Why do we crown Mary?

Pope Francis and image of Mary with Christ Child, Rome

Icon of Mary and Christ Child - St. Gregory Orthodox Church, Greece

Our Lady of Clemency - St. Clement's Episcopal Church, Philadelphia

One thing that is found in all Churches with Apostolic Succession, i.e. Roman, Orthodox, and Episcopal, is devotion to Mary, the Mother of God. Especially in the month of May, there seems to be an heightened sense of honoring of the Mother of God, mainly because Pentecost usually takes place sometime in May. We know from the Acts of the Apostles that the Apostles gathered in the Upper Room to pray for the Holy Spirit: "All these with one accord devoted themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary, the Mother of Jesus (Acts 1:14)."  The Church, in praying for the coming of the Holy Spirit, once again gathers with Mary.  

Sometimes in May one will find a service of Crowning of the Blessed Virgin Mary.  But why? Isn't this taking away from honor due to Jesus?  .....NOPE! lol.

To understand our honoring of Mary, you have to understand the Old Testament and the Kingship of David.  David was the great King of Israel and so was his son Solomon.  However, the Queen in Israel was never the wife of the King; it was his Mother.  1 Kings 2:19 states, "So Bathsheba (Mother of Solomon) went to King Solomon to speak to him on behalf of Adonijah. And the King rose to meet her, and bowed down to her; then he sat on his throne and had a seat brought for the King's Mother, and she sat on his right. Then she said, "I have one small request to make of you; do not refuse me." And the King said to her, "Make your request, my Mother, for I will not refuse you." The Hebrew word "gebirah" is used over 15 times in the Old Testament and can be translated as "Queen Mother" or "Great Lady." The Queen Mother in the Davidic Kingdom had the role of counselor and intercessor. The King may have many wives, but he only had one Mother.

Now we get to the New Testament.  At the Annunciation, the angel Gabriel says to Mary that the Lord God will give to Jesus "the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever and of his kingdom there will be no end (Luke 1 32-33)." Christ is the true King and Son of David who will rule forever. Just as in the Old Testament Kingdoms, the King would have a Queen, His Mother.  We see Mary exercising her intercessory role at the Wedding Feast of Cana when she sought the Lord for more wine (John 3:1-13).  

But what about her being crown?  She may be Queen, dear priest, but what about that part? We find the answer in the Book of Revelation:  "And a great portent appeared in the heaven, a woman clothed with the Sun, with the moon under her feet, and ON HER HEAD A CROWN OF 12 STARS (Rev. 12:1)." She gave birth to a son "who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron (Rev. 12:5)."  Clearly, the child is Jesus and the "woman" is Mary.

If it is the will of the Lord Jesus to give his Mom a crown of 12 stars, it is good enough for us too! We rightfully call her Queen and Mother because those are the titles given to her by King Jesus, the Son of David, who rules forever and ever in the new Kingdom.  In honoring Mary, we honor the King who chose to give her these roles.  When we crown Mary, we exult Jesus.  When we honor Mary, we glorify Christ.  When we honor the Queen, we exult the King! We don't take away from Him, but honor Him.  

Be Biblical Christians and honor Mary! For in doing so, we exult the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, the Son of David, Jesus the Christ!

Feast of St. Francis Xavier

St. Ignatius and St. Francis Xavier

One of the great things of the Advent Season is the number of saint's feasts that are celebrated during this time. They prepare us, in some way, shape or form, for the coming of Our Savior. Francis Xavier is one of them.

I must admit, I have always had a great fondness for this man.  I owe the Jesuits alot. Every single one of my spiritual directors was a Jesuit, along with some of my greatest professors. Each of them had a deep love for Christ, yet maintained a common sense approach to life with great balance. That really was the way of Ignatius, their founder.

Ignatius and Francis were best friends. They met as roommates at the University of Paris.  Francis at that time was very proud and arrogant.  Ignatius taught him alot and molded him into the man he became. Ignatius would say that Francis was "the toughest dough I kneaded." In August of 1534, 6 friends formed the Jesuit order to spread the Gospel.  Both Ignatius and Francis were ordained priests in 1537 and both were together in Rome when the Pope established the order.  Very soon, the Pope asked Ignatius to send Jesuit missionaries to India.  They needed a leader; Francis volunteered for the post.

