FRIDAY IN EASTER WEEK
From The Roman Breviary
At MATINS
The reading from the Holy Gospel according to Matthew
Lesson I: c., 28, 16-20

At that time: The eleven disciples went into Galilee, unto the mountain where Jesus had appointed them. And seeing him they adored: but some doubted. And Jesus coming, spoke to them, saying: All power is given to me in heaven and in earth. Going therefore, teach ye all nations; baptizing them in the name of the father, and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and behold I am with you all days, even to the consummation of the world.

Lesson iii
Homily of St. Jerome, Priest
Book 4, Commentary on Matthew
Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you. This arrangement is important: he commanded the Apostles, first to teach all nations, then to steep them in the sacrament of faith, and after imparting faith and administering baptism, to instruct them in the precepts they must observe. And lest we should think these precepts to be few in number, and of small importance, he added: All things whatsoever I have commanded you; so that all those, who had believed and been baptized in the Trinity, should do all those things that are commanded. And behold I am with you even to the consummation of the world. He, who promises to be with his disciples even to the consummation of the world, also shows them that they will live for ever, and that he will never depart from those who believe in him. Read whole post......

EASTER THURSDAY
Easter, Feast of Holiness from the "Word of Life" on the margin of the Roman Missal by Don Columba Marmion.

In her litanies, the Church applies certain qualifying titles to some of the mysteries of Jesus. She says of His Resurrection that it is "holy": Per sanctam resurrectionem tuam. Why is the Resurrection, in preference to all the other mysteries of Jesus, called "holy"? Because it is in this mystery that Christ particularly fulfills the conditions of holiness; because if, by all His life, He is the Way, and the Light, if He gives the example of every virtue compatible with His Divinity, in His Resurrection Christ is above all the example of holiness. What, then, are the elements that constitute holiness? Holiness can be resumed for us into two elements: separation from all sin, detachment from every creature; and the belonging totally and steadfastly to God. Now, in Christ's Resurrection, these two characters are found in a degree not manifested before His coming forth from the tomb. Although the Word Incarnate had been, during His entire existence, the "Holy One" like to none other, it is with effulgent brightness that He especially reveals Himself to us under this aspect in His Resurrection and it is therefore that the Church sings: Per sanctan resurrectionem tuam.

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EASTER WEDNESDAY
The second miraculous draught of fishes (St. Matth., xxviii, 16; St. John, xxi, 1-14)
After this the eleven disciples went into Galilee; [and] Jesus shewed Himself again to [them] at the sea of Tiberias. And He shewed Himself after this manner: there were together Simon Peter, and Thomas who is called Didymus, and Nathaniel who was of Cana in Galilee, and the sons of Zebedee, and two others of His disciples.
Simon Peter saith to them:
"-I go a fishing."
They say to him:
"-We also come with thee."
And they went forth and entered into the ship: and that night they caught nothing.
But when the morning was come, Jesus stood on the shore: yet the disciples knew not that it was Jesus.
Jesus therefore said to them:
"-Children, have you any meat?"
They answered:
"-No."
He saith to them:
"-Cast the net on the right side of the ship; and you shall find."
They cast therefore: and now they were not able to draw it for the multitude of fishes. That disciples therefore whom Jesus loved said to Peter:
"-It is the Lord."
Simon Peter, when he had heard that it was the Lord, girt his coat about him (for he was naked) and cast himself into the sea. But the other disciples came in the ship (for they were not far from the land, but as it were two hundred cubits) dragging the net with fishes. As soon as they came to land, they saw hot coals lying, and a fish laid thereon and bread. Jesus saith to them:
"-Bring hither of the fishes which you have caught."
Simon Peter went up and drew the net to land, full of great fishes, one hundred fifty three. And although there were so many, the net was not broken.
Jesus saith to them:
"-Come and dine."
And none of them who were at meat, durst ask Him: Who art thou? Knowing that it was the Lord. And Jesus cometh and taketh bread, and giveth them, and fish in like manner. This is now the third time that Jesus was manifested to His disciples, after he was risen from the dead.

At Matins from the Roman Breviary

Lesson iii
Homily of St. Gregory, Pope

Again, it may be asked why, when the disciples were labouring on the sea, the Lord appeared, after his resurrection, standing upon the shore, while before his resurrection he had walked upon the waves of the sea in the sight of the disciples. We shall soon see the reason of this, if we consider the inner nature of the case. For what does the sea represent, if not this present world, surging with the tumult of its ever-shifting fortunes, and with the billows of this corruptible life? What is signified by the solidity of the shore, if not the everlasting peace of eternity? Since therefore the disciples were as yet surrounded by the bellows of this mortal life, they were struggling on the sea: but since our Redeemer had now passed beyond the corruption of the flesh after his resurrection he was standing on the shore.

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EASTER MONDAY

PRESENCE OF GOD
Do not leave me, O Jesus, gentle Pilgrim; I have need of You

MEDITATION
1. God has made us for Himself, and we cannot live without Him; we need Him, we hunger and thirst for Him; He is the only One who can satisfy our hearts. The Easter liturgy is impregnated with this longing for God, for Him who is from on high; it even makes it the distinctive sign of our participation in the Paschal mystery. "If you be risen with Christ, seek the things, that are above, where Christ is sitting at the right hand of God; mind the things that are above, not the things that are upon the earth" (Col 3:1,2). The more the soul revives itself in the Resurrection of Christ, the more it feels the need of God and of heavenly truth; it detaches itself more and more from earthly things to turn toward those of heaven.
Just as physical hunger is an indication of a living, healthy organism, so spiritual hunger is a sign of a robust spirit, one that is active and continually developing. The soul which feels no hunger for God, no need to seek Him and to find Him, and which does not vibrate or suffer with anxiety in its search, does not bear within itself the signs of the Resurrection. It is a dead soul, or at least one which has been weakened and rendered insensible by lukewarmness. The Paschal alleluia is a cry of triumph at Christ's Resurrection, but at the same time it is an urgent invitation for us to rise also. Like the sound of reveille, it calls us to battles of spirit, and invites us to rouse and renew ourselves, to participate ever more profoundly in Christ's Resurrection....

2. We read in today's Gospel the very beautiful story of the disciples at Emmaus (Lk 24: 13-35). Here we find the earnest supplication: "Stay with us, because it is towards evening, and the day is now far spent." Stay with us, Lord! It is the cry of the soul who has found God and never again wishes to be separated from Him. Let us too, as the disciples at Emmaus, go in search of the Lord. Our whole life is a continuous journey toward Him, and we are often sad, even as they were, because we do not succeed in finding Him, because not understanding His mysterious ways, it seems that He has abandoned us. "We hoped that it was He that should have redeemed Israel....but....," said the two disciples, frustrated by the death of Jesus, at the very moment when they were about to relinquish all hope, was there close to them, disguised as their fellow traveler. We have often shared this experience of Him. Hidden in the obscurity of faith, God draws near our soul, makes Himself our traveling companion, and still more, lives in us by grace. It is true that here below He does not reveal Himself in the clarity of the "face to face" vision which is reserved for eternity; we see Him only as through a glass in a dark manner (1 Cor 13:12); nevertheless, God knows how to make Himself known. To us as to the disciples at Emmaus, His presence is revealed in an obscure manner; yes, but unmistakably, because of the unique ardour which He alone can kindle in our hearts. The soul who has found the Lord.....cannot fail to direct Him the cry: "Stay with me!".....Let us, therefore, beg Him ardently: teach us, O Lord, to stay with You, to live with You.

QOLLOQUY
.....Remember my great misery, O Lord, and look upon my weakness, since You know all things (TJ Exc, 7 - Life).

credit: text from "Divine Intimacy" by Fr. Gabriel of St. Mary Magdalen OCD

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EASTER SUNDAY

PRESENCE OF GOD - O risen Jesus, make me worthy to share in the joy of Your Resurrection.

MEDITATION
This is a day which the Lord hath made; let us be glad and rejoice therein (Psalm 118:24).

