Meditation: Psalm 118

Divine Mercy Sunday

This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice in it and be glad. (Psalm 118:24)

Today is a day of double blessing. Not only do we celebrate Divine Mercy Sunday but we also honor Pope John Paul II, who will be beatified today in Rome. In honor of this event, we want to offer some excerpts from John Paul’s first homily as pope, given on the day of his inauguration, October 22, 1978. May his words, his spirit, and his love for Jesus continue to inspire all of us!

“On this day and in this place these same words must again be uttered and listened to: ‘You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God’ (Matthew 16:16).

“Yes, Brothers and sons and daughters, these words first of all. Their content reveals to our eyes the mystery of the living God… . He who is infinite, inscrutable, ineffable, has come close to us in Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, born of the Virgin Mary in the stable at Bethlehem.

“All of you who are still seeking God, all of you who already have the inestimable good fortune to believe, and also you who are tormented by doubt: Please listen once again, today in this sacred place, to the words uttered by Simon Peter… .

“Brothers and sisters, do not be afraid to welcome Christ and accept his power… . Open wide the doors for Christ… . Christ knows what is in man. He alone knows it. So often today man does not know what is within him, in the depths of his mind and heart. So often he is uncertain about the meaning of his life on this earth. He is assailed by doubt, a doubt which turns into despair. We ask you therefore, we beg you with humility and trust, let Christ speak to man. He alone has words of life, yes, of eternal life.”

“Thank you, Lord, for the life of Blessed Pope John Paul II! As we celebrate your mercy today, fill us with hope in you. Help us all to ‘Be not afraid!’ ”

Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion

(Acts 2:42-47; Psalm 118:2-4, 13-15, 22-24; 1 Peter 1:3-9; John 20:19-31)

1. In the first reading from Acts we see the vibrancy of the early church, and as a result, “every day the Lord added to their numbers those who were being saved” (Acts 2:47). What were some of the characteristics of the early church that caused it to attract so many people? Which ones would really benefit the Church today, and what steps can you take to help bring them into your local parish?

2. The message of the responsorial psalm is one of hope and trust in the Lord, especially in times of trouble. Why do you believe the psalmist was so filled with joy and confidence that he could exclaim, “This is the day the Lord has made; let us be glad and rejoice in it” (Psalm 118:24). What can you do to make this your disposition each morning when you first wake up?

3. The second reading from 1 Peter is also one of joy in the midst of trials and suffering. What is the basis of this joy for Christians? How often do you reflect on these in your times of prayer or during the day? If you were to increase these times of reflection, what impact would it have on how you lived out your day? What simple steps can you take to cause this to happen?

4. The Gospel reading contrasts the joy of the disciples when they “saw the Lord” with the doubts of the apostle Thomas. After appearing to Thomas, Jesus goes on to say that, “Blessed are those who have not seen and believe” (John 20:29). In what way has the risen Lord revealed the truth of who he is to you so that you are able to say, “My Lord and my God”?

5. Take a few minutes to reflect on Pope John Paul II’s words in the meditation. What do you believe God is trying to reveal to you through his words?

6. What do these words in the last quotation mean to you? “Brothers and sisters, do not be afraid to welcome Christ and accept his power… . Open wide the doors for Christ.”

7. Take some time now and pray that you would experience more deeply God’s Divine Mercy, especially: his freedom from fear, healing, and transformation. Use the prayer at the end of the meditation as the starting point.

A Christian Pilgrim

SEEING THE LORD

(A biblical refection on SECOND SUNDAY OF EASTER, May 1, 2011)

Gospel Reading: Jn 20:19-31

First Reading: Acts 2:42-47; Psalms: Ps 118:2-4,13-15,22-24; Second Reading:1Pet 1:3-9

The Scripture Text

On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being shut where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent Me, even so I send you.” And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”

Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and place my finger in the mark of the nails, and place my hand in His side, I will not believe.”

Eight days later, His disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. The doors were shut, but Jesus came and stood among them, and said, “Peace be with you.” Then He said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see My hands; and put out your hand, and place it in My side; do not be faithless, but believing.” Thomas answered Him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen Me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe.”

Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name. (Jn 20-19-31 RSV)

The apostles/disciples had gathered in locked quarters, worrying whether they were next in line for arrest and execution. But in the midst of their worries, Jesus suddenly came and stood among them. Jesus’ appearance brought them joy and peace, because at that particular moment their desires to see God were fulfilled.

Deep within the hearts of all people has been the desire to see God. On Sinai, Moses prayed, “I pray Thee, show me Thy glory” (Ex 33:18). This same prayer echoes throughout the psalms as well: “One thing have I asked of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD” (Ps 27:4).

“Seeing the Lord” is also a major theme in the New Testament, especially in John’s Gospel. For John, ‘seeing’ is associated with belief and faith and, thus, has more to do with the eyes of our hearts than with our physical eyes. “Seeing the Lord” means accepting Jesus as Lord and Saviour and knowing the comfort of being called sons and daughters of God. When Jesus healed the blind man (Jn 9:1-41), the most important healing was not the gift of physical sight, but the removal of the man’s spiritual blindness.

One apostle – Thomas [also called Didimus or the Twin] – was absent on that particular occasion, and so missed out on the excitement. The shock of Jesus’ betrayal and crucifixion had left him brokenhearted, and it seems that in his grief he sought isolation rather than the comforting presence of his fellow disciples. When the disciples told Thomas, “We have seen the Lord” (Jn 20:25), his unbelief and doubt kept him from allowing the spirit to reveal Christ to him.

Now let us imagine Thomas’ surprise when Jesus suddenly showed up eight days later. Surrounded by his sisters and brothers in faith, Thomas was invited by Jesus to step out in faith. Yes, he finally saw the Lord, his blindness fell away and his doubt gave way to firm conviction and unspeakable joy. And, he proclaimed those great words of faith, “My Lord and my God!” (Jn 20:28). Not only did Thomas go from unbelief; he went from isolation to community.

Seeing the Lord for who He is requires belief, and this was John’s purpose in writing his Gospel: “…that you may believe that Jesus is Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name” (Jn 20:31).

We all long to see God. As we worship Him at Mass today in our own individual times of prayer this week, let us ask Jesus to reveal Himself to us more deeply. Let us pray with Moses, “Show me Thy glory.”

Short Prayer: Jesus, my Lord and my God, how I long to see Your face. Give faith to the fainthearted and hope to the hopeless so that everyone my find life, peace, and joy in Your presence. Amen.

Marriage = One Man and One Woman

Daily Marriage Tip for May 1, 2011:

Today the Church celebrates the beatification of Pope John Paul II, putting him a step closer to sainthood. Do you and your spouse have a favorite saint that you try to imitate?

Am I A Person of Mercy?

Pastor’s Column

Mercy Sunday

May 1, 2011

“Be merciful as your Father is merciful. Do not judge and you will not be judged yourselves; do not condemn and you will not be condemned yourselves; grant pardon, and you will be pardoned….because the amount you measure out is the amount you will be given back.”

Luke 6:36-38

Jesus Christ is both perfect mercy and perfect justice, and yet there is no contradiction here. When we come to the Lord seeking forgiveness, especially in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, he will always forgive us. Even in the period between life and death, he is willing to forgive us, if we are only willing to admit we need it! We are now living in the time of God’s mercy – it is called life. After death, if we have not taken advantage of God’s mercy, we will have to face his justice, the true consequences of our sins, which Jesus desires to save us from by his death on the cross.

Am I a person of mercy? The world is often not a very merciful place but we, as Christians, are called to be different! Who hasn’t experienced being judged harshly by someone because they didn’t have all the facts? If I tend to be this way, or treat people differently because of skin color or because their beliefs differ from mine, I am in danger of becoming a merciless person and that is not a good thing to be.

How I treat someone who has inconvenienced me or gotten in my way somehow is the real test of my growth in the spiritual gift of mercy. Is there someone in my life who I don’t like or who has wronged me? Someone who continues to hurt me? Here are three ways to be a person of mercy and forgiveness toward these difficult people: First, I must pray for this person. Second, I must be kind to this person if I run into them. Third (and most importantly) I must not talk negatively about them behind their back. God isn’t calling us to be friends with the people who have wronged us, but to forgive by these merciful actions. We must especially watch our words, because this is truly where many of us are often the least merciful. To be more merciful, try a good dose of silence for a change!

Impatience with others is another way many of us can show mercilessness. How we treat others who are difficult, inconvenient, enemies, demanding, irritating, or are members of groups we don’t like will tell us quite clearly whether we are becoming a merciless—or a merciful person. Father Gary

2nd Easter: "My Lord and My God"

2nd Sunday of Easter: "My Lord and My God!"

