Entering Holy Week

As we enter Holy Week I am pondering these questions:

If you had been there on that terrible and frightening evening in the garden, or in the courtyard of Pilate, or standing along way to the hill of crucifixion, or even looking on at Jesus, tortured, crowned, and pierced with nails as he strangled on cross, if you had been there, what would you have done? 

Would you have stood still while Judas kissed him?Would you have followed the mob who took Jesus into the courtyard?Would you have denied knowing him?What would you have yelled out?    Crucify…

If you saw Jesus fall three times,Would you have come forward to help carry his cross?

Would you have looked down or turned away,     lest you be dragged into helping this Jesus?

 Honestly, I wonder - what would I have done ???

Feast of St. Joseph

Today - on the Feast of St. Joseph - we celebrate the 2nd anniversary of the inauguration of Pope Francis' Petrine Ministry (His Official First Mass as Pope in 2013!)
St. Joseph is the patron Saint of Canada - along with the North American Martyrs. 

The Holy See also confirmed today that Pope Francis called Pope Emeritus Benedict - to wish him greetings on his name day.
Peace

Pope Francis Announces a Year of Mercy

Friday Evening - as he was celebrating a penitential service in St. Peter's Basilica - Pope Francis annonced a special Jubilee year of Mercy:

Dear brothers and sisters, I have often thought about how the Church might make clear its mission of being a witness to mercy. It is journey that begins with a spiritual conversion. For this reason, I have decided to call an extraordinary Jubilee that is to have the mercy of God at its center. It shall be a Holy Year of Mercy. We want to live this Year in the light of the Lord's words: “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. (cf. Lk 6:36)”

This Holy Year will begin on this coming Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception and will end on November 20, 2016, the Sunday dedicated to Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe – and living face of the Father’s mercy. I entrust the organization of this Jubilee to the Pontifical Council for Promotion of the New Evangelization, that [the dicastery] might animate it as a new stage in the journey of the Church on its mission to bring to every person the Gospel of mercy.

I am convinced that the whole Church will find in this Jubilee the joy needed to rediscover and make fruitful the mercy of God, with which all of us are called to give consolation to every man and woman of our time. From this moment, we entrust this Holy Year to the Mother of Mercy, that she might turn her gaze upon us and watch over our journey.

We look forward to the resources that will be available to us as we continbue to proclaim the Mercy of the Lord.

3rd Sunday in Lent

Striking the the Rock.  

Trusting in the Providence 
of a God who comes among us.

Thirsting for the living water,
that heals all sin and division.

Realizing the one before you is:
Man
Prophet
Messiah.

Now worshipping at this Altar,
at the foot of the Cross,
in Spirit and in Truth.
Peace

Visit to all Saints

Pope Francis' visit to the All Saints parish in Rome this Saturday has plenty of history behind it. He will remember the Mass that Pope Paul VI celebrated there on the same day exactly 50 years ago. It was the first public mass that a Pope had celebrated in a language other than Latin.

Paul VI used a missal that alternated between Latin and Italian. In fact, the Second Vatican Council had proposed using local languages, instead of just Latin.

"The Council, the liturgical reform, had wanted people to be more involved in liturgical ceremonies. It is not merely about being present. They used to say,"Listen to the Mass." But Mass is about participating, not listening. It's not just about responding to the prayers that the priest says. It is about leading their lives to the altar.”

CARD. JULIAN HERRANZ

"I am not against the use of Latin. But no one can deny that if the ceremony is held in a language people understand, it helps them participate more."

CARD. FRANCIS ARINZE

Peace

World Day of Prayer

At Palgrave United Church 

at 1:30 today!

World Day of Prayer takes place internationally on the first Friday of March every year.  In 2015 that is today - March 6th.  

The host country for WDP 2015 is The Bahamas. 

The main biblical text for the 2015 service is based upon John 13:1–17. After washing the feet of his community of disciples, Jesus asks,

“Do you understand what I have done for you?”

Peace 

Prayer

One of the ways that many Catholic Organizations have begun to use modern technology is by sending a daily email during Lent. This year I have "subscribed" to the daily email from Matthew Kelly, a Catholic speaker and publisher - orginally from Australia, but now located in the US.  I have been receiving these daily emails "Best Lent Ever" and particularly enjoyed this week's video on the process of prayer.

“There are two reasons most people don’t pray: Nobody ever taught them, and they don’t know where to start. The Prayer Process solves both these problems. It teaches us how to pray, and it gives us a simple step–by–step process, so we know exactly where to start.”

CLICK HERE

for the Video on Prayer

Peace

2nd Sunday in Lent

This is my beloved Son.  Listen to him.

Mark 9:7

The Transfiguration of Jesus is  proclaimed on the 2nd Sunday in Lent each year.  The phrase "my beloved Son" echos the revalation of who Jesus is at his Baptism in the Waters of the Jordan. 

Through our Baptism - we become Brothers and Sisters of Jesus. We are incorporated into the Church - the mystical Body of Christ. In this way we too are beloved children of God. You are beloved of God!

Do we see that in our family - our friends - our relatives - and those we share life with?  Do we recognize that they too are beloved sons and daughters of God? Peter, James and John had an incredible glimpse of the Heavenly Glory that each of us encounter at the Table of the Lord. As we ponder the Transfiguration - I pray that we may be able to see one another around the Table as beloved Children of God.