Holy Week 2023

 

POPE FRANCIS: UPDATE – The Holy See Press Office confirmed that Pope Francis will be discharged from Gemelli hospital on Saturday morning. Since he is scheduled to return home to the Vatican on Saturday morning, Pope Francis is expected to preside at the Mass for Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion, which will be celebrated in St Peter’s Square on Sunday.

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HOLY WEEK – resources:

• “We are on the threshold of Holy Week”: Extract from a 1993 letter of Blessed Alvaro sent to the Prelature’s faithful.
• Holy Week: “He Loved Them to the End”: An article on the triduum of Christ’s Passion, Death and Resurrection.
• Holy Saturday : A Day of Silence and Conversion: Reflections by Bishop Javier Echevarria, broadcast on EWTN radio in 2005.
• Contemplating the Mystery of Christ (Holy Week) (St Josemaria Institute)

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Following are a selection of podcasts, articles, and reflection questions to help guide your prayer during Holy Week and the Paschal Triduum:

PALM SUNDAY

• Readings for the Day
• iPray with the Gospel by Fr. George Boronat
• Reflection by Fr. John Henry Hanson, O. Praem.

Reflection Questions

• Is my self-love an obstacle to allowing God to reign in me and to take possession of my thoughts, words, and actions?
• Do I acknowledge the good that others are doing around me? Instead of criticizing, gossiping, or judging their actions, do I give thanks for their generosity and follow their good example?

MONDAY OF HOLY WEEK

• Readings for the Day
• iPray with the Gospel by Fr. George Boronat
• Reflection by Fr. John Henry Hanson, O. Praem.

Reflection Questions

• Do I reduce charity to the purely material – just giving a few coins or things to the needy? Do I really know and understand the works of mercy? How is God asking me to live charity, not only with the poor and the needy but also with those closest to me?

TUESDAY OF HOLY WEEK

• Readings for the Day
• iPray with the Gospel by Fr. George Boronat
• Reflection by Fr. John Henry Hanson, O. Praem.

Reflection Questions

• Does Faith inform my whole life? Do I lack faith and a vibrant humility? Do I offer up my challenges and good deeds for an increase of faith?
• Do I pray for what I need, confident that I will obtain it if it is for good? Do I persevere in my prayers and petitions without becoming discouraged?

WEDNESDAY OF HOLY WEEK

• Readings for the Day
• iPray with the Gospel by Fr. George Boronat
• Reflection by Fr. John Henry Hanson, O. Praem.

Reflection Questions

• When a temptation threatens to overwhelm me, do I remember that it’s not worthwhile to exchange my happiness as a child of God for a pleasure that ends right away, leaving the bitter aftertaste of defeat and infidelity?
• Do I realize that I can influence the whole world and make so many people happy in the place where I am, doing my work well, caring for my family, and serving my friends?
• Do I ask God to help me to say no, firmly, to everything that separates me from Him?
• If I feel weak, do I hurry to the Sacrament of Penance knowing that our Lord is waiting for me there like the father in the parable of the prodigal son? When I become discouraged or pessimistic do I remember that God’s mercy and power to lift me up from my falls is even greater?

HOLY THURSDAY

• Readings for the Day
• iPray with the Gospel by Fr. George Boronat
• Reflection by Fr. John Henry Hanson, O. Praem.

Reflection Questions

• Do I correspond to God’s immense love: by attending Holy Mass with faith and devotion? By preparing myself very well to receive Communion, being clean in soul and body to worthily receive Him? By frequently visiting Jesus hidden in the tabernacle?

GOOD FRIDAY

• Readings for the Day
• iPray with the Gospel by Fr. George Boronat
• Reflection by Fr. John Henry Hanson, O. Praem.

Reflection Questions

• Do I accept joyfully little daily sacrifices because I don’t want our Lord to carry the Cross alone?
• Do I take advantage of the ability to love what God has given me, in order to make specific resolutions, to say sincerely: “Lord, never again, never again!”?

HOLY SATURDAY

• Readings for the Day
• iPray with the Gospel by Fr. George Boronat
• Reflection by Fr. John Henry Hanson, O. Praem.

