Eastertide 2025

Jubilee Holy Year 2025: Pilgrims of Hope

April is the month dedicated to the Divine Mercy

May is the month dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary

June is the month dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus

By the Lord has this been done.

MARY, MOTHER OF HOPE,

SAINT MICHAEL THE ARCHANGEL,

PRAY FOR US.

DIVINE MERCY, SOURCE OF MIRACLES AND WONDERS,

I TRUST IN YOU.

HEART OF JESUS, IN WHOSE FULLNESS WE HAVE ALL RECEIVED,

HAVE MERCY ON US.

Papa Francesco, 

Requiescat in Pace.

We pray for all the Cardinals who gather to elect the Holy Father's successor. At the same time, we pray for all the faithful. We have our part to play too. May the Holy Spirit guide and direct us. 

Our prayers continue as we pray for our Holy Father,

Pope Leo XIV. 

Auguri Papa Leone XIV.

Lord, God, keep Pope Leo XIV close to Your Sacred Heart. 

Guide him in truth, strengthen him in grace, 

and let his every step draw the Church nearer to you.

Amen.

He is risen. Alleluia! Sing praise; sing praise. 🎶 We welcome all the newly baptized and confirmed. Benvenuti a tutti! Together, may we grow in faith, joy, and happiness.

HAPPY EASTER!

BUON PASQUA!

FROHE OSTERN!

JOYEUSES PAQUES!

FELIZ PASCUA!

We welcome too the Easter morning birds, busy as they "fly beneath the dome of the sky," and sing praise from this tree and that one. God looks at it all and finds it very good. As Pilgrims of Hope, we hear from Cardinal Basil Hume, from an Easter Sunday Morning Television Program, 1986.

Easter is so much more than a welcome spring holiday. It has its own special meaning and importance. It offers us real hope. It is the key that unlocks the secrets of life. It reveals the immensity of God's love and the future He has planned for each of us ... Easter gives us an idea of what our life is for. Through Easter we see how the love of God shines through darkness and discouragement and death. We now have sure hope that there is meaning and a purpose in all that happens to us, and a future beyond our wildest dreams.

Jesus Christ is risen from the dead! 

Lift up your heads, O gates! And be lifted up, O ancient doors! That the King of glory may come in.

(Psalm 24)

Life is not a waiting room leading to the void but the beginning of eternity ...

God does not live in a distance castle, nor does He hide Himself behind impenetrable anterooms. The door is open; it is called Jesus Christ. The celebration of Easter is intended to show us the radiant light that streams from this door.

(Pope Benedict XVI, 1927-2022)

Throw open the door of your heart ... let the radiant light that streams from the King of Glory enter. And check out the long list of saints to intercede for us during this blessed Eastertide. Woo-hoo.

