Author Topic: Forgive So We Can Live and Let Live (Read 1771293 times)

cassini · « **Reply #40 on:** March 06, 2024, 10:43:40 AM »

Fr Sean again:
Is God Inclusive?

As we enter the middle of Lent during which God calls us to fast, pray, and give alms He also calls us to deepen our relationship with Him. We have been taught by the Church, reflecting the Holy Scriptures, that God loves everyone and calls everyone to belong to His Kingdom. But does that mean that everyone is included in His Kingdom? We hear a lot today about inclusivity both politically and religiously. In relation to that we also hear about diversity and equity. What do these words mean for Christians? Does God want to include everyone? Does God want diversity? Does He want equity which is understood today as equality of output? God wants to include everyone but being included is conditional. God doesn’t want diversity, rather He wants unity. God doesn’t want equity of output, rather He wants equality of opportunity base on meritocracy and on entitlement based on gender, race, or culture.

Is God inclusive? What does it mean to be inclusive? Generally it means to respect, value, and act justly towards every human being regardless of race, nationality, colour, or creed. While we must act justly and respect every person, that doesn’t mean that we will want to include everyone in our home, work, leisure activities, etc. Why? We don’t include in our circles anyone who demeans us, is violent towards us, or insults us. Inclusivity is conditional. Even God’s inclusivity is conditional. God doesn’t give us a blank sheet and tell us to fill in the conditions upon which we expect Him to include us in His Kingdom. He lays down the conditions that we must meet if we want Him to include us in His family. He provides those conditions in the Holy Scriptures and in the Apostolic Tradition of Jesus’ Church. Jesus is very clear in revealing that belonging to His Church is conditional: “I assure you, unless you change and become like little children, you will not enter the Kingdom of God” (Mt 18:2-4). Witness Jesus’ Parable of the Net (Mt 13:47-50) where the fishermen haul all kinds of fish in their net but keep the good fish and throw away the bad. We have to stop being apathetic and take God’s word seriously because He says what He means and means what He says. We must remember what God said to Moses and His people: “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, BUT who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation” (Ex 34:6-7). God wants to stop the rot of sin in us but if we don’t cooperate with Him the rottenness will continue down through the generations. What kind of a legacy do we want to hand on to our children?

God’s people in the Old Testament found out that if they didn’t meet God’s conditions they would be excluded from His protection and so were overcome by their enemies. “The God of their fathers sent His messengers to them. But they mocked the messengers … despised God’s warnings and scoffed at His prophets, until the anger of the Lord against His people became so inflamed that there was no remedy” (2 Chron 36:14-23). The Babylonians conquered the Israelites and enslaved them. Seventy years later, after much suffering, the Israelites received another chance to obey God’s conditions for inclusivity in His company. He inspired Cyrus, the pagan king of Persia, to liberate them and let them return to Jerusalem, rebuild the Temple, and renew their commitment to be faithful to the covenant requirements. God, in His mercy, gave them another chance to get it right, to repent of their rebelliousness, and humbly consent to obey His rules. The required change of attitude is summed up by the Psalmist: “May my tongue cleave to my palate if I remember You not, if I place not Jerusalem ahead of my joy” (Ps 137:1-6). The Jerusalem Temple symbolized God's presence.

This is the God revealed by Jesus in John’s Gospel (3:14-21): “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him might not perish but might have eternal life… whoever believes in Him will not be condemned, but whoever does not believe has already been condemned, because he did not believe in God’s only Son.” St. Paul, inspired by the Holy Spirit, highlighted God’s mercy, in his letter to the Ephesians (2:4-10): “God, who is rich in mercy, because of the great love He has for us, even when we were dead in our sins, brought us to life in Christ.” The Holy Spirit reveals here that if we want to be saved by God we must believe in Jesus Christ, not just in our words but more importantly in our actions. If we don’t we’ll be excluded from Heaven. Death will be an enormous shock for so many who think they lived a good life according to the world’s standard but it wasn’t good according to Jesus’ standard.

