Thursday, March 28, 2024

Holy Thursday 2024 - Morning Prayer - Sanctifying the Hours through the Psalms

 Over the next three days, we will gather for morning prayer. Morning prayer is one of the official prayers of the Church—it is part of the Liturgy of the Hours—official & liturgical prayers recited at fixed hours throughout the day by clergy, religious orders, and some lay Catholics. 

From ancient times the Church has had the custom of celebrating each day the liturgy of the hours. The practice is based on the Jewish tradition of praying at fixed times: morning, afternoon, and evening corresponding to different sacrificial offerings that were offered in the Temple.

Every morning, a burnt offering would be offered in the Temple. Prayers would be offered in gratitude to God: for various aspects of daily life, such as the ability to see, freedom from bondage, and the strength to overcome weakness. Psalms would be offered, particularly Psalms of praise, like Psalm 30: “Sing praise to the LORD, you faithful; give thanks to his holy memory.” The Temple priests offered these prayers and sacrifices on behalf of the whole Jewish people and the world, just as priests today pray the liturgy of the hours on behalf of the Church.

“To the very end of his life, as his passion was approaching, at the last supper, in the agony in the garden, and on the cross, the divine teacher showed that prayer was the soul of his Messianic ministry and paschal death. 

And so it is fitting for us, in these final hours of Lent, as we prepare for the celebration of the Lord’s Passion, Death, and Resurrection, for us to gather to offers prayers, that Jesus himself offered up to God. Psalms of praise, psalms of trust, psalms pleading God’s mercy.

Each of the different prayers and psalms of morning prayer take on special significance during Holy Week. Consider our first Psalm, Psalm 80, how it intertwined themes of redemption, suffering, and restoration.

The psalm opens with the image of God as the shepherd of Israel. During the Triduum, Jesus, the Good Shepherd leads His flock through the cross to the new life of the resurrection, he lays down his life for his sheep.

The Psalms repeated plea, "God of hosts, bring us back; let your face shine on us and we shall be saved," is significant. For during the Triduum, we consider how God fulfills this plea. Through Christ’s Paschal mystery—God brings back scattered humanity—humanity scattered due to sin, back into the one flock—that purified of sin—we might come to see the face of God in eternity.

The Psalm’s vivid descriptions of suffering, being fed with "tears for their bread" and being the "taunt of our neighbors," foreshadows the suffering of Jesus during the Passion, but how through Jesus—God unites himself with all those who suffer hunger, thirst, mockery, injustice. 

The final verses of Psalm 80, "May your hand be on the man you have chosen", encapsulates the trust Jesus had during his Passion—trust that His Father was with him, guiding his mission—and how Christians too are to trust in God’s presence with us in our trials—trusting that the cross leads to the resurrection and eternal life. 

I invite you to pray the liturgy of the hours throughout the Triduum, slowly and reflectively. The point isn’t to rush through them, but to consider how these beautiful prophecies are fulfilled by Our Lord, and how God desires to fulfill them in our lives as well, for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.


Wednesday, March 27, 2024

Holy Week 2024 - Wednesday - Persevering in Mercy amidst Betrayal

Yesterday, the first reading from Isaiah contained the second of the four servant songs—those poetic prophecies regarding the servant of God who would extend the salvation of God throughout all the earth through his humble service. We then considered how Jesus is the fulfillment of that humble servant—especially at the last supper as he washes his disciples’ feet.

Today, we delve into the poignant parallels between the Third Servant Song of Isaiah and the harrowing betrayal of Jesus by Judas, one of His trusted disciples.

In Isaiah 50, we encounter the Servant of the Lord, who speaks with a voice of resilience and divine assurance. He is no ordinary servant; he is a teacher who "wakens morning by morning," attuned to God's voice, equipped to offer words that sustain the weary. Yet, this divine mission does not shield him from suffering. On the contrary, the Servant describes a path marked by humiliation and pain—struck, insulted, and shamed. Despite this, he stands unwavering, bolstered by God's vindication, facing his adversaries with a steadfast heart.

