Category: Lent

The Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ

Post author By Jose Maria Francisco
Post date April 16, 2022

Why did the Lord needed to be resurrected? St. Paul has said that if Jesus was not resurrected, our faith will be meaningless and pointless. This only shows that if Jesus was resurrected, so do the others who died will be brought to life in the day of judgment. And being the Head of the Church, He offered His life for sinners like us. It is because of this that we, being followers and members of the mystical body, are also hoping to receive the promise of salvation. The resurrection that occurred to Our Lord will also happen to us if we just have faith and follow Him.

Many people have witnessed the death of Jesus at Calvary including His friends and followers and also by those who did not believe that He is the Messiah. His death was also seen by the Roman soldiers stationed at the foot of the cross. St. Longinus, a Roman soldier, was one of the fortunate who had witnessed this important event; afterwards, he became a disciple of the Apostles. They were the ones who professed and confirmed all the things that happened regarding the death and resurrection of the Lord. The officials of the empire during that time did everything in order to suppress their accounts but to no avail.

The people who first witnessed the events also gave their accounts. Our Lord appeared to St. Mary Magdalene on the morning of Easter Sunday. Upon enetering the tomb, she saw two angles near the place where Jesus’ body have been lain. One was at the head and the other at the foot. The angels asked her why was she weeping. She answered “They took away My Lord and I do not know where they have put Him.” She turned around and saw Jesus but she did not recognize Him. Jesus asked her why was she crying and who was she looking for. She thought He was just a gardener, that’s why she answered: “Mister, if you who took him away, tell me where you have placed Him and I will bring Him back.” Jesus called her by her name and she instantly recognized Him. She said to Him, “Rabbouni” meaning “Teacher”. At that moment, her grief vanished. The Lord commanded her to tell everything that had transpired to His disciples and followers. (John 20:11-18)

On the evening of the same day, Jesus appearded to His Apostles. While the Apostles were among themselves, Jesus stood in the midst of them and said, “Peace be with you!”. After greeting them, He showed them His wounds on His hands and side. It happened that of the Apostles, St. Thomas, was not present. And when the Apostles recounted what had transpired, he did not believe them. Adding that he will only believe if he himself would see the wounds with His own eyes. A few days later, the Apostles were again among themselves and this time St. Thomas was present with them. Jesus appeared to them again. He commanded St. Thomas to put his fingers through his wounds so that he will believe that indeed the Lord had resurrected. St. Thomas did what he was told to do and afterwards said: “My Lord and my God!” proving indeed that Jesus was infront of him.

Being Catholic fauthfuls, these proofs are already enough for us to believe that Jesus died abd resurrected for sinners like us. We do not need to look for many more signes that we cannot comprehend. We must only believe in Him and that is enough.

The mystery of His death and resurrection is very profound. He is resurrected by means of His divinity and His own power, a sign that His being God and King of Heaven.

The fulfillment of the resurrection of Jesus is also a sign of the fulfillment of the promise of salvation, the resurrection of the dead. Sin is the reason why we experience death. And in death, the soul leaves the body and go to Purgatory to be cleansed. The souls of the condemned go down to Hell to be punished eternally. The body will rot and goes back to dust from where it came from.

Death came to the world due to the sins of our first parents, Adam and Eve. And because of this, we, as children, need to pay the sin by death. If one man committed that sin and caused our death, one man was needed to repay that sin. Through Jesus, He became a man to save us and defect death in order for us to gain salvation.

In the day of Judgment, Jesus accompanied by angles and saints will go down from Heaven to reward the good with eternal life and punish the evildoers. “For an hour is coming in which all those in their tombs shall hear His voice and come forth. Those who have done right rise to live; the evil does shall rise to be damned” (John 5:27-28). And thus this statement being fulfilled, all those who have died will be resurrected and will go back to their former form. But this new body will not be the same as old. The resurrected body of the blessed will never again experience hunger, thirst, pain and even death. These bodies will be perfect; will never get tired or grow old. The beauty and holiness of these bodies will stay forever.

In the resurrection of the dead, their bodies will be at the prime of life. This only means that it is in the time of their youth. They will not have their body in its state of infancy or old age. These characteristics were shown by the Lord during His resurrection. The evil doers will also rise from their graves with the just. But their new bodies will be filled with loneliness due to sin. Also their bodies will also be complete but this does do them any good at all because they will suffer the eternal fires of hell.