What we have to realize here is that while God loves and calls everyone to belong to Him we must meet His conditions in order to benefit from His love and invitation. Jesus Himself stated clearly that, “Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will acknowledge before my Father in Heaven. Whoever disowns me before men I will disown before my Father in Heaven” (Mt 10:32-33). This is He why revealed Himself to be “the Way, the Truth, and the Life; no one comes to the Father except through me” (Jn 14:6). There are no diverse ways to Heaven. Universalism is common today, namely the false notion that all religions are equal and direct ways to Heaven. Sadly, this heresy is promoted even by some leaders within Jesus’ Church. But nothing could be farther from the truth. Jesus is the one and only way. Therefore to enter Heaven every person will have to acknowledge that Jesus is God’s only Son (Jn 17:3), the Redeemer of the world, and is the only means of entry. That requires supernatural Faith, which in turn requires us to be receptive to the Holy Spirit so that He can convert our human spirit to obey God’s will. Very often our human spirit is a rebellious one and we don’t like to be told what to do. This is why Jesus warned us to realize immediately that, “The time is fulfilled, and the Kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the Gospel” (Mk 1:12-15). That means in the words of |St. Peter, “Reform your lives! Turn to God, that your sins may be wiped away! Thus may a season of refreshment be granted you by the Lord when He sends you Jesus, already designated as your Messiah” (Acts 3:19-20).

Let us not be tricked by Satan into thinking that God accepts us as we are and so we don’t need to change. God meets us where we are in order to bring us to where we need to be and do what we need to do in order to be included in His Kingdom and benefit from His love. God’s inclusivity is conditional. Jesus said, “If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and remain in His love, just as I love my Father and keep His commandments” (Jn 15:10). Let’s remember that if we don’t keep His commandments we don’t remain in His love. To be included we must obey God’s rules and we skirt them to our own eternal hell. (fr sean)

The Litany of Preparation for Confession of Sin

This is a prayer asking for God’s mercy, forgiveness, and aid in turning from sin. It invokes Jesus Christ, recalling His mercy and forgiveness shown to many sinners and outcasts in the Bible – from Adam to Zacchaeus. It asks for the grace to judge ourselves and produce worthy fruits of penance so that sin does not reign in me. The prayer seeks pardon, peace, cleansing from offenses, and the ability to serve God with a quiet mind.

The Litany of Penance

Lord, have mercy on me.
Christ, have mercy on me.
Lord, have mercy on me.

Christ, hear me.
Christ, graciously hear me.

God the Father of Heaven, have mercy on me.
God the Son, Redeemer of the world, have mercy on me.
God the Holy Ghost, have mercy on me.
Holy Trinity, one God, have mercy on me.

Incarnate Lord, have mercy on me.
Lover of souls, have mercy on me.
Saviour of sinners, have mercy on me.

Who came to seek those that were lost, have mercy on me.
Who fasted for them forty days and nights, have mercy on me.
By Thy tenderness towards Adam when he fell, have mercy on me.
By Thy faithfulness to Noah in the ark, have mercy on me.
By Thy remembrance of Lot in the midst of sinners, have mercy on me.
By Thy mercy on the Israelites in the desert, have mercy on me.
By Thy forgiveness of David after his confession, have mercy on me.
By Thy patience with wicked Ahab on his humiliation, have mercy on me.
By Thy restoration of the penitent Manasseh, have mercy on me.
By Thy long suffering towards the Ninevites, when they went in sackcloth and ashes, have mercy on me.
By Thy blessing on the Maccabees, who fasted before the battle, have mercy on me.
By Thy choice of John to go before Thee as the preacher of repentance, have mercy on me.
By Thy testimony to the Publican, who hung his head and smote his breast, have mercy on me.
By Thy welcome given to the returning Prodigal, have mercy on me.
By Thy gentleness with the woman of Samaria, have mercy on me.
By Thy condescension towards Zacchaeus, persuading him to restitution, have mercy on me.
By Thy pity upon the woman taken in adultery, have mercy on me.
By Thy love of Magdalen, who loved much, have mercy on me.

By Thy converting look, at which Peter wept, have mercy on me.
By Thy gracious words to the thief upon the cross, have mercy on me.

I am a sinner, I beseech Thee, hear me.
That I may judge myself, as to escape Thy judgment, I beseech Thee, hear me.
That I may bring forth worthy fruits of penance, I beseech Thee, hear me.
That sin may not reign in my mortal body, I beseech Thee, hear me.
That I may work out my salvation with fear and trembling, I beseech Thee, hear me.
Son of God, I beseech Thee, hear me.

Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, spare me, O Lord.
Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, graciously hear me, O Lord.
Lamb of God, who takest away the sins of the world, have mercy on me.

Christ, hear me.
Christ, graciously hear me.

O Lord, hear my prayer.
And let my cry come unto Thee.

Closing prayer
Grant, I beseech Thee, O Lord, to Thy faithful, pardon and peace, that they may be cleansed from all their offenses, and also serve Thee with a quiet mind, through Christ our Lord. Amen.

cassini · « **Reply #41 on:** March 14, 2024, 05:24:58 AM »

Fr Sean again:
Cleanse Your Heart

Traditionally the heart symbolizes love and compassion. In Biblical times, the heart referred to the core of a person; the centre of his or her self. It indicated a person’s mental, emotional, spiritual, and moral substance. A heart pierced with an arrow symbolized failed relationships or betrayed love. We’re all familiar with the terms ‘broken heart,’ ‘sweetheart,’ ‘lonely heart,’ ‘hard heart,’ ‘heartless,’ ‘brave heart,’ ‘heartily,’ ‘heartfelt.’ Jesus described those who rejected Him as “Sluggish indeed is this people’s heart.” (Mt 13:15). He accused the Pharisees of being hypocrites, quoting God’s word from Isaiah: “This people pays me lip service but their heart is far from me” (Mk 7:6). What we say must be backed up by actions. If we say we’re Catholic then we must practice being Catholic in our thoughts, words, and actions witnessing our faith in Jesus Christ at home, at work, and at play.

The heart reflects the state of the soul, and the state of the soul reflects the mind. Our mind, soul, and heart all interact in the expression of who we are. The thoughts we sow in our mind become planted in our soul, which influences our heart. What’s in our heart is the reflection of the thoughts we freely choose and plant in our soul. What happens to our soul – our self – shapes our heart and is reflected in our thinking and our choosing that becomes visible in our spirit, our attitude, our ways? Lent is a time when we need to examine our heart to purify it. Why? Because God tells us through His prophet, “I, the Lord, probe the mind and test the heart, to reward everyone according to his ways, according to the merits of his deeds.” (Jer 17:10) What we put in our mind takes root in our soul and determines the contents of our heart. God urgently calls us to, “Rend your hearts, not your garments, and return to the Lord, your God. For gracious and merciful is He, slow to anger, rich in kindness, and relenting in punishment” (Joel 2:13).

The prayer of the Psalmist must be our prayer: “A clean heart create for me, O God, and a steadfast spirit renew within me. Cast me not out of Your presence, and Your Holy Spirit take not from me” (Ps 51:12-13). Jesus makes us aware that “It is not what goes into a man’s mouth that makes him unclean; it is what comes out of his mouth …what comes out of the mouth comes from the heart” (Mt 15:11-18). A clean heart is a heart without sin. To clean our hearts we must face the fact that we’re sinners, even the best of us need to repent and seek forgiveness. The Holy Spirit of Truth warns us that, “If we say ‘we have no sin,’ we deceive ourselves; the truth is not to be found in us” (1 Jn 1:8). In the words of the Psalmist, every one of us must pray from our heart, “Have mercy on me, O God, in Your goodness; in the greatness of Your compassion wipe out my offense. Thoroughly wash me from my guilt and of my sin cleanse me” (Ps 51:3-4). Sin, the bad thoughts with which we sow our mind, stains our soul that leads to hard heartedness. We see that exhibited in those who support abortion, euthanasia, and degrade motherhood, undermine the traditional marriage between a man and a woman as the essential environment for the proper transmission of life. This hardness of heart comes from Satanic thoughts with which people seed their minds, plant in their souls, and harbour in their hearts. Despite this hardheartedness, God is ever merciful to those who repent, seek forgiveness, and strive to amend their ways in accord with His will. He promises the repentant, “I will give you a new heart and place a new spirit within you, taking from your bodies your hearts of stone and give you a heart of flesh instead. I shall put my Spirit in you, and make you keep my laws and sincerely respect my observances” (Ezek 36:26-27). Since God has written His law upon the heart of everyone it’s essential to free the heart from everything that might blur that law or prevent our obedience to it. (Jer 31:33)

Jesus offers us the grace to cleanse our heart especially during this season of Lent. We experience the fulfilment of God’s promise of a clean heart in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Through that Sacrament God removes the filth of sin. There we experience a refreshed and sweet-smelling heart through Jesus who “became the source of eternal life for all who obey Him” (Heb 7:9).

