the culmination of God’s action sanctifying the world in Christ” (n. 1325). The Holy Eucharist unites us to Christ even if we cannot at this time receive Him sacramentally. Therefore, as we enter the holiest time of the year, we would like to offer you a few ideas and resources which can help you embrace more fully all that our Lord is asking us to accept in love during this uncertain and difficult time. May our participation in the Church's prayer and devotion during the Sacred Triduum enable us to enter personally into the profound mystery of the Passion of Christ, and so lead each of us to a deeper understanding of the Resurrection of Christ through which “all things are made new” (2 Corinthians 5:17) as love triumphs over all evil. 1 Saint Catherine of Siena, Letters, Volume II, T53, 576.
Stained glass window from our convent chapel in Carmel, Indiana
Free Spiritual Resources Click on the photo or title for each link.
Daily Mass Livestreamed from Bishop Barron's Chapel
Daily Mass Readings
Free online access to The Magnificat
Quarantine Lecture Series and Special Holy Week Retreat
Free video series: Metanoia: A Journey with Christ into Conversion
FORMED: Faith at Home free for 40 Days
Join the Dominican Friars of the Saint Joseph Province for a retreat featuring two conferences a day, Thursday-Sunday of Holy Week. They are also offering live lectures twice a week until mid-April.
The series is beautifully filmed on location in the Holy Land and featuring Fr. Dave Pivonka, TOR, President of Franciscan University. Each of the episodes explores areas of our life where conversion is so often necessary. Metanoia is a production of The Ministry of The Wild Goose and 4PM Media in association with Franciscan University of Steubenville and the Franciscan Friars TOR of the Province of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. - Information accessed from the website
FORMED provides the very best Catholic content from more than 60 organizations to help parishes, families and individuals explore their faith anywhere. Supporting thousands of movies, children’s programs, ebooks, audio, parish programs and studies direct to your browser, mobile or connected device. - Information accessed from the website
Holy Thursday A Day of Gratitude
Holy Thursday celebrates and commemorates both the institution of the Holy Eucharist and the institution of the Sacrament of the Holy Orders, "by which Christ's mission and sacrifice are perpetuated in the world. In addition, this Mass is the memorial of that love by which the Lord loved us even to death" (Ceremonial of Bishops, n.297). Â
The Last Supper: Communion of the Apostles by Bl. Fra Angelico. 1441. Fresco of the Monastery of San Marco, Florence.
Simple Ideas for Commemorating Holy Thursday at Home
Pray for Bishops and Priests. Write your priest a letter of gratitude. Light a candle and prayerfully read John Ch. 13- 17. Do a Holy Week FOCUS Bible Study by clicking HERE.
Prayer for Priests Gracious and loving God, we thank your for the gift of our priests. Through them, we experience your presence in the sacraments. Help our priests to be strong in their vocation. Set their souls on fire with love for your people. Grant them the wisdom, understanding, and strength they need to follow in the footsteps of Jesus. Inspire them with the vision of your Kingdom. Give them the words they need to spread the Gospel. Allow them to experience joy in their ministry. Help them to become instruments of your divine grace. We ask this through Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns as our Eternal Priest. Amen. Accessed from: http://www.usccb.org/prayer-andworship/prayers-and-devotions/prayers/prayer-forpriests.cfm
Good Friday
A Day of Redemption and Reparation Good Friday commemorates the fact that, "The redemption of the world - this tremendous mystery of love in which creation is renewed - is, at its deepest root, the fullness of justice in a human Heart - the Heart of the Firstborn Son in order that it may become justice in the hearts of many human beings, predestined from eternity in the Firstborn Son to be children of God and called to grace, called to love" (Redemptor Hominis, n.9).
Simple Ideas for Commemorating Good Friday at Home Pray and reflect on the Stations of the Cross (see next page). Watch Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ. Begin the Divine Mercy Novena. Click HERE for more information. Memorize the prayer the Angel of Portugal taught the three Fatima children. Light a candle and prayerfully Read John Ch. 18-19.
Prayer of the Angel of Fatima O Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, I adore Thee profoundly. I offer Thee the most precious Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ, present in all the tabernacles of the world, in reparation for the outrages, sacrileges and indifference by which He is offended. By the infinite merits of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I beg the conversion of poor sinners.
Art Reflection Recommendation Leonard Porter, a New York based classically trained visual artist, painted the Fourteen Stations of the Cross in 2011 for the Church of Christ the King in New Vernon, New Jersey. Since then several other churches have had these stations reprinted. Dr. Denis McNamara, Director of the Center for Beauty and Culture at Benedictine College and Leonard Porter wrote Meditations for each of the stations that can be accessed by clicking HERE. This web page also includes prayers for St. Alphonsus Liguori's Stations of the Cross.