SAINT MARCELLINUS, VINCENT AND DOMNINUS,

SAINT BEUNO,

SAINT AGNES OF MONTEPULCIANO, OP,

SAINT ANSELM OF CANTERBURY,

SAINT MAELRUBHA,

SAINT CAIUS AND SOTER,

SAINT GEORGE,

SAINT ADALBERT OF PRAGUE,

BLESSED TERESA MARIA OF THE CROSS,

SAINT FIDELIS OF SIGMARINGEN,

SAINT ERKENWALD,

SAINT EGBERT,

SAINT MARK THE EVANGELIST,

BLESSED ROBERT ANDERTON AND WILLIAM MARDSEN,

OUR LADY OF GOOD COUNSEL,

SAINT ASICUS,

SAINT MAUGHOLD,

BLESSED HOSANNA OF KOTOR, OP,

SAINT PETER CHANEL,

SAINT LOUIS GRIGNION DE MONTFORT,

BLESSED MARIA GUGGLIARI ECHEVERRIA,

SAINT CATHERINE OF SIENA, VIRGIN, DOCTOR,

POPE SAINT PIUS V,

SAINT MARIE OF THE INCARNATION,

OUR LADY, MOTHER OF AFRICA,

SAINT JOSEPH THE WORKER,

SAINT ATHANASIUS, BISHOP, DOCTOR,

SAINTS PHILIP AND JAMES, APOSTLES,

SAINT HILARY OF ARLES,

THE ENGLISH MARTYRS,

BLESSED MARIE-LEONIE PARADIS,

SAINT CONLETH,

SAINT BRIGID,

THE BEATIFIED MARTYRS OF ENGLAND AND WALES,

SAINT JOSE MARIA RUBIO,

BLESSED ANGEL PRAT HOSTENCH AND COMPANIONS,

BLESSED EMILY BICCHIERI,

SAINT ASAPH,

BLESSED EDMUND RICE,

SAINT RICHARD REYNOLDS,

SAINT ANGELUS,

SAINT FRANCOIS DE LAVAL,

SAINT EVODIUS,

BLESSED CHRISTIAN DE CHERGE AND COMPANIONS, MARTYRS,

SAINT PETER OF TARENTAISE,

SAINT JOHN OF BEVERLEY,

SAINT ROSE VENERINI, 

BLESSED ALBERT OF BERGAMO, OP,

BLESSED CATHERINE OF SAINT AUGUSTINE,

BLESSED JOHN SULLIVAN,

BLESSED ALOYSIUS RABATA,

SAINT GEORGE PRECA,

SAINT PACHOMIUS,

SAINT LOUISE DE MARILLAC,

SAINT DAMIAN OF MOLOKAI,

SAINT JOHN OF AVILA,

SAINT COMGALL,

SAINT ANTONIUS OF FLORENCE, OP,

THE CARTHUSIAN MARTYRS,

SAINT EPIPHANIUS OF SALAMIS,

SAINTS NEREUS AND ACHILLEUS,

SAINT PANCRAS, MARTYR,

BLESSED JANE OF PORTUGAL, OP,

OUR LADY OF FATIMA,

SAINT ERCONWALD,

BLESSED IMELDA LAMBERTINI, OP, 

SAINT MATTHIAS, APOSTLE,

SAINT ISIDORE THE FARMER,

SAINT CARTHAGE,

BLESSED ANDREW ABELLON, OP,

BLESSED GILES OF VAOZELA,

SAINT SIMON STOCK,

SAINT JOHN STONE,

POPE SAINT JOHN I,

SAINT ERIK OF SWEDEN,

SAINT DUNSTAN,

SAINT MILBURGA,

SAINT IVO OR YVES,

SAINT RAPHAEL LOUIS RAFIRINGA,

SAINT FRANCIS COLL GUITART, OP,

SAINT BERNARDINE OF SIENA,

BLESSED COLUMBA OF RIETI, OP,

POPE SAINT CELESTINE V,

SAINT RITA OF CASCIA,

SAINT JOACHINA DE VEDRUNA DE MAS,

SAINT CHRISTOPHER MAGALLANES AND HIS COMPANIONS

SAINT EUGENE DE MAZENOD,

OUR LADY, HELP OF CHRISTIANS,

BLESSED LOUIS-ZEPHIRIN MOREAU,

SAINT ALDHELM,

SAINT DOMINIC,

POPE SAINT GREGORY VII,

SAINT MARY MAGDALENE DE PAZZI,

SAINT BEDE THE VENERABLE,

SAINT JANE ANTIDE THOURET,

SAINTS DONATIAN AND ROGATIAN,

SAINT PHILIP NERI,

SAINT AUGUSTINE OF CANTERBURY,

BLESSED ANDREW FRANCHI, OP,

BLESSED MARGARET POLE, COUNTESS OF SALISBURY,

BLESSED MARY BARTHOLOMEW BAGNESI, OP,

BLESSED ARCHBISHOP ANTONI JULIAN NOWOWIEJSKI,

POPE SAINT PAUL VI,

BLESSED JOSEPH GERARD,

BLESSED ELIA OF SAINT CLEMENT,

BLESSED WILLIAM ARNAUD, OP, AND COMMPANIONS, MARTRYS,

SAINT ZDZISLAWA OF LEMBERK, OP,

SAINT LUKE KIRBY,

THE YORKSHIRE MARTYRS,

SAINT JOAN OF ARC,

SAINT WALSTAN,

SAINT JUSTIN, MARTYR,

SAINTS MARCELLINUS AND PETER,

SAINTS POTHINUS AND BLANDINA,

SAINT CHARLES LWANGA AND COMPANIONS,

SAINT KEVIN,

SAINT MAXIMUS,

SAINT ATHANASIUS,

SAINT CLOTILDE,

SAINT OPTATUS,