1. Joy in truth: According to the vibrant admonition of St. Paul. "Let us celebrate the feast, not with old leaven....but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth." In this world there are many ephemeral joys, based on fragile, insecure foundations; but the Paschal joy is solidly grounded on the knowledge that we are in the truth, the truth which Christ brought to the world and which he confirmed by His Resurrection. The Resurrection tells us that our faith is not in vain, that our hope is not founded on a dead man, but on a living one, the Living One par excellence, whose life is so strong that it vivifies, in time as in eternity, all those who believe in Him. "I am the Resurrection and the Life; he that beliveth in Me, although he be dead, shall live" (Jn 11:25). Joy in truth: for only sincere and upright souls who seek the truth lovingly and, still more, "do the truth" can fully rejoice in the Resurrection. We are sincere when we recognise ourselves for what we are, with all our faults, deficiencies, and need for conversion. From this knowledge of our miseries springs the sincere resolve to purify ourselves of the old leaven of the passions in order to be renewed completely in the risen Christ. Truth, however, must be accomplished in charity - veritatem facientes in caritatem, doing the truth in charity (Eph 4:15); therefore the Postcommunion prayer that is placed on our lips is more timely than ever: "Pour forth upon us, O Lord, the spirit of Thy love, to make us of one heart." Without unity and mutual charity there can be no real Paschal joy.

2. The Gospel (Mk 16:1-7) places before our eyes the faithful holy women who, at the first rays of the Sunday dawn, run to the sepulcher, and on the way, wonder: "Who will roll back the stone from the door of the sepulcher for us?" This preoccupation, although it is well justified on account of the size and weight of the stone, does not deter them from proceeding with their plans; they are too much taken up with the desire of finding Jesus! And behold! Hardly have they arrived when they see "the stone rolled back". They enter the tomb and find an Angel who greets them with the glad announcement: "He is risen; He is not here." At this time, Jesus does not let Himself be found or seen; but a little later when, in obedience to the command of the Angel, the women leave the tomb to bring the news to the disciples, he will appear before them saying, "All hail!" (Mt 28:9), and their joy will be overwhelming.
We, too, have a keen desire to find the Lord; perhaps we have been seeking Him for many long years. Further, this desire may have been accompanied by serious preoccupation with the question of how we might rid ourselves of the obstacles and roll away from our souls the stone which has prevented us thus far from finding the Lord, from giving ourselves entirely to Him, and from letting Him triumph in us. Precisely because we want to find the Lord, we have already overcome many obstacles, sustained by His grace; divine Providence has helped us roll away many stones, overcome many difficulties. Nevertheless, the search for God is progressive, and must be maintained during our whole life. For this reason, following the example of the holy women, we must always have a holy preoccupations about finding the Lord, a preoccupation which will make us industrious and diligent in seeking Him, and at the same time confident of the divine aid, since the Lord will certainly take care that we arrive where our own strength could never bring us, because He will do for us what we cannot do for ourselves. Every year Easter marks a time of renewal in our spiritual life, in our search for God; every year we reascend the path toward Him in novitate vitae, in newness of life (Rom 6:4).

COLLOQUY
....."I pray You, Lord, give my soul the wings of an eagle, that I may fly without weakening, fly, until I reach the splendour of Your glory. There, You will feed me on Your secrets at the table of the heavenly citizens, in the place of Your Pasch, near the celestial fount of eternal satiety. Let my heart rest in You, my heart which resembles a great ocean, agitated by tumultuous waves" (St. Augustine). This is the most excellent day, the happiest day in the whole year, because it is the day when "Christ, our Pasch, has been sacrificed." Christmas, too, is a joyous feast, but whereas Christmas vibrates with a characteristic note of sweetness, the Paschal solemnity resounds with an unmistakable note of triumph; it is joy for the triumph of Christ, for His victory. The liturgy of the Mass shows us this Paschal joy under two aspects: joy in truth and joy in charity

Credit: text from "Divine Intimacy" - 'The Resurrection of the Lord' (by Fr. Gabriel of St. Mary Magdalen OCD)

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HOLY SATURDAY
"WHY OUR LORD WENT DOWN TO LIMBO" - "Meditations for Lent" from St. Thomas Aquinas
From the descent of Christ to hell we may learn, for our instruction, four things:
1. Firm hope in God.
No matter what the trouble in which a man finds himself, he should always put trust in God's help and rely on it. There is no trouble greater than to find oneself in hell. If then Christ freed those who were in hell, any man who is a friend of God cannot but have great confidence that he too shall be freed from whatever anxiety holds him. Wisdom forsook not the just when he was sold, but delivered him from sinners; she went down with him into the pit and in bands she left him not (Wis. X.13-14). And since to His servants God gives a special assistance, he who serves God should have still greater confidence. He that feareth the Lord shall tremble at nothing, and shall not be afraid: for he is his hope (Ecclus. xxxiv.16).
2. We ought to conceive fear and to rid ourselves of presumption.
For although Christ suffered for sinners, and went down into hell to set them free, he did not set all sinners free, but only those who were free of mortal sin. Those who had died in mortal sin He left there. Wherefore for those who have gone down to hell in mortal sin there remains no hope of pardon. They shall be in hell as the holy Fathers are in heaven, that is for ever.
3. We ought to be full of care.
Christ went down into hell for our salvation, and we should be careful frequently to go down there too, turning over in our minds hell's pain and penalties, as did the holy king Ezechias as we read in the prophecy of Isaiah, I said: In the midst of my days I shall go to the gates of hell (Isaiah xxxviii.10). Those who in their meditation often go down to hell during life, will not easily go down there at death. Such meditations are a powerful arm against sin, and a useful aid to bring a man back from sin. Daily we see men kept from evildoing by the fear of the law's punishments. How much greater care should they not take on account of the punishment of hell, greater in its duration, in its bitterness and in its variety. Remember thy last end and thou shalt never sin (Ecclus. vii. 40).
4. The fact is for us an example of love.
Christ went down into hell to set free those that were his own. We, too, therefore, should go down there to help our own. For those who are in purgatory are themselves unable to do anything, and therefore we ought to help them. Truly he would be a harsh man indeed who failed to come to the aid of a kinsman who lay in prison, here on earth. How much more harsh, then, the man who will not aid the friend who is in purgatory, for there is no comparison between the pains there and the pains of this world. Have pity on me, have pity on me, at least you my friends, because the hand of the Lord hath touched me (Job xix. 21).
We help the souls in purgatory chiefly by these three means, by masses, by prayers, and by almsgiving. Nor is it wonderful that we can do so, for even in this world a friend can make satisfaction for a friend. Read whole post......

OUR LADY SEVEN SORROWS

Stabat Mater dolorósa
iuxta crucem lacrimósa,
dum pendébat Fílius.

Cuius ánimam geméntem,
contristátam et doléntem
pertransívit gládius.

O quam tristis et afflícta
fuit illa benedícta,
mater Unigéniti!

Quæ mærébat et dolébat, pia Mater, dum vidébat Nati poenas íncliti.

Quis est homo qui non fleret, Matrem Christi si vidéret tanto supplício?

Quis non posset contristári, piam Matrem contemplári doléntem cum Fílio?

Pro peccátis suæ gentis vidit lesum in torméntis, et flagéllis súbditum.

Vidit suum dulcem Natum moriéndo desolátum, dum emísit spíritum.

Eia, Mater, fons amóris me sentíre vim dolóris fac, ut tecum lúgeam.

Fac ut árdeat cor meum in amándo Christum Deum, ut sibi compláceam.

Sancta Mater, istud agas, Crucifíxi fige plagas cordi meo válide.

Tui Nati vulneráti, tam dignáti pro me pati, poenas mecum divide.

Fac me tecum pie flere, Crucifíxo condolére, donec ego víxero.

Iuxta crucem tecum stare, ac me tibi sociáre in planctu desídero.

Virgo vírginum præclára, mihi iam non sis amára, fac me tecum plángere.

Fac ut portem Christi mortem, passiónis fac me sortem, et plagas recólere.