My favorite thing about Francis is his friendship with Ignatius.  As they departed in Rome, Ignatius knew that they would only see each other again in heaven. They both shed lot of tears on their departure from each other. They corresponded through letters which sometimes took years to reach each other.  Francis helped evangelize India, Japan and had his eye set on China.  He baptized hundreds of thousands of people. One of the last letters Francis received from Ignatius, he wrote back:

Among many other holy words and consolations of your letter, I read the concluding ones, “Entirely yours, without power or possibility of ever forgetting you, Ignatio.” I read them with tears, and with tears now write them, remembering the past and the great love which you always bore towards me and still bear… .You tell me how greatly you desire to see me before this life closes. God knows the profound impression that those words of great love made on my soul and the many tears they cost me every time I thought of them… .
[May] God our Lord grant me to experience in this life his most holy will and, having experienced it, the grace to perfectly fulfill it.

He died shortly after, alone in a cell in China. They found around his neck a cord with the names of the friends he held close all those years.

At Christmas, Love becomes incarnate.  Christ came so that we would no longer be separated from Him or each other.  He died so that Love would no longer know death.  He rose so that Love would last forever.  This Season is not about presents and cookies. Its about Love.  

Think of those in your life that have left that mark of Love.  Who do you wear around your neck? Thank God for them today and reach out to them in some way. That is the greatest gift you could give at Christmas.  That is the best way to prepare the way of the Lord.

Maranatha!

Maranatha

Well, back by popular demand, its time to blog again. The Season of "Waiting for the King" has risen upon us. Throughout Advent and Christmastide, I will be blogging here and there with little liturgical tid-bits to help prepare our hearts for the Great and Awesome Day of the Lord's Coming! For today, on this First Sunday of Advent, I leave you with a meditation from St. Cyril of Jerusalem fitting for Advent:

"We do not preach only one coming of Christ, but a second as well, much more glorious than the first. The first coming was marked by patience; the second will bring the crown of a divine kingdom.

In general, whatever relates to our Lord Jesus Christ has two aspects. There is a birth from God before the ages, and a birth from a virgin at the fullness of time. There is a hidden coming, like that of rain on fleece, and a coming before all eyes, still in the future.

At the first coming he was wrapped in swaddling clothes in a manger. At his second coming he will be clothed in light as in a garment. In the first coming he endured the cross, despising the shame; in the second coming he will be in glory, escorted by an army of angels.

We look then beyond the first coming and await the second. At the first coming we said: Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. At the second we shall say it again; we shall go out with the angels to meet the Lord and cry out in adoration: Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.  The Savior will not come to be judged again, but to judge those by whom he was judged. At his own judgement he was silent; then he will address those who committed the outrages against him when they crucified him and will remind them: You did these things, and I was silent.

His first coming was to fulfil his plan of love, to teach men by gentle persuasion. This time, whether men like it or not, they will be subjects of his kingdom by necessity.

The prophet Malachi speaks of the two comings. And the Lord whom you seek will come suddenly to his temple: that is one coming.  Again he says of another coming: Look, the Lord almighty will come, and who will endure the day of his entry, or who will stand in his sight? Because he comes like a refiner’s fire, a fuller’s herb, and he will sit refining and cleansing.

These two comings are also referred to by Paul in writing to Titus: The grace of God the Saviour has appeared to all men, instructing us to put aside impiety and worldly desires and live temperately, uprightly, and religiously in this present age, waiting for the joyful hope, the appearance of the glory of our great God and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Notice how he speaks of a first coming for which he gives thanks, and a second, the one we still await.

That is why the faith we profess has been handed on to you in these words: He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father, and he will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end.


Our Lord Jesus Christ will therefore come from heaven. He will come at the end of the world, in glory, at the last day. For there will be an end to this world, and the created world will be made new."

Prepare your hearts. He is Coming.

He is Risen! Alleluia!

Let Christians immolate
praises to the passover victim.

The lamb has redeemed the sheep:
Innocent Christ has reconciled
the sinners to the Father.

Death and life contended
in a miraculous battle:
the Prince of life, who died,
reigns alive.

Tell us, Mary, what did
you see on the road?

"I saw the tomb of the living Christ
and the glory of his rising,

The angelic witnesses, the
clothes and the shroud."

"Christ my hope is arisen;
into Galilee, he will go before his own."

[Happy they who bear the witness
Mary's word believing
above the tales of Jewry deceiving.]