Reflection Questions

• The people around me are waiting for me to reveal to them the marvel of finding God. Do I have the courage to accept my mission as a Christian and speak to people about the joy of getting to know our Lord?
• What resolutions of conversion and apostolate can I draw out this Holy Week to identify myself more closely with Jesus Christ and to be more fully concerned with souls?
• Do I go to Mary, Mother of God and my Mother, to help me understand what it means to follow in the footsteps of Christ and to give my life for others?

Pope Francis 10 years

 

Pope Francis: 10 years of missionary zeal along paths of mercy and peace

Ten years have passed since 13 March 2013, the day Jorge Mario Bergoglio was elected to the See of Peter. Pope Francis’ pontificate has been marked by a passion for evangelization and a constant journey to reform the Church to make her more missionary. A decade during which time has taken on two different dimensions: the progressive one, to initiate processes, and the circular one, to go out to meet others and return enriched in thought and heart.

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Entry “Roman Pontiff” in Dictionary of St Josemaria

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Second Sunday of Lent

 Second Sunday of Lent

Scott Hahn Reflects on the Second Sunday of Lent

This Sunday's Gospel portrays Jesus as a new and greater Moses.

Moses also took three companions up a mountain and on the seventh day was overshadowed by the shining cloud of God’s presence. He too spoke with God and his face and clothing were made radiant in the encounter (see Exodus 24, 34).

But in today’s Lenten Liturgy, the Church wants us to look back past Moses. Indeed, we are asked to contemplate what today’s Epistle calls God’s “design . . . from before time began.”

With His promises to Abram in today’s First Reading, God formed the people through whom He would reveal Himself and bestow His blessings on all humanity.

He later elevated these promises to eternal covenants and changed Abram’s name to Abraham, promising that he would be father of a host nations (see Genesis 17:5). In remembrance of His covenant with Abraham, He raised up Moses (see Exodus 2:24; 3:8), and later swore an everlasting kingdom to David’s sons (see Jeremiah 33:26).

In Jesus’ transfiguration today, He is revealed as the One through whom God fulfills His divine plan from of old.

Not only a new Moses, Jesus is also the “beloved son” promised to Abraham and again to David (see Genesis 22:15–18; Psalm 2:7; Matthew 1:1).

Moses foretold a prophet like him to whom Israel would listen (see Deuteronomy 18:15, 18), and Isaiah foretold an anointed servant in whom God would be well pleased (see Isaiah 42:1). Jesus is this prophet and this servant, as the Voice on the mountain tells us today.

By faith we have been made children of the covenant with Abraham (see Galatians 3:7–9; Acts 3:25). He calls us, too, to a holy life, to follow His Son to the heavenly homeland He has promised. We know, as we sing in today’s Psalm, that we who hope in Him will be delivered from death.

So like our father in faith, we go forth as the Lord directs us: “Listen to Him!”

Taken from: Listen to Him: Scott Hahn Reflects on the Second Sunday of Lent – St. Paul Center (stpaulcenter.com)

Fifth Sunday of St Joseph

 Fifth Sunday of St Joseph

Fifth reflection for the seven Sundays of Saint Joseph. The topics are: Joseph welcomes God's plans; discovering God in daily events; and the divine logic of God's plans.

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ORDINARY LIFE is full of events and decisions that determine the paths we take, some of them of great importance for our future. If we normally need to ponder our choices in God’s presence, it is all the more necessary when faced with especially weighty decisions and events. “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife” (Mt 1:20), the angel told the patriarch. The Gospel of Saint Matthew tells us that Joseph pondered what was happening in his prayer in order to decide how to act. Hence we see him as “a respectful and sensitive man. Even though he does not understand the bigger picture, he makes a decision to protect Mary’s good name, her dignity and her life. In his hesitation about how best to act, God helped him by enlightening his judgment.”[1]

To continue, click HERE.

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AUDO meditation

https://soundcloud.com/opusdei-english/seven-sundays-of-saint-joseph-fifth-sunday?utm_source=clipboard&utm_campaign=wtshare&utm_medium=widget&utm_content=https%253A%252F%252Fsoundcloud.com%252Fopusdei-english%252Fseven-sundays-of-saint-joseph-fifth-sunday

Guadalupe slide presentation

Guadalupe Ortiz - short video

Last March 2019, the ebook for kids about Guadalupe (author: Alvaro Gil Ruiz) was released. 