What are the effects of a clean heart? A clean heart is united with the Sacred Heart of Jesus and displays a spirit of heartfelt generosity. In union with Jesus we’ll follow His lead, inspired by the Holy Spirit, in the bosom of His Church. Where does Jesus lead us? He tells us, “Whoever serves me will follow me, and wherever I am, there will my servant be” (Jn 12:26). Where is Jesus? He is present in His One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church. He is dwelling in each member of His Church. He touches the heart of each practising member through His Church’s Sacraments, especially in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass where we praise and worship Him. He is with us when we pray and carry out the spiritual and corporal works of mercy, namely being just, charitable, merciful, respecting the preciousness of human life by sheltering the homeless, feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and imprisoned, burying the dead, giving alms to the poor, teaching the Gospel, counselling the doubtful, admonishing the sinner, consoling the sorrowful, comforting the afflicted, forgiving hurts, and bearing wrongs patiently. In these words and actions the Sacred Heart of Jesus radiates through our heart.

A clean heart expresses itself above all in a spirit of joy that springs from a mind in which Christ’s thoughts are sown, and planted in the soul. Such a heart gives witness to God’s love, justice, mercy, peace, and freedom. When our heart is clean our attitude is positive, loving, faithful, and hopeful. This 5th week of Lent is another opportunity to take advantage of what Jesus provides through His heart-cleansing power mediated through His Church. You can feel God saving you when He cleanses your repentant heart in the words of Absolution spoken by the priest in the confessional. It’s in the forgiveness of sins that God is saving you and me and cleansing our hearts. Let us comfort Mary as she brokenheartedly followed her Son’s sorrowful way of the cross through cleansing our heart from sin that caused His crucifixion. (fr sean)

cassini · « **Reply #42 on:** March 20, 2024, 11:44:17 AM »

Fr Sean again:
Holy Week: Why Every Knee Must Bend

Lent officially ends with the celebration of the Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday evening commemorating the institution of the Holy Eucharist and the Sacrament of Holy Orders. Historically, we refer to this final week of Lent, which culminates in the Triduum celebration of Good Friday, Holy Saturday, and Easter Sunday, as “Holy Week.” Why do we call this week “holy”?

The word “holy” comes from an Old English word, which means “whole.” Usually the word holy refers to God and what’s Godly. Only God is holy, whole and complete within Himself. God alone is perfect and those whom He makes perfect, all who are faithful to Him. When we describe something as holy, we imply that it’s from God. Human holiness, our likeness to God, was lost by Adam and Eve’s disobedience. With the loss of holiness came the loss of wholeness which is reflected in a darkened intellect and a weak will making every human, except Mary, prone to sin. Thankfully, God restores that holiness and wholeness through Baptism into Jesus’ Church.

Palm Sunday begins holy week with the blessing of palms commemorating Jesus’ entry to Jerusalem. The palms that were used to greet Jesus and create a welcoming mat for Him in on Sunday morning were used by some to point accusingly at Him in the afternoon. Satan was active in the hearts of the accusers. God revealed in the Old Testament that His Messiah would be a Suffering Servant. This revelation was fulfilled in Jesus who “emptied Himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness” (Phil 2:6-11). We see His humility in the Passion narrative from Mark’s Gospel depicting His agony, trial, sentencing, crucifixion, and burial. There we see Jesus’ real suffering, which didn’t deter Him because of His humble and obedient faith in His Father. He was like a lamb led to the slaughter in order to save the very sinners who slaughtered Him.

What’s holy about this week? The Church focuses on Jesus, the Son of God, and the total sacrifice of Himself in order to save mankind from sin. The focus isn’t simply on God as He exists in Heaven, but on God as He lived and loved here on earth in the Person of Jesus Christ, confronting Satan who owned mankind. He came to call sinners to repentance and holiness by breaking the grip of Satan. On Holy Thursday Jesus left us a visible sign that He would continue His mission to save mankind until the end of time. This sign of His saving life and death is the Holy Eucharist which He instituted and ordained His apostles to continue by changing unleavened bread into His body and wine into His blood with the words, “Do this in memory of me.” Thus began the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass as the visible sign of Jesus’ real presence calling everyone to get on bended knee and confess with their tongue that He is their Lord and Savior.