SAINT BONIFACE, APOSTLE OF GERMANY,

SAINT NORBERT,

SAINT MARCELLIN CHAMPAGNAT,

SAINT COLMAN OF DROMORE,

SAINT ROBERT OF NEWMINSTER,

BLESSED ANNE OF SAINT BARTHOLOMEW,

SAINT MAC NISSI,

SAINT ANTHONY MARY GIANELLI,

PRAY FOR US.

Today's photo: With help from a ladder, I managed this one.☺ Sing praise to the Lord for His glorious achievement. 

© Gertrude Feick 2025

The Baptism of the Lord

Jubilee Year 2025: Pilgrims of Hope

January is dedicated to the Holy Name of Jesus

Reading from the Rule of Saint Benedict for January 1-21: The Prologue of the Holy Rule - Chapter 4 The Tools for Good Works.

The voice of the Lord is over the waters.

JESUS, MODEL OF GOODNESS,

HAVE MERCY ON US.

MARY, QUEEN AND MOTHER,

SAINT MICHAEL THE ARCHANGEL,

PRAY FOR US.

Dear faithful readers, I thought to give a brief shout today. After all, it is the Baptism of the Lord, the day the Holy Father, following a tradition established in 1981 by Pope Saint John Paul II, baptized 21 babies in the Sistene Chapel. For a bit of history then, it was in 1981, when then Pope John Paul II began baptizing children in the Pauline Chapel in the Apostolic Palace, a ceremony that was reserved for children of Swiss Guards. In 1983, the Mass was moved to the Sistene Chapel and eventually extended to children of all Vatican employees. Give God the praise! 

Today is a day when, as Pope Francis preached, "Each of you, parents, and the Church itself are giving the greatest gift, the greatest gift: the gift of faith to the children." Our baptism is the greatest day of our lives, and, as such, is a day when we remember our date of baptism. Do you remember the date of your baptism? If you don't, why not contact the parish where you were baptized and ask. Mark your calendars and celebrate each year. As a voice from heaven came to Jesus, "You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased," the voice comes to each one of you, "You are my beloved child; with you I am well pleased." Grateful for the gift, may we receive the grace this week to live our baptismal promises with deeper authenticity and fervor.*

Now with a few voices to encourage us ...

Baptism is the "the sacrament of faith" in a particular way, 

since it is the sacramental entry into the life of faith.

(Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1236)

Jesus listened with an open ear and an open heart to the voice of His Father. Listening, He obeyed. Let us, who have been baptized in Him, listen to the voice that calls us beloved children and gives us a work to do, the work of the Gospel proclaimed and lived in love for God and neighbor.

(Magnificat, Prayer for the Morning, commentary on Psalm 40, January 12, 2025, p. 161)

At your baptism, Jesus entered the world in a new way through His union with you and all that is unique in you.

(Father Richard Veras)

The soul is regenerated in the sacred waters of baptism and thus becomes God's child.

(Saint Maximilian Kolbe, 1894-1941)

Christ is baptized, not to be made holy by the water, but to make the water holy, and by His cleansing to purify the waters which He touched.

(Saint Maximus of Turin, 380-465)

Baptism places upon our souls a mark that forever will identify it as one privileged of God.