Caravaggio: "Thomas, put your finger here . . . and believe!"

Sunday Scripture: http://www.usccb.org/nab/050111.shtml

Acts 2: 42-47
1 Pt 1: 3-9
John 20: 19-31

“Peace be with you” greets the Celebrant – “And also with you, “answers the assembly. So goes the mini-ritual called the sign of peace, wedged between the “Our Father” and the “Lamb of God” during our Eucharist gatherings. Its intent is more profound, I believe, than most realize. While repeated liturgy bears the potential danger of becoming routine, and we all must never forget to keep it fresh, there was nothing ordinary in that same greeting of Jesus to his bewildered, frightened, awe struck, astonished, and out right incredulous Apostles in the Gospel this weekend. “Peace be with you,” he greets these men.

They hide in fear of the Jewish leaders – understandable considering the events just two days before: Would they be next? They may be one with these leaders in culture and heritage but they are far apart in belief. Here, at the beginning, faith in Jesus becomes a sign of contradiction; a call to conviction. Not a comfortable position to be in for sure.

In the midst of that fear and confusion, the risen Christ comes. He did far more than offer a 30 second handshake or embrace. He “breathed on them” the Holy Spirit. I would love to have been a fly on the wall. To see the reaction of the disciples, to gaze into their faces, to study their posture as the one who was violently killed, very much dead in his tomb, now stands before them in glory and peace (Shalom). Spiritual yet material as he shows them the wounds of his passion.

Here in their hide-away there is fear but Christ brings a presence, a fullness that brings the call for reconciliation: “Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them . . .” We can imagine that Peter and the others may have been contemplating some sort of retaliation in response to Jesus’ scandalous murder. The last thing they needed to see was a reminder of that hatred foisted on their Master and Lord – the wounds of his suffering. Only vengeance will bring certain justice.

But, Christ invites them to respond to hatred with love; injustice with mercy. Only then would they find true peace within their own hearts and have the clarity of mind to understand the full mission of Christ, which ultimately became their own. Yet, one of their own was missing to hear this challenge – Thomas. Once he hears their story, he demands proof. I wonder if I might have done the same. It was too fantastic, too impossible to believe but might this be true? Still, “If you say he’s alive, show me!”

Then, in a moment of great humility before Thomas, Christ invites him to touch those signs of his love. Only then was Thomas’ skepticism healed to become faith. But faith is more than the material – faith is like the risen Christ: both body and spirit joined in glory. Thomas too hears Jesus’ greeting of “Peace.”

Easter is this great season of faith. Faith that demands a personal encounter with Christ. Our Protestant brethren are eager to ask, “Have you accepted Jesus as your personal Savior?” We in the Catholic Christian tradition believe that – he is our personal Savior but he is also Savior to all humankind, even to those who do not yet believe in Him. But it is the personal dimension that is essential. We can hide in the collective comfort of Community life and hope that by some process of osmosis faith itself will be absorbed in to us. But, sooner of later we must face the personal dimension of our faith.

The Community inspires us, Community life supports us, the Community of the Church (our Parish life) brings us comfort and hope. But when we stand before Christ in the Eucharist and hear, “Body of Christ” and “Blood of Christ” we are asked to make a decision that is tied to our brothers and sisters but is as much individual. Do YOU believe this to be Christ’s Body – your Savior who brings YOU life – his life?

This Sunday we mark the Divine Mercy of the Lord Jesus and the joy of the now Blessed John Paul II. While Christ’s mercy is available to all who seek it, we must do so as individuals; expressing our personal trust and loyalty to Christ. We must seek it out in our desire for conversion and forgiveness through the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

There may be a little or a lot of Thomas in each one of us. But once he was granted his own personal experience of the Lord, he came to believe for he himself saw, touched, and heard the voice of Christ in his life. Thomas, along with the others gathered, could then fulfill Jesus’ mission, “As the Father has sent me, so I send you.”

May the example of Blessed John Paul II be one more personal encounter with the Lord.

Fr. Tim

Insight Scoop

The Sacrificial Depths of the Gift of Divine Mercy

A Scriptural Reflection on the Readings for May 1, 2011, Divine Mercy Sunday | Carl E. Olson

Readings:
• Acts 2:42-47
• Psa. 118:2-4, 13-15, 22-24
• 1 Pet. 1:3-9
• Jn. 20:19-31

As a young boy I enjoyed playing Little League baseball. On a couple of occasions, while playing a lesser opponent, our team would be so far ahead that the “mercy rule” took effect, meaning the game would end before all nine innings were played. This was meant to spare the other team embarrassment and to ensure the game ended in a timely manner.

Ordinary mercy involves having compassion and pity on another person. It usually assumes a certain relationship between those who have power and those who are powerless. It is based on the recognition, at some level, of the dignity of those who have less and who are vulnerable.

Divine mercy goes even deeper and farther—so deep and far, in fact, that we cannot fully comprehend it. It flows from the heart of Jesus Christ, who not only has pity on us sinners but willingly allowed himself to be disgraced, beaten, mocked, and killed for our sake.

In the language of sports, the crucified Christ was a “loser” so that we might, by His gift and grace, win eternal life. I say “loser” because we know, as today’s Gospel explains, that while Jesus lost his life by giving it up on the Cross, He was restored to life by the Father. Saint Gregory the Great wrote of the doubting Apostle Thomas, “It was not an accident that that particular disciple was not present,” referring to Christ’s first appearance to the frightened disciples in the locked room (Jn 20:19-24). “The divine mercy ordained that a doubting disciple should, by feeling in his Master the wounds of the flesh, heal in us the wounds of unbelief.”

It is tempting, I think, to sometimes look down on the Apostle Thomas, as though we would have readily accepted the witness of the other apostles. Perhaps. But the other disciples, at the first appearance of the risen Lord, also needed to see the hands and side of their Lord. In other words, Thomas asked for the same verification that Christ has given the others. As Saint Gregory indicates, Thomas’s doubt was used by God as a means of mercy for our sake, for the Christian faith is rooted in the historical event of the Resurrection and in the first-hand witness of those who saw, touched, and spoke with the risen Christ.

In April of 2000, Pope John Paul II officially established this second Sunday of Easter as the Sunday of Divine Mercy, recognizing the private revelations given by Jesus to Saint Faustina Kowalska. Saint Kowalska saw two rays of light shining from the heart of Christ, which, He explained to her, “represent blood and water.” Reflecting on this vision and Christ’s statement, John Paul II wrote, “Blood and water! We immediately think of the testimony given by the Evangelist John, who, when a solider on Calvary pierced Christ's side with his spear, sees blood and water flowing from it (cf. Jn 19: 34). Moreover, if the blood recalls the sacrifice of the Cross and the gift of the Eucharist, the water, in Johannine symbolism, represents not only Baptism but also the gift of the Holy Spirit (cf. Jn 3: 5; 4: 14; 7: 37-39).

The divine mercy, then, involves the sacrificial self-gift that God offers to us, flowing from the heart of the Father, demonstrated in the death of the Son, and given by the power of the Holy Spirit. John Paul II, in his encyclical Dives in Misericordia—“On the Mercy of God” (Nov 30, 1980)—wrote that Christ “makes incarnate and personified [mercy]. He himself, in a certain sense, is mercy.”

In seeing Christ, man sees God and is able to enter into life-giving communion with Him. This beautiful truth is the focus of today’s epistle, written by Saint Peter, which speaks of the great mercy given by the Father through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Life, of course, is not a game, nor is divine mercy a rule. It is a reality, a gift from the heart of Jesus Christ.

(This "Opening the Word" column originally appeared in the March 30, 2008, edition of Our Sunday Visitor newspaper.)

Secret Harbor ~ Portus Secretioris

30 April 2011

Divine Mercy Sunday

First Reading, Acts 2:42-47

In this Reading are the beginnings of what is now called a community of the faithful. It is also a model for belonging to a community of a Religious Order. The Catechism of the Catholic Church reads: "The disciple of Christ must not only keep the faith and live on it, but also profess it, confidently bear witness to it, and spread it. Service of and witness to the faith are necessary for salvation" (CCC 1816). Although Jesus no longer walks the earth in His physical Body preaching, teaching and working miracles, the Church, an extension of Him on earth continues on with His mission under the guidance of the Holy Spirit and our Saviour's Eucharistic Presence. What is evidenced here is simplicity because Christ is first and foremost in the lives of these early Christians. They discovered that detachment from possessions is not difficult when Christ is truly number One. The opening verse describes the Eucharistic Sacrifice. If you think about it, throughout the Church's two-thousand year history she has experienced wars, scandals, persecutions and many other obstacles which should have destroyed her very existence long ago. But Christ promised that the gates of hell shall not prevail against her (cf Mt 16, 18). If you're familiar with the history of the Church and the darkness she has faced, then you know that Jesus has remained faithful to that promise. The gates of hell have tried to scale the walls of the Church many times but our Lord has always come to the rescue. As Saint John Chrysostom put it: "Sooner shall the sun be extinguished, than the Church be obscured."