Fac me plagis vulnerári, cruce hac inebriári, et cruóre Filii.

Flammis urar succénsus, per te, Virgo, sim defénsus in die iudícii.

Fac me cruce custodíri, morte Christi præmuníri, confovéri grátia.

Quando corpus moriétur, fac ut ánimæ donétur Paradísi glória. Read whole post......

HOLY THURSDAY
The Gift of Love fragments from "Divine Intimacy" Fr. Gabriel of St. Mary Magdalen OCD

PRESENCE OF GOD - O Jesus, grant that I may fathom the immensity of that love which led You to give us the Eucharist.

MEDITATION
1. "Having loved His own....He loved them unto the end" (Jn 13, 1-15), and in those last intimate hours spent in their midst, He wished to give them the greatest proof of love. Those were hours of sweet intimacy, but also of most painful anguish. Judas had already set the price of the infamous sale; Peter was about to deny his Master; all of them within a short time would abandon Him. The institution of Eucharist appeared then as the answer of Jesus to the treachery of men, as the greatest gift of His infinite love in return for the blackest ingratitude. The merciful God would pursue his rebellious creatures, not with threats, but with the most delicate devices of His immense charity. Jesus had already done and suffered so much for sinful man, but now, at the moment when human malice is about to sound the lowest depths of the abyss, He exhausts only as the Redeemer, who will die for him on the Cross, but also as the food which will nourish him. He will feed man with His own Flesh and Blood; moreover, death might claim Him in a few hours, but the Eucharist will perpetuate His real, living presence until the end of time. "O You who are mad about Your creature!" exclaimed St. Catherine of Siena, "true God and true Man, You have left Yourself wholly to us, as food, so that we will not fall through weariness during our pilgrimage in this life, but will be fortified by Your celestial Nourishment!"
Today's Mass is, in a very special way, the commemoration and the renewal of the Last Supper, in which we are all invited to participate. Let us enter the Church and gather close around the altar as if going into the Cenacle to gather around Jesus. Here we find, as did the Apostle at Jerusalem, the Master living in our midst, and He Himself, through the person of His minister, will renew once again the great miracle which changes bread and wine into His Body and Blood; He will say to us, "Take and eat...take and drink."
It was Jesus Himself who made the arrangements for the Last Supper, choosing "a large room" (Lk 22,12), and bidding the Apostles to prepare it suitably. Our hearts, dilated and made spacious by love, must also be a "large" cenacle, where Jesus may come and worthily celebrate His Pasch. Read whole post......

Wednesday of Holy Week
"THE MAN OF SORROWS" from "Divine Intimacy" by Fr. Gabriel of St. Mary Magdalen OCD

PRESENCE OF GOD - O suffering Jesus, grant that I may read in Your Passion Your love for me.

MEDITATION
1. Today's Mass contains two lessons from Isaias (62,11; 63, 1-7; 53, 1-12) which describe in a very impressive way the figure of Jesus, the Man of Sorrows. It is the suffering Christ who presents Himself to us, covered with the shining purple of His Blood, wounded from head to foot."Why then is Thy apparel red, and Thy garments like theirs that tread in the winepress? I have trodden the winepress alone, and of the Gentiles there is not a man with Me." All alone Jesus trod the winepress of His Passion. Let us think of His agony in the Garden of Olives, where the vehemence of His grief covered all His members with a bloody sweat. Let us think of the moment when Pilate, after having Him scourged, brought Him before the mob, saying: "Behold the Man!" Jesus stood there, His head crowned with thorns, His flesh lacerated by the whips; the brilliant red of His Blood mingled with the purple of His cloak of derision with which the soldiers had clothed their mock king. Christ was offering Himself as a sacrifice for men, shedding His Blood for their salvation, and men were abandoning Him. "I looked about and there was none to help; I sought, and there was none to give aid" (Roman Missal). Where were the sick whom He had cured, the blind, who at the touch of His hand had recovered their sight, the dead who were raised to life, the thousands whom he had miraculously fed with bread in the wilderness, the wretched without number who in countless ways had experienced His goodness? Before Jesus there was only an infuriated mob clamoring: Crucify Him! Crucify Him Even the Apostles, His most intimate friends, had fled; indeed one of them had betrayed Him: "If he that hated Me had spoken great things against Me, I would perhaps have hidden Myself from him! But thou, a man of one mind, My guide, and My familiar, who didst take sweetmeats together with Me" (Ps 54, 13.14). We read these words today, as on all the Wednesdays of the year, in the psalms of Terce. To this text which is so deeply expressive of the bitterness Jesus felt when betrayed and abandoned by His own, there is a corresponding response at Matins: "Instead of loving Me, they decried Me, and returned evil for good, and hate in exchange for My love" (Roman Breviary). As we contemplate Jesus in His Passion, each one of us can say to himself, dilexit me, et tradidit semetipsum pro me, He loved me, and delivered Himself for me (Gal 2,20); and it would be well to add,"How have I repaid His love?"

2. Jesus is singularly worthy of the gratitude and fidelity of men. No one has ever done more for them than He; yet no one has suffered more than He the bitterness of ingratitude and treachery. Let us review for a moment the prologue of St. John's Gospel, which presents Jesus to us in all His divine Majesty, in the eternal splendour of the Word, the "true light which enlightened every man that cometh into this world." Compare it then with the lesson from Isaias (2nd lesson of the Mass), which describes the opprobrium and ignominy to which His Passion has reduced Him. The result should be a deeper understanding of the two great truths that emerge: the exceeding charity with which Jesus has loved us, and the enormous gravity of sin. Of Him, the Son of God, it is written: "There is no beauty in Him, nor comeliness: and we have seen Him, and there was no sightliness that we should be desirous of Him: despised and the most abject of men, a man of sorrows.....His look was, as it were, hidden." He has no beauty, He who is the splendour of the Father. He seeks to hide His face, He, the sight of whose face is the beatitude of the angels and saints. He is so disfigured that He seems like a leper, so abject that no account is made of Him. To this pitiable condition our sins have reduced Him. "Surely He hath borne our infirmities and carried our sorrows" - infirmities and sorrows are the consequences of sin....The Lord took all our iniquities upon Himself."
The consideration of the horror of sin should throw into relief the other great truth of the Passion; namely, the inexpressible love of Christ. This love made Him willingly accept His Passion; and having accepted it because "He willed it," he did not evade His enemies, but freely gave Himself into their hands. Let us recall the moment when Jesus, by His divine power, cast to the ground the soldiers who had come to arrest Him, and having said that, if he wished, He could have legions of angels to defend Him, allowed them to take and bind Him without any resistance. Let us remember that, when He was taken prisoner and condemned, He did not hesitate to say to the Roman governor, "Thou shouldst not have any power against Me, unless it were given thee from above" (Jn 19,11). Jesus is the victim. He goes willingly to be sacrificed; he immolates Himself lovingly, with sovereign liberty. We touch here the summit of love, the summit of liberty, for we speak of the love and the liberty of God....... Read whole post......

Tuesday in Holy Week
The Roman Breviary
At MATINS
From Jeremias the Prophet
Lesson i: c.11,15-20
What is the meaning that my beloved hath wrought much wickedness in my house? Shall the holy flesh take away from thee thy crimes in which thou hast boasted? The Lord called thy name, a plentiful olive tree, fair, fruitful, and beautiful: at the noise of a word, a great fire was kindled in it and the branches thereof are burnt. And the Lord of hosts that planted thee hath pronounced evil against thee: for the evils of the house of Israel and of the house of Juda which they have done to themselves, to provoke me, offering to Baalim. But thou, O Lord, hast shewn me, and I have known: then thou shewedst me their doings. And I was as a meek lamb that is carried to be a victim: and I knew not that they had devised counsels against me, saying: Let us put wood in his bread and cut him off from the land of the living, and let his name be remembered no more. But thou, O Lord of Sabaoth, who judgest justly and tries the reins and the hearts, let me see thy revenge on them: for to thee have I revealed my cause.
R. I have suffered reproaches and fears from them who were my familiars, and continued at my side, saying: Let us entice him: but thou, O Lord, art with me as a strong warrior. Let them fall into everlasting confusion, that I may see they vengeance upon them, for unto thee I have opened my cause.
V. Judge, O Lord, the cause of my soul, O thou the defender of my life.

