but might have eternal life...

God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son,
so that everyone who believes in him might not perish
but might have eternal life.
(from John 3:16-21)

The days of the Triduum bring to mind in a powerful way just how much Jesus loved us.  What He was willing to do so that we might enjoy eternal life with him once again in heaven.

We're not indifferent to the image of Jesus on the cross during the rest of the year, but we need the reminder that the Triduum gives in order to re-focus our sight so that we look again with fresh eyes upon his sacrifice.

And, just as importantly, we need Easter.  A friend once told me, "You can't have Easter without Good Friday."  How true!  Yet, don't most of us avoid those things that are painful, or stretching, if we can? 

Take a few moments today and thank the Lord for those times of being stretched, of being asked to move outside your comfort zone.  Jesus certainly went through much during His passion, so how can we refuse to walk in our Lord's footsteps?

My Lord and my God!

Now a week later his disciples were again inside
and Thomas was with them.
Jesus came, although the doors were locked,
and stood in their midst and said, "Peace be with you."
Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here and see my hands,
and bring your hand and put it into my side,
and do not be unbelieving, but believe."
Thomas answered and said to him, "My Lord and my God!"
Jesus said to him, "Have you come to believe because you have seen me?
Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed."

(from John 20:19-31)

Poor Thomas.  We know him first and foremost as the doubter.  We know the famous lines:  "Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger into the nailmarks and put my hand into his side, I will not believe." 

But it's thanks to Thomas, that we have the words of Jesus that apply to us:  Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.  That's you and me!  Yet, I wonder if you or I would have been been much different than Thomas, had we been in his shoes.  How often do we need "proof" before we will believe something.  Yes, there's a bit a "Thomas" in each of us.

Lord, may we be more and more like those you called blessed!  May we put aside our need to have things proven to us -- especially when it comes to our faith and trust in You!

...He appeared first to Mary Magdalene

When he had risen, early on the first day of the week,

he appeared first to Mary Magdalene,

out of whom he had driven seven demons. 

She went and told his companions who were mourning and weeping. 

When they heard that he was alive and had been seen by her,

they did not believe.

(Mark 26:9-11)

Probably in many ways the Apostles were likely incredulous that Jesus would appear to anyone but them first.  But, then again, we know how they reacted and scattered when Jesus was arrested in the garden, and how John was the only one we know of to have been present at the cross.

But the women.  That's another story.  We read of how the women were present at the crucifixion.  They suffered with Him in his passion.  In many ways it's not surprising that Jesus would appear to one of the women first.  They possessed courage that few others did.

Today, take a few moments to reflect on these lines from the Gospel.  Put yourself in Mary Magdalene's place.  Consider her surprise, her joy at seeing Jesus alive -- and how that impelled her in finding the others to share the wondrous news with them.

Touch me and see...

"Why are you troubled?
And why do questions arise in your hearts?
Look at my hands and my feet, that it is I myself.
Touch me and see, because a ghost does not have flesh and bones
as you can see I have."

(from Luke 24:35-48)

We fortunately know all the story, but the Apostles were learning it, experiencing it.  Troubled?  Undoubtedly.  They saw him crucified.  They saw his lifeless body taken down from the cross and buried.  They knew the pain in their hearts as they mourned his death. 

Questions arising?  That too.  There was no where in recorded history that anyone had risen from the dead.  They may have known all the scriptures that predicted that the Messiah would die and rise, but they didn't know how to break them apart to understand their meaning.

Touch me and see.  Jesus knew that he needed to help them to move past their fears.  Touching him.  Seeing him.  Experiencing him.  All these helped to shore up their faith and move them forward into a new life. 

When questions and doubts arise in our hearts and minds, Lord, help us to take courage and trust in You and your great love and mercy.

On the road to Emmaus

Two were bound for Emmaus, disheartened and lost;

all their hope for the future had been nailed to a cross.

Love unknown then walked beside them,

come back from the dead,

and they knew he was risen in the breaking of bread.

From Two Were Bound for Emmaus

by Bob Hurd, copyrighted 2000

Today's Gospel reading by St. Luke is well known.  The tale of two disciples journey to a town that took an entire's day journey when disheartened after Jesus' death but whose journey was incredibly shortened after the joy of knowing that Jesus was indeed risen from the dead!

Bob Hurd did a nice job in the first verse referenced above.  It also made me ponder what all went through the disciples minds when Jesus began walking with them and explaining the scriptures to them.  Luke only records that their hearts had been burning as He broke the scriptures open for them. 