Second Reading, 1 Peter 1:3-9

God has given us through the Resurrection of Jesus Christ a new life of hope. And our hope is an inheritance that is imperishable and has already been prepared for us. As temples of the Holy Spirit, the Source of our faith dwells within us. Our love for Jesus gives us a foretaste of eternal glory. Our love's genuineness will be revealed by how we treat each other and handle the various trials that Divine Providence allows in the lives of each of us. To search for a model on how to deal with suffering in our modern day, one need only look as far as our current Holy Father's Predecessor, Pope John Paul II. The mystical body of Christ truly came through to lift up John Paul II in prayer. How many times was he thought to be down for the count only to bounce back continuing to serve the Lord and His Church, fighting for souls as the Vicar of Christ? Through his suffering he heroically evangelized his love for God and was living proof of the power that is within us as the mystical body of Christ. As Christians we love and praise our Lord and await His promised reward for our genuine faith -- the salvation of our souls. We've just celebrated our Lord's glorious Triumph over suffering, sin and death – and now here we are talking about suffering again. It's not a glutton for punishment mentality, but rather an awareness of how we are called to follow in our Saviour's Footsteps. He has invited us in a very loving way to have a role in the work of redemption. It is our human weakness which fuels our hesitant and skeptical approach to suffering, thus veiling the fullness of love behind each and every invitation to be like Jesus and enter into His divine life.

Gospel, John 20:19-31

It is only the life of prayer that can help us hear Jesus speak the words, "Peace be with you," when the turmoil of our lives has us hiding within ourselves. Only Jesus can penetrate the locked doors of our hearts but like the disciples, it requires us to have knowledge of Him which comes by means of spending time with Him. Our own wounds and scars are reminders of our Saviour's Hands and Side; but trying to have some understanding as to why it is necessary to have these emotional and physical imprints of life's struggles arrives at the doors of our hearts with the loving invitation: "As the Father has sent Me, so I send you." More precisely, the Greek text translates as: "According as the Father has commissioned Me, also I am sending you." That translation with the use of "commissioned" perhaps gives a clearer understanding of authorization, or that power has been conferred to go and do the work of the Lord. Saint Gregory tells us: "And so, He [Jesus] says 'as the Father has sent Me,' etc; that is, when I send you amid the scandals of the world, I love you with the same love with which the Father loved Me upon Whom He imposed this burden of suffering." Saint Augustine adds: "We know that the Son is equal to the Father but here we recognize the words of the Mediator. He shows Himself as standing in between by saying, 'He sends Me and so I send you.'" No matter how old in age we become or how much more we advance in maturity, we are still "children" of God; and very few passages in Scripture depict that better than this Gospel. Do you have any recollections of your own childhood when you would run and hide for fear of the repercussions of some mischievous act you had committed? Here the apostles are hiding out for fear of the Jews because of their association with Jesus Christ. Just before this Gospel story, Mary Magdalene had seen the risen Lord and went to tell the others. If you recall on Palm Sunday, when Jesus was arrested the apostles fled. Because of this, you can imagine their initial fear when Jesus, through locked doors, appears to them. Jesus says to them: "Peace be with you." They must've thought they were seeing a ghost which may be the reason why Jesus shows them His Hands and His Side. Once they realized it really was Him, before they rejoiced, one can imagine that what went through their minds was a big Aramaic, "UH-OH!" It's human nature to assume that once we've betrayed someone, they will come back with a vengeance. But Jesus returns offering His peace. This not only teaches us something about our God but also is a blueprint for us as to how we should deal with each other. We've all had experiences of being hurt as well as hurting others. But we can't hide from each other forever. When our paths cross again, the label of "Christian" should dictate that we receive one another with the peace and forgiveness of Jesus. We all have the same enemy who tries to corrupt our relationships; and is very good at it since we're more apt to blame flesh and blood. When Jesus breathes on the apostles and gives them the power to forgive or retain sins, the Council of Trent defined this as the moment that Jesus instituted the Sacrament of Penance. Most certainly it was no accident that Thomas was not present. Divine Providence was at work here because future disciples would need his doubts to combat their own skepticism. When Thomas is given the opportunity to touch Christ's Wounds, he doesn't merely say, "Okay, now I believe." Rather, Providence saw fit for Thomas to make a divine proclamation which would echo for an eternity: "My Lord and my God!" These words remove all misconceptions. This is Jesus Christ and He has risen from the dead and He is our Lord and our God. Tertullian, an early Church writer, in his work titled: "De Carni Christi" defends the Resurrection of Jesus Christ by suggesting that the apostles would not have bought into it if they had not seen our Lord with their own eyes. He wrote in Latin: "Natus est Dei Filius; non pudet, quia pudendum est. Et mortuus est Dei Filius; prorsus credibile est, quia ineptum est. Et sepultus, resurrexit; certum est, quia impossibile." This translates as: "The Son of God was born; there is no shame, because it is shameful. And the Son of God died; it is wholly credible, because it is ridiculous. And buried, He rose again, it is certain, because impossible." Tertullian defended the true faith against the heresy of Docetism which touted that Jesus was pure Spirit; and the story of the Incarnation had only a symbolic meaning, while the Crucifixion and Resurrection were illusions.

Vultus Christi

Akathist to Blessed John Paul II

By

Father Mark

on April 30, 2011 7:18 PM |

AKATHIST

TO OUR FATHER AMONG THE SAINTS,

JOHN PAUL THE GREAT, POPE OF ROME

(Written by Alexander Roman, PhD, Toronto, Canada for private recitation)

Kontakion 1

To you, our great Pastor, Pontiff and Successor of the Chief Apostles, Peter and Paul, entrusted for many years with the guidance and welfare of Christ's Holy Church, we sinful ones gather to sing a triumphant hymn of praise in your honour, thanking the Lord Jesus Who chose you and consecrated you according to the order of Melchisedek to confirm us in our faith and, now, to be our speedy intercessor in the mansions of His Father's House, and we incessantly sing :

Rejoice, O Holy Father, John Paul, Pope of Rome, great Servant of Christ and our
unfailing heavenly Protector!

Ikos 1

"Feed my sheep, tend to my lambs that are not of this flock," the Lord Jesus commanded Peter before His Ascension to the Right Hand of the Father. "And I will be with you and the Church unto the consummation of the ages!" Heeding our Lord's call in your heart, you took upon your own shoulders the shepherd's pallium as a new fisher of men in the footsteps of him who was called "the Rock" by our Lord, and we sing:

Rejoice, Successor to St Peter the Apostle!
Rejoice, Inheritor of his commission!
Rejoice, Rock of faith that was revealed to you by the Heavenly Father!
Rejoice, Preacher of Christ and Him Crucified!
Rejoice, Father of Peace!
Rejoice, Defender of the poor and oppressed throughout the world!
Rejoice, Man of prayer, lost in adoration of the Most Holy Trinity!
Rejoice, fervent in prayer to the Lord Jesus in the Holy Eucharist!
Rejoice, devoted son of the Most Holy Virgin Mother of God!
Rejoice, Teacher of the ways of the Lord!
Rejoice, Defender of the Apostolic preaching!
Rejoice, Example of piety, drawing all to new Life in Christ!
Rejoice, O Holy Father, John Paul, Pope of Rome, great Servant of Christ and our
unfailing heavenly Protector!

Kontakion 2

O Holy Father, John Paul, your esteemed parents raised you to know and fear the Lord from a tender age. Your home church was where you first learned unceasing prayer in the Name of the Lord Jesus. Having suffered the loss of your mother, your father's long prayer on his knees throughout the night inspired you to the things that are above by putting on the Lord Jesus Christ and making no provision for the flesh. Praising the Lord Jesus Who so willed to raise you in His Spirit, we cry: Alleluia!