Good Friday reminds us what redemption cost Jesus. It cost Him His life through crucifixion to free us from our sins. No greater love has the world ever seen. On Easter Sunday we’re reminded that Jesus was raised from the dead in a glorified human body, paving the way for His followers to rise from the dead with glorified bodies. He helps us to benefit from what He accomplished through “a well-trained tongue to speak to the weary a rousing word … (and) a face like flint, knowing that I shall not be put to shame” (Is 50:4-7). The weary are all who’re weighed down with sin, suffering, and the fear of death. Jesus in His human nature reflected the depth of human weariness when He cried out on the cross, “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?” (Ps 22). Have you ever felt that God had abandoned you? Jesus encourages us in such moments to pray with Him: “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.” He empowers us to put ourselves into His Father’s hands every day but especially in times of trial as He did.

Sin is our downfall – a personal put-down. Instead of putting our spirit into God’s hands we put our spirit into Satan’s hands. Sin is idolatry in which we put ourselves down by worshipping something that’s inferior to us. When we sin, we withdraw our loyalty to God and, as a result, create a false god. Only the true God can sustain us, give us life, and lead us to happiness. A false god is impotent. Why? A false god is something we create; and we can’t create anything that can sustain us since we didn’t create ourselves. Neither can we create anything that can give us life since we didn’t give ourselves life. We can’t create anything that leads us to happiness since happiness is the result of being fulfilled, and only the Creator can fulfil the creature. Sin, then, is totally unreasonable and an act that lacks intelligence. Sin is without equal when it comes to duping oneself. In sinning, we’re our own greatest con artists. The “good” in Good Friday is the fact that God’s love, evident in Jesus’ sacrifice, conquered selfishness and freed us from Satan’s grip on humanity. By being obedient to His Father Jesus, in His humanity, enables us to freely obey God once again. Obeying God, rather than pleasing ourselves, always leads us to holiness and wholeness which are always good for us.

At the Easter Vigil we celebrate Jesus as the “Light of the world” (Jn 8:12). He dispels the darkness of sin by exposing Satan’s lies. Through the Apostolic and moral teaching of His Church Jesus continually calls us to holiness and wholeness. He empowers us to live in the supernatural that’s full of power for good, and strong in its purpose of becoming holy. The “fear of the Lord” (fear of losing our relationship with Him) motivates us to… praise Him, give Him glory, and revere Him” (Ps 22) in all dangers, temptations, and afflictions. Thus we let Him make us holy and whole. We cannot do this on our own because we cannot free ourselves from our sinfulness. The Catechumens give witness to this as they become full members of His One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church during the Easter Vigil.

The real test of leadership is to be willing to die for the cause. Jesus exhibited true leadership. Jesus has given us the example of what it means to be a Christian, namely to be willing to die for the Faith, which is about loyalty to Him as our Savior. In Baptism He made us His partners in carrying out the mission of His Father, which is to make us His children. Jesus has shown us the way. Now we must lead. Just as we depended on Jesus leading the way to the Father, the whole world depends on us, His followers, leading it to Jesus really present in His Church. But we must lead on bended knees, informing everyone, “that at the Name of Jesus, every knee should bend, of those in Heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Phil 2:6-11).

Let’s celebrate Holy Week where God offers us the opportunity to be both holy and whole by bending our knee at the Name of Jesus and using our tongue to confess that He is our Lord and the only Life-Giver. May you have a supernatural Holy Week and a truly happy Easter. (fr sean)

Viva Cristo Rey · « **Reply #43 on:** March 23, 2024, 06:01:22 PM »

Amen! It’s about the Lamb. (Not the bunny). May we all stop abandoning Jesus)

Jesus Christ- Now and Forever!

cassini · « **Reply #44 on:** March 27, 2024, 02:02:42 PM »

Fr Sean again:
Easter Sunday: And the winner is … Life

The highpoint of the Church liturgical year is Easter. It’s connected with Passover – passing from the slavery of sin and death to the grace of freedom and life eternal. This is the culmination of everything for which Jesus Christ stood. He stood for everlasting life – not just a little bit of life, but life to the fullest. He came into a world doomed by death and riddled with suffering – mental, emotional, spiritual, moral, social, economic, and physical. Jesus’ message focused on repentance, forgiveness, amendment of lifestyle, wholeness, holiness, and life lived joyfully because it now had hope. This message was good news to the ears of repentant sinners, the marginalized, the suffering and the dying.

