Opening Prayer Series: Collect for 3rd Sunday of Eastertide

The Collect for the 3rd Sunday of Eastertide reads as follows:

Let us pray,

May Your people exult for ever, O God,

in renewed youthfulness of spirit,

so that, rejoicing now in the restored glory of our adoption,

we may look forward in confident hope

to the rejoicing of the day of resurrection.

Through our Lord Jesus Christ Your Son,

who lives and reigns with You 

in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

One God for ever and ever.

In making this prayer tangible the following reflection questions emerged:

1. What does renewed youthfulness of spirit mean to me?
2. How will my renewed youthfulness of spirit be reflected in my life this coming week?
3. What does it mean to me to be a child of God through adoption?
4. What does it mean for my glory of adoption to be restored?
5. What does looking forward in confident hope mean for me?
6. What does the day of resurrection mean to me?
7. What will I change in my life this week to live in youfulness of spirit and in confident hope?
8. How is my Eastertide spiritual growth plan progressing?

In today's Gospel, we see Jesus being the teacher again to His disciples. However, like all good teachers, Jesus had to make sure the learning environment of the disciples was conducive otherwise their learning would be hampered.  Jesus set about gaining the trust of the disciples by relieving their anxieties and fears by showing them ''his hands and feet'.  Today's gospel tells that they were so filled with joy that they were dumbfounded.  So Jesus ate fish in front of them so that they would realize that He was not a ghost but it was truly Jesus.  Then they were ready to learn and Jesus was able to teach them the meaning of the scriptures.

Although we do not have the experience of the disciples of seeing Jesus risen from the dead in a physical way, we, like the disiples can need convincing at times when we have doubts. Perhaps at times we ask in our prayer for a sign.  In the gospel, Jesus was kind and gave the disciples the sign of his hands and feet to look at-something they would recognize and provided a sense of normality by eating fish when they were so overjoyed that they were dumbfounded.

Jesus can open up the scriptures to us when we ask Him and help us to understand in a deeper way.  He shows Himself to us each day/every time we attend Mass in the Eucharist and/or in Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament (either exposed or in the tabernacle) and He shows Himself to us in all of the other Sacraments also.

We too can have Jesus relieve our doubts and anxieties, and when we are dumfounded can ask Jesus to come along side us and walk our journey with us. We can ask Him in prayer to teach us in the ways we most need.  

Let us renew our trust in Jesus, and when we have our doubts and fears, ask Him to show us ''His hands and His feet''.

Opening Prayer series: Collect for 2nd Sunday of Easter Year B

The Collect for the Second Sunday of Easter Year B reads as follows:

Let us pray,

God of everlasting mercy,

who in the very recurrence of the paschal feast

kindle the faith of the people You have made Your own,

Increase, we pray the grace You have bestowed, 

that all may grasp and rightly understand in what  font they have been washed, 

by whose Spirit they have been reborn,

 by whose Blood they have been redeemed. 

Through out Lord Jesus Christ Your Son, 

who lives and reigns with You  in the unity of the Holy Spirit 

one God for ever and ever.

In making this prayer tangible, the following reflection questions emerged:

1. What does God being a God of everlasting mercy mean to me?
2. What does my faith mean to me?
3. How may I kindle my faith during Eastertide and throughout the year?
4. How will celebrate Divine Mercy Sunday?
5. What does it mean to me to be redeemed by the blood of Jesus?
6. What does it mean to me to reborn by the Spirit?
7. How does being reborn by the Spirit make a difference in my life?
8. What difference will being God's child who is washed, reborn in the Spirit and redeemed in His blood  make in my life this coming week?

The Gospel account of Doubting Thomas highlights the need to have faith, but shows Christ's patience with those of us who come to faith through experience. We all have times when we want something extra..a sign, a direction, a clue from God.  Christ encourages us to walk by faith and not by sight. We are also confronted with doubting Thomas- a persona we can all take on at some point in our spiritual lives. However, like St Thomas we need to be able to say from our hearts ' My Lord and My God'.

Second Sunday of Easter- Why is it called Mercy Sunday?

On the Second Sunday of Easter, the Church celebrates 'Divine Mercy Sunday''- a feast instituted by the late Pope John Paul 11.Mercy Sunday is a beautiful feast to contemplate- it is not magic as some may think, but a chance for those who have been away from the church to find their way back, for those who have let the sacrament of Reconciliation slip from their spiritual lives to be renewed, and for all Catholics to receive the wonderful graces God is offering.