Excerpt from the Meditation on Twelfth Station: Christ Dies on the Cross An eclipse is seen in the sky, signaling that an event of momentous import for heaven and earth has occurred. Christ’s flesh has lost its color... [and] his head slumps toward His mother who looks up at him, tears welling in her eyes... The Magdalene and other women weep despondently. Behind her Longinus stands with his arms at his side, opening his heart to Jesus and the epiphany that “Truly this man was the Son of God”. He holds in his right hand the lance that will pierce Christ’s side. Blood from Christ’s feet runs down the cross to ground, as if to water this “tree” that has been planted into the ground. Close inspection reveals that was once clean cut lumber bares the scars of the journey to this place, but it also has grown knots and is seemingly embedding itself into the ground. At the foot of the cross, is a skull indicating that this is Golgotha. The skull is said to be that of Adam and the cross hewn from the Tree of Knowledge from Eden.
Holy Saturday A Day of Waiting
According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, n.635, "Christ went down into the depths of death so that "the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live." Jesus, "the Author of life", by dying destroyed "him who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and [delivered] all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong bondage." Henceforth the risen Christ holds "the keys of Death and Hades", so that "at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth."" May this Holy Saturday be a day for you to "hear the voice of the Son of God" who calls you anew and delivers you from all forms of bondage.
Simple Ideas for Commemorating Holy Saturday at home Spend an extended period in silence or walking quietly outside. Pray Psalm 46 (below) as you reflect on the silence of the Lord in the tomb and waiting for Him in joyful hope. Pray the Liturgy of the Hours by clicking HERE. God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth should change, though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea; though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble with its tumult. There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy habitation of the Most High. God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved; God will help her right early. The nations rage, the kingdoms totter; he utters his voice, the earth melts.
The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Come, behold the works of the Lord, how he has wrought desolations in the earth. He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; he breaks the bow, and shatters the spear, he burns the chariots with fire! “Be still, and know that I am God. I am exalted among the nations, I am exalted in the earth!" The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. - Psalm 46
Saint Spotlights Saint Isaac Jogues
Newly ordained, St. Isaac Jogues traveled to America in 1636 to evangelize the Native Americans. After serving for several years, he was captured and tortured. His thumb and index finger were cut off and, at the time, a priest who was marred in this way was unable to celebrate the Mass. For 17 months, Fr. Jogues was unable to go to confession, to celebrate Mass, or even to attend Mass until he received special dispensation upon returning to France. Even though he had been tortured greatly, he desired to return to America. Soon after, he was martyred in 1646.
Blessed Levkadia Herasymiv and Blessed Olympia Bida
On June 21, 2001, Saint Pope John Paul II beatified 25 Greek Catholics who died during the Communist persecution. Among these were Bl. Laurentia Herasymiv (1911-1952) and Bl. Olympia Bida (1903-1952), both members of the Sisters of St Joseph who died due to their treatment by the Nazis in Siberia. Like many others in concentration camps, Bl. Laurentia knew that she would probably die without the consolation of a final confession and viaticum, her last Holy Communion. As Bl. Laurentia lay dying, she greatly desired to receive the Eucharist. She said, “Jesus, I do not want to die without you!” After having lived two long years without the Eucharist, she died without the consolation of the Eucharist, but was totally united to her Spouse in love.
Information accessed from: https://aleteia.org/2020/03/18/saints-who-have-had-to-live-without-the-eucharist/ and http://www.vatican.va/news_services/liturgy/saints/ns_lit_doc_20010627_carneckyj_en.html. Photos on right accessed from: https://catholicsaints.info/tag/martyrs-killed-under-communist-regimes-in-eastern-europe/.
Recommended Reading SALVIFICI DOLORIS
Apostolic Letter on Christian Meaning of Human Suffering by Pope Saint John Paul II Fifteen years ago the world watched as Pope John Paul II prepared himself for the most important moment of his life his death and ultimate union with the One whom he had loved so faithfully. By his total acceptance of his trials, he also taught the world the importance and meaning of suffering, on which he had reflected at length more than twenty years before in this Apostolic Letter. Click HERE to read this letter.
"In order to perceive the true answer to the "why" of suffering, we must look to the revelation of divine love, the ultimate source of the meaning of everything that exists. Love is also the richest source of the meaning of suffering, which always remains a mystery: we are conscious of the insufficiency and inadequacy of our explanations. Christ causes us to enter into the mystery and to discover the "why" of suffering, as far as we are capable of grasping the sublimity of divine love. In order to discover the profound meaning of suffering, following the revealed word of God, we must open ourselves wide to the human subject in his manifold potentiality. We must above all accept the light of Revelation not only insofar as it expresses the transcendent order of justice but also insofar as it illuminates this order with Love, as the definitive source of everything that exists. Love is: also the fullest source of the answer to the question of the meaning of suffering. This answer has been given by God to man in the Cross of Jesus Christ. #13