According to Catholic teachings, we must also give respect to the bodies or remains of the dead. Their remains must be blessed with holy water so it cannot be used by the devil; they must also be buried so it can return to dust from which it came in the hope that someday they will be resurrected to receive salvation.

The burning of the dead or cremation can be prohibited by the Holy Church. This is only given permission if the reasons do not contradict that of the Catholic faith.

The crucifixion and death of the cross of Our Lord only shows His immense love for us. He gave His life for us so we can have salvation. And with His resurrection, Heaven is again open for sinners like us. Just follow and believe in Him, with the Blessed Virgin Mother and all the Saints, we too shall reach Heaven.

Lent Tradition

The Seven Last Words of the Lord Jesus Christ

Post author By Marco Notre Dame
Post date April 13, 2022

1. “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” (Luke 23:34)

This is the first of the last seven words of our Lord. He said this as the people around who hated the Lamb of God and mocked His wounded and bloody body. He said this in spite of His circumstances to show us the importance of forgiveness. A divine love is full of sacrifice and acts of Christianity. We can emulate the love that Our Lord has shown if we learn to love our neighbor, even if he is our enemy.

2. “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.” (Luke 23:43)

These words enveloped the whole of Calvary in response to the petition of the thief who was also crucified at the right side of Our Lord. This thief who believed in Christ was St. Dimas, the first Flower of the Passion. All insults and ridicule were hurled at our Savior, and all evil was blamed on Him, not only by the Jews, but also by Gestas, the thief who was crucified at His left.

Evil ruled in the person of Gestas because even if in his dying moments, he was still insulting Our Lord. On the other hand, St. Dimas was very humble and repentant. The Lord teaches us to ask forgiveness for our sins as St. Dimas’s faith that he will be with the Lord at the time of his death. Let us imitate St. Dimas by confessing our sins and by repenting never to do it again.

3. “Woman, behold, your son. . . .Behold, your mother.” (John 19:26–27)

Darkness enveloped Mount Calvary, so that the people around could hardly be recognized. The Jews and Roman soldiers were still shouting. Mary Magdalene was also there, grieving. But even though Jesus’ face was covered in blood, He felt the presence of His mother, the Virgin Mary – a mother who truly loves Him. The time had come for His mother to be entrusted to St. John, and the Lord had spoken these words. That moment, St. John represented all people, all children, whom the Lord has entrusted to the Virgin Mary to be our guardian and to be our Mother as well. It is only right that we honor the Blessed Virgin Mary, our Mother, to whom the Lord Himself has entrusted us.

4.“My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” (Matt. 27:46; Mark 15:34)

The suffering of Christ was so great. He was crucified like a criminal. He was crowned with thorns and all he heard were the taunts of those who hated Him. He felt the anguish of those who loved Him, especially His Mother. The Body of our Lord was so horrible because of the wounds and blood He has inflicted. But the suffering of Our Lord’s soul is greater than His physical pain. When He said “My God, my God, has you forsaken me?”, He showed us the evil effect of sin on the human soul. That moment, Jesus bore the sin of the world. Sin is what keeps mankind away from God.

5. “I thirst.” (John 19:28)

Jesus did not only experienced a physical thirst but a thirst of the soul – a thirst for love. Jesus was sent by the Father to redeem mankind and he accepted it wholeheartedly even though He knew that mankind’s hatred would be avenged on Him. He was humble until the time of His death on the Cross. He loved the agony of our salvation. So it is only right that we quench the thirst that our Lord by loving our neighbor without expecting anything in return.

6. “It is finished.” (John 19:30)

These words spoken by the Lord are the consummation of our salvation. He redeemed the whole humanity – all past and future mankind. Christ was the fulfillment of the prophecy of the coming Messiah.

7. “Father, into thy hands I commit my spirit!” (Luke 23:46)

In entrusting His spirit to God, we see the death of the New Adam, who without the stain of sin, saved us from sin. He died on Golgotha, right where Adam’s skull was located. Here the Lord also exemplifies the full faith we must entrust to God’s care at the moment of our death.

These seven last words of the Lord are an integral part of our Catholic faith. These words should not only be remembered during Holy Week, but should be practiced every moment with a smile. Because the fulfillment of the word is in the action.

Lent Tradition

Holy Week Traditions

Post author By Jude Missa
Post date April 10, 2022

MAUNDY THURSDAY

Maundy Thursday is where we remember the Last Supper, the first Holy Mass in the world. The word Maundy is from the latn word “Mandatum” which means “command”. On the Last Supper, our Lord Jesus Christ gave a new command to His Apostles:

“A new commandment I give unto you: That you love one another, as I have loved you, that you also love one another.”
John 13:34

The first mass on Maundy Thursday is called Chism Mass, where the oil was blessed. This oil will be used on the Sacrament of Baptism, Confirmation and Anointing of the Sick. Then in the afternoon, there will be a “washing of feet” on 12 people by the Priest. In tradition, only 12 men is allowed to be wash. This is a remembrance where our Lord wash the feet of His 12 Apostles. This is symbolized love and humility.
There is also a tradition of visiting seven churches during Maundy Thursday, it was called “Visita Iglesia”. This tradition was started on 1553 by St. Philip Neri in Rome where they visit the seven basilicas in Rome. There is also reading or singing the Passion of Christ, the Station of the Cross and the dramatization of the Passion of our Lord.

GOOD FRIDAY

Good Friday is the day where we remember the death of our Lord Jesus Christ at the cross. One of the main traditions during Good Friday is the “Holy Burial”, where there will be a procession of the image of the dead body of our Lord together with the images of Saints. But in the end of the procession is the Image of Mater Dolorosa (Sorrowful Mother/Our Lady of Sorrows).

HOLY SATURDAY

Holy Saturday is where we also remember the death of our Lord. The images in the church will remain in cover and no activities in the church as mourning the death of our Lord Jesus Christ.

EASTER SUNDAY

After Sacred Tridum, comes the Easter Sunday. Where the church celebrates the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ by celebrating a special or High Mass to thank our Lord when He redeemed the whole world.

Feast Day Lent Tradition

What is Lent?

Post author By Jude Missa
Post date April 6, 2022

When did the Lent or Quadregisima begin?

There’s no’s exact date when the Lent began, but the forty days of fasting was first mentioned in the Council of Nicea on 325 A.D.

Why is the Purple color used in the Church during Lent?

The Purple color symbolizes Royalty and Penitence. In the Sacred Scripture (The Holy Bible), our Lord Jesus Christ was clothed in Purple Robe during His passion.

What is Ash Wednesday?

Ash Wednesday opens the Liturgical Season of Lent where the Priest put a cross of ash in the forehead of the faithful. Traditionally, the faithful will kneel while receiving the ash on the forehead. In the Old Testament, ash is a sign death and humility, and also symbolizes sadness and repentance of sins. The Ash is from the burnt palm that was blessed during Palm Sunday. There’s no exact date of origin when the Ash Wednesday began, but it was celebrated during the time of Pope St. Gregory the Great.

What are traditional practices that we must do during the Lenten Season?

One of the main practices that faithful shall do during Lent is Fasting and Abstinence. In Fasting, we must eat 1 regular meal and 2 small meals a day and not to eat any meat in a given day of abstinence such as Ash Wednesday, every Friday of Lent and in Holy Week.

Why the Church veil the Images with purple cloth?

Veiling the Images was called “Passiontide” where the church veils the images on Sunday before Palm Sunday. The center of the Passiontide is the Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ. Veiling symbolizes when our Lord hide from the people that wants to stone Him (John 8:59). It also symbolizes the clothe that covers our Lord after His death.

What is Palm Sunday?

Palm Sunday is where we remember the entering of our Lord Jesus Christ in Jerusalem while riding the donkey and being greeted by people waving palm branches. During the Palm Sunday, the Priest will bless the people and the palm leaves with Holy Water. In tradition, a palm cross shape was blessed by the priest with Holy Water and kissed by the faithful.

What is Holy Week?

Holy Week is where we remember the Last Supper (the first Holy Mass) on Maundy Thursday, the death of our Lord on Good Friday until Holy Saturday.