On this second Sunday of Easter, ''Mercy Sunday'', the gospel gives a clear description of the institution of the  sacrament of Reconciliation- Jesus giving His disciples to forgive sins in His name. Obviously every priest who hears confession gives the sign and the words of absolution, but it is Christ Himself hidden in the priest who hears our sins and gives us absolution.  As we celebrate Mercy Sunday, let us give thanks to the Lord for his goodness and everlasting love.

On this Mercy Sunday, let us take the opportunity given us by the Church to receive a plenary indulgence by receiving communion at Mass, receiving the Sacrament of Reconciliation (ideally on the day, but can be within a week before or after the feast) and say the prayers for the Holy Father. 

Remember to RSVP to Christ's invitation to Mercy Sunday in your parish or area.

Compendium Series: Other consequences derived from original sin

77. What other consequences derive from original sin? (CCC405-409,428)

In consequence of original sin human nature, without being totally corrupted is wounded in its natural powers.  It is subject it ignorance, to suffering, and to the dominion of death and it is inclined toward sin.  This inclination is called concupiscence.

What does this mean for me?

1. I can be kind to myself with regard to my inclination to sin because it is part of my human nature.  However, this is not an excuse not to try be perfect as my Heavenly Father is perfect.

2.  I am able to appreciate other people’s weaknesses/sins, because they too are wounded in its natural powers. This may assist me to be merciful towards them.

Questions to consider:

1. Why is human nature inclined toward sin?
2. How does ignorance, suffering, dominion of death and inclination towards sin impact on my life?
3. What graces are available to combat concupiscence?
4. Why should be thankful that human nature is not totally corrupted?

Gospel of Mark series: Section 2: Part 1: the mission of Jesus.

Welcome to my Gospel of Mark Series. During 2012-13, each week, I will write a post about the Gospel of Mark as I review and explore each of the 16 chapters and how it may be applied in our daily lives. My goal is to understand and pray the Gospel of Mark.  I hope you will join me on this journey as we travel through the liturgical season of Year B.  In today's post, we explore chapter 1:14-15 which is the mission of Jesus.

In the prologue of Mark's Gospel (1:1-13), Mark gives us a supernatural insight into the true identity of Jesus.  At the beginning of this second part, we are given two verses (1:14-15) a summary of the whole mission of Jesus.   After John is handed over, which already prefigures Jesus' own end, Jesus came announcing the good news of God.  It is of God because it is from God and because it is about God.  The gospel, a word from the old English, 'god-spel'' meaning good news, is immediately not something we are commanded to do, nor is it a message, but the Gospel is the power of God, something God does.

The divine action of God becomes visible in the words, human actions and, above all, in the human personality of Jesus.  Jesus made the gospel fo God uniquely audible, visible and tangible by His words, His actions, and by the kind of person he habitually was.  Actions proclaim the gospel louder than words, but people proclaim the good news of God's action loudest of all.

The Gospel is God giving us life, God healing our human brokenness, and God bringing the differences and diversity of the world into unity and harmony.  It is the good news that God continues to be our creator, our redeemer or lliberator, and our reconciler.

The favourite phrase of Jesus for the gospel was the "kingdom of God".  The kingdom already begins to become a visible place in the world when it is genuinely proclaimed, as Jesus proclaimed it, by words, by actions, or by a personal witness of life.

The kingdom of God also begins to be visible in the world wherever people respond to God's initiating action by a radical turning or conversion, from self to God, and continue to respond by the believing, or faith in the gospel.

In our journal and/or our discussion group we may wish to reflect on this passage as follows:

• Name the key points that you have learnt about the person of Jesus in this passage of scripture?
• Reflect on the key words in this passage for they contain the substance and purspose of all the things Jesus said and did- His mission.
• Try to get in touch with any desire you truly feel in your sel fof rht epower of God to free from evil, which Jesu called the kingdom of God.
• Consider how do we presently proclaim the kingdom of God in our life.
• Consider what changes we will make to proclaim the kingdom of God in our lives. 
• Reflect on a time in our lives where we have felt the conversion of heart after we have repented.
• How can I repent and believe the good news?
• What do these words proclaim, repent and believe to me in my life?
• What is my attitude to the sacrament of reconciliation- what problems (if any) do I encounter when I think of this sacrament?
• Make a list of areas in my life that need a change of heart and develop an action plan on how this change of heart might occur. (eg name an area and name one/two changes that you will implement with God's help.
• What impact does the mission of Jesus have on you (1:14-15). .
• How has this passage spoken to you- what does it say to you personally?