We know Christ is truly risen from the dead!
To us, victorious King, have mercy!
Amen. Alleluia.

- Sequence for Easter Sunday, 11th century

We are almost there.  40 days of preparation. Now we wait.  Get ready, Church! Glory is about to flood you! Let our buildings get ready to shake for joy!

Harrowing of Hell - What Jesus was doing on Holy Saturday

“For this is why the gospel was preached even to those who are dead, that though judged in the flesh the way people are, they might live in the spirit the way God does." 1 Peter 4:6

"What is happening? Today there is a great silence over the earth, a great silence, and stillness, a great silence because the King sleeps; the earth was in terror and was still, because God slept in the flesh and raised up those who were sleeping from the ages. God has died in the flesh, and the underworld has trembled.

Truly he goes to seek out our first parent like a lost sheep; he wishes to visit those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death. He goes to free the prisoner Adam and his fellow-prisoner Eve from their pains, he who is God, and Adam's son.

The Lord goes in to them holding his victorious weapon, his cross. When Adam, the first created man, sees him, he strikes his breast in terror and calls out to all: 'My Lord be with you all.' And Christ in reply says to Adam: ‘And with your spirit.’ And grasping his hand he raises him up, saying: ‘Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give you light.

‘I am your God, who for your sake became your son, who for you and your descendants now speak and command with authority those in prison: Come forth, and those in darkness: Have light, and those who sleep: Rise.

‘I command you: Awake, sleeper, I have not made you to be held a prisoner in the underworld. Arise from the dead; I am the life of the dead. Arise, O man, work of my hands, arise, you who were fashioned in my image. Rise, let us go hence; for you in me and I in you, together we are one undivided person.

‘For you, I your God became your son; for you, I the Master took on your form; that of slave; for you, I who am above the heavens came on earth and under the earth; for you, man, I became as a man without help, free among the dead; for you, who left a garden, I was handed over to Jews from a garden and crucified in a garden.

‘Look at the spittle on my face, which I received because of you, in order to restore you to that first divine in breathing at creation. See the blows on my cheeks, which I accepted in order to refashion your distorted form to my own image.

'See the scourging of my back, which I accepted in order to disperse the load of your sins which was laid upon your back. See my hands nailed to the tree for a good purpose, for you, who stretched out your hand to the tree for an evil one.

`I slept on the cross and a sword pierced my side, for you, who slept in paradise and brought forth Eve from your side. My side healed the pain of your side; my sleep will release you from your sleep in Hades; my sword has checked the sword which was turned against you.

‘But arise, let us go hence. The enemy brought you out of the land of paradise; I will reinstate you, no longer in paradise, but on the throne of heaven. I denied you the tree of life, which was a figure, but now I myself am united to you, I who am life. I posted the cherubim to guard you as they would slaves; now I make the cherubim worship you as they would God.

"The cherubim throne has been prepared, the bearers are ready and waiting, the bridal chamber is in order, the food is provided, the everlasting houses and rooms are in readiness; the treasures of good things have been opened; the kingdom of heaven has been prepared before the ages." - Ancient Homily for Holy Saturday

The King is Asleep

"Come, let us see our Life lying in the tomb, that He may give life to those that in their tombs lie dead. Come, let us look today on the Son of Judah as He sleeps, and with the prophet let us cry aloud to Him: Thou hast lain down, Thou hast slept as a lion; who shall awaken Thee, O King? But of Thine own free will do Thou rise up, who willingly dost give Thyself for us. O Lord, glory to Thee.

Today a tomb holds Him who holds the creation in the hollow of His hand; a stone covers Him who covered the heavens with glory. Life sleeps and hell trembles, and Adam is set free from his bonds. Glory to Thy dispensation, whereby Thou hast accomplished all things, granting us an eternal Sabbath, Thy most holy Resurrection from the dead." -Orthodox Hymn for Holy Saturday

Barefoot to the Cross

Last night at the Evening Mass of the Lord's Supper, many went to the basins barefoot. Many never put their shoes back on.  They walked back to receive our Lord in the Eucharist barefooted. As Christ in His infinite love washed our feet, how could we not walk barefoot? This ground is holy; saturated in His Love poured out for us par excellence in the Most Holy Eucharist. Today, we will once again be barefooted as we approach the Cross. It is such an ancient custom.  This ground is holy; saturated in His Blood poured out for us. Barefooted we trod deeply into these mysteries.  How could we not? I encourage you tonight, take off your shoes as you venerate the Cross.  Go in deep humility to the source of Our Redemption.  Approach the Cross, not filled with fear,but with deep love. For it is there that deep Love has been shown to the world.