Do we recognize Jesus when He walks beside us?  Or are we like those disciples who need a lot of "coaching" before we recognize Jesus in our midst?

Today take a few moments to ponder how to better recognize Jesus in your midst.  Remember:  We can find Him in those we encounter, if we look with eyes of faith.

Aurora lucis rutilat...

During the Easter season, the text of the following hymn is sung each day at Lauds.  It's text is rich and provides a terrific basis for prayer and meditation...

Light's glitter'ng morn bedecks the sky,

Heav'n thunders forth its victor cry,

The glad earth shouts it triumph high,

And groaning hell makes wild reply.

While He, the King of glorious might,

Treads down death's strength in death's despite,

And trampling hell by victor's right,

Brings forth His sleeping Saints to light.

Fast barred beneath the stone of late

In watch and ward where soldiers wait,

Now shining in triumphant state,

He rises Victor from death's gate.

Hell's pains are loosed and tears are fled,

Captivity is captive led;

The Angel crowned with light hath said,

"The Lord is risen from the dead!"

We pray Thee, King with glory decked,

In this our Paschal joy, protect

From all that death would fain effect

Thy ransomed flock, Thine own elect.

In Thee Who, dead, again dost live,

All glory, Lord, Thy people give;

All glory, as is ever meet,

To Father, and to Paraclete.

Amen.

He Is Risen, Alleluia!

Last night we gathered outside in the darkness and the fire was lit.  From the small single flame, a large fire was kindled.  And so began our Easter Vigil.  Moving through the opening stages of blessing the fire, the candle and then lighting the candle and processing into the dark chapel to hear the proclamation, The Light of Christ! was truly undescribable. 

And then the light began to disperse further as we lighted our candles from the Paschal candle.  And after Father had chanted the Exsultet, we began the Liturgy of the Word and traveled with our ancestors in the faith through all seven of the Old Testament readings with their sung responsorial psalms.

After the homily, we had the blessing of the Easter water followed by the renewal of our baptismal promises.

With the renewed liturgy, we heard new prayers, a new translation of the Exsultet.  A new liturgy, but a faith 2000+ years old.  A rich tradition from which we mine abundant treasures.

May we all share today in the treasures of our faith in Christ's Resurrection.

He is risen, Alleluia!

And a blessed Easter for all of us!

We Love Him, Because He First Loved Us

There is not one who does not love something, but the question is, what to love.  The psalms do not tell us not to love, but to choose the object of our love. But how can we choose unless we are first choosen?  We cannot love unless someone has loved us first.  Listen to the apostle John:  We love him, because he first loved us.  The source of man's love for God can only be found in the fact that God loved him first.  He has given us himself as the object of our love, and he has also given us its source.  What this source is you may learn more clearly from the apostle Paul who tells us:  The love of God has been poured into our hearts.  This love is not something we generate ourselves; it comes to us through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

Since we have such an assurance, then, let us love God with the love he has given us.  As John tells us more fully:  God is love, and whoever dwells in love dwells in God, and God in him.  It is not enough to say:  Love is from God.  Which of us would dare to pronounce the words of Scripture:  God is love?  He alone could say it who knew what it was to ahve God dwelling within him.  God offers us a short route to the possession of himself.  He cries out:  Love me and you will have me for you would be unable to love me if you did not possess me already.

From a sermon by St. Augustine, bishop

Office of Readings for

Tuesday, Third Week of Easter

Volume II of The Liturgy of the Hours



Easter Proclamation - The Exsultet

The Easter Proclamation -- or the Exsultet -- which is sung at the Easter Vigil, is a powerful meditation and worth re-visiting today.  We pray you find it as full of meaning as we do...



Rejoice, heavenly powers! Sing, choirs of angels!

Exult, all creation around God's throne!

Jesus Christ, our King, is risen!

Sound the trumpet of salvation!

Rejoice, O earth, in shining splendor,

radiant in the brightness of your King!

Christ has conquered! Glory fills you!

Darkness vanishes for ever!

Rejoice, O Mother Church! Exult in glory!

The risen Savior shines upon you!

Let this place resound with joy,

echoing the mighty song of all God's people!

It is truly right

that with full hearts and minds and voices

we should praise the unseen God, the all-powerful Father,

and his only Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.

For Christ has ransomed us with his blood,

and paid for us the price of Adam's sin

to our eternal Father!

This is our passover feast,

when Christ, the true Lamb, is slain,

whose blood consecrates the homes of all believers.

This is the night when first you saved our fathers:

you freed the people of Israel from their slavery

and led them dry-shod through the sea.

This is the night when the pillar of fire

destroyed the darkness of sin!