It is important to remember that St Mark wishes us to know the person of Jesus. 

What does this passage of scripture tell you about the person of Jesus?

Opening Prayer Series: Collect for Easter Sunday Year B

The Collect for Easter Sunday Year B reads as follows:

Let us pray,

O God who on this day,

through Your Only Begotton Son 

have conquered death, 

and unlocked for us the path to eternity,

 grant, we pray, that we who keep the solemnity of the Lord's Resurrection 

may through the renewal brought by Your Spirit,

 rise up in the light of life 

through our Lord Jesus Christ Your Son, 

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

One God, for ever and ever. 

In making this prayer tangible, the following reflection questions emerged:

1. What does it mean to me that God, through His Son, Jesus has conquered death?
2. How would I explain the presence of death when Christian say that Christ has conquered it?
3. What does it mean to me to have the path of eternity unlocked for me?
4. How am I renewed by the Holy Spirit?
5. What does the Solemnity of Easter day mean and the 50 days of Eastertide?
6. What spiritual plan will I implement for Eastertide?
7. How have my Lenten penances helped me and how will these penances continue to make spiritual progress during Eastertide?

May the blessings and joy of Easter be with you today 

and throughout the whole of the next 50 days of Eastertide.

Good Friday and its tradtions

  Good Friday is vital to every Christian as it is the day Christ gave His life for humanity so that salvation may be won for all.

Good Friday is called Good becuase it is the day:that:

• our salvation was won for us by Christ on the Cross.
• sorrow, solemnity and mourning occur in the Liturgy.
• represents it being 'God's Friday'.
• the good thief rebuked the other thief dying with Jesus and Jesus granted him ' today you will be with me in paradise'.

The Old Anglo-Saxon name for Good Friday was 'Lang Fredag or Long Friday.   It was called 'long' because it created the sense of being great and significant.

For health reasons, the Church does not expect the pregnant, sick and infirmed to fast and abstain, but the Church decrees that Ash Wednesday and Good Friday  are days of fasting and abstinence for all adult Catholics from 14-65 years.  Although it is only a minimum requirement laid down by the Church, fasting, prayer and almsgiving are essential in our journey of conversion of heart.

The Church's expectation of fasting means to eat much less than would normally be eaten on these 2 days specifically, by eating one main meal and two light snacks. A traditional main meal dish on Good Friday is either fish  or vegetable casserole. Hot Cross buns are usually served as the light snack.  It is highly recommended that  fasting is maintained by not eating between these snacks and main meal on these two days.  Abstinence requires that we abstain from all meat and meat products.

 

May this Good Friday bring you a deeper understanding and value

for the eternal life won for you by Christ's death on the cross.

Spy Wednesday and its grace for us.

Wednesday in Holy Week was often referred to as 'Spy Wednesday', but it is not a liturgicial term.  Although the reason is indefinite, it is most likely due to the phrase in scripture: 
'Judas 'kept looking for a way to hand him over'. (Mt 26:15).
It is also noteworthy that Matthew's Gospel  tells us that after Judas had betrayed Jesus, that he went back to the Chief priests and flung the money back into the temple. (Mt: 27:3).   The guilt and remorse of Judas was so real that he went and hung himself. Sadly he could see no future.

Although Judas is known through Scripture to have unsavory characteristics in his behaviour, we can take heart that he was a failed disciple.  We too can be like Judas- at least  some part of us- we can fail and betray Jesus by our behaviour and choose not to be a worthy disciple.

On this Spy Wednesday, we may wish to consider which areas of our lives that could be aligned or similar to Judas' behaviour in being a failed disciple.  We may wish to consider what are the 30 pieces of silver that we use to betray Christ?

Thankfully, through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, we have been redeemed and we can turn to Him.  We admit our faults/sins and through the grace and the mercy of God in the sacrament of Reconciliation/Penance  hear the beautiful words of absolution that Christ offers us.