We adore your Cross, O Lord, we praise and glory in your Resurrection, for behold, because of a tree joy has come to the whole world. - Antiphon for the Veneration of the Cross

Go to Dark Gethsemane

1. Go to dark Gethsemane,
ye that feel the tempter's power;
your Redeemer's conflict see,
watch with him one bitter hour.
Turn not from his griefs away;
learn of Jesus Christ to pray.

2. See him at the judgment hall,
beaten, bound, reviled, arraigned;
O the wormwood and the gall!
O the pangs his soul sustained!
Shun not suffering, shame, or loss;
learn of Christ to bear the cross.

3. Calvary's mournful mountain climb;
there, adoring at his feet,
mark that miracle of time,
God's own sacrifice complete.
"It is finished!" hear him cry;
learn of Jesus Christ to die.

Foot washing and Eucharist

I love this image of the events of tonight.  If you notice, Our Lord is radiant with light as He establishes the Holy Eucharist.  If you notice, the instruments of the foot washing till stand in front of that first Eucharistic altar.  Pius Parsch writes of this Liturgy of the Lord's Supper:

Both proofs of our Lord's great love proper to this day, the Eucharist and the foot washing, come to mind when singing the Communion verse:  "The Lord Jesus, after He had supped with His disciples, washed their feet, and said to them:  Do you know what I, your Lord and Master, have done for you? I have given you an example that you also should so do." Note the profound implication:  it is impossible to imitate Christ in His gift of the Eucharist, but we can imitate His example of humble service to others.  Such service to others is the sign and expression of our union with Him, for which the Eucharist was established. - Holy Thursday, The Church's Year of Grace

So as the sun sets, go to the Upper Room tonight. Let Him wash your feet. Let Him offer you His very Body and Blood. Go with Him to watch in the Garden. Offer your love in return by washing another's feet and giving them yourself. It is only then that you will worthy of the name of His Disciple.

The Great Three Days

Location of the Upper Room

"On the day before He was to suffer, he took bread in his sacred and venerable hands....."
-Roman Canon

Tonight is the night.  Lent officially ends at sunset and the Paschal Triduum begins.  Customarily tonight at the singing of the Gloria, bells are rung.  I can understand why. The joy of beginning these moments that mark our Redemption are ones of great energy.  I know the excitement is pulsing through my veins as we are about to begin. The whole of the Liturgical Year leads up to these three great days.  The picture of the Upper Room as seen above will be the location of many mysteries in the next several hours.  We will watch our Lord gather His disciples in this location to wash their feet. He will take Bread and Wine and mystically turn them into His own Body and Blood. The Apostles will gather here tomorrow and huddle behind locked doors in fear and hiding from those who crucified Him. This room will be the place where on Sunday, Our Lord will walk through those locked doors radiant in the splendor of His Resurrection. Fifty Days following, this room will shake with a violent wind as the Gift of the Holy Spirit is poured forth on the newborn Church.

Tonight, gang, we are not just "warm and fuzzily" remembering past events.  It is not a "memorial" in the English language sense. By the power of the Spirit, we are literally spiritually catapulted to these events, no longer marked by earthly space and time, but elevated to eternal mysteries. That is what is means to "do this in memory of me." When your feet get washed and you receive communion tonight, you are there in that Upper Room. When you walk with Our Lord to the Altar of Repose and "stay with Him", you are in the Garden.  When you walk the Stations of the Cross tomorrow and kiss the Wood of Our Salvation, you will be standing at Calvary.  When you hold a candle and shake with joy during the joyful Exultet and vibrant Gloria on Saturday, you are standing at the Empty Tomb.  That physical Upper Room is now embedded in your heart.  No longer distant, but intimate.

Walk with Him these three great days.  Journey with Him to the Cross.  Rejoice with Him in the Resurrection.  Spend these days in prayer. Stay close to Him.  Our Redemption is nigh.