Ikos 2

A brilliant scholar of the things of this world, O Holy Father, you surpassed all others in acquired knowledge and wisdom. But you counted all this as nothing, but for the saving knowledge in Christ Jesus. Hearing His call to serve Him and those who are being saved in His Church, you put your hand to the spiritual plough without looking back, but straight ahead toward the glory of the Holy Trinity, as we sing joyfully:

Rejoice, Ploughman of the Lord, called to bring us the Finest Wheat!
Rejoice, Worker in the Vineyard of the Lord, quenching our spiritual thirst with the Mystic Wine!
Rejoice, for your Daily Bread is truly Christ in the Holy Eucharist and the Word of God!
Rejoice, for Christ calls you to His holy Priesthood!
Rejoice, for you prefer not mother or father, or brother or sister above the sweet yoke of Jesus Christ!
Rejoice, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but the Father Who is in Heaven!
Rejoice, for the Lord reveals His power to you in unceasing prayer!
Rejoice, for He unveils to you His own Wisdom that surpasses that of the world!
Rejoice, for in Christ you have become higher than all your teachers!
Rejoice, for the Holy Spirit comes to make His abode within the temple of your body!
Rejoice, for He strengthens you by His Grace to endure all things for Christ!
Rejoice, for the Heavenly Father embraces you as a well-beloved son!
Rejoice, O Holy Father, John Paul, Pope of Rome, great Servant of Christ and our unfailing heavenly Protector!

Kontakion 3

You saw the stormy clouds of war gathered to crush the innocent from all sides, O Holy Father! Rather than feel despair, you put on the helmet of salvation and the breastplate of faith in Christ to ward off the darts of the evil one, inspiring all to raise the Cross as the symbol of final victory. Standing in awe of your fortitude and courage, we sing: Alleluia!

Ikos 3

O Holy Father, you ceaselessly gazed at the Saviour, crucified in the Flesh for our salvation. It was the Lord Jesus Himself that taught you from the Book of His Cross to have unshakeable faith in His Resurrection which all who partake of the Cup of His sufferings will also experience. With you, we reach out, like Thomas the Apostle, to touch the Sacred Wounds of the Lord Jesus in all our trials and tribulations, proclaiming Him to be our Lord and our God, singing:

Rejoice, Man of God, who constantly stood in spirit on Calvary before the Cross!
Rejoice, O Mystic, lost in meditation on Christ's most sacred Passion!
Rejoice, Bearer on your own body of the Marks of the Lord Jesus!
Rejoice, Good Samaritan, binding the wounds of others suffering the ravages of war!
Rejoice, new Simon of Cyrene, carrying the crosses of others overwhelmed by pain!
Rejoice, Righteous One, who saved the daughter of Abraham from eternal collapse!
Rejoice, for the little suffering ones of God find in you a ready helper!
Rejoice, for you defend those who cannot defend themselves!
Rejoice, for you are ready to give your life for those for whom Christ gave His!
Rejoice, for you see the Cross dispersing the dark clouds of despair and evil!
Rejoice, for it heralds an eternal victory through Christ our Lord!
Rejoice, for you lead us to worship the place where the Feet of the Lord stood!
Rejoice, O Holy Father, John Paul, Pope of Rome, great Servant of Christ and our
unfailing Heavenly Protector!

Ikos 4

As Archbishop of Cracow in your beloved Poland, you enlivened the flock entrusted to you that languished under the God-hating yoke. Ensuring that the Church lived her own life, the life of the Apostles teaching, the Breaking of the Bread and the prayers, you inspired young people to dedicate their lives to Christ through His Holy Church, following your selfless and holy example. Bowing before the Hero of the Lord, we cry out in thanksgiving: Alleluia!

Kontakion 4

The Lord truly blessed his people of Poland with a great pastor and shepherd in you, O Holy Father John Paul! In you was fulfilled the commandment of the Lord to His Apostles, "Go and teach all nations, baptizing them in the Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit!" As a people baptized by the Apostles to the Slavs, Saints Cyril and Methodius, the people and Church of Poland leap for joy in having received the blessing of a new Apostle in our days, singing loudly:

Rejoice, worthy descendant of the mission of Cyril and Methodius among the Slavs!
Rejoice, new and wondrous patron of Cracow and all Poland!
Rejoice, preacher of God's Word to your people!
Rejoice, inspiring your people to renewed zeal for God!
Rejoice, teacher of love of God through love of country and its people!
Rejoice, great evangelist bringing God's Word to us through the medium of culture!
Rejoice, venerator of the holy saints and shrines of Poland!
Rejoice, filial client of the Mother of God of Czestochowa!
Rejoice, promoter of the privileges of the Queen of Poland!
Rejoice, Crown of the Saints of Poland!
Rejoice, bringing many saints of Poland to the honours of the altar!
Rejoice, Tireless Advocate at the Throne of Christ for the people of Poland!
Rejoice, O Holy Father, John Paul, Pope of Rome, great Servant of Christ and our
unfailing Heavenly Protector!

Kontakion 5

The Lord Jesus deigned that not only Poland, but the universal Church as well was to have you as its Chief Pastor and Teacher, O Holy Father John Paul! As the Holy Spirit breathed upon the Church's hierarchs to choose you as the new Successor of St Peter, you were overwhelmed in awe and wonder at the ways of God. We remember still your appearance before the world for the first time as the Holy Ecumenical Pontiff, blessing us with your hands extended in prayer over us and we sing, with heads bowed: Alleluia!

Ikos 5

The world gazed in amazement at the new Pontiff at Rome wondering what this all meant in God's design for His Church, O Holy Father John Paul. Resigning yourself to Christ through His Most Holy Mother, as indicated by your motto, "Totus Tuus," you raised your hands in thanksgiving and praise to the Lord Jesus Who alone gave you the strength to be all things to all people, singing:

Rejoice, for the Lord Jesus is our mainstay!
Rejoice, for we are nourished at His Wounded Side!
Rejoice, for His Side pours forth Mercy and Forgiveness!
Rejoice, for the Lord makes up for what is lacking in us!
Rejoice, for He is our bulwark and rampart!
Rejoice, for His yoke is light and very sweet!
Rejoice, for Christ is with us always!
Rejoice, for He will be with us until the end of time!
Rejoice, for the Lord Jesus enters through the hardness of our hearts and bids us, "Peace!"
Rejoice, for He sends us the Consoler, the Spirit of Truth, Who proceeds from the Father!
Rejoice, for the Holy Spirit reminds us of all that the Lord Jesus taught us!
Rejoice, for it is the Spirit Who prays in us, as we know not how to pray as we ought!
Rejoice, O Holy Father, John Paul, Pope of Rome, great Servant of Christ and our
unfailing Heavenly Protector!

Kontakion 6

"Woman, behold your son!" the Lord Jesus proclaimed from the Cross at Calvary,
thereby placing us all under the mantle of protection of the Theotokos. You were led to great veneration for her who nurtures us as the Mother of her Son's Church, the Body of Christ, O Holy Father, John Paul. Contemplating the Mother's role in the Son's plan for our salvation, you call on us to invoke frequently the Most Holy Theotokos and Ever- Virgin Mary, crying: Alleluia!

Ikos 6

"Do all that He tells you," the Mother of God told the servants at the Wedding at Cana in Galilee. Gazing into her maternal heart to ponder the Word of God made Flesh in her immaculate Womb, the Most Holy Virgin Mary is our model for contemplation and submission to the Divine Will of the Holy Trinity, as you taught us many times, O Holy Father. Seeking to be conformed to Christ in accordance with this Most Holy Model and our Mother, we join with you in singing:

Rejoice, for your soul, O Mother of God, magnifies the Lord and your spirit exults in God your Saviour!
Rejoice, for He has looked upon the humility of His maid-servant!
Rejoice, for all generations will call you 'Blessed!'
Rejoice, for He has done great things for you and Holy is His Name - His Grace is from generation to generation on all those who fear Him!
Rejoice for He has shown the strength of His Arm and has cast down the proud in the thoughts of their hearts!
Rejoice, for He has removed the powerful from their thrones, while uplifting the humble, filling the poor with all manner of good things, and sending the rich away with nothing!
Rejoice, for He has taken to Himself Israel, according to His mercy, remembering His covenant with Abraham and our fathers!
Rejoice, Mother of God, full of Grace, the Lord is with You and blessed are you among women!
Rejoice, O Virgin Mary, for you have given birth to Christ our Saviour and Redeemer in accordance with the word of the Archangel!
Rejoice, O Holy Father, teaching us all to praise the Mother of our Lord Jesus incessantly through her Rule of Prayer, the Rosary!
Rejoice, for you have crowned her many miraculous images throughout the world!
Rejoice, for you call on us to contemplate the Face of Christ with the Virgin Mary!
Rejoice, O Holy Father, John Paul, Pope of Rome, great Servant of Christ and our
unfailing Heavenly Protector!