The PDF is available for download HERE. 

I've decided to create a PowerPoint presentation based largely on this book for kids, converted to VIDEO (MP4), as below:

Yearender – Happy New Year 2015

2014 Yearender; Let’s Welcome the New Year 2015!

http://opusdeitoday.org/2014/12/yearender-happy-new-year-2015/

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As I thought of what to blog about as we end 2014 and meet the New Year, I thought of selecting a couple of “The Year That Was” and “What’s In Store For The Year Ahead” pieces on the Net. I looked to NCRegister.com for faith-related articles. Here they are:

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Looking Ahead With Hope

It can be easy to look back at the last 12 months and dwell on the damage humanity has wrought: the continued, brutal persecution of Christians and minorities in the Middle East and Africa; the persecution of pro-life, pro-family Christians in the United States under the guise of universal health care and “marriage equality”; and the seeming refusal of U.S. politicians to come up with an adequate immigration policy that allows people to seek a better life while protecting national sovereignty. We also said farewell to a number of notable Catholics who fought the good fight, including my dear friends Penny Lord, Father Benedict Groeschel and Helen Hull Hitchcock.

Yet, in this year-in-review issue of the Register, you’ll see words and images of hope in the midst of these profound challenges. I pray that it provides a powerful reminder that we can’t allow ourselves to be dragged down by the things of the world and that we have an obligation, by our sonship in Christ, to reflect the Light of the World into all corners of darkness, no matter how difficult the road.

Read more: http://www.ncregister.com/site/article/looking-ahead-with-hope/#ixzz3NO2PklCF

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2014 in Review: Saintly Popes, a Synod on the Family and Curial Reform

Click HERE for a PDF of the year-end 2014 issue ofncregister.com news.

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…and, for the world of business, here’s IESE Business School for TRENDS IN 2015.

Jan. 4th, 2015 – Epiphany of our Lord

Jan. 4th, 2015 – Epiphany of our Lord (Dr. Scott Hahn’s ‘This Sunday’s Bible Reflections’)

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An “epiphany” is an appearance. In today’s readings, with their rising stars, splendorous lights and mysteries revealed, the face of the child born on Christmas day appears.

Herod, in today’s Gospel, asks the chief priests and scribes where the Messiah is to be born. The answer Matthew puts on their lips says much more, combining two strands of Old Testament promise – one revealing the Messiah to be from the line of David (see 2 Samuel 2:5), the other predicting “a ruler of Israel” who will “shepherd his flock” and whose “greatness shall reach to the ends of the earth” (see Micah 5:1-3).

Those promises of Israel’s king ruling the nations resound also in today’s Psalm. The psalm celebrates David’s son, Solomon. His kingdom, we sing, will stretch “to the ends of the earth,” and the world’s kings will pay Him homage. That’s the scene too in today’s First Reading, as nations stream from the East, bearing “gold and frankincense” for Israel’s king.

The Magi’s pilgrimage in today’s Gospel marks the fulfillment of God’s promises. The Magi, probably Persian astrologers, are following the star that Balaam predicted would rise along with the ruler’s staff over the house of Jacob (see Numbers 24:17).

Laden with gold and spices, their journey evokes those made to Solomon by the Queen of Sheba and the “kings of the earth” (see 1 Kings 10:2,25; 2 Chronicles 9:24). Interestingly, the only other places where frankincense and myrrh are mentioned together are in songs about Solomon (see Song of Songs 3:6, 4:6,14).

One greater than Solomon is here (see Luke 11:31). He has come to reveal that all peoples are “co-heirs” of the royal family of Israel, as today’s Epistle teaches.

His manifestation forces us to choose: Will we follow the signs that lead to Him as the wise Magi did? Or will we be like those priests and the scribes who let God’s words of promise become dead letters on an ancient page?

 

Yours in Christ,

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SUGGESTED INFO ABOUT ‘THREE KINGS’/'The Wise Men’/'MAGI’:

From NewAdvent.org

From Catholic.net

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Happy ‘Three Kings’!

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