(Sister Mary Jean Dorcy, OP, 1914-1988)

In baptism we have been made the temple of the living God. Let us welcome the Lord of glory in whatever guise He comes, receiving Him in joyful prayer, in purity of heart, and in charity toward all.

(Magnificat, Prayer for the Morning, commentary on Psalm 24, February 2, 2024)

And as Pilgrims of Hope in this Jubilee Year ...

In Your sacrament we daily embrace You and receive You into our bodies; make us worthy to experience the resurrection for which we hope. We have had Your treasure hidden within us ever since we received baptismal grace; it grows ever richer at Your sacramental table. Teach us to find our joy in Your favor! Lord, we have within us Your memorial, received at Your spiritual table; let us possess it in its full reality when all things shall be made new.

(From a sermon by Saint Ephrem, deacon, in Office of Readings, June 9)

* See Magnificat, January 11, 2025, Suggested Prayer of the Faithful, p. 160.

Today's photo: On a recent visit to "back home again in Indiana," I took this on a snowy and cold day while on a long walk. See the White River, with floating mallards, view from a bridge on College Avenue, Indianapolis, IN. I bet Jesus was glad he wasn't baptized in this frigid river. Burr ...😊 The Lord, over vast waters.

© Gertrude Feick 2025

Easter Sunday of the Resurrection of the Lord

The Month of April Dedicated both to Devotion to the Eucharist and Devotion to the Holy Spirit

In other years: Saint Laborius, Bishop of Le Mans, Patron Saint of the Cathedral and Archdiocese of Paderborn, Germany (d.396)

Readings of the Day

Rule of Saint Benedict: Ch 56 The Abbot's Table

The Easter Vigil in the Holy Night: Gn 1:1-2:2; Resp Ps 104 or Ps 33; Gn 22:1-18; Resp Ps 16; Ex 14;15-15:1; Resp Ps (Ex 15); Is 54:5-14; Resp Ps 30; Is 55:1-11; Resp Ps (Is 12); Baruch 3:9-15, 32-4:4; Resp Ps 19; Ezk 36:16-17a, 18-28; Resp Ps 42-43 or Resp (Is 12)  or Ps 51; Rm 6:3-11; Gospel Acclamation Ps 118; Mt 28:1-10

Easter Sunday Mass: Acts 10:34a, 37-43; Resp Ps 118; Col 3:1-4 or 1 Cor 5:6b-8; Sequence (Victimae paschali laudes); Jn 20:1-9

Yes, Christ my hope is arisen.

MARY, QUEEN OF PEACE,

SAINT MICHAEL THE ARCHANGEL,

PRAY FOR US. 

JESUS, OUR RESURRECTION,

SPIRIT OF LOVE AND JOY,

HAVE MERCY ON US.

Do not be afraid! I know that you are seeking Jesus the crucified. 

He is not here, for He has been raised from the dead just as He said.

(Mt 28:5-6)

Happy Easter. He is Risen - Alleluia! Let us celebrate the feast, not with the old yeast, the yeast of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth (1 Cor 5:8). 

Now with news from the Easter Bunny: Dear faithful readers, thank you for being there. First hoppity hop with a few statistics. Since September 10, 2017, Lectio Divina has been published on a daily basis (with the exception of approximately seven days) for a total of 2,060 times. That makes for 5.64 years of reflections. To put it simply, and in sincerity and truth, it is time for a break in the action. In honor of Saint Laborius, the balance of ora et labora is not balanced. Most likely, you will not hear from me again during the Octave of Easter. After the Octave, you will hear from me at least once a week (barring any unforeseen circumstances), and maybe more often. However, you will hear from me on a regular not so regular basis. I am not quite sure of all the details of future reflections with a few things under consideration, like a title for them; I have started a list of ideas. Whatever comes of it all, we remain united in faith and prayer and keep going, no matter what. Please continue to check your email for postings and you can always find the most updated reflection on our website, along with other newsy news from Redwoods. In the meantime, go quickly and join Mary Magdalene and the other Mary ