Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the liturgical season of Lent. It is a day to refocus ourselves, through fasting and prayer, on our personal relationship with Christ. On this day, we should ask God what He desires for us in Lent. Let us prayerfully consider how we can grow closer to God over these next 40 days and what areas of our lives He is calling us to give to Him.
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Palm Sunday marks the beginning of Holy Week. Palm Sunday Mass begins with the procession of palms, symbolizing the entrance of Jesus into Jerusalem, where He is welcomed with joy and palms. These very people eventually condemn Him to death. Let us pray during Holy Week that we may humbly accept His sacrifice!
Holy Thursday evening begins the holiest days of the year. The Easter Triduum of the Lord’s Passion, Death, and Resurrection. Check out this infographic for what to expect over these 3 days.
"On that day all the divine floodgates through which graces flow are opened. Let no soul fear to draw near to Me, even though its sins be as scarlet. My mercy is so great that no mind, be it of man or of angel, will be able to fathom it throughout all eternity. Everything that exists has come forth from the very depths of My most tender mercy. Every soul in its relation to Me will contemplate My love and mercy throughout eternity. The Feast of Mercy emerged from My very depths of tenderness. It is My desire that it be solemnly celebrated on the first Sunday after Easter. Mankind will not have peace until it turns to the Fount of My Mercy." (Diary of Divine Mercy #699)
This message, spoken by Jesus to Saint Faustina in 1931, has now come true. What was spoken in the solitude of a cloistered convent in Płock Poland, now is celebrated by the Universal Church throughout the whole world!
Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska of the Blessed Sacrament was known to very few people during her lifetime. But through her, God has spoken the message of His abundant mercy to the entire Church and world. What is this message? Though its content is endless and unfathomable, here are five key ways that Jesus desires this new devotion to be lived:
On this, the Eighth Day of the Octave of Easter, Divine Mercy Sunday, ponder the above desires of the heart of Jesus. Do you believe that the message of Divine Mercy is meant not only for you but also for the whole world? Do you seek to understand and incorporate this message and devotion into your life? Do you seek to become an instrument of mercy to others? Become a disciple of The Divine Mercy and seek to spread this Mercy in the ways given to you by God.
My merciful Lord, I trust in You and in Your abundant Mercy! Help me, this day, to deepen my devotion to Your merciful heart and to open my soul to the treasures that pour forth from this font of Heavenly riches. May I trust You, Love You and become an instrument of You and Your Mercy to the whole world. Jesus, I trust in You!
The 40th day after Easter Sunday, commemorates the Ascension of Christ into heaven, according to Mark 16:19, Luke 24:51, and Acts 1:2.
As we celebrate the feast of the Ascension, our inclination may be to think, “Well, Jesus ascended to heaven. We’re here on our own!” In today’s selection from the end of Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus sends his disciples into the world with a mission. The Church is called to go to all the nations, to make disciples. That’s a big task—and it’s been two thousand years and we’re not finished yet!
But the “Good News” today is that we are equipped to carry out that mission. In the second reading, from the Letter to the Ephesians, we’re invited to receive three special revelations:
Click Here for More info on the Ascension from Franciscan Media
*** 40 Days after Easter Sunday is a Thursday, which is the traditional date of the Solemnity of the Ascension. However, in most dioceses in the United States, the Ascension has been transferred to the following Sunday, which is the 7th Sunday of Easter.
Happy Birthday, Catholic Church!
"When the time for Pentecost was fulfilled, they were all in one place together. And suddenly there came from the sky a noise like a strong driving wind, and it filled the entire house in which they were. Then there appeared to them tongues as of fire, which parted and came to rest on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in different tongues, as the Spirit enabled them to proclaim."
- Acts 2:1-4
Today is the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity. According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church: “The mystery of the Most Holy Trinity is the central mystery of Christian faith and life. It is the mystery of God in himself. It is therefore the source of all the other mysteries of faith, the light that enlightens them…” (CCC 234).
The love of the Trinity is an eternal exchange and has existed from the beginning of time. In Genesis 1:26, God said, “Let us make human beings in our image and likeness.” We understand God uses the plural “us” to show that the Trinity is three distinct beings that abide in one body
This picture is one of my favorite depictions of the Trinity, and I actually found this icon by Andrei Rublev in a book at Rosaryville. In the image, the three faces (the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit) are all the same, which reminds us that the three persons of the Blessed Trinity is one God. Jesus is in the middle, and His hand gestures three fingers folded under his palm and the other two fingers are extended out. The three fingers folded signifies the mystery of the Trinity, while the other two fingers reveal Christ’s human and divine nature. The Holy Spirit is looking at Jesus who is looking at God, the Father. A priest once explained the Trinity to me in this way: God, the Father loves His Son. Jesus is beloved. The manifestation of the love that God the Father and God the Son share is the Holy Spirit.
The love of the Trinity can also be modeled in the family. In Genesis 2:24, God says, “That is why a man leaves his father and clings to his wife, and the two of them become one body.” When a husband loves his wife, the two of them become one body. But, the two can also become three when the love they share for one another is manifested in an expected child.
On Trinity Sunday, let us be reminded that by the grace of Baptism “in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit”, we are called to share in the life of the Blessed Trinity, here on earth in the obscurity of faith, and after death in eternal light (cf. Paul VI, CPG § 9). Let us ask ourselves how are we choosing to model the love of the Trinity in our own families? How can we better love one another as God, the Father loves His Son? How can we be inspired today by the mystery of the Holy Trinity?
-Danielle Vogt
The Solemnity of Corpus Christi, or the Feast of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, is celebrated to affirm our Catholic belief in the Eucharist. “Corpus Christi” is Latin for “Body of Christ.” As Catholics, we believe that the Eucharist is truly the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus Christ, and that it is not just a symbol. This truth was actually revealed to us by Jesus Christ Himself at the Last Supper, and also during His “Bread of Life discourse” in the 6th chapter of the Gospel of John. There are many other places in Scripture that point to the Eucharist, and saints since the 1st century (some who even knew the 12 Apostles) have written about the True Prescence of Christ in the Eucharist. In fact, the Catechism says that the Eucharist is the “source and summit of the Christian life.” Nothing on Earth can compare with what God gives us in the Eucharist.
The origins of Corpus Christi’s feast can be attributed to 2 separate miracles:
On August 11, 1264, Pope Urban IV published a letter praising the incredible love Our Savior expresses in the Holy Eucharist, and officially ordered the annual celebration of the Solemnity of Corpus Christi in the Universal Church. To celebrate the feast, and upon the pope’s request, St. Thomas Aquinas wrote the very beautiful liturgy and hymns still in use today.