Easter 2 - Liturgy
Greetings (See Second Reading)
We are gathered in the name of Jesus,
the First and the Last,
the Living One who lives for ever,
our Lord and our God.
May his peace and joy be always with you.
R/ And also with you.
Introduction by the Celebrant
A. The Risen Lord Present among His People
Why do we gather every Sunday to celebrate the eucharist of the Lord? For the same reason that the first Christians changed their day of worship from the Jewish Sabbath to the Christian Sunday. For Christ rose from the dead on Sunday, the first day of the week. It became "the Lord's day," the day on which they began to celebrate that Christ is risen and alive in the community of his faithful, as he is present among us now. He is real and alive among us, he is our companion on the road of life and we recognize him in the community of the Church. May the Lord Jesus give us faith to sense his presence.
When 'cultural sensitivity' becomes 'cultural accommodation'
Excluding women from the foot-washing ceremony on Holy Thursday betrays an understanding of Jesus' message of service.
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Bangkok: The decision by parts of the Catholic Church in India to differ with Pope Francis' decision to allow women to have their feet washed in the ceremony on Holy Thursday is puzzling to say the least.
Their reason given is simple. The inclusion of women in a ceremony where a man (the celebrant) washes the feet of a woman as one of the 12 people who participate in the re-enactment of Jesus actions on the first Holy Thursday would offend against "cultural sensitivities."
Holy Saturday - Liturgy
PART I: SERVICE OF THE LIGHT
Introduction by the Celebrant
Introduction by the Celebrant
When there was sin, the world was in the grip of darkness. We celebrate tonight how Jesus came in that darkness to bring us the light of God's love by his death and resurrection. Now a new era could begin for the world and for all of us. This is why we light the fire, for Jesus came to light in us the fire of his love and hope. Let its flames leap up high in us and make us fervent. We kindle the light and profess that Jesus Christ is our light and the light of the world. We follow him and ask him to make us lights on the path of others. What a joy for us!
Easter Vigil and Easter 2016
You probably do not remember the name Nikolai Ivanovich Bukharin. During his day he was as powerful a man as there was on earth. A Russian Communist leader he took part in the Bolshevik Revolution 1917, was editor of the Soviet newspaper Pravda (which by the way means truth), and was a full member of the Politburo. His works on economics and political science are still read today. There is a story told about a journey he took from Moscow to Kiev in 1930 to address a huge assembly on the subject of atheism. Addressing the crowd he aimed his heavy artillery at Christianity hurling insult, argument, and proof against it.
An hour later he was finished. He looked out at what seemed to be the smoldering ashes of men's faith. "Are there any questions?" Bukharin demanded. Deafening silence filled the auditorium but then one man approached the platform and mounted the lectern standing near the communist leader. He surveyed the crowd first to the left then to the right. Finally he shouted the ancient greeting known well in the Russian Orthodox Church: "CHRIST IS RISEN!" En masse the crowd arose as one man and the response came crashing like the sound of thunder: "HE IS RISEN INDEED!"
I say to you this morning: CHRIST IS RISEN! (congregational response should be: HE IS RISEN INDEED!). I am convinced! I have faith that Christ was dead and he was buried. That I believe. But, this too I accept as true: He rose from the dead and will come again in glory.
This is Easter. And to stand here on this day in this pulpit and proclaim this word. . . I cannot begin to tell you how this defines all that I am.
But, you will say to me, how do you know that the resurrection is real? How do you know that it is really valid?
1. Because someone told me about the Resurrection
2. Because the Resurrection as stood the test of time
3. Because I have experienced the Resurrection
Hoy Thursday 2016
Tony
Kayala, c.s.c.
1. Jesus was humiliated in the very heart of his own teaching when the
disciples were fighting for position. So he does three things: a. he exchanges
the symbol of position with a symbol of service (stole with towel), b. they
want to “take” and he says “Take this and eat” and he “gives”; c. finally he
prays to the Father to keep them together in unity. These are the 3 symbols we
used as we began the Lent on Ash Wednesday: a. fasting is what we do to
ourselves (humility-washing – vis-à-vis love yourself), b. almsgiving is what
we do for others (love your neighbour) and finally c. prayer is what we do with
God (love God). These are the foundations of our faith – the two commandments
lived, explained, understood differently.
Good Friday 2016
The betrayals of so many people ended in a tragedy of cosmic
proportions. Let us pay particular attention to all those seemingly
insignificant decisions made by the supporting actors in this melancholy drama.
It won't be difficult to see ourselves in this play; each of us commits the
same little murders every day.
India's Sister Lucy Kurien: a life of self-less service
For nearly 20 year's her shelters have helped women and children desperately in need.
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| Indian President Pranab Mukherjee presents Sister Lucy Kurien with the Nari Shakti (women empowerment) award, March 8. (Photo courtesy of Sister Lucy Kurien) |
Through her organization — called Maher (mother's home) — Sister Kurien assists destitute women and children irrespective of caste, creed or religion.