Two thousand years later here we are in a world where the culture of death dominates the culture of life established by Jesus here on earth. The destruction of human life is enshrined in national legislation, even declared as a constitutional right in France and promoted in most western countries. Human life has been cheapened by those who possess it. Its destruction is legal – abortion, euthanasia, unjust war. More human life is being destroyed today than ever before in our recorded history. Its wanton destruction is evident in abortion mills, IVF labs where embryos are destroyed, abortifacient pills in the post, artificial contraception, murder, assisted ѕυιcιdє, has rapidly increased over the past few decades. Why has life become so cheap and so flippantly disposable? How has human life lost its sense of sacredness and preciousness? Could it be that human life has lost its excitement and preciousness because Christians have forgotten or don’t proclaim the message of Easter? God considered human life to be so precious that He sent His Son to suffer and die the cruelest form of death in order to conquer the power that sin and death had over mankind. The sacredness of human life is directly connected to God who is Life itself and who creates every person in His image and likeness. Every time a human being is killed, humanity numbs itself to God’s loving and life-giving presence. Killing cheapens life and creates the illusion that human beings have control over it and can do what they want with it. That illusion ends in disillusionment when God holds everyone accountable for the way they lived the life He gave them. If we choose death in this world we prepare for eternal death in the next world.

The Easter event is the sign par excellence that life belongs to God and He holds it in the highest esteem. God is the Life-giver. Satan is the life-taker. Easter celebrates the victory of life over death, good over evil, and the success of the spirit over the disordered desires of the flesh. In celebrating Easter, we celebrate the power of spiritual gentleness, which Jesus demonstrated on the Way of the Cross, over the physical violence of evil men who crucified Him. It’s proof that the concern for the welfare and the wellbeing of others shown by Jesus, even on the Cross, pays off while self-centeredness and the culture of death loses. Suffering is an opportunity to deepen our appreciation of life that makes us participants in the life of God. To understand and appreciate the message and meaning of the Easter event we need to see what it completes.

Easter is the final act in a three-act drama depicting the struggle for power between life and death, Jesus and Satan. The first act of the drama takes place on Holy Thursday when Jesus celebrated the Passover with His Apostles. Here Jesus shared His wisdom of service and exemplified true Servant Leadership. Service reflects a consciousness of people’s relationship with each other and the need to help one another. Underlying the attitude of service is the awareness that we’re all brothers and sisters sharing the same humanity with an innate investment in each other. In serving, Jesus in the Holy Eucharist gave Himself totally to His Apostles in the most intimate manner. When washing His apostles’ feet He told them: “I have set you an example: As I have done so you must do” (Jn 13:15). Do what? Promote the culture of life as God’s greatest gift.

Perhaps we can find the locus of our problem here. The sense of interconnectedness, interdependence, complementarity, between and among men and women today is missing. Everything is considered relative. Universal obligations and principles seem to be rejected. We’ve become more disconnected from each other? We’ve become less responsible and less accountable to one another? We’ve become more concerned with our own welfare and less concerned with what happens to our fellow men and women at home and abroad? There’s a lot of virtue signaling through protests, etc., but very little virtuous living. Like the crowd calling for Jesus’ crucifixion, many protest about something they know little about and which they have been fed false information by atheistic ideologues.

The second act of this great drama depicting God’s presence to His people is celebrated on Good Friday when Jesus teaches us about genuine love tested and purified by suffering. True love is tough. True love demands sacrifices. Love without a willingness to sacrifice isn’t love at all. On Good Friday, we see Jesus making the ultimate sacrifice which reflected His genuine love for all men and women. “No greater love does anyone have than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (Jn 15:13). We come as Jesus’ community on Good Friday to venerate the cross and reflect on the great sacrifice He made for us. This in turn reminds us of the great sacrifice we’re called to make in genuinely loving Him and living joyfully, sharing with the needy.