This is the night when Christians everywhere,

washed clean of sin

and freed from all defilement,

are restored to grace and grow together in holiness.

This is the night when Jesus Christ

broke the chains of death

and rose triumphant from the grave.

What good would life have been to us,

had Christ not come as our Redeemer?

Father, how wonderful your care for us!

How boundless your merciful love!

To ransom a slave

you gave away your Son.

O happy fault, O necessary sin of Adam,

which gained for us so great a Redeemer!

Most blessed of all nights, chosen by God

to see Christ rising from the dead!

Of this night scripture says:

"The night will be as clear as day:

it will become my light, my joy."

The power of this holy night

dispels all evil, washes guilt away,

restores lost innocence, brings mourners joy;

it casts out hatred, brings us peace,
and humbles earthly pride.

Night truly blessed when heaven is wedded to earth

and man is reconciled with God!

Therefore, heavenly Father, in the joy of this night,

receive our evening sacrifice of praise,

your Church's solemn offering.

Accept this Easter candle,

a flame divided but undimmed,

a pillar of fire that glows to the honor of God.

Let it mingle with the lights of heaven

and continue bravely burning

to dispel the darkness of this night!

May the morning Star which never sets
find this flame still burning:

Christ, that Morning Star, who came back from the dead,

and shed his peaceful light on all mankind,

your Son who lives and reigns for ever and ever.  Amen.

Emmaus

Today's Gospel (Luke 24:13-34) relates the tale of two of Jesus' disciples traveling to Emmaus.  One cannot help but wonder if they were getting out of Jerusalem due to fear of what might happen to them -- after all Jesus had just been put to death and the Sabbath prevented travel the day before.  They were "getting out of Dodge" while they could.

One even wonders why they even engaged in conversation with a stranger along the way, especially one who was ignorant of what had just taken place.  Fortunately for us, Luke recounts that famous "walk and talk" of Jesus and those two disciples. 

Can you imagine what it would have been like:  Jesus walking along with the two carefully interpreting the scriptures beginning with Moses all those verses that referred to him.  No wonder their hearts were burning!  And as soon as they recognized Jesus in the breaking of the bread they literally "flew" back to Jerusalem -- a journey that initially had taken most of the day.

Today, spend some time with Jesus on that journey to Emmaus and listen as He speaks to your heart.

An Easter Hymn

This Easter hymn is taken from the Roman-French Missal of the Middle Ages, was a favorite with the people of those days and provides us with a wonderful reflection on the Resurrection:

Now shines through the wold the bright fair day,

whereon are triumphantly told the splendid combats of Christ.

He gloriously conquered the haughty enemy,

and routed his most wicked hosts.

Unhappy sine of Eve, whereby we were all deprived of life!

Happy the fruit of Mary, whereon we are all now feed together!

Blessed the noble Queen, the mother of the King,

who robbed hell of its prey, and now reigns in heaven above.

O eternal King!

Graciously receive the hymns we devoutly sing to Thee.

Thou sittest on the right hand of the Father.

Universal Conqueror!

Thou didst vanquis death, and enter into the joys of heaven.

O mercy of Christ!

How great, how sublime, how beautiful, how sweet,

how tender art Thou!

Praise, honor and power

be to Thee that didst lighten our heavy weight of old!

Purchased by the Blood of the infinitely merciful Lamb,

the Church gltters with the ruby flowers of her redemption.

He who by his mighty power washed away our sins,

loads us with precious gifts.

Bewildered in my admiration of this day's wonders,

I am unworthy to proclaim its great mysteries.

Son of David!  Child of the tribe of Judah!

Thou dids rise in glory, a lion in strength.

Thou wast seen on earth as a gentle lamb,

It was Thou that in the beginning didst create the world.

Thou hast asceded to the kingdom above:

And there Thou mercifully rewardest the just

with the rewards of everlasting joy.

Say, Satan, thou wicked spirit,

what now hath they craft profited thee?

The victory of Christ has bound thee fast

in fetters of fire.

O ye tribes and nations, be astounded!

Who hat heard of miracles like these?

That death should so conquer death?

That crimanals should receive favor like unto this?

Therefore, O Jesus, our merciful King!

Forgive us our sins, loosen our fetters.

Grant that they elect may rise with Thee to heavenly glory,

and to their just merits give recompense.

Amen.

From The Liturgical Year,
Paschal Time - Book I
(Fourth Edition)

by Abbot Guéranger OSB

(Translated from the French

by Dom Laurence Shepherd OSB,

The Newman Press,

Westminster, Maryland, 1949)