Spy Wednesday

"Then Satan entered into Judas called Iscariot, who was one of the twelve; he went away and conferred with the chief priests and captains how he might betray him to them.  And they were glad, and engaged to give him money. So, he agreed, and sought an opportunity to betray him to them in the absence of the multitude." Luke 22:1-6

Wednesday of Holy Week is customarily called "Spy Wednesday." This is the day that Judas went to the chief priests and religious leaders to agree to turn Him into their custody.  These same religious leaders were seeking "spies" for days; looking for reasons to silence Jesus in the midst of a huge Passover crowd who a few days earlier declared "Hosanna to the Son of David." In the last two days, Jesus has rocked their boat. He has taken a whip and cleaned out the corruption in the Temple. He has preached loudly against the hatred and violence of the time.  He pointed to the hypocrisy of a priesthood filled with pride and lordship.  And believe me, religious leaders really don't like to have their authority questioned. It was time to silence Him.

They were overjoyed when one of His own came to them to hand him over.  They had to pay Judas.  The law forbid testimony from an informant without giving them compensation.  They paid Judas 30 pieces of silver. That was quite a bit of money.  Exodus 21:32 states that "if the ox gores a slave, male or female, the owner shall give to their master thirty shekels of silver." It's the price of human life.  Judas, the stubborn ox, yields to his own will as to who and what Jesus should be.  When Jesus doesn't fit into his nice little box, he turns to those religious leaders who he thinks will force Jesus into the Messiah he wishes to see.

It is real easy to paint Judas as the sole villain of the Passion narratives. But, in all honesty, we have all been Judas. How many times has Jesus not fit into the warm and fuzzy Messiah of the Gospel According to Me? And when he doesn't, we too sell out into the image and likeness of our reality.  Maybe it's in casting judgement on others and their walk with the Lord. Maybe we can't believe so and so is really as a good disciple as I.  Maybe it's neglecting to love and turning towards shaking down thunder on those who disagree with us.  Maybe we just plain betray the Love by which we were saved.

We are all guilty.  But, what can separate us from Judas? We still have the opportunity to turn towards Mercy.  Jesus would have forgiven Judas in a heartbeat if he turned to Him. But, instead he despaired because he clung to the Gospel according to Judas in which his version of the Messiah could never forgive his betrayal.  We must never place God in a box.  Allow Jesus to be Jesus.  Allow Mercy to be Mercy. Allow Love to be Love.  It is only then that our betrayal could be forgiven.

The darkness draws nigh. Stay close to Him.

Holy Tuesday

"We therefore place ourselves before you with love, we present our sufferings to you, we turn our gaze and our heart to your Holy Cross, and strengthened by your promise, we pray: Blessed be our Redeemer, who has given us life by his death. O Redeemer, realize in us the mystery of your redemption, through your passion, death and resurrection."

 - Maronite Liturgy

The Wedding March

"Palm Sunday, the gateway to Holy Week, is first of all, the great memorial to our Lord's Solemn Entrance into Jerusalem when He was about to suffer and to die.  He did not fall, a victim of hatred; He went voluntarily to His death, with royal freedom.  His death had been divinely decreed as the purchase price of humanity's redemption.  This festive entrance was His wedding march as He proceeded to seal with blood His Bridegroom's love for humanity.

The greatest and holiest of weeks is about to begin.  We should not call it a week of mourning, for Cross and Resurrection are inseparable. Christ's redemptive work did not end with death, it continues on in the victory of His Resurrection.  Therefore, we must not separate the passion from the resurrection, but rather regard the Cross as the way to Easter victory.

The liturgy does not make this week one of sorrowful lamentation or tearful sympathizing with our suffering Lord.  That was the medieval approach. No, through the whole week there runs a note of victory and joy, a realization that Christ's sacred passion was a prerequisite to Easter glory.  We cannot understand the Church's liturgy unless we keep this in mind." - Pius Parch, The Church's Year of Grace.

Anointing of Jesus' Feet

"Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead.  There they made him a supper; Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those at table with him.  Mary took a pound of costly ointment of pure nard and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair; and the house was filled with the fragrance of the ointment." John 12:1-3

Six days before the Passover, the 8th of Nisan, there was a supper for Jesus. That is tonight; This Eve of Palm Sunday.  Image the scene.  There is Lazarus, the one who was dead for 4 days eating and drinking at table with the One who raised him.  His friends and his sisters were there as well along with the rest of the Apostles.  This is a celebration of great joy.  They just witnessed a huge miracle. You could imagine the buzz between those who were gathered as to what happened that day.  I am sure they were asking Lazarus what it was like for him as well.  Then, out of no where, Mary comes to anoint the feet of Jesus with costly oil and wipe his feet with his hair.  Obviously, a gesture of love; one that really got under the skin of Judas who was more concerned with taking the money used to buy the nard and most probably skim off the top.  But, I think there is something even deeper that John is hinting at.