Lesson ii: c.12, 1-4
Thou indeed, O Lord, art just, if I plead with thee, but yet I will speak what is just to thee: Why doth the way of the wicked prosper? Why is it well with all them that transgress and do wickedly? Thou hast planted them, and they have taken root: they prosper and bring forth fruit: thou art near in their mouth and far from their reins. And thou, O Lord, hast known me and proved my heart with thee: gather them together as sheep for a sacrifice, and prepare them for the day off slaughter. How long shall the land mourn and the herb of every field wither for the wickedness of them that dwell therein? The beasts and the birds are consumed: because they have said: He shall not see our last end.
R. For thy sake, O God of Israel, I have borne reproach, shame hath covered my face, I am became a stranger unto my brethren, and an alien unto my mother's children: For zeal of thy house hath eaten me up.
V. Draw nigh unto my soul, and deliver it, save me because of my enemies.

Lesson iii
I have forsaken my house, I have left my inheritance, I have given my dear soul into the hand of her enemies. My inheritance is become to me as a lion in the wood: it hath cried out against me. Therefore have I hated it. Is my inheritance to me as a speckled bird? Is it as a bird dyed throughout? Come ye, assemble yourselves, all ye beasts of the earth, make haste to devour. Many pastors have destroyed my vineyard: they have trodden my portion under foot, they have changed my delightful portion into a desolate wilderness. They have laid it waste, and it hath mourned for me. With desolation is all the land made desolate, because there is none that considereth in the heart.
R. The congregation of the people hath surrounded me: and I have not made a return to them that did evils to me. O Lord, let the wickedness of sinners be brought to naught, and thou shalt direct the just.
V. Judge me, O Lord, according to thy justice, and according to thy justice, and according to my innocence in me. Read whole post......

Monday in Holy Week
The Roman Breviary
The reading of the holy Gospel according to John
Lesson i: c.12,1-9
Six days before the Pasch Jesus came to Bethania, where Lazarus had been dead, whom Jesus raised to life. And they made him a supper there: and Martha served: but Lazarus was one of them that were at table with him. Mary therefore took a pound of ointment of right spikenard, of a great price, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair; and the house was filled with the odour of the ointment. Then one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, he that was about to betray him, said: Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence, and given to the poor? Now he said this, not because he cared for the poor; but because he was a thief, and having the purse, carried the things that were put therein. Jesus therefore said: Let her alone, that she may keep it against the day of my burial. For the poor you have always with you; but me you have not always. A great multitude therefore of the Jews knew that he was there; and they came, not for Jesus's sake only, but that they might see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead.

Homily Of St. Augustine, Bishop
Treatise 50 on John
Lest men should think that he had risen from the dead, Lazarus was one of them who reclined at table. He lived, he spoke, he feasted; the truth was made manifest, and the disbelief of the Jews brought to confusion. Jesus, then, sat down to table with Lazarus and the rest; Martha, one of the sisters of Lazarus, served. But Mary, the other sister of Lazarus, took a pound of ointment of right spikenard, of great price, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair; and the house was filled with the odour of the ointment. We have heard what was done: let us seek out the mystery.
R. The ungodly said: Let us oppress the just man without cause, and swallow him up alive as the grave: let us make his memory to perish from the earth: and let us cast lots for his spoils: and these murderers laid up stores for themselves of evil. Fools and evil men hate wisdom: and are guilty in their thoughts.
V. Such things they imagined, and were deceived: and their wickedness blinded them.

Lesson ii
Whosoever thou art , if a faithful soul, thou wouldst anoint with Mary the feet of the Lord with precious ointment. That ointment signified justice, and therefore it was of the weight of a libra [pound; balance]. It was moreover ointment of right spikenard, of a great price. That it is called pisticium, we might understand as referring to some place from which this costly ointment came. But this does not exhaust its possible meanings, and it harmonizes well with a sacramental symbol. The Greek pistis is called in Latin fides (faith). Thou wast seeking to work justice. The just man liveth by faith. Anoint the feet of Jesus; by a good life, follow the footsteps of the Lord. Wipe them with thy hair: what thou hast in superfluity, give to the poor, and thou hast wiped the feet of the Lord: for the hair of the body seems to be a superfluity. Here is something for thee to do with thy superfluous goods: they are superfluous to thee, but necessary to the feet of the Lord, upon earth suffer want.
R.I am become a reproach unto mine enemies; they saw me, and shook their heads: Help me, O Lord my God.
V. They have spoken against me with deceitful tongues, and have compassed me about with words of hatred.

Lesson iii
For of whom, if not of his members, will it be said at the last: As long as you did it to one of these my least brethren, you did it unto me? You spent your superfluous riches: but you rendered a service to my feet. And the house was filled with the odour signifies good fame. Those who live evil lives, and are called Christians, do not injury to Christ: of such it is said, that through them the name of the Lord is blasphemed. If through such as these the name of God is blasphemed, through good man the name of the Lord is praised. Listen to the Apostle: We are the good odour of Christ, he says, in every place.
R. Unjust and merciless men have risen up against me, and have sought to kill me: neither spared they to spit in my face, their spears have wounded me: and all my bones are out of joint: But as for me, I counted myself as one that was dead upon the earth.
V. They poured forth their fury upon me, and they gnashed their teeth at me. Read whole post......

Palm Sunday
The Roman Breviary
MATINS
Nocturn iii
The reading of the holy Gospel according to Matthew.
Lesson vii: c.21, 1-9
At that time: When Jesus drew nigh to Jerusalem, and was come to Bethphage, unto Mount Olivet: then he sent two disciples, saying to them: Go ye into the village that is over against you, and immediately you shall find an ass tied, and bring them to me. And if any man shall say anything to you, say ye, that the Lord hath need of them: and forthwith he will let them go. Now all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying: Tell ye the daughter of Sion: behold thy king cometh to thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of her that is used to the yoke (Isa.62.11; Zach.9.9;John12.15). And the disciples going, did as Jesus commanded them. And they brought the ass and the colt, and laid their garments upon them, and made him sit thereon. And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way: and others cut boughs from the trees, and strewed them in the way: And the multitudes that went before and that followed, cried, saying:Hossanna to the son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord: Hosanna in the highest.

Homily of St. Ambrose, Bishop
Book 9 on Luke

It is beautifully shown that when the Lord had deserted the Jews, that he might take up his abode in the hearts of the Gentiles, he went up into the temple. For this is the true temple, wherein the Lord is adored, not according to the letter, but in spirit. This is the temple of God, whereof he has laid the courses, not in stones built one upon another, but in faith. Thus they who hated him are forsaken: they are chosen who will love him. And so he comes to Mount Olivet, to plant upon the heights of virtue his slips of olive, whose mother is the Jerusalem which is above. In this mountain dwells the heavenly husbandsman: and thus when all are planted in the house of God, each one of them can say: But I, as a fruitful olive-tree in the house of Lord.
R. The Lord is with me as a strong warrior: therefore have they persecuted, me and have not been able to understand: O Lord, thou triest the reins and the heart: Unto thee have I laid open my cause.
V. Thou hast seen, O Lord, their iniquity against me: judge thou my cause.

Lesson viii
And perhaps Christ himself is this mountain. For who other than he could ever bear such a wealth of olive-trees, not, that is, of trees weighed down with the abundance of their fruit, but of the Gentiles fruitful with the fullness of the spirit? He it is by whom we ascend, and he, again, to whom we ascend. He is the gate, he is the way, he it is that is opened and he, also, who opens: it is he that is opened and he, also, who opens: it is he that is knocked at by those who enter in, and he that is adored by these who have obtained their reward. To return to the narrative: the colt was in the village, tied with the ass: he could not be loosed but by the Lord's command. It was an apostolic hand that set him free. Such as the work is, such the life, such the grace. Be then thyself also such, that thou mayst loose them that are bound.
R. The wicked have said, reasoning with themselves, but not aright: Let us lie in wait for the just one, because he is contrary to our doings: he boasteth that he hath the knowledge of God, and calleth himself the Son of God, and boasteth that he hath God for his father: Let us see if his words be true: and, if he be indeed the Son of God, let him deliver him from our hand: let us condemn him to a shameful death.
V. We are esteemed by him as triflers, and he astaineth from our ways as from our ways as from filthiness: and he preferred the latter end of the just.