Kontakion 7

As Chief Pastor and Shepherd of Christ's Holy Catholic Church, you took for yourself the names "John" and "Paul" to signify your desire to emulate the lives of these Saints and Apostles in the Gospel throughout your pontificate of service and love to God's people. You were not content to be a successor of the Apostles, but you also engaged in zealous apostolic activity to renew the fervor and devotion of Christians living in morally indifferent and dangerous times. Buoyed by your constancy of faith and your great zeal for the glory of God and the Church's welfare, we cry out joyfully: Alleluia!

Ikos 7

O Holy Father, as "John" you were shown to be a new Forerunner crying to those lost in a spiritual wilderness to make straight the ways of the Lord. Your preaching and example also brought many to the saving waters of Baptism. Emulating the Beloved Disciple of the Lord, you likewise taught sublime theology about the Word Who is God. Praising God for sending us His messenger in you, we pray:

Rejoice, New Prophet of Christ, most zealous for the glory of God!
Rejoice, for you call everyone to the saving waters of Baptism!
Rejoice, for you anoint us with the Oil of Gladness!
Rejoice, you preach the Gospel of the forgiveness of sins in the Name of the Lord Jesus!
Rejoice, for you show us how to open our hearts to the Love of God!
Rejoice, for you indicate the narrow way into the Kingdom of Heaven!
Rejoice, Teacher of Sublime Theology!
Rejoice, Defender of the Orthodox Faith!
Rejoice, Bulwark of the Catholic Church!
Rejoice, Mystic of God the Word Incarnate!
Rejoice, Adorer of Divine Wisdom!
Rejoice, Silent One before the Mystery of the Holy Eucharist on the Altar!
Rejoice, O Holy Father, John Paul, Pope of Rome, great Servant of Christ and our
unfailing Heavenly Protector!

Kontakion 8

You truly emulated St Paul the Apostle, O Holy Father, by your many visitations to the Local Church throughout the world! You came from Rome and enlivened the people of God with the Presence of Christ which you bore and reflected in your person. Who does not remember attending at least one of your pastoral visits? Who has not been overwhelmed with the joy of receiving your Apostolic blessing and benediction by your own hand? We continue to call to you, Holy Father, now that you visit us from Heaven in spirit and sing reverently: Alleluia!

Ikos 8

Having become all things to all people for the sake of Christ, O Holy Father, you took up the pilgrim's staff with the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ to go out and preach the good news of salvation in His Name to all the world. You spoke to the crowds of millions, encouraging them to hold fast to their faith in the Lord as Christians worthy of such a great salvation. The people of old touched their handkerchiefs to the Apostles, and so too did the people greet you with theirs. We wave to you still with the spiritual white of our sincere prayers to you, Holy Father, and sing:

Rejoice, Eternal Pilgrim in a world searching for Christ!
Rejoice, for the people press in on you, left and right!
Rejoice, for those suffering from constant spiritual illness receive healing at the touch of your spiritual blessing!
Rejoice, for you feed the multitudes with the Bread of Life that is eaten, but is never consumed!
Rejoice, for you indicate the Spiritual Cluster of the Tree of Salvation from which drips the Mystic Wine!
Rejoice, for by you the Lord Jesus quenches our inner thirst!
Rejoice, for they bring the sick and the lame to you as the Vicar of the Wounded Healer!
Rejoice, for you sorrow and weep over their suffering!
Rejoice, for your presence among them witnesses to Christ the Consoler of heavy hearts!
Rejoice, Man of Peace, that which only Christ can bring!
Rejoice, for you tell the young people of the world about the Peace that is beyond it!
Rejoice, for you call us to be apostles of Christ's peace and love in a hate-filled and wartorn age!
Rejoice, O Holy Father, John Paul, Pope of Rome, great Servant of Christ and our
unfailing Heavenly Protector!

Kontakion 9

You are the joy of the Saints of Heaven, O Holy Father John Paul! As the early Church of Christ took great solace in her sufferings and persecutions from the witness and intercessions of her Martyrs, whose honour she jealously guarded, so too did you deign to raise to the honours of the Altar many new witnesses to the love of Christ and faithfulness to His Church throughout the world. Joining with you in joyfully making festival in the Lord in honor of the many new Saints and Martyrs of Christ, we earnestly sing: Alleluia!

Ikos 9

The Holy, Glorious and All-Praised Apostles, Prophets, Martyrs, Hierarchs, Venerable Fathers and Mothers of every nation and every age rejoice to see many of their number honored through you on earth, O Holy Father! The Great Cloud of Witnesses that the Holy Spirit has glorified through you lets drop a plentiful rain of Divine Grace by means of their prayers to the Holy Trinity and by it a rich harvest of souls is reaped by Christ the Sower. We invoke the intercession of all these, and also your prayers, O Holy Father, before the Throne of Almighty God, all the while singing with compunction:

Rejoice, for by you those who are famous in God are made known to us!
Rejoice, for we receive the benefit of the prayers of many of the Righteous!
Rejoice, for you assemble a venerable Army to aid us in the day of spiritual battle!
Rejoice, for Christ showers His miracles upon us through His Saints!
Rejoice, for holy before God is the death of His Martyrs in whom He is glorified!
Rejoice, for He will not let His holy ones see corruption!
Rejoice, for, by you, God raised up to honour the holy Martyr Maximilian Kolbe!
Rejoice, for the holy Nun Faustina sings of the Divine Mercy of Christ!
Rejoice, for the voice of the martyrs of the death camps makes a loud and joyful sound!
Rejoice, for you join in prayer to the Mother of God with Saint Pio of Pietrelcina!
Rejoice, for Mother Teresa embraces the poor and suffering of Calcutta still!
Rejoice, for you call on us to become holy and submissive instruments in God's Hands for a new evangelization of the world!
Rejoice, O Holy Father, John Paul, Pope of Rome, great Servant of Christ and our
unfailing Heavenly Protector!

Kontakion 10

As your mother was an Eastern Catholic, you learned early in life concerning the Two Lungs, Western and Eastern, of the Body of Christ that is the Holy Catholic Church, by which it must always breathe. You were also mindful of the great mission of the Apostles to the Slavs, Saints Cyril and Methodius, whom you declared to be patrons of Europe together with the Holy Father Benedict. Praying to the Lord Jesus that all may be One in Him through communion with the Successor of St Peter, we sing: Alleluia!

Ikos 10

You were a true Pastor of the Churches of the East in communion with you, O Holy Father, and entrusted to your care. Your heart also weighed heavily over the rent in the seamless Garment of the Lord through the separation of the Churches. Embracing the spiritual ways of the Christian East, you praised its Orthodoxy and the teaching of her Holy Fathers, making it your own. And we receive your encouragement to us to be true bridges between East and West, singing in your honor:

Rejoice, Holy Man of the East, praying the unceasing Prayer of Jesus!
Rejoice, for the Mother of God of Czestochowa is like the sun that first rose in the East!
Rejoice, for you esteem and proclaim the Orthodox Faith of the Councils!
Rejoice, for you drank deeply of the still waters of Eastern Christian spirituality!
Rejoice, for you extended a sincere hand of love and repentance to the Orthodox East!
Rejoice, for you pray that all may be one, even as Christ and the Father are One!
Rejoice, for you glorified the New Martyrs and Confessors of communion with Rome!
Rejoice, for you are the first to praise them!
Rejoice, for the cords of the unrighteous are finally broken!
Rejoice, for your Eastern Flock receives their supreme Pastor with great affection!
Rejoice, for you are another Clement and Martin, coming from Rome to be with them!
Rejoice, for you pray that the Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Love of God the Father and the Communion of the Holy Spirit be with us all!
Rejoice, O Holy Father, John Paul, Pope of Rome, great Servant of Christ and our
unfailing Heavenly Protector!

Kontakion 11

As a truly Apostolic man, you enjoin us to be holy as our Heavenly Father is Holy and to worship God in the beauty of holiness. You invite the youth of the world to take heart and be courageous in giving themselves in service to the Church as holy priests and monastics, as well as servants of the Lord Jesus in the world, witnessing to His salvation and peace. Looking to you as our eminent example in living the Life in Christ and experiencing the transfiguring Light of Mt Tabor in the Holy Spirit, we sing: Alleluia!