Jesus walks this path during His final days. In the intimacy of the upper room, He breaks bread with His friends, aware of the darkness looming. Here, the shadow of betrayal hangs heavily, not from a distant enemy, but from within His inner circle. Judas, one of the Twelve, chosen and trusted, turns away from the light of fellowship, stepping into the night to betray his Master.

The betrayal by Judas is not just a narrative detail; it intensifies the suffering of Jesus, injecting the poison of betrayal into the already daunting prospect of His impending passion and death. Yet, in this moment of ultimate betrayal, the true character of Jesus, like that of Isaiah's Servant, shines brightest. He does not retaliate, does not falter. Instead, He continues to fulfill His mission of love and redemption, embracing the path set before Him with unwavering resolve.

Perhaps, reading about Judas causes us to reflect upon our own experiences of ruptured friendships or even betrayal. Each of us, in our journey of faith, face moments when it is difficult to love the people around us. Yet, the lesson of God’s Servant—Christ the Lord—calls us not to dwell on bitterness or plans of retribution but to the courage of forgiveness.

The example of our Lord is not just one of passive acceptance of suffering but to an active trust in God's justice and mercy—to turn our moments of betrayal into opportunities for grace.

God’s ultimate vindication is in the extension of mercy. “Father forgive them, for they know not what they do”. 

And may the love and mercy of Christ, who endured betrayal for our sake, heal our wounds and guide our steps in the path of peace for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

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For increased faith and understanding in the catechumens and candidates who approach the sacraments of initiation in the coming Paschal Solemnity. 

That the grace of these holy days may touch the most hardened of hearts, and move unrepented sinners and fallen-away Catholics to return to the mercy of God.

For strength to resist temptation, and the humility to sincerely repent of sin.

That through fasting and self-denial, we may be ever more conformed to Christ.

That those in need may find assistance in the charity of faithful Christians and that peace and security may be firmly established in all places.

For all who have died, and for all the poor souls in purgatory, and for X. for whom this Mass is offered.

Mercifully hear, O Lord, the prayers of your Church and turn with compassion to the hearts that bow before you, that those you make sharers in your divine mystery may always benefit from your assistance.


Tuesday, March 26, 2024

Holy Week 2024 - Tuesday - Humble Service in the Shadow of the Cross

 Throughout chapters 40 to 55 of the Book of the prophet Isaiah are found four songs or poems, called the Servant Songs. 

They describe how God will call forth a chosen servant to bring about his will of justice and salvation. Through his servant, God will bring about the reconciliation of all those scattered by sin, all those subject to injustice, evil, and death. And he will do so, not with the sword or violent rule, but through peace. 

And while God’s servant is described as a sharp sword and a polished arrow, in our first reading today, this imagery indicates that the servant is an effective instrument of God. As a "sharp-edged sword" God’s servant will cut through falsehood, injustice, and oppression with the truth and message of God. As a “polished arrow” he will remain on target in his mission without deviation. Yet, even though, he is faith and humble, strong and effective, God’s servant will also undergo rejection and suffering in his mission.

In the Gospel, on the eve of His greatest trial, we encounter Jesus in the upper room, embodying the very essence of Isaiah’s servant. Amidst the intimacy of the Last Supper, He knows the heartbreak of betrayal and the sting of denial lurking among His closest companions. And yet, in this moment, He chooses to serve, to wash the feet of His disciples—including Judas, the betrayer, and Peter, the denier. This act, typically reserved for the lowest servant, symbolizes the entirety of Jesus' mission: a call to radical humility and sacrificial love.\

In this juxtaposition, we find the essence of our calling. Jesus, our teacher, and master, demonstrates that true greatness in the kingdom of God is not found in domination or force, but in humble service and loving sacrifice. As we will hear at the Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday, Jesus tells us, "If I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet"

In a world that glorifies power and self-interest, we are called to be servants. And this is a call to love not only in words but in actions—often in simple, unseen ways. It is a call to trust in God's mysterious plan, even when the path leads through suffering and humiliation. For, as Jesus shows us, the path of servitude is also the path to resurrection and life.

This Holy Week, we do well to reflect on the call to Christ-like trust and Christ-like service. Are there feet we are called to wash through acts of kindness, forgiveness, and service? Are there ways we have sought to assert our own will instead of submitting to God's?

Through his embrace of death and resurrection, the Lord Jesus has opened the Way to the Father. As his friends and followers, may we follow him, in humble service and acceptance of the Father’s will. May we, like the servant in Isaiah and like Jesus Himself, be lights in the darkness, leading others to the love and mercy of our Heavenly Father to the way that leads to life eternal, for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

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That God may be pleased to increase faith and understanding in the catechumens and candidates who approach the sacraments of initiation in the coming Paschal Solemnity. 

That those in need may find assistance in the charity of faithful Christians and that peace and security may be firmly established in all places.

For strength to resist temptation, and the humility to sincerely repent of sin.

That through fasting and self-denial, we may be ever more conformed to Christ.

For all who have died, and for all the poor souls in purgatory, and for X. for whom this Mass is offered.

Mercifully hear, O Lord, the prayers of your Church and turn with compassion to the hearts that bow before you, that those you make sharers in your divine mystery may always benefit from your assistance.


Monday, March 25, 2024

Holy Week 2024 - Monday - Holy Feet of Jesus

 Throughout Lent, here at St. Ignatius we have been utilizing the Stations of the Cross of St. Alphonsus Ligouri. Several times in the course of the Stations, St. Alphonsus draws our attention to the Holy Feet of Jesus. In the 11th Station, the saint describes how they nailed Jesus’ hands and feet to the cross, and in the 12th stations the Saint prays, “By the merits of Your death, give me the grace to die embracing Your feet.” 

These prayers remind me of how on Good Friday, we come up and venerate the cross, and if it is a crucifix, many people choose to kiss the feet of Jesus. And I always find that to be such a beautiful gesture.

There is in fact a Novena of unknown origin called the “Novena in Honor of the Holy Feet of Jesus”. The Novena begins considering how Mary and Joseph must have adored the Infant Feet of Jesus, and how the Holy Feet of Jesus carried the Good News to the poor. It contains scriptural references like how Jairus falls at the Holy Feet of Jesus to make his request, Mary sits at the Holy Feet of Jesus listening to him, and the Holy Feet of Jesus are nailed to the cross.

The Samaritan Leper who was cleansed returns to Jesus and falls facedown at Jesus’ feet in thanksgiving. At the empty tomb, an angel sits where Jesus’ feet had been. And St. Paul scribes how God has put all things under the Holy Feet of the Victorious Christ.

During Holy Week, we do well to consider his Holy Feet. These feet, which once walked on water and brought healing to the sick, are bruised and bloodied by the weight of the cross and the cruelty of the soldiers. The Lord allows his Holy Feet to be nailed to the cross out of love for us, and precious blood to spill to the earth from the wounds made by the nails.

But prior to the blood and suffering, in today’s Gospel, we stoop down with Mary of Bethany who anoints the Holy Feet of Jesus as an act of love. Mary’s act of love calls us to be lavish in showing great love in gratitude for all we have been given and forgiven. We consider what this act of anointing entailed—how she considered where those feet had tread, and where they would go in the coming days—his feet which recalled his journey thus far—the many miles he walked throughout his ministry. The feet which walked on water as a sign of his divinity. And the feet which would be pierced in sacrifice out of love. They are feet about which the very first book of the bible prophecies, when God in the Garden tells the serpent that he will strike at the heel of the woman’s offspring, but he will fatally crush the serpent’s head. 

As we walk with Jesus this Holy Week, may we never lose sight of his Holy Feet. May we adore them, kiss them, and allow the precious blood that flows from them to wash over us, cleansing us of our sins and drawing us deeper into the Holy Life of God, for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

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That God may be pleased to increase faith and understanding in the catechumens and candidates who approach the sacraments of initiation in the coming Paschal Solemnity. 

That those in need may find assistance in the charity of faithful Christians and that peace and security may be firmly established in all places.

For strength to resist temptation, and the humility to sincerely repent of sin.

That through fasting and self-denial, we may be ever more conformed to Christ.

For all who have died, and for all the poor souls in purgatory, and for X. for whom this Mass is offered.

Mercifully hear, O Lord, the prayers of your Church and turn with compassion to the hearts that bow before you, that those you make sharers in your divine mystery may always benefit from your assistance.


Sunday, March 24, 2024

Palm Sunday 2024 - Lavishing Jesus with Holy Week Devotion

 St. Mark's Passion story began with an incident taking place in the house of Simon the Leper. An unnamed woman took a jar of ointment worth 300 hundred days wages and anointed Jesus' head and feet to show her love of him.  300 hundred days wages; that jar of oil would be worth about 30,000 dollars today.  She lavished Jesus with the best she had.  

There were some who became indignant.  “What a waste,” they said.  Many people in the world today consider the time we give to God, a waste. Why spend on God, what you can spend on yourself.  Why waste your time going to Church? Why waste your time going to confession? Why waste your time with penance, with sacrifice?  

Jesus responded to those indignant with Mary: “Leave her alone.  What she has done is beautiful, it is good.  What this woman has done will always be remembered.”  2000 years later we continue to tell her story, and in the heart of God, her act of love for Jesus will truly be remembered forever.

The good we do for the Lord, whether it's done in secret or in public: charity for the poor, prayers of adoration, attendance at Mass, words of encouragement to the brokenhearted, these things will be remembered by God forever. Even acts of forgiveness—when we forgive someone in our hearts, someone who hurt us, when we let go of resentment, when we let go of a grudge, that is a gift of immeasurable value. 

Today begins Holy Week, and it is a week filled with opportunities to give to God our best. We celebrate this week, how Our Lord gave his best, he gave his life, he gave his obedience and faithfulness to his Father, he gave the embrace of suffering we cannot fathom, he gave forgiveness and mercy to all of humanity of all ages. 

What we do this week will be remembered forever.  You will never regret giving God more, this week.  Praying more, fasting more, sacrificing more.  This could be the most powerful life changing week of your life—the week when you fell deeply in love with Jesus, when you encountered the depth of his love in all that he suffered for you.  

He gave all, he sacrificed all, he gave the best he had, for us.  May we do the same for Him, in our prayer, in our Holy Week fasting and penances. May we be poured out like that precious jar of ointment, like the blood poured out on the cross as an oblation to the Father, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.






Friday, March 22, 2024

5th Week of Lent 2024 - Friday - The light of faithfulness to God

 In the 10th Chapter of the Gospel of John, Jesus comes to Jerusalem on the Feast of the Dedication, which is known today as Hanukkah. The Feast of the Dedication commemorates the rededication of the Jerusalem Temple during the second century before Christ, after it had been desecrated by the Seleucid ruler Antiochus Epiphanes. The festival celebrates the triumph of light over darkness and the restoration of Jewish worship in the Temple. When the Maccabees sought to light the Temple's menorah—the seven-branched lampstand—they found they only had enough oil for it to remain lit for one day, but miraculously, the oil lasted for eight days—hence the celebration of light overcoming the darkness.

And it was on this feast, that Jesus, standing in the Portico of that very temple, declares, “The Father and I are one.” And this morning we here the reaction to his words: “The Jews picked up rocks to stone Jesus.” And their reaction is understandable. And if anyone else besides Jesus uttered those words, their action would be justified—the punishment for blasphemy was stoning. But for Jesus, those words, were true—not blasphemy, but revelation.

And consider the significance of his revelation on the Feast of the Dedication. Just as the Feast of Dedication celebrates the triumph of light over darkness, Jesus, is proclaiming his role in bringing God’s light to the world. Just as the Temple radiates with the light of God—Jesus IS the Temple.

And just as the Feast of Dedication celebrates the importance of remaining faithful to God and persevering in the face of opposition, Jesus remains determined and faithful to God His Father, despite the hostility he faces, both in this passage, and ultimately, in his Passion which we celebrate a week from today.

One week from Good Friday, we are challenged by this reading to continue to seek purification from all that keeps us from shining with the light of God. We pray for our catechumens and candidates, for their purification and enlightenment. And then also, we a challenged to embrace faithfulness to God, like our Lord, in the face of the hostility we encounter—from the world, from the devil, from our own disordered passions and fears. 

May the Light of God and the faithfulness of Jesus be seen and detected in our final Lenten penances and preparations for the sacred triduum, for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

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That God may be pleased to increase faith and understanding in the catechumens and candidates who approach the sacraments of initiation in the coming Paschal Solemnity. 

For those without faith, those with hearts hardened toward God, and for those searching for Him.

For strength to resist temptation, and the humility to sincerely repent of sin.

That through fasting and self-denial, we may be ever more conformed to Christ.

For all who have died, and for all the poor souls in purgatory, and for X. for whom this Mass is offered.

Mercifully hear, O Lord, the prayers of your Church and turn with compassion to the hearts that bow before you, that those you make sharers in your divine mystery may always benefit from your assistance.


Wednesday, March 20, 2024

5th Week of Lent 2024 - Wednesday - God's Truth will set you free

 

When told they must worship an idol or be put to death in the fiery furnace, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, chose to remain faithful to the God.  They exhibited tremendous and courageous faith in the face of suffering and death: "If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us... But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up."

Their acceptance of suffering in uncompromising faithfulness to the One True God of course foreshadows the passion of Our Lord—the Lord’s uncompromising faithfulness to His Father and the mission for which he was sent. 

Their story is also a powerful prefiguration of the Resurrection of Christ. Just as God delivered Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego from the flames, He raised Jesus from the dead, breaking the chains of sin and death once and for all. Their deliverance foreshadows our own deliverance through Christ’s Resurrection, offering us freedom not just from physical peril but from spiritual bondage—from the fiery furnace of hell. 

In the Gospel today, the Lord emphasizes the freedom that comes from obedience. Jesus declares, "If you remain in my word, you will truly be my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free" (John 8:31-32). 

Obedience, discipleship, and faith in the revealed truth of God sets us free.

This truth is not merely an abstract concept; it is a living reality that transforms our lives. When we embrace the truth of Christ, we are liberated from the deception and confusion of the world. We are no longer slaves to our passions and desires, but rather, we are transformed to live in the freedom of the children of God, guided by God’s wisdom and love.

Why does it seem like the world is simply going to hell, these days? Because it is divorced from Truth. When we only follow the disordered desires of our fallen natures, our lives spin into chaos. When I put myself, my ego, my opinions, my perversions on the throne of heaven, we begin to reign in a hell of our own making.

Rather, we are to seek the renewal and transformation God wants for us, by taking ourselves off of the throne and becoming disciples, disciples of Truth that comes outside of ourselves, of life that is not grasped, but is received in humility. Modern man is obsessed with treading his own way, creating his own truths, determining his own moral standards. And the biblical lesson is that sort of hubris leads to destruction and self-imposed slavery every time. Rather, true freedom is discovered through obedience to the highest principal, which is not of our own creation, but is the Creator of all things, the Divine Logos, the Word of Life, who seeks the redemption of man’s fallenness, for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

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That God may be pleased to increase faith and understanding in the catechumens and candidates who approach the sacraments of initiation in the coming Paschal Solemnity. 

For those without faith, those with hearts hardened toward God, and for those searching for Him.

For strength to resist temptation, and the humility to sincerely repent of sin.

That through fasting and self-denial, we may be ever more conformed to Christ.

For all who have died, and for all the poor souls in purgatory, and for X. for whom this Mass is offered.

Mercifully hear, O Lord, the prayers of your Church and turn with compassion to the hearts that bow before you, that those you make sharers in your divine mystery may always benefit from your assistance.