Perhaps one of the reasons why our world is as it is with its disrespectful attitude toward human life is that it lacks genuine love. Without God love is false. What the Godless world calls love is simply lust. Lust has no room for sacrifice. It’s all about pleasing oneself and using others to attain one’s selfish end. Perhaps what we need in our world is a redefining of “love” and what it calls for. Real love is epitomized in the Crucifix. Love always wishes good and looks out for the good of the other person. Jesus epitomized love when, on the cross, He asked His Father to forgive His executioners. We need to truly reflect on the events of Good Friday and tune into Jesus’ commitment to love, no matter what. By making the necessary sacrifices called for by His love for human life Jesus came to Easter.

Easter is the final act in this drama. Jesus conquered Satan’s power over humanity and gave every person the opportunity to choose eternal happiness Therefore we cannot fully appreciate Easter Sunday and its implication for humanity without understanding what Jesus did for us on Holy Thursday and Good Friday. Jesus’ accepted suffering and death in order to bring God’s love to others and raise up a fallen world. Through receiving Jesus in the Holy Eucharist and sacrificing ourselves with Him on Good Friday His Father will raise us up with Him on Easter Sunday.

The winner in the drama is Life because of Jesus’ commitment to serve and love in the face of all odds. To be Christian is to be an Easter person – one who looks forward to Resurrection from suffering and death. There’s no Easter Sunday without a Holy Thursday and a Good Friday. To keep us on the road to Resurrection we must allow ourselves to benefit from Jesus’ gift of His Real Presence in the Holy Eucharist and His unconditional love on the Cross. Have a happy Easter and enjoy life. (Fr. Sean)

The Plenary Indulgences of Holy Week, Easter Octave and Divine Mercy Sunday for Everyone

From Holy Week through Divine Mercy Sunday — and beyond — we should try not to miss out on these indulgences for ourselves or for any soul in purgatory.

Holy Week and Divine Mercy Sunday, present everyone with particular plenary indulgences that everyone has the opportunity to receive. Here’s how to gain them for yourselves, your loved ones in purgatory, and possibly even for some forgotten soul there.

The plenary indulgences that we can receive on every day of Holy Week actually are of two kinds. Certain ones are specific to Holy Week itself. Certain ones we can actually gain anytime, including the Easter Octave.

They’re listed in the Norms and Grants in the official Manual of Indulgences, fourth edition (English edition 2006) the latest and most up-to-date edition of the Manual, or Enchiridion Indulgentiarum, the one that replaces all others.

Holy Week Plenary Indulgences

These are the specific works listed in the Grants in the Manual of Indulgences:

Holy Thursday. “A plenary indulgence is granted to the faithful who piously recite the verses of the Tantum ergo after the Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday during the solemn reposition of the Most Blessed Sacrament.”

Good Friday brings two opportunities. “A plenary indulgence is granted to the faithful who

1. Devoutly assist at the adoration of the Cross in the solemn liturgical action of Good Friday; or

2. Personally make the pious Way of the Cross, or devoutly unite themselves to the Way of the Cross while it is being led by the Supreme Pontiff and broadcast live on television or radio.”

Most every parish conducts Stations of the Cross for parishioners on Good Friday.

On Holy Saturday, Easter Vigil brings another opportunity. “A plenary indulgence is granted to the faithful who, at the celebration of the Easter Vigil (or on the anniversary of their own Baptism), renew their baptismal vows in any legitimately approved formula.” The Easter Vigil includes renewal of baptismal vows.

Early in Holy Week

On Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of Holy Week we should try to make Mass and receive Holy Communion. That is a “must” because receiving Holy Communion is one of the basic conditions for any plenary indulgence. Here, we consider those certain plenary indulgences which can be gained all year. These are the ones we can obtain on Monday through Wednesday as long as we fulfil the basic conditions (more on them later) and also perform the work required.

The Manual of Indulgences makes this very clear to us: “Deserving of special mention are grants pertaining to these works by any one of which the faithful can obtain a plenary indulgence each day of the year,” always remembering “a plenary indulgence can be acquired no more than once a day.” The Manual lists them as four:

— Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament for at least one half hour

—The pious exercise of the Way of the Cross

— Recitation of the Marian rosary or of the hymn Akathistos, in church or an oratory; or in a family, a religious community, or a sodality of the faithful or, in general, when several of the faithful are gathered for any good purpose

— The devout reading or listening to the Sacred Scriptures for at least a half an hour

Any one of these per day, Monday through Wednesday — plus Palm Sunday too — can obtain a plenary indulgence for us for ourselves or to apply to a soul in purgatory.