Ikos 11

Praying ceaselessly to the Lord Jesus and His Most Holy Mother, you invite us to
contemplate the Divine Mysteries of our salvation in silent listening to the Word of God, O Holy Father. Although your fame spread like wildfire throughout the world, you continued in self-emptying humility and intercession for all at the Foot of the Cross of our Lord before the Altar and the image of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Pray for us that we may also open our hearts to the warmth of the Love of God in purity and sacred meditation, as we sing:

Rejoice, for holiness becomes the House of God!
Rejoice, for His priests are girded with it!
Rejoice, for Holy is the Lord our God!
Rejoice, for you contemplate the Face of Christ with Mary, His Mother!
Rejoice, for you teach us to pray without hurrying!
Rejoice, for you tell us to linger in thoughtful consideration in our supplications to God!
Rejoice, for you conformed your life to Christ!
Rejoice, for you listen to the Voice of the Father in the stillness of your soul!
Rejoice, for the Holy Spirit finds you filled with the love of the Virgin Mary and so forms the full stature of Jesus Christ within you!
Rejoice, for Peter joins with his successor in adoring Christ transfigured on Mount Tabor!
Rejoice, for you exclaim to the people of God, "It is good for us to be here!"
Rejoice, for you lead us to Theosis in Christ by the Holy Spirit to the glory of God the Father!
Rejoice, O Holy Father, John Paul, Pope of Rome, great Servant of Christ and our
unfailing Heavenly Protector!

Kontakion 12

O Holy Father, you labored for our salvation and sanctification for more than a quarter of a century on the Apostolic Throne of Peter! Early in your pontificate, you were shot six times by the enemies of the Church, but God did not allow you to expire, as your time had not yet come. Amazed at your inner strength and courage, we exclaim: Alleluia!

Ikos 12

Suffering diverse illnesses in your elder years, O Holy Father, John Paul, you endured hardship and pain rather than take your hand from the spiritual plough of Church leadership and guidance given to you by the Lord Jesus. Awed by your long-suffering patience borne in all suffering, we sing:

Rejoice, for you have been crucified with the Lord Jesus so as to share in His
Resurrection!
Rejoice, for you offered up your sufferings for the salvation of His flock!
Rejoice, for you bear on your body the Marks of the Lord Jesus!
Rejoice, for you set an example of suffering in patience for us all!
Rejoice, firm staff of support for the elderly!
Rejoice, solace of the gravely ill and infirm!
Rejoice, for nothing can sway your resolve to serve the Lord faithfully until the end!
Rejoice, for you look to Christ Who was not taken down from the Cross until "It is finished."
Rejoice, for millions of those for whom you are their father in Christ gather near your bed of pain to pray for and with you!
Rejoice, for you blessed us all with your hand before your soul was released into the Hand of the Father!
Rejoice, for you said you were happy and that we too should be happy!
Rejoice, for you who prayed for us on earth, continues to pray for us in Heaven!
Rejoice, O Holy Father, John Paul, Pope of Rome, great Servant of Christ and our unfailing Heavenly Protector!

Kontakion 13

May we who honor your holy memory on earth continue to taste the benefit of your
intercession for us in heaven, O Holy Father! Pray for us to deepen our love for the Lord Jesus Who was Incarnate by the Most Holy Mother of God, lived among us, and was crucified, died and was buried to rise in glory on the third day, and ascended to heaven where He sits at the Right Hand of the Father. Pray that we may conform ourselves to Christ through the Most Holy Virgin Mary to be true Bearers of Christ, witnessing to His love and salvation to the world, as you did in so pre-eminent a manner. For all this we pray, exclaiming: Alleluia!

(Kontakion 13 is recited three times, followed by Ikos 1 and Kontakion 1 and the final prayer).

Prayer to our Father among the Saints,

John Paul the Great, Pope of Rome

O Holy Father, John Paul, great Servant of the Servants of God and Pastor of the flock of Christ's Holy Catholic Church! We thank our Lord Jesus Christ for the Grace of the Holy Spirit bestowed on you, His servant and Vicar on earth, throughout your long and fruitful pontificate as the chief worker in His Vineyard. Pray for us that the Holy Spirit may remind us of all that you taught us in the Name of the Lord Jesus and God our Father. Come speedily to our aid with your intercession in all our necessities that are for our spiritual good in accordance with the Divine Will. Inspire us who honour you on earth still with the memory of your example, your prayers and your teachings until we gather with you once again to praise and thank the Lord for His many mercies shown to us in the Kingdom of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Vultus Christi

A Priest's Prayer to Blessed John Paul II

By

Father Mark

on May 1, 2011 8:24 AM |

I have prayed this little prayer daily for the past five years:

Holy Father John Paul,
be a father of my soul;
pray for me,
protect me,
instruct me,
and guide me in the way of holiness.
Obtain for me the gift of perfect chastity,
burning love for the Eucharist,
total dedication to Christ and to the Church,
and the grace to live, always and everywhere,
in a manner worthy
of the priesthood of Our Lord Jesus Christ.
Amen.

Vespers --0 Evening Prayer

Vespers (Evening Prayer)

Introduction

O God, come to my aid.

O Lord, make haste to help me.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,

as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,

world without end.

Amen. Alleluia.

Hymn

The Lamb’s high banquet we await,

In snow-white robes of royal state;

And now, the Red Sea’s channel past,

To Christ our Prince we sing at last.

Upon the altar of the Cross

His body hath redeemed our loss;

And tasting of his scarlet blood,

Our life is hid with him in God.

Now Christ our paschal Lamb is slain,

The Lamb of God that knows no stain,

The true oblation offered here,

Our own unleavened bread sincere.

O thou, from whom hell’s monarch flies,

O great, O very Sacrifice,

Thy captive people are set free,

And endless life restored in thee.

To thee who, dead, again dost live,

All glory, Lord, thy people give:

All glory, as is ever meet,

To Father and to Paraclete.

Psalm 109 (110) The Messiah, king and priest

Mary Magdalen came with the other Mary to see the tomb where the Lord had been laid, alleluia.

The Lord has said to my lord:

“Sit at my right hand

while I make your enemies your footstool.”

From Zion the Lord will give you a sceptre,

and you will rule in the midst of your foes.

Royal power is yours in the day of your strength,

among the sacred splendours.

Before the dawn, I begot you from the womb.

The Lord has sworn, and he will not repent:

“You are a priest for ever,

a priest of the priesthood of Melchisedech.”

The Lord is at your right hand,

and on the day of his anger he will shatter kings.

He will drink from the stream as he goes –

he will hold his head high.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,

as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,

world without end.

Amen.

Mary Magdalen came with the other Mary to see the tomb where the Lord had been laid, alleluia.

Psalm 113A (114) Israel set free from Egypt

Come and see where the Lord was laid, alleluia.

When Israel came out of Egypt,

Jacob’s people from a land of strangers,

Judah became his sanctuary

and Israel his domain.

The sea saw it, and fled;

the Jordan flowed backwards at the sight;

the mountains leapt like rams;

the hills, like yearling sheep.

Sea, what was it, what made you flee?

And you, Jordan, why did you flow uphill?

Mountains, why did you leap like rams?

Hills, like yearling sheep?

Tremble, Earth, at the presence of the Lord,

the presence of the Lord of Jacob,

who has turned the rock into a pool of water

and made a fountain out of the flint.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,

as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,

world without end.

Amen.

Come and see where the Lord was laid, alleluia.

Canticle	(Apocalypse 19)

The wedding of the Lamb

Jesus said: ‘Do not fear. Go, and tell my brethren that they are to leave for Galilee: they will see me there.’ Alleluia.

Alleluia.

Salvation and glory and power belong to our God,

because his judgements are true and just.

Alleluia.

Praise our God, all his servants,

and you who fear him, small and great.

Alleluia.

For the Lord reigns, our God, the Almighty:

let us rejoice and exult and give him glory.

Alleluia.

The marriage of the Lamb has come,

and his spouse has made herself ready.

Alleluia.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,

as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,

world without end.

Amen.

Jesus said: ‘Do not fear. Go, and tell my brethren that they are to leave for Galilee: they will see me there.’ Alleluia.

Short reading	Hebrews 10:12-14 ©

Christ has offered one single sacrifice for sins, and then taken his place forever, at the right hand of God, where he is now waiting until his enemies are made into a footstool for him. By virtue of that one single offering, he has achieved the eternal perfection of all whom he is sanctifying.

Short Responsory

This is the day the Lord made: let us rejoice in it and be glad, alleluia.

Canticle	Magnificat

My soul rejoices in the Lord

Thomas, you believe because you can see me. Happy are those who have not seen and yet believe.

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,

and my spirit rejoices in God, my salvation.

For he has shown me such favour –

me, his lowly handmaiden.

Now all generations will call me blessed,

because the mighty one has done great things for me.

His name is holy,

his mercy lasts for generation after generation

for those who revere him.

He has put forth his strength:

he has scattered the proud and conceited,

torn princes from their thrones;

but lifted up the lowly.

He has filled the hungry with good things;

the rich he has sent away empty.

He has come to the help of his servant Israel,

he has remembered his mercy as he promised to our fathers,

to Abraham and his children for ever.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,

as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,

world without end.

Amen.

Thomas, you believe because you can see me. Happy are those who have not seen and yet believe.

Prayers and Intercessions

God the Father raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand. Let us pray to him humbly:

– Lord, through Christ’s glory, keep your people safe.

Father of justice, you lifted Christ up from the earth through the victory of the cross.

Let all things be drawn to him.

– Lord, through Christ’s glory, keep your people safe.

Through the Son you have raised, send the Holy Spirit into your Church:

let her sanctify and unite the whole human race.

– Lord, through Christ’s glory, keep your people safe.

Through water and the Spirit you brought a new generation into being:

make them faithful to their baptism so that they enter eternal life.

– Lord, through Christ’s glory, keep your people safe.

You lifted up Christ: relieve the sorrowful, free prisoners, heal the sick;

make the whole world rejoice in your blessings.

– Lord, through Christ’s glory, keep your people safe.

To our brethren who have died, you gave the body and blood of Christ in his glory:

raise them from the dead at the end of time.

– Lord, through Christ’s glory, keep your people safe.

Our Father, who art in heaven,

hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come.

Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread,

and forgive us our trespasses,

as we forgive those who trespass against us,

and lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil.

God of eternal compassion,

each Easter you rekindle the faith of your consecrated people.

Give them still greater grace, so that all may truly understand

the waters in which they were cleansed,

the Spirit by which they were reborn,

the blood by which they were redeemed.

[We make our prayer] through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,

who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

God for ever and ever.

Amen.

May the Lord bless us and keep us from all harm; and may he lead us to eternal life.

AMEN

Regnum Christi

The Limit of Evil

INTERNATIONAL | SPIRITUAL LIFE | SPIRITUALITY

Second Sunday of Easter or Divine Mercy Sunday (May 1, 2011)

May 1, 2011
Second Sunday of Easter or Divine Mercy Sunday

Listen to this meditation as a podcast here.

John 20:19-31
On the evening of that first day of the week, when the doors were locked, where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, "Peace be with you." When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you." And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained." Thomas, called Didymus, one of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples said to him, "We have seen the Lord." But he said to them, "Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger into the nail marks and put my hand into his side, I will not believe." 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." Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples that are not written in this book. But these are written that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that through this belief you may have life in his name.

Introductory Prayer: Lord Jesus, I believe in your grace and your love for me. This is why I come before you now. I know that through this meditation I can experience your love and be filled with your grace, so that I might fulfill my role in your plan of salvation. You know that I am weak and am sometimes tempted to lose heart. But I know I can count on your generous graces to bolster my courage and love. For my part, I will strive to spend this time with you well.

Petition: Jesus Christ, let me know your heart.

1. Touch His Heart: In this passage, Christ puts himself within touching distance of Thomas’ finger and hand. He invites this apostle, struggling with doubt, to reach into his side and come into contact with that Sacred Heart, filled to the brim with mercy. Not only could there no longer be any doubt about the Savior’s resurrected body, there also could no longer be any doubt about his mercy which he promised in the forgiveness of sins. With Thomas, then, let us come within touching distance of this heart of Christ and peer through his open side to see the heart that so loves all souls.

2. Allowing Him Touch My Heart: Not only do we want to touch Christ’s heart, we also want to invite the Lord to touch our hearts. Just like the lepers who presented their disfigured flesh for Christ to touch and cure, so we present our disfigured souls, asking him to touch and to cure. St. Faustina would say that all that is necessary is for us to leave the door of our heart ajar and God will do the rest. Let us present to his “sacred finger” what in us needs to be touched by his grace, especially through the sacrament of reconciliation.

3. Thirsting for All Hearts: In Christ, the greatest thirsting love is too often met by the most outrageous ingratitude and affront on the part of souls. The Sacred Heart made mention of this in the pangs of his heart voiced to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque. He explained to her that his sharpest pain was due to people’s ingratitude. Let us endeavor to bring his thirsting heart into contact with souls, though our prayers, sacrifices and apostolic efforts.

Conversation with Christ: Lord Jesus, thank you for the example of love and mercy you give us through your appearance to the disciples and your kindness to St. Thomas. May my heart always be full of gratitude and remain close to your loving, merciful touch.

Resolution: I will pray that someone I know may experience God’s mercy in the sacrament of confession. If possible, I will help someone directly to make this happen.

Are You Missing the Most Important Part?

April 30th, 2011 by Monsignor Dennis Clark, Ph.D.

Acts 2:42-47 / 1 Pt 1:3-9 / Jn 20:19-31

A man bought the very last seat for the Superbowl. It was a rotten seat, closer to the blimp than to the field, but early in the first quarter, he noticed an empty seat on the 50 yard line. He scrambled down and somewhat furtively sat in the seat. “Excuse me,” he asked, “is anyone sitting here?”

“No,” said the man on his right.

“That’s incredible. Who in his right mind would pass up a seat like this for the Superbowl?”

“Well, actually,” said the man, “the seat belongs to me. I was supposed to be here with my dear wife, but she passed away. This is the first Superbowl in twenty years that we haven’t been together.”

“How sad!” said the other fellow. “But couldn’t you find someone to come with you, a relative or a close friend?”

“No,” said the man, “they’re all at the funeral!”

+ + +

That fellow was missing something — in the head and the heart — and he didn’t even notice. It happens all the time. It happened to the apostles.

For three years, Jesus had tried in hundreds of different ways to prepare them to face his death and not be afraid of what came next. Think of all the miracles: Raising Lazarus from the tomb, silencing the storm at sea, feeding the 5000, healing countless lepers. All that and so much more should have made them confident that Jesus was bigger than death and that death would have no final power over him. But it didn’t work that way.

On Easter morning Peter and John had seen the empty tomb and Mary Magdalene had talked with Jesus nearby. But still they didn’t get it. Paralyzed with fear and despairing of the future, they hid in a locked and darkened room and did absolutely nothing.

And so, on Easter night, Jesus came to them and tried yet again to free them from their fears. “Here,” he said, “look at my wounds. Touch them. It is I: Jesus. I’m not a ghost. I’m alive, and whoever believes in me, even though he die, will live with me forever. So don’t ever be afraid again!”

Jesus has spoken those very words to each one of us. But have we heard him in our hearts? The patterns of our lives can give us an answer: Are we serene, hopeful, and of good spirit even when our troubles come in large doses? Sometimes we are, but often we’re not. So how deeply do we really believe in the Resurrection and what it promises us?

What stories do our faces tell? Stories of crushed spirits or frightened hearts? Hearts untouched by our risen Lord whom we haven’t dared to trust or hope in? Sometimes that’s what our faces reveal. Isn’t it a mystery how many sad and grouchy faces find their way into churches? How can that be if we really believe Jesus is risen?

Remember the old story about the grandpa who asked his grouchy twelve year old granddaughter, “Are you happy, dear?”

“Oh yes, grandpa,” she replied.

“Then why don’t you tell your face!”

+ + +

Jesus is risen, to walk with us till our journey is done and then to carry us home. If we dare to trust him, every day of our journey can be a happy one – no matter how rocky the road. That’s the wonderful life God wants for us here and now. So why not tell your face and your heart!

One Bread, One Body

<< Sunday, May 1, 2011 >>

Second Sunday of Easter
Mercy Sunday
Saint of the Day

Acts 2:42-47
1 Peter 1:3-9
View Readings

Psalm 118:2-4, 13-15, 22-24
John 20:19-31

PUT YOUR MONEY WHERE YOUR MOUTH IS

"One of the twelve, Thomas (the name means 'Twin'), was absent when Jesus came. The other disciples kept telling him: 'We have seen the Lord!' His answer was, 'I will never believe it.' " —John 20:24-25

This world of "doubting Thomases" is profoundly unimpressed by our church services and Easter decorations. The stone is not rolled away as far as they are concerned. It sees Christians as hypocrites, who really don't believe the doctrines they mouth.

Jesus comes to the doubting Thomases and says: "If you think seeing is believing, I'll give you something to see." He shows them His wounds like He did Thomas, or knocks them to the ground like He did Saul (Acts 9:4). He calls us, the believers, to share all things in common and sell our property and goods (Acts 2:44-45). Jesus makes His presence and resurrection so concrete even doubting Thomas confesses: "My Lord and My God!" (Jn 20:28)

Will you take resurrection risks? Will you have the courage to show your wounds? Will you put your money where your mouth is? Will you unlock your upper room of fear? (Jn 20:26) Jesus' resurrection Kingdom "does not consist in talk but in power" (1 Cor 4:20). "With power the apostles bore witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus" (Acts 4:33).

