Our Father Boniface Hicks, OSB will appear on "The Inner Life" Catholic radio program on Wednesday, April 15, 2009. Click here for more information. The theme of the show will be Evangelization.
April 14, 2009
April 11, 2009
Holy Saturday
ROME, APRIL 10, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Even the hardest of hearts are moved to pity upon witnessing Christ's suffering during his passion and death, as it reveals the fullness of God's love for mankind, says Benedict XVI.
The Pope said this tonight at the end of the Way of the Cross at Rome's Colosseum. Speaking from atop the Palatine hill, he reflected on the words of the centurion whom St. Mark quotes at the end of his Passion narrative: "The centurion, who stood facing him, saw that he thus breathed his last, and said: ‘Truly this man was the Son of God!’"
"We cannot fail to be surprised by the profession of faith of this Roman soldier, who had been present throughout the various phases of the Crucifixion," Benedict XVI explained. "When the darkness of night was falling on that Friday so unlike any other in history, when the sacrifice of the Cross was already consummated and the bystanders were making haste to celebrate the Jewish Passover in the usual way, these few words, wrung from the lips of a nameless commander in the Roman army, resounded through the silence that surrounded that most singular death.
"This Roman army officer, having witnessed the execution of one of countless condemned prisoners, was able to recognize in this crucified man the Son of God, who had perished in the most humiliating abandonment."
Christ's "shameful end ought to have marked the definitive triumph of hatred and death over love and life," said the Pope. "But it was not so! Hanging from the Cross on Golgotha was a man who was already dead, but that man was acknowledged to be the 'Son of God' by the centurion."
The Holy Father noted that, "like the centurion, we pause to gaze on the lifeless face of the Crucified One at the conclusion of this traditional Via Crucis."
God's love
"The anguish of the Passion of the Lord Jesus cannot fail to move to pity even the most hardened hearts," he said, "as it constitutes the climax of the revelation of God’s love for each of us."
"Throughout the course of the millennia, a great multitude of men and women have been drawn deeply into this mystery and they have followed him, making in their turn, like him and with his help, a gift to others of their own lives," Benedict XVI continued. "They are the saints and the martyrs, many of whom remain unknown to us.
"Even in our own time, how many people, in the silence of their daily lives, unite their sufferings with those of the Crucified One and become apostles of a true spiritual and social renewal!"
"Let us pause this evening to contemplate his disfigured face," he urged. "It is the face of the Man of sorrows, who took upon himself the burden of all our mortal anguish. His face is reflected in that of every person who is humiliated and offended, sick and suffering, alone, abandoned and despised.
"Pouring out his blood, he has rescued us from the slavery of death, he has broken the solitude of our tears, he has entered into our every grief and our every anxiety."
The Pope said this tonight at the end of the Way of the Cross at Rome's Colosseum. Speaking from atop the Palatine hill, he reflected on the words of the centurion whom St. Mark quotes at the end of his Passion narrative: "The centurion, who stood facing him, saw that he thus breathed his last, and said: ‘Truly this man was the Son of God!’"
"We cannot fail to be surprised by the profession of faith of this Roman soldier, who had been present throughout the various phases of the Crucifixion," Benedict XVI explained. "When the darkness of night was falling on that Friday so unlike any other in history, when the sacrifice of the Cross was already consummated and the bystanders were making haste to celebrate the Jewish Passover in the usual way, these few words, wrung from the lips of a nameless commander in the Roman army, resounded through the silence that surrounded that most singular death.
"This Roman army officer, having witnessed the execution of one of countless condemned prisoners, was able to recognize in this crucified man the Son of God, who had perished in the most humiliating abandonment."
Christ's "shameful end ought to have marked the definitive triumph of hatred and death over love and life," said the Pope. "But it was not so! Hanging from the Cross on Golgotha was a man who was already dead, but that man was acknowledged to be the 'Son of God' by the centurion."
The Holy Father noted that, "like the centurion, we pause to gaze on the lifeless face of the Crucified One at the conclusion of this traditional Via Crucis."
God's love
"The anguish of the Passion of the Lord Jesus cannot fail to move to pity even the most hardened hearts," he said, "as it constitutes the climax of the revelation of God’s love for each of us."
"Throughout the course of the millennia, a great multitude of men and women have been drawn deeply into this mystery and they have followed him, making in their turn, like him and with his help, a gift to others of their own lives," Benedict XVI continued. "They are the saints and the martyrs, many of whom remain unknown to us.
"Even in our own time, how many people, in the silence of their daily lives, unite their sufferings with those of the Crucified One and become apostles of a true spiritual and social renewal!"
"Let us pause this evening to contemplate his disfigured face," he urged. "It is the face of the Man of sorrows, who took upon himself the burden of all our mortal anguish. His face is reflected in that of every person who is humiliated and offended, sick and suffering, alone, abandoned and despised.
"Pouring out his blood, he has rescued us from the slavery of death, he has broken the solitude of our tears, he has entered into our every grief and our every anxiety."
April 10, 2009
Good Friday
"My kingdom does not belong to this world. If my kingdom did belong to this world, my attendants (would) be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not here." John 18:36
April 6, 2009
Schedule for Holy Week 2009!!!
The following is the St. Vincent Archabbey Holy Week Schedule:
Mass of the Lord’s Supper
Holy Thursday - April 9, 2009
7:30 PM: Archabbey Basilica
Archabbot Douglas Nowicki, OSB presiding
Liturgical Services
Good Friday - April 10, 2009 1:30 PM - Archabbey Basilica
Tenebrae Service
Good Friday - April 10, 2009
8:00 PM - Archabbey Basilica
Archabbot Douglas Nowicki, OSB presiding
The Easter Vigil
April 11, 20098:30 PM - Archabbey Basilica
Archabbot Douglas Nowicki, OSB presiding
Easter Sunday Morning
April 12, 20097:30 AM - Archabbey Basilica
Archabbot Douglas Nowicki, OSB presiding
"As Holy Week rapidly approaches, we remember and recall why this week is called "holy". This is the week we celebrate God’s immense love for us and our ultimate redemption from sin and death. Like our Jewish sisters and brothers, who at Passover, yearly remember their freedom from slavery in Egypt, we Christians celebrate our freedom from the worst kind of bondage, the bondage of sin and death. This week affords us the opportunity to really look at what the Father did for us through the suffering and death and resurrection of His Son. If we believe this with our hearts and minds, our only response can be immense gratitude. If we believe and are grateful, we willingly and joyfully celebrate with the Church the events of our redemption. Please make Holy Week meaningful to you. Set aside the time, especially on the days of the Sacred Triduum (Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday) to walk and pray with the Lord through His passion, death, and resurrection."
(Father Donald Breier)
Father Breier is rector of St. Paul Cathedral in the diocese of Pittsburgh. I think his words of wisdom are important to keep in mind for all Catholics especially for those discerning a vocation to the consecrated way of life.
April 3, 2009
Palm Sunday 2009
Hosanna to the Son of David, the King of Israel. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest. (Matthew 21:9)
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