"The focus is always on the street, especially the women who are mentally challenged and those suffering from HIV," said Sister Kurien, who belongs to the Sisters of the Cross of Chavanod.
Palm/Passion Sunday - Liturgical Payers
I. BLESSING OF PALMS AND PROCESSION
Introduction by the Celebrant
A. Jerusalem: Place of Suffering and of Triumph
We know from the school of life that not every day is a day of joy and bliss: there are also gloomy days of suffering, of disappointments and failure. But today, on Palm Sunday "of the Lord's Passion," we are told in no uncertain terms that this was the freely accepted lot of no less than Jesus himself. First, we see him acclaimed in a small triumph, but then we hear how he is led to his death. One week from now, on Easter Sunday, we will hear it clearly and emphatically stated that his death led to the triumph of his own resurrection; we will also hear of the forgiveness and life he brings us. We unite ourselves with Our Lord in his triumph and in his suffering and death and we pray that he will make our life and death as acceptable and meaningful as his.
Palm Sunday C
Palm Sunday C from Jaimelito Gealan
“Either give up Christ or give up your jobs.”
Constantine the Great was the first Christian Roman emperor. His father Constantius I who succeeded Diocletian as emperor in 305 A.D. was a pagan with a soft heart for Christians. When he ascended the throne, he discovered that many Christians held important jobs in the government and in the court. So he issued an executive order to all those Christians: “Either give up Christ or give up your jobs.” The great majority of Christians gave up their jobs rather than disowning Christ. Only a few cowards gave up their religion rather than lose their jobs. The emperor was pleased with the majority who showed the courage of their convictions and gave their jobs back to them saying: "If you will not be true to your God you will not be true to me either.” Today we join the Palm Sunday crowd in spirit to declare our loyalty to Christ and fidelity to his teachings by actively participating in the Palm Sunday liturgy. As we carry the palm leaves to our homes, we are declaring our choice to accept Jesus as the king and ruler of our lives and our families. Let us express our gratitude to Jesus for redeeming us by his suffering and death, through active participation in the Holy Week liturgy and reconciliation with God and His Church, repenting of our sins and receiving God's pardon and forgiveness from Jesus through his Church.
Lent 5 C: Liturgical Prayers
Adapted from Bibleclaret.org edited. TK
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Introduction
by the Celebrant
A. Throw No
Stones
Have you ever had
the experience of hurting someone very much but that the offended person
forgave you, perhaps with difficulty, and accepted your apology, and that was
the end? Do you remember how relieved you felt, as if you were a new person?
That is how God keeps forgiving us: he makes us new every time again. Do we
live as forgiven, new people? Do we make others new by our pardon? Let us
encounter again in this Eucharist our patient, forgiving Lord Jesus.
Lent 5 C - Woman Caught in Adultery
`
Michel de Verteuil
General Comments
There are three people in today’s passage:
• the woman;
• the group called “scribes and Pharisees”;
• Jesus.
As always, in your meditation you must let yourself enter the story from the viewpoint of one of the three.
•The woman was guilty of a sexual sin, but her story evokes any experience of having done something shameful in a moment of great vulnerability.
20 Ways to Redefine Who You Are
There comes a point in our life when we need to take a moment and redefine who we have become. This is perhaps one of the toughest challenges that we will have to face - after all, it involves observing, and reshaping our selves. These inspiring statements rang true for me, and over the next 20 days, I have chosen to observe, accept and adapt my actions, encouraging me to redefine myself as a better person.
25 Things We Need to Remember in Life
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In
spite of how beautiful life can be, there are also moments of
loneliness, rash decision-making, and gloomy, seemingly hopeless hours.
We all go through similar days in our lives where we are blinded from
seeing the beauty that's right in front of us. Although some situations seem
difficult for us to contend with at a particular moment in
time, they actually enable us to learn from them later on, accepting them
as little life lessons. Here are a few I've gathered throughout my
life...
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One for Humanity
This is an amazing picture: Abdul Raheem, an Afghan soldier who lost both his hands in war, received a pair of hands from Joseph of Kerala who had suffered brain death. Joseph’s wife and daughter are looking at the hands that once caressed them. The transplant surgery was performed by Dr. Subramanian Iyer (blue shirt) of the Amrita Hospital, Kerala. A Hindu doctor, a Christian organ donor, a Muslim recipient – that’s humanity!
Impressions of the Planet - Must watch it
You cannot change other people, but you CAN change the way you see them.
Lent 4 Sunday C: Laetare: Rejoice: I had lost him and now I found him
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Michel de Verteuil
General comments
Verses 1 to 3 are one of several passages in the gospels which give us an overall picture of Jesus’ lifestyle. In your meditation, identify who for you are “the tax collectors and sinners,” people who are outsiders to the community; then, who is Jesus, and finally, who are “the Pharisees and Scribes” who complain.
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