This event occurs 6 days before Passover, the 8th of Nisan.  In Leviticus 9, we read that on the 8th  day (of Nisan) Aaron was anointed and began his role as the first high priest.  He was anointed with oil made from "myrrh, cinnamon, cassia, and olive oil." (Ex 30:22).  His head was anointed although there is literature that his hands and feet were anointed as well coupled with the anointing of blood and washing with water in those same locations.

On the 8th of Nisan, like Aaron the High Priest, Jesus is anointed on his feet with anointing oil. Mary uses "spikenard" to anoint Jesus' feet.  Spikenard is made from cinnamon, myrrh, fine spices and olive oil.  It is the identical substance of the anointing oil for the High Priest.  I think John is showing us that today, the Great High Priest is chosen. He is anointed by the daughter of Israel symbolized in Mary.  In 6 days, he will offer the final Paschal Sacrifice of Himself on the altar of the Cross.  He is both Priest, Victim, and Altar.

Tonight, our Great High Priest is anointed.  Tomorrow, he comes to Jerusalem and is trumpeted by the loud cries of "Hosanna to the Son of David!"  Today He proclaimed He is Lord of Life, tonight He is anointed Great High Priest, tomorrow He comes to Jerusalem to save His People.

Lazarus, Come out!

Tomb of Lazarus

"Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany..." (John 11:55).  Today, our Lord arrives at Bethany to pick a fight with our greatest foe, death itself.  We are 6 days away from the moment when Christ will meet death face to face on the cross and destroy it at His Resurrection.  Today, we get a foretaste of that victory.  He comes to the tomb of His beloved friend, Lazarus.  He declares that "I am the resurrection and the life" (Jn 11:25).  Then, with a loud voice, shouts like a warrior in battle to the enemy:  "Come out." Death cannot hold Love.  In a week, we will come to understand the power of that reality. 

This day has very ancient roots with a great festive nature. Sadly, most of Western Christianity has forgotten it.  One of the earliest mentions of its celebration is by the "traveling nun" Egeria.  This sister from Spain made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land in the 4th century and recorded in detail the many liturgies that occurred there throughout the year.  Here is her account of Lazarus Saturday:

"And when the morning of the Sabbath begins to dawn, the bishop offers the oblation. And at the dismissal the archdeacon lifts his voice and says: “Let us all be ready today at the seventh hour in the Lazarium (the tomb of Lazarus as seen above).” And so, as the seventh hour approaches, all go to the Lazarium, that is, Bethany, situated at about the second milestone from the city.


And as they go from Jerusalem to the Lazarium, there is, about five hundred paces from the latter place, a church in the street on that spot where Mary the sister of Lazarus met with the Lord. Here, when the bishop arrives, all the monks meet him, and the people enter the church, and one hymn and one antiphon are said, and that passage is read in the Gospel where the sister of Lazarus meets the Lord. Then, after prayer has been made, and when all have been blessed, they go thence with hymns to the Lazarium.

And on arriving at the Lazarium, so great a multitude assembles that not only the place itself, but also the fields around, are full of people. Hymns and antiphons suitable to the day and to the place are said, and likewise all the lessons are read. Then, before the dismissal, notice is given of Easter, that is, the priest ascends to a higher place and reads the passage that is written in the Gospel: When Jesus six days before the Passover had come to Bethany, and the rest. So, that passage having been read and notice given of Easter, the dismissal is made.

This is done on that day because, as it is written in the Gospel, these events took place in Bethany six days before the Passover; there being six days from the Sabbath to the fifth weekday on which, after supper, the Lord was taken by night. Then all return to the city direct to the Anastasis (the empty tomb of Christ), and lucernare takes place according to custom."

So, rejoice today. The Lord announces His battle plan that will culminate in His Resurrection.  Take a moment and read John 11, the raising of Lazarus.

Stay close to Him.

Vespers of Lazarus Saturday

Rejoice, rejoice, O Bethany!
On this day God came to thee,
And in Him the dead are made alive,
As it is right for He is the Life.

When Martha went to receive Him,
Grieving loudly with bitter tears,
She poured out the sorrow of her heart to Him
With great sadness, wailing her lament.