Basic Mandatory Conditions

“In general, the gaining of indulgences requires certain prescribed conditions and the performance of certain prescribed works,” reminded the Apostolic Penitentiary in 2000. The conditions are not many and are not at all difficult.

First, though, the office initially repeated the definition. “An indulgence is a remission before God of the temporal punishment due to sins whose guilt has already been forgiven, which the faithful Christian who is duly disposed gains under certain prescribed conditions through the action of the Church…” The office explained, “Indulgences can always be applied either to oneself or to the souls of the deceased, but they cannot be applied to other persons living on earth.”

The Manual of Indulgences gives these basics conditions for any indulgence, plenary or partial. The person seeking the indulgence must be baptized, not excommunicated, and in the state of grace at least at the time the prescribed work is completed.

The Norms remind of another simple essential: we need to have the general intention of wanting to gain the indulgence as well as carrying out the specific works required, according to the sense of the Grant. That’s simple enough.

This next is important. The Norm states, “To gain a plenary indulgence, in addition to excluding all attachment to sin, even venial sin, it is necessary to perform the indulgenced work and fulfill the following three conditions: sacramental confession, Eucharistic Communion, and prayer for the intention of the Sovereign Pontiff.”

For simplicity sake, let’s review these simple essentials are presented by the office of the Apostolic Penitentiary in their words:

“To gain indulgences, whether plenary or partial, it is necessary that the faithful be in the state of grace at least at the time the indulgenced work is completed.”

“A plenary indulgence can be gained only once a day. In order to obtain it, the faithful must, in addition to being in the state of grace:

— have the interior disposition of complete detachment from sin, even venial sin;
— have sacramentally confessed their sins;
— receive the Holy Eucharist (it is certainly better to receive it while participating in Holy Mass, but for the indulgence only Holy Communion is required);
— pray for the intentions of the Supreme Pontiff.”

The Apostolic Penitentiary in 2000 clarified that One Our Father and one Hail Mary is suggested for the Holy Father’s intentions thought the faithful can chose what prayer, and one sacramental Confession suffices for several plenary indulgences.

As for the Stations of the Cross for a plenary indulgence, the manual details, “The pious exercise must be made before stations of the Way of the Cross legitimately erected…According to the common custom, the pious exercise consists of 14 devotional readings, to which some vocal prayers are added. To make the Way of the Cross, however, it is sufficient to meditate devoutly on the Lord’s Passion and Death, and therefore reflection on the particular mysteries of the individual stations in not necessary…Progression from one station to the next is required.” But if we’re making it publicly such as done for a parish, only the one conducting it has to move while we remain in our place.

Extras and Divine Mercy Sunday

We should not stop after Holy Week. Why not continue during the Easter Octave, from Easter Sunday through Divine Mercy Sunday? Monday through Saturday we have those four everyday possibilities for a plenary indulgence. Go to Mass, receive Communion. Then spend time in adoration before the Blessed Sacrament. Pray the Rosary in church. Or with family or as listed above. Read Sacred Scripture for at least half an hour. Your choice.

Divine Mercy Sunday has a plenary indulgence of its own.

Through private revelation to St. Faustina, Jesus revealed, I want to grant a complete pardon to the souls that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion on the Feast of My mercy (1109). The soul that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion will obtain complete forgiveness of sins and punishment (699). And we must trust in Divine Mercy.

“The most special grace promised by our Lord for Mercy Sunday is nothing less than the equivalent of a complete renewal of baptismal grace in the soul: "complete forgiveness (remission) of sins and punishment.”

St. John Paul II not only declared Divine Mercy Sunday a universal feast of the Church, but in 2002 he also attached a plenary indulgence to it. This made private revelation’s promise “official” as “the Holy See institutionalized the Promise in the form of an Indulgence.”

First there are the usual or standard three conditions of sacramental confession, Eucharistic Communion, and prayer for the intentions of Supreme Pontiff.

Next, the specific conditions or “work” required: “On Divine Mercy Sunday

· in any church or chapel, in a spirit that is completely detached from the affection for a sin, even a venial sin, take part in the prayers and devotions held in honour of Divine Mercy or, in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament exposed or reserved in the tabernacle, recite the Our Father and the Creed, adding a devout prayer to the merciful Lord Jesus (e.g. “Merciful Jesus, I trust in you!”).”

CathInfo.com

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