Prayer: "Praised be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, He Who in His great mercy gave us new birth; a birth unto hope which draws its life from the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead" (1 Pt 1:3).

Promise: "Although you have never seen Him, you love Him... and rejoice with inexpressible joy touched with glory because you are achieving faith's goal, your salvation." —1 Pt 1:8-9

Praise: Praise the risen Jesus Whose mercy and love has brought us "inexpressible joy!"

Compline -- Night Prayer

Compline (Night Prayer)

Introduction

O God, come to my aid.

O Lord, make haste to help me.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,

as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,

world without end.

Amen. Alleluia.

This is an excellent moment for an examination of conscience. In a communal celebration of Compline, one of the penitential acts given in the Missal may be recited.

Hymn

Jesu, the world’s redeeming Lord,

The Father’s co-eternal Word,

Of light invisible true Light,

Thine Israel’s Keeper day and night.

Our great Creator and our Guide,

Who times and seasons dost divide,

Refresh at night with quiet rest,

Our limbs by daily toil oppressed.

We pray thee, while we dwell below,

Preserve us from our ghostly foe;

Nor let his wiles victorious be

O’er them that are redeemed by thee.

That while in this frail house of clay

A little longer here we stay,

Our flesh in thee may sweetly sleep,

Our souls with thee their vigils keep.

All praise be thine, O risen Lord,

From death to endless life restored;

All praise to God the Father be,

And Holy Ghost eternally.

Psalm 90 (91) The protection of the Most High

Alleluia. Alleluia. Alleluia.

He who lives under the protection of the Most High

dwells under the shade of the Almighty.

He will say to the Lord:

“You are my shelter and my strength,

my God, in whom I trust.”

For he will free you from the hunter’s snare,

from the voice of the slanderer.

He will shade you with his wings,

you will hide underneath his wings.

His faithfulness will be your armour and your shield.

You will not fear the terror of the night,

nor the arrow that flies by day;

nor the plague that walks in the shadows,

nor the death that lays waste at noon.

A thousand will fall at your side,

at your right hand ten thousand will fall,

but you it will never come near.

You will look with your eyes

and see the reward of sinners.

For the Lord is your shelter and refuge;

you have made the Most High your dwelling-place.

Evil will not reach you,

harm cannot approach your tent;

for he has set his angels to guard you

and keep you safe in all your ways.

They will carry you in their arms

in case you hurt your foot on a stone.

You walk on the viper and cobra,

you will tread on the lion and the serpent.

Because he clung to me, I shall free him:

I shall lift him up because he knows my name.

He will call upon me and for my part, I will hear him:

I am with him in his time of trouble.

I shall rescue him and lead him to glory.

I shall fill him with length of days

and show him my salvation.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,

as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,

world without end.

Amen.

Alleluia. Alleluia. Alleluia.

Reading	Apocalypse 22:4-5 ©

They will see the Lord face to face, and his name will be written on their foreheads. It will never be night again and they will not need lamplight or sunlight, because the Lord God will be shining on them. They will reign for ever and ever.

Short Responsory

Into your hands, Lord, I commend my spirit, alleluia, alleluia.

– Into your hands, Lord, I commend my spirit, alleluia, alleluia.

You have redeemed us, Lord, God of faithfulness, alleluia, alleluia.

– Into your hands, Lord, I commend my spirit, alleluia, alleluia.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.

– Into your hands, Lord, I commend my spirit, alleluia, alleluia.

Canticle	Nunc Dimittis

Keep us safe, Lord, while we are awake, and guard us as we sleep, so that we can keep watch with Christ and rest in peace. Alleluia.

Now, Master, you let your servant go in peace.

You have fulfilled your promise.

My own eyes have seen your salvation,

which you have prepared in the sight of all peoples.

A light to bring the Gentiles from darkness;

the glory of your people Israel.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,

as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,

world without end.

Amen.

Keep us safe, Lord, while we are awake, and guard us as we sleep, so that we can keep watch with Christ and rest in peace. Alleluia.

Let us pray.

Today we have celebrated the mystery of the Lord’s resurrection, and so now we humbly ask you, Lord, that we may rest in your peace, far from all harm, and rise rejoicing and giving praise to you.

Through Christ our Lord, Amen.

May the almighty Lord grant us a quiet night and a perfect end.

AMEN

	Regina Caeli

Queen of Heaven, be joyful,

Alleluia.

You who were worthy to bear him.

Alleluia.

He has risen, as he promised.

Alleluia.

Pray for us to God.

Alleluia.

Regina caeli laetare, Alleluia,

Quia quem meruisti portare, Alleluia,

Resurrexit sicut dixit, Alleluia.

Ora pro nobis Deum. Alleluia.

The Contented Doubter

May 1st, 2011 by Marcellino D'Ambrosio, Ph.D.

The Gospels tell an incredible story: A virginal conception. Miraculous healings. Even people coming back from the dead. How are we to know that it’s not all just a fanciful fabrication?

There is much evidence for the reliability of the Gospels, but here is one of the strongest bits of evidence I know. Think for a minute. If you were part of a group who decided to perpetrate an elaborate hoax, what would be your motive? Wouldn’t you want to gain some significant benefits from such a risky business? Maybe fortune, fame, and privilege? And if you were to be prominent figures in this tall tale, wouldn’t you at least want the story to make you look good?

But in the story told by the apostles, virtually all of them look really bad. During Jesus’ public ministry they repeatedly fail to “get it.” In fact Jesus wears himself out trying to hammer the truth through their thick skulls. After witnessing three years of miracles, one of them betrays Jesus and their leader denies him. All but one run away when he’s crucified, and no one believes Mary Magdalene when she brings them the news of his resurrection.

But the episode recounted in John 20:19-31 takes the cake. The Risen Christ appears to the 12 on Easter Sunday evening. Or rather, I should say he appeared to the 10. Judas, the traitor, had taken his own life. And Thomas, the twin, missed the occasion. When Thomas returns to the group, he refuses to believe them. He demands empirical proof submitted personally to his lordship: “Unless I put my finger in the nail marks in his hands and place my hand in his side, I will not believe.” This sound more like a pouting of a child than the words of an apostle.

In justice, Jesus could have just said “enough.” Thomas had already seen so much. Acts 1 tells us that Judas was replaced by Matthias. This ungrateful skeptic could easily have been replaced as well.

But Jesus does not deal with us by virtue of strict justice. God forbid! No, he comes to us in mercy, giving us what we do not deserve. And that’s how he dealt with this doubter. A week later, he gives him what he asked for. Imagine how badly Thomas yearned to eat his words as he put his hand into the sacred side of the New Adam.

Thomas can’t be said to come to true “faith” in the resurrection through all this, because faith is about believing what you can’t see. Walking by faith means not walking by sight. In heaven, we’ll see God face to face, so “faith” will be no more. Blessed, says Jesus, are those who have not seen, and yet believe.

But Thomas does come to faith in something else that he can’t quite see. He saw Lazarus, the son of the widow of Nain, plus the daughter of Jairus all raised from the dead.

Thomas now looks at yet another risen human being before him and says what he did not say to the prior three: “My Lord and My God.” Thomas here professes what can only be seen by the eye of faith. The resurrection of Jesus is not just a marvel for Ripley’s “Believe it or Not.” Jesus is not just some first-century Houdini. No, his resurrection is a sign that he is the Messiah, the King, even the Eternal God, come in the flesh.

So this man, humbled by Christ’s mercy, is content to be known for all generations as “Doubting Thomas.” He and the other apostles spread a story in which they look real bad. And for it they receive not privilege but persecution and death.

So why do they spread the story? Because it’s the truth. And because it’s a proclamation of the mercy of God who does not reject the thick-headed, the weak, and the doubting but instead gives them the power to become strong, loving, and wise. “Behold,” says Jesus, “I make all things new.” (Rev 21:5)

This article originally appeared in Our Sunday Visitor as a reflection on Acts 2: 42-47; Ps 118:2-24; I Pet 1:3-9; Jn 20:19-31, the Mass readings for the Octave of Easter (Divine Mercy Sunday), year A. It is reproduced here by permission of the author.

Dr. Marcellino D’Ambrosio directs www.crossroadsinitiative.com, an apostolate of evangelization and renewal. For info on his resources or his upcoming trip to the Holy Land, visit his website or call 800.803.0118.

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