She at once cried out unto Him:
“My most compassionate Lord, my Lord,
At the great loss of my brother Lazarus
My heart is broken, help me.”

Jesus said to her, “Cease your weeping,
Cease your grieving and sad lament;
For your brother, My most beloved friend, Lazarus,
Very soon will live again.”

Then He, the faithful Redeemer,
Made His way unto the tomb,
Where he cried unto him who was buried four days,
Calling him forth, saying “Lazarus, arise.”

Come with haste, ye two sisters,
And behold a wondrous thing,
For your brother from the tomb has returned to life.
To the beloved Redeemer now give thanks.

To Thee, O Lord of creation,
We kneel down in reverence profound,
For all we who are dead in sin,
In Thee, O Jesus, are made alive.

–A Koinonikon for Lazarus Saturday

Passiontide

The shadow of the cross is looming large. We have journeyed over the last 5 weeks of Lent with prayer and fasting. The time of our Redemption is almost at hand. The night is dark.  The restless voices of hatred and violence begin to clamor loudly to silence Love Himself. We stand in Passiontide.

Passiontide is traditionally the last two weeks of Lent, i.e. the 5th Week and Holy Week. By now,the Roman Church has joined the Anglican Church in veiling images and covering crosses.  The Church adorns herself with the veil of mourning. The Sarum Rite began to wear crimson red vestments to mark this period marked with the drops of His Blood. We begin to see the Beloved embrace His Passion to free us from our sins and save us. We draw near to the Great Holy Week.

Today, the gauntlet is thrown. Lazarus dies and is buried. We know that Jesus raises him 6 days before the Passover, which would be this Saturday, "Lazarus Saturday." Lazarus laid in the tomb 4 days. In fact, on the Wednesday of the 5th Week of Lent, the Orthodox Church sings:

TODAY LAZARUS IS BURIED
AND HIS SISTERS SING IN LAMENTATION.
BUT IN YOUR DIVINE FOREKNOWLEDGE,
YOU HAVE PREDICTED WHAT SHOULD COME TO PASS:
LAZARUS IS SLEEPING, YOU PROPHESIED TO YOUR DISCIPLES,
BUT NOW I GO TO RAISE UP HIM WHOM I CREATED!
THEREFORE WE ALL CRY TO YOU: GLORY TO YOUR MIGHTY POWER!

This act of rising Lazarus not only stirs His enemies to silence Him, but foreshadows His Resurrection.

And so, we begin.  These days leading up to Our Lord's Passion, Death and Resurrection are mighty with power, grace and love. Stay near to Him.

"Most merciful God,
who by the death and resurrection of your Son Jesus Christ
delivered and saved the world:
grant that by faith in him who suffered on the cross
we may triumph in the power of his victory;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
AllAmen" - Church of England, Passiontide Collect

Don't cry for me Argentina.....

Hi

Pope Watch 2013 is now over. The white smoke has risen. Pope Francis now fills the shoes of the Fisherman.  What was most interesting to me was the audible gasp that came from the crowd when his surname "Bergoglio" was announced. I must admit, I was running through my list going..."what in the..." Although mentioned quietly as a front runner in Conclave 2013, he really was not expected to take over the keys.  But as I said in the first blog about the Conclave, those who go in as Pope, come out Cardinal.  Even my horse in the derby, Cardinal O'Malley came away wearing a red hat.  It is highly rumored that Pope Francis came in second to Ratzinger at Conclave 2005.  He supposedly made a huge emotional plea to the Cardinals during the voting to not elect him. What is fascinating is that almost 2/3rds of the College of Cardinals changed between 2005 and the present. Yet, he was elected.  Holy Spirit? One would pray so.  Apparently, there was some major discussion because it took 5 ballots. He wasn't a shoe in.  Benedict took 4, JPII took 8.  So, somewhere in the middle.  Hopefully it wasn't a rushed job to get a man in the chair by Holy Week.  But, either way, Francis is now the Big Kahuna.