Lesson ix
Now let us consider who those were, that being detected in error, and cast out of paradise, were consigned to the village. And thou seest, how those who have been driven out by death, are called back again by life. Therefore, according to Matthew, we read of an ass and colt: this is because when man was banished, both sexes were represented, and now, as typified by these two animals, both sexes are recalled. There, then, in the mother-ass, is figured Eve as the mother of error: and here too in the colt is shown the multitude of the Gentile nations: hence he is seated upon the colt of an ass. And well is it said: On which no one hath sitten: for, before Christ, no one called the people of the nations to the Church. Finally, according to Mark, thou findest these words: Upon which no man yet hath sat.
R. Liars have surrounded me: they have fallen upon me with scourges without cause: But do thou, O Lord, my defender, avenge me.
V. For trouble is near, and there is none to help. Read whole post......

Saturday - Day of Our Lady

Saturday in Passion Week
"The Seven Sorrows of Mary" from "Divine Intimacy" by Fr. Gabriel of St. Mary Magdalen OCD
PRESENCE OF GOD -Permit me, O Mary, to remain near the Cross, that I may share with you in the Passion of Jesus.

MEDITATION
1. We find in Simeon's prophecy the first explicit announcement of the part the Blessed Virgin was to have in the Passion of Jesus: "Thy own soul a sword shall pierce" (Lk 2,35). This prophecy was fulfilled on Calvary. "Yes, O Blessed Mother," says St. Bernard, "a sword has truly pierced your soul. It could penetrate Your Son's flesh only by passing through your soul. And after Jesus had died, the cruel lance which opened His side did not reach His soul, but it did pierced yours. His soul was no longer in His body, but yours could not be detached from it." This beautiful interpretation shows us how Mary, as a Mother, was intimately associated with her Son's Passion. The Gospel does not tell us that Mary was present during the glorious moments of the life of Jesus, but it does say that she was present on Calvary. "Now there stood by the Cross of Jesus, His Mother, and His Mother's sister, Mary of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalen" (Jn 19,25). No one had been able to keep her from hastening to the place where her Son was to be crucified, and her love gave her courage to stand there, erect, near the Cross, to be present at the sorrowful agony and death of the One whom she loved above all, because he was both her Son and her God. Just as she had once consented to become His Mother, so she would now agree to see Him tortured from head to foot, and to be torn away from her by a cruel death. She not only accepted, she offered. Jesus had willingly gone to His Passion, and Mary would willingly offer Her well-beloved Son for the glory of the Most Holy Trinity and the salvation of men. That is why the sacrifice of Jesus become Mary's sacrifice, not only because Mary offered it together with Jesus, and in Him, offered her own Son; but also because, by this offering, she completed the most profound holocaust of herself, since Jesus was the center of her affections and of her whole life. God, who had given her this divine Son, asked, on Calvary, for a return of His gift, and Mary offered Jesus to the Father with all the love of her heart, in complete adherence to the divine will.

2. The liturgy puts on the lips of Our Lady of Sorrows these touching words: "O you who pass by the way, attend and see if there be any sorrow like to my sorrow" (Roman Missal). Yes, her grief was immeasurable, and was surpassed only by her love, a love so great that it could encompass that vast sea of sorrow. It can be said of Mary, as of no any other creature, that her love was stronger than death; in fact it made her able to support the cruel death of Jesus. "Who could be unfeeling in contemplating the Mother of Christ suffering with her Son?" chants the Stabat Mater; and immediately it adds, "O Mother....make me feel the depth of your sorrow, so that I may weep with you. May I bear in my heart the wounds of Christ; make me share in His Passion and become inebriated by the Cross and Blood of your Son." In response to the Church's invitation, let us contemplate Mary's sorrow, sympathize with her, and ask her for the invaluable grace of sharing with her in the Passion of Jesus. Let us remember that this participation is not to be merely sentimental - even though this sentiment is good and holy - but it must lead us to real compassion, that is, to suffering with Jesus and Mary. The sufferings God sends us have no other purpose. The sight of Mary at the foot of the Cross makes the lesson of the Cross less hard and less bitter; her maternal example encourages us to suffer and makes the road to Calvary easier. Let us go, then, with Mary, to join Jesus on Golgotha; let us go with her to meet our cross; and sustained by her, let us embrace it willingly, uniting it with her Son's.

COLLOQUY
"O Mary, mother of Jesus Crucified, tell me something about His Passion, for you felt and saw it more than all the others who were present, having contemplated it with the eyes of your body and soul, and given it all the attention possible, O you who love him with such great love" (St. Angela of Foligno).
"O Mary, grant that I may stand with you near the Cross; permit me to contemplate with you the Passion of your Jesus, and to have a share in your sorrow and tears. O holy Mother, impress deeply in my heart the wounds of the Crucified; permit me to suffer with Him, and to unite myself to your sorrows and His" (cf Stabat Mater).
....That my desire for suffering may not be sterile, help me, O sweet mother, to recognize in each daily suffering the Cross of your Jesus and to embrace it with love. Read whole post......

Friday in Passion Week
The Roman Breviary
At MATINS
The reading of the holy Gospel according to John
Lesson i: c. 11, 47-54
At that time: The chief priests and the Pharisees gathered a council against Jesus and said, What do we; for this man doth the miracles? If we let him alone so, all will believe in him; and the Roman will come, and take away our place and nation. But one of them, named Caiphas, being the high priest that year, said to them: you know nothing. Neither do you consider that it is expedient for you that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not. And this he spoke not of himself: but being the high of that year, he prophesied that Jesus should die for the nation. And not only for the nation, but to gather together in one the children of God, that were dispersed. From that day therefore they devised to put him to death. Wherefore Jesus walked no more openly among the Jews; but he went into a country near the desert, unto a city that is called Ephrem, and there he abode with his disciples.

Homily of St. Augustine, Bishop
Treatise 49 on John
The chief priest and the Pharisees took counsel together; and yet they did not say: Let us believe. For these abandoned men took more thought how to do harm, that they might destroy him, than how to take counsel for themselves, that they might escape destruction; and yet they were afraid, and did in a manner take counsel together. For they said: What do we, for this man doth miracles? If we let him alone so, a;; will believe in him; and the Romans will come, and take way our place and nation. They feared to lose temporal things, and took no thought for eternal life, and thus they lost both together.
R.Thou art my God , depart not from me: For trouble is very near, and there is none to help me.
V. But thou, O Lord, remove not thy help far from me: look towards my defense.

Lesson ii
For after the Lord had suffered and was entered into glory, the Romans took away from them their place and nation, by conquering them and carrying them away; and that pursues them, which was said elsewhere: But the children of the kingdom shall go into the exterior darkness. But this was what they feared, that, if all should believe in Christ, there would be none left to defend the city and temple of God against the Romans; for they imagined that the teaching of Christ was directed against that temple and against the laws of their fathers.
R. I am cast upon thee from the womb, from my mother's womb thou art my God, depart not from me: For trouble is very near, and there is none to help me.
V. Save me from the lion's mouth, and my lowliness from the horns of the unicorns.

Lesson iii
But one of them, named Caiphas, being the high-priest that year, said to them: You know nothing; neither do you consider that it is expedient for you that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not. And this he spoke not of himself: but being the high priest of that year, he prophesied. From this we learn that even wicked men may foretell the future by the spirit of prophecy; this, however, the Evangelist ascribed to a divine sacrament, for this man was the pontiff, that is to say, the High Priest.
R. O Lord, my trouble is very near and there is none to help me: before they pierce my hands and feet, deliver me from the mouth of the lion, That I may declare thy name unto my brethren.
V. O God, deliver my soul from the sword, and my only one from the power of the dog.

Collect
Mercifully infuse thy grace into our hearts, we beseech thee, O Lord: that, refraining from sin by voluntary chastisement, we may be rather afflicted in time than condemned to punishment for eternity. Through Our Lord.
Collect
Grant, we beseech there, almighty God: that we who seek the grace of thy protection, may, being freed from all evils, serve thee with an easy mind. Through Our Lord. Read whole post......

Thursday in Passion Week.
The Roman Breviary
At MATINS
Lesson i
The reading of the holy Gospel according to Luke c.7, 36-50
At that time: One of the Pharisees desired Jesus to eat with him, and he went into the house of the Pharisee, and sat down to meat. And behold a woman that was in the city, a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster box of ointment. And standing behind at his feet, she began to wash his feet, with tears, and wiped them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment. And the Pharisee, who had invited him, seeing it, spoke within himself, saying: This man, if he were a prophet, would know surely who and what manner of woman this is that toucheth him, and she is a sinner. And Jesus answering, said to him: Simon, I have something to say to thee. But he said: Master, say it. A certain creditor had two debtors, the one owed five hundred pence, and the other fifty. And whereas they had not wherewith to pay, he forgave them both. Which therefore of the two loveth him most? Simon answering, said: I suppose that he to whom he forgave most. And he said to him: Thou has judged rightly. And turning to the woman, he said unto Simon: Dost thou see this woman? I entered into thy house, thou gavest me no water for my feet; but she with tears hath washed my feet, and with her hair hath wiped them. Thou gavest me no kiss: but she, since she came, hath not ceased to kiss my feet. My head with oil thou didst not anoint; but she with ointment hath anointed my feet. Wherefore I say to thee: Many sins are forgiven her, because she hath loved much. But to whom less is forgiven, he loveth less. And he said to her: Thy sins are forgiven thee. And they that sat at meat with him began to say within themselves: Who is this that forgiveth sins also? And he said to the woman: Thy faith hath made thee safe, go in peace.

Homily of St. Gregory, Pope
Homily 33 on the Gospel

Thinking upon the penitence of Mary Magdalen I am, more ready to weep than to say aught. For what heart of stone would not be softened to a like penance by the tears of this sinner? She considered what she had done, and would not be moderate in what she was doing then. She broke in upon the guests, she came unasked, she brought her tears to the banquet. You may understand with what sorrow she burns, in that she is not ashamed to weep even at a feast.
R. Deliver me, O my God, out of the hand of the sinner, and out of the hand of transgressor, and of the unjust: For thou art my patience.
V. O my God, be not thou far from me: O my God, make haste to help me.

Lesson ii
But this woman, whom Luke calls a woman that was sinner, is named by John, Mary; and we believe she was that Mary from whom, as Mark bears witness, seven devils were cast forth. And what is signified by seven devils, if not all the vices? For since all time is counted by periods of seven days, rightly by the number seven is signified completedness. Mary then had seven devils, because she was full of the vices.
R. They are multiplied who afflict me, and say:There is no salvation for him in his God: Arise, Lord, save me, O my God.
V. Lest my enemy say at any time, I have prevailed against him.

Lesson iii
But, behold, when she saw the stains of the foulness, she ran to wash herself at the fountain of mercy, and had no shame before the guests. Indeed, since she felt so much shame in herself, she counted it for nothing to be outwardly disgraced. What, therefore, shall we wonder at, brethren? That Mary came, or that the Lord received her? Received her, shall I say, or not rather, draw her? But it were better to say: both drew her and received her: for in his mercy he drew her inwardly, and in his meekness he received her outwardly.
R. How long shall enemy my enemy be exalted over me? Consider, and hear me, O Lord my God.
V. They that trouble me will rejoice when I am moved, but I have trusted in thy mercy.

Collect
Grant, we beseech thee, almighty God: that the dignity of human nature, which has been impaired by intemperance, may be restored by the practice of salutary self-denial

Collect
Be propitious to thy people, we beseech thee, O Lord: that, rejecting those things which displease thee, they may be filled with the delights of thy communion. Read whole post......

Wednesday in Passion Week
The Roman Breviary

At MATINS
The Reading of the Holy Gospel according to John
Lesson i: c.10, 22-38
At that time: It was the feats of the dedication at Jerusalem, and it was winter. And Jesus walked in the temple, in Solomon's porch. The Jews therefore came round about him, and said to him: How long dost thou hold our souls in suspense? If thou be the Christ, tell us plainly. Jesus answered them: I speak to you and you believe not: the works that I do in the name of the my Father, they give testimony of me. But you do nnot believe, because you are not of my sheep. My sheep hear my voice: and I know them, and they follow me. And I give them life everlasting; and they shall not perish for ever, and no man shall pluck them out of my hand. That which my Father hath given me, is greater than all: and no one can snatch them out of the hand of my Father. I and the Father are one. The Jews then took up stones to stone him. Jesus answered them: many good works I have showed you from my Father; for which of those works do you stone me? The Jews answered him: For a good work we stone thee not, but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God. Jesus answered them: Is it not written in your law: I said you are gods? If he called the gods, to whom the word of God was spoken, and the scripture cannot be broken; Do you say of him whom the Father hath sanctified and sent into the world: Thou blasphemest, because I said, I am the Son of God?
If I do not the works of my Father believe me not. But if I do, though you will not believe me, believe the works : thou you
may know and believe that the Father is in me, and I in the Father.

Homily of St. Augustine, Bishop
Treatise 48 on John
The Encaenia was the feast of the dedication of the Temple. For in Greek, kainon signifies new. Whenever anything new was dedicated, it was called encaenia. And now this word has passed into common use. If a man puts on a new tunic, he is said to encaeniare (to renovate). This day, then, on which the temple, was dedicated, was kept by the Jews as a solemn festival; they were keeping this same feast when the `lord spoke these words, which we have just read.
O Lord, I went about sorrowful all the day long: for my soul is filleth with illusions: And they that sought after my soul used violence
V. My friends and my neighbours have drawn near, and stood against me; and they that were near me stood afar off.

Lesson ii
It was winter, and Jesus walked in the temple, in Solomon's porch. The Jews therefore came round about him, and said to him: How long dost thou hold our souls in suspense? If thou be the Christ, tell us plainly. Not that they desired the truth, but they were planning a false accusation. It was winter, and they were cold: for they were loth to draw near to that divine fire. If to draw near is to believe, then he who believes draws near, and he who denies, retires. The soul is not moved by the feet, but by the affections.
R. O Lord, turn not, turn not away thy face from thy servant: For I am in trouble, O hear me speedily.
V. Draw nigh unto my soul and deliver it, save me because of mine enemies.

Lesson iii
They has become icy cold in the charity that shows affection, and they burned with the desire to do as injury. They were far away, and yet were there: they did not draw near by believing in him, yet they pressed close by persecuting him. They sought to hear from the Lord: I am Christ; and perhaps they did understand something of Christ as to his manhood. For the prophets had preached Christ; but the divinity of Christ expressed both in the prophets and in the Gospel itself, is not grasped even by heretics: how much less, then, by the Jews, so long as the veil is upon their hearts?
R. Who will give water to my head, and a fountain of tears to my eyes, and I will weep day and night? For my nearest brother hath supplanted me, And every friend hath dealt deceitfully against me.
V. Let their way become dark and slippery: and let the Angel of the Lord pursue them.

Collect
We beseech thee, O God, by the sanctification of this fast, mercifully to enlighten the hearts of thy faithful: and grant unto those upon whom thou bestowest the grace of devotion a favourable hearing when they call upon thee. Through Our Lord. Read whole post......

Tuesday in Passion Week
The Roman Breviary

At MATINS
The reading of the holy Gospel according to John
Lesson i:c.7, 1-13
At that time: Jesus walked in Galilee, for he would not walk in Judea, because the Jews sought to kill him. Now the Jews' feast of tabernacles was at hand. And his brethren said to him: Pass from hence, and go to Judea; that thy disciples also may see thy works which thou dost. For there is no man that doth any thing in secret, and he himself seeketh to be known openly. If thou do these things, manifest thyself to the world. For neither did his brethren believe in him. Then Jesus said to them: My time is not yet come; but your time is always ready. The world cannot hate you; but me it hateth: because I gave testimony of it, that the works thereof are evil. Go you up to this festival day: because my time is not yet accomplished. When he had said these things, he himself stayed in Galilea. But after his brethren were gone up, then he also went up to the feast, not openly, but, as it were, in secret. The Jews therefore sought him on the festival day, and said: Where is he? And there was much murmuring among the multitude concerning him. For some said: He is a good man. And others said: No, but he seduceth the people. Yet no man spoke openly of him, for fear of the Jews.

Homily of St. Augustine, Bishop.
Treatise 28 on John
In this chapter of the Gospel, brethren, our Lord Jesus Christ more especially commends himself to our faith, in respect of his humanity. For, indeed, he ever aimed at this, in his deeds and words, that men might believe him to be both God and man: God who made us, man who sought us: God with the Father always, man with us in time. For he would not have sought man whom he has made, if he himself had not become that which had made. But remember this, and never let it depart from your hearts: Christ was made man in such a way, that he never ceased to be God. Still remaining God, he, who had made man, assumed man's nature.
R. Thou art my helper and protector, O Lord: and in thy word have I greatly hoped: Depart from me, ye wicked and I will meditate on the commandments of my God.
V. I have hated the unjust: and thy law have I loved.

Lesson ii
When, therefore, as man, he hid himself, we must not think that he had lost his power, but only to have afforded an example to the weak. For when he willed, he was apprehended; when he willed, he was slain. But because, in time to come, his members, that is, the faithful, would not have this power that he, our God, had; in that he kept himself hid, in that he concealed himself as if thereby to avoid being put to death, he indicated that his members were to do this in future, those members of his in whom he truly lives.
R. I will teach the unjust thy ways: and the wicked shall be converted unto thee; Deliver me from sins of blood, O God, thou God of my salvation.
V. Lord, thou shalt open my lips; and my mouth shall declare thy praise.

Lesson iii
For Christ is not merely in the head, and not in the body; but the whole Christ is in the head and in the body. And therefore, he is what his members are: but his members are not necessarily what he is. Were his members not himself, he would not have said to Saul: Why persecutest thou me? For Saul was persecuting on earth, not him, but his members, that is, the faithful. And yet he did not choose to say, my saints, or my servants, or, more honourably still, my brethren; but: Me, that is, my members, of whom I am the head.
R. Take not away my soul, O God, with the wicked, nor my life with men of blood: redeem me, O Lord.
V. Deliver me, O Lord, from the evil man, and rescue me from the unjust man.

Collect
May our fasts be acceptable to thee, O Lord: and, by expiating our sins, render us worthy of thy grace, and conduct us at last to eternal remedies
Collect
Grant us, we beseech, Lord, a persevering obedience to thy will: that in our day the people who serve thee may increase both in merit and number. Read whole post......

Monday in Passion Week.
The Roman Breviary
At MATINS
The reading of the Holy Gospel according to John.
Lesson i: c.7, 32-39
At that time: The rulers and Pharisees sent ministers to apprehend Jesus. Jesus therefore said to them: yet a little while I am with you: and then I go to him that sent me. You shall seek me, and shall not find me: and where I am, thither you cannot come. The Jews therefore said among themselves: Whither will he go, that we shall not find him? Will he go unto the dispersed among the Gentiles, and teach the Gentiles? What is this saying that he hath said: You shall seek me, and shall not find me; and where I am, you cannot come? And on the last, and great day of the festivity, Jesus stood and cried, saying: If any man thirst, let him come to me and drink. He that believeth in me, as the scripture saith, Out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. Now this he said of the Spirit which they should receive, who believed in him: for as yet the Spirit was not given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

Homily of St. Augustine, Bishop.
Treatise 31 on John
How could they apprehend him, if, as yet, he were unwilling? Since, then, they could not apprehend him because he did not will it, they were that they might hear what he was teaching. And what was he teaching? Jesus therefore said to them: Yet a little while I am with you. What you wish to do now, you shall do hereafter; but not just now, for I do not will it now. Why am I now as yet unwilling? Because yet a little while I am with you, and then I go to him that sent me. I must fulfil my charge, and thus come to my Passion.
R. Deliver me, O my God, out of the hand of the sinner, and out of the hand of the transgressor, and of the unjust: For thou art my patience.
V. O my God, be not thou far from me: O my God, make haste to help me.

Lesson ii
You shall seek me, and shall not find me; and where I am, thither you cannot come. Here he has already foretold his resurrection: for they would not acknowledge him when he was present with them, and afterwards they sought him, seeing the multitude already believing in him. For great signs were wrought, even when the Lord was risen again and ascended into heaven. And again, mighty deeds were done by his disciples; but he wrought by them as he wrought by himself; indeed, he himself had told them: Without me you can do nothing. When that lame man who sat at the gate, rose up at the voice of Peter, and walked upon his own feet, so that man marveled, Peter thus addressed them, saying that he had not done this by his own power, but by the power of him whom they themselves had slain. Many, being stung with remorse, said: What shall we do?
R. They that watched for my life took counsel together, saying: God hath forsaken him, Pursue and take him: for there is none to deliver him: O my God, be not thou far from me: O my God, make haste to help me.
V. All my enemies whispered together against me; they have devised evils against me, saying.

Lesson iii
For they saw themselves bound by a monstrous crime of impiety, when they slew him whom they ought to have revered and adored: and this, they thought, was beyond all pardon. It was indeed a great crime, and to think upon it might bring them to despair; yet they ought not to have despaired, since it was for them that the Lord was pleased to pray to pray while he hung upon the cross. For he had said: Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. He saw, among the many strangers, some who belonged to him; he begged forgiveness for these, from whom he was still receiving outrages. For he heeded not that he was dying at their hands, but only that he was dying for them.
R. My enemies spoke indeed peaceably unto me, but in their anger they troubled me: Thou hast seen, O Lord, be not thou silent, depart not from me.
V. As for me, when they molested me, I was clothed with hair-cloth, and I humbled my soul with fasting.

Collect
Sanctify our fasts, we beseech thee, O Lord: and mercifully bestow upon us the pardon of all our faults. Through Our Lord.
Collect
Grant thy people, we beseech thee, O Lord, health of mind and body: that, cleaving to good works, they may ever deserve to be defended by thy protection.Through Our Lord. Read whole post......

The First Sunday of the Passion
Jesus Persecuted from "Divine Intimacy" by Fr. Gabriel of St. Mary Magdalene OCD

PRESENCE OF GOD - O Jesus, help me to enter into the mystery of Your Passion; deign to associate me with it, so that I may participate in Your resurrection.

MEDITATION
1. Today Passiontide begins, a time especially consecrated to the remembrance and loving contemplation of the sorrows of Jesus. The veiled crucifix and statutes, the absence of the Gloria Patri in the responsories of the Divine Office, the suppression of the psalm Judica me at the beginning of Mass - are all signs of mourning by which the Church commemorates Our Lord's Passion. Pope St. Leo exhorts us to participate "in the Cross of Christ, in order that we also may do something which will unite us to what He has done for us, for as the Apostle says, 'if we suffer with Him, we shall be glorified with Him.' " Therefore, we must not only meditate on Jesus' sufferings, but also take part in them; only by bearing His Passion in our heart and in our body (2Cor 4,10) shall we be able to share in its fruits. So it is that in the liturgy of this season the Church repeats more insistently than ever: "If you hear the voice of the Lord makes itself heard these days, not by words, but by the eloquent testimony of deeds, by the great events of the Passion - a mystery which gives us the most convincing proof of His infinite love for us. Let us, therefore, open our heart to the sublime lessons of the Passion: let us see how much Jesus has loved us and how much we ought to love Him in return; let us learn that, if we wish to follow Him, we, too, must suffer and bear the Cross with Him and after Him. At the same, let us open our heart to a lively hope; for our salvation is in the Passion of Jesus. In today's Epistle (Heb 9, 11-15) St. Paul presents to us the majestic figure of Christ, the Eternal High Priest, who "by His Blood, entered once into the holies, [that is, heaven] having obtained eternal redemption." The Passion of Jesus has redeemed us; it has opened once again our father's house to us; it is then the motive for our hope.

2. The Gospel (Jn 8,46-59) narrates an instance of the pressing hostility of the Jews, an evident prelude to the Passion of Jesus. In their hardened hearts they had absolutely refused to acknowledge the mission of the Saviour; as a result, they schemed in a thousand ways to oppose His teaching and to belittle Him before the people by declaring Him a liar and one possessed by the devil. Their animosity had increased to the point where they decided to stone Him: "They took up stones therefore to cast at Him." Jesus' death was already decreed by the Jews, but the hour fixed by His Father had not yet come, so "Jesus hid Himself, and went out of the Temple."
This passage in the Gospel allows us to consider the conduct of Jesus in the presence of His persecutors: we see zeal for their souls, meekness, personal disinterestedness, and total abandonment to God. St. Gregory the Great wrote: "Consider, beloved brethren, the meekness of the Lord. He, who had come to remit sins, said, 'Which of you will convince me of sin?' He, who by virtue of His divinity, could justify sinners, does not disdain to prove by reasoning that he is not a sinner." the calumnies continued: "Thou art a Samaritan and hast a devil." The divine Master answered, always with meekness, only what was necessary to testify to the truth: "I have not a devil, but I honour My Father, and you have dishonoured Me." Then he placed His reputation and His cause in the hands of God. "I seek not My own glory; there is One that seeketh and judgeth." In the meantime, throughout all the discussions, He did not cease to instruct and to enlighten minds, attempting to draw them away from error. Always forgetful of Himself, He thought only of the good of souls. It was precisely in these painful circumstances that Jesus gave us precious instruction: "He that is of God, heareth the words of God....If any man keep My word, he shall not see death forever." Let us gather these lessons from the lips of our persecuted master, and keep them in our heart with a jealous care. In our day, too, the world is filled with his enemies, those who oppose His doctrine and despise His Passion. Let us, at least, believe in Him and be His faithful friends.

COLLOQUY
"Praise be to You, O most merciful God, who willed to redeem us and restore us by the Passion, the sufferings, the scorn, and the poverty of Your Son, when we were wretched outcasts and condemned prisoners. I run to Your Cross, O Christ - to suffering, scorn, and poverty; with all my strength I desire to be transformed in You, O suffering God-Man, who loved me so much that You endured a horrible, shameful death for the sole purpose of saving me, and to give me an example, so that I would be able to endure adversity for love of You. It is the perfection and true proof of love to conform myself to You, O Crucified One, who for my sins willed to undergo a cruel death, delivering Yourself entirely to tortures, as a victim. O my suffering God, only by reading the book of Your life and death shall I be able to know You and to penetrate Your mystery. Grant me, then, a profound spirit of prayer, springing not only from my lips, but also from my heart and soul, so that I shall be able to understand the lessons of Your Passion!
"Yet more, in the book of Your Cross I see Your infinite meekness, by which, although being cursed, You did not curse nor avenge Yourself, but on the contrary, You pardoned and won heaven for the very ones who were crucifying You'" (St. Angela of Foligno). Read whole post......

Saturday - Day of Our lady

Fourth Week of Lent. "The Glories of Mary" by St. Alphonsus of Liquori

'Sermon on the Dolours of Mary - Now there stood by the Cross of Jesus His Mother'

Behold we are about to consider a new kind of martydrom; we have to consider a Mother condemned to see her innocent Son die as malefactor on an infamous gibbet. This Mother is Mary, who indeed, with too great reason, is called by the Church the Queen of Martyrs; yes, for Mary in the death of Jesus Christ suffered a more cruel martydrom than all others martyrs; for

i. Her Martydrom was ever equalled.
ii Her Martydrom was without relief.

FIRST POINT. her martydrom was never equalled
I. the words of the prophet Jeremias explain my meaning in this point: "To what shall I compare thee? or to what shall I like thee, O daughter of Jerusalem?....for great as the sea is thy destruction; who shall heal thee?" No, the acuteness of the suffering of Mary are not to be compared, even with those of all martyrs united. 'The martydrom of Mary,' says Saint Bernard, 'was not caused by the executioner's sword, but proceeded from bitter sorrow of heart. In other martyrs torments were inflicted on the body; but Mary's sorrow was in her heart and soul, verifying in her the prophecy of Saint Simeon, "Thy own soul a sword shall pierce".
II. Arnold of Chartres writes, that 'whoever had been on Mount Calvary, to witness the great sacrifice of the Immaculate Lamb, would there have beheld two great altars, the one in the body of Jesus, the other in the heart of Mary; for on that mount, when the Son sacrificed His body by death, Mary sacrificed her soul by compassion. So much so, says St. Antoninus, that, whereas other martyrs sacrifice their own life, the Blessed Virgin consummated her martydrom by sacrificing the life of her Son a life which she loved far more than her own, and which caused her to endure a torment which exceeded all other torments ever endured by any mortal on earth.
III. As a general rule, the suffering of children are also sufferings of their mothers who are present at and witness their torments. This Saint Augustine declares, when speaking of the mothers who are present at and witness their torments. This St. Augustine declares, when speaking of the mother of the Machabees, who witnessed the execution of her children, martyred by order of the cruel Antiochus: he says, that 'love caused her to endure in her soul all the torments inflicted on each of her children. Erasmus adds, that 'mothers suffer more at the sight of the suffering of their children than if the torments were inflicted on themselves.' This, however, is not always true; but in Mary it was verified; for she certainly suffered more in witnessing the sufferings of her Son than she would have done had she endured all His torments in her own person. 'All the wounds,' says Saint Bonaventure, 'which were scattered over the body of Jesus were united in the heart of Mary, to torment her in the Passion of her Son; so that, as Saint Lawrence Justinian writes, 'the heart of Mary, by compassion for her Son, become a mirror of His torments, in which might be seen faithfully reflected the spittings, the blows, the wounds, and all that Jesus suffered'. We can therefore say that Mary, on account of the love she bore Him, was in heart, during the Passion of her Son, struck, scourged, crowned with thorns, and nailed to the very cross of her Son.
IV. The same St. Lawrence considers Jesus, on His road to Calvary, with the cross on His shoulders, turning to Mary, and saying to her, 'Alas, my own dear Mother, whither goest thou? what a scene wilt thou witness? Thou wilt be agonised by My suffering, and I by thine. But the loving Mother would follow Him all the same, though she knew that, by being present at His death, she would have to endure a torment greater than any death. She saw that her Son carried the cross to be crucified upon it; and she also took up the cross of her sorrows, and followed her Son carried the cross to be crucified with Him. Hence Saint Bonaventura considers Mary standing by the cross of her dying Son, and asks her, saying , 'O Lady, tell me where didst thou then stand - was it near the cross? No, thou wast on the cross itself, crucified with thy Son.' On the words of the Redeemer foretold by the prophet Isaias, "I have trodden the wine-press alone, and of the Gentiles there is not a men with me." Richard of Saint Lawrence says, 'It is true, O Lord, that in the work of human redemption Thou didst suffer alone, and that there was not a man who suficiently pitied Thee; but there was a woman with Thee, and she was Thine own Mother; she suffered in her heart all that Thou didst endure in Thy body.
V. To show the sufferings endured by other martyrs, they are represented with the instruments of their torture; St Andrew with a cross, St Paul with a sword, St Lawrence with the gridiron; Mary is represented with her dead Son in her arms; for He alone was the instrument of her martydrom and compassion, and compassion for Him made her the Queen of Martyrs.... Read whole post......