What is my take on Pope Frank? Well, I am withholding judgement, fully.  What a person does as a Cardinal and what one does as a Pope can be two different things.  So, what are some things we know:

• From Latin America, yet born of Italian Immigrants. Italians still win!
• Takes the name "Francis."  The Vatican released that it was a nod in honor of St. Francis of Assisi and not St. Francis Xavier.  That name means something.  People immediately jumped to his cry for unity and love for the poor, all marks of Francis.  However, the first thought in my head was the cry of Our Lord from the cross to Francis, "Rebuild My Church!" I am hoping that becomes Francis' motto. The Vatican needs a scrubbing.  The Church needs to have some cracks patched and become relevant to the world again. 
• He is the first Jesuit Pope.  All of my spiritual directors have been Jesuits.  I have a fondness for them, especially for St. Ignatius and St. Francis Xavier.
• On the other hand, as a Liturgist....Oy Vey. Pope Frank, from all that I have seen and read, isn't much of a Liturgist. His opening address was very plain.  No mozzetta. No stole, until he put it on to bless and then took it off.  He definitely seems like a man who is about people and reaching people, though.  But, the New Evangelization cannot happen without a fruitful and spiritual liturgy.  That worries me.  There is an old saying, "More confused than a Jesuit during Holy Week." You can also substitute "a Franciscan" just as easy to that statement.  Ugh.  Benedict was a true Liturgist. I hope Frank doesn't come across as too casual and blah.  Beauty attracts, buffoons make people vomit. Sloppiness doesn't transform people.
• He does seem very holy. In fact, you can't read an article without noticing that people think that of him.  I wondered what took him so long to get out on the balcony.  We find out that he requested to go into a chapel to pray alone before stepping out to see the world. I find that noble.  The fact that he bowed his head and asked for the Faithful to pray that the Lord would bless him is very noble and very humble.  
• He is social justice oriented.  He is a voice for the poor.  He made visits to AIDS hospitals where he kissed and washed patients feet.  He gave up a luxurious palace and driver to live in a small one bedroom apartment and take the public bus to work. He may make the Papacy more reachable.  He is much more like John Paul I than people realize.  Go search the thoughts of JPI.  We may find out what the Papacy of the "Smiling Pope" would have looked like if he got more than 30 days. 
• When he stepped out on the balcony, he looked like a deer in headlights.  He looked stunned, maybe overwhelmed. That's a given. To me, however, he looked tired.  Very tired.  He is 76.  The whole thing looked tired and sloppy.  I was very excited when the white smoke poured out of the chimney.  But, when he emerged, it all seemed to drain from me.  Is he merely a clean up Pope to bow out when he hits 85 as well? Who knows. At some point, the Cardinals need to realize they look like a "geriocracy" and keep choosing "geriatric rule." It's hard to evangelize the world when the Pope gets a good 4 years before he looks like the Crypt Keeper and drools all over himself.  Bad show. Every single person at my job said the same thing, "He is 76? Ugh." Come on, guys.  This is the youthful Bride of Christ, not the "Shady Pines" Nursing Home.  Are you afraid the young will mess it up or aren't as experienced? Please. If you all couldn't bring the Church to her knees, no one can! You have done a pretty good job of putting the Body of Christ in hospice.
• I think Papa Frankie is going to tick off both sides of the altar. The Traditionalists are already shaking in their boots. He is no fan of the "Extraordinary Form." Yet, he did give a plenary indulgence at his blessing and led the Faithful in the Our Father, Hail Mary, and the Glory Be. The Left isn't going to like him fully either. He is very conservative on social issues like referring to gay adoption as "child abuse." However, I like people who tick off both sides.  That means, he is his own person. Remember the seagull that appeared on the chimney all day.  The seagull historically is a sign of honesty, personal freedom, and deliverance.  Pope Frank may be just that.
• Pope Francis gets huge props for me for his devotion to Our Lady. He mentioned her twice in his opening address. He ended by saying that "tomorrow I will go to see the Madonna." Nice! Even if he is a lack luster Pope, Mom will whip him into shape quickly.  

So, what's next? We shall see.  Inaugural Mass on the Solemnity of St. Joseph.  I am curious to see what that liturgy will look like as well as the rest of this Papacy.  Until then, back to business. It's Lent! You will now be returned to your regularly scheduled fasting.

First Day of Voting

For some reason, I can't stop thinking of Cardinal Sean O'Malley from Boston.  He is the Cardinal from Boston.  Humble man, Capuchin friar, cleaned up the abuse crisis, sold the Bishop Mansion to assist the victims, speaks 7 languages.....  Dunno. Maybe he needs our prayers..or maybe, he REALLY needs our prayers.

Maybe his name is in that chalice?  We shall see when the white smoke rises.

Until then....Veni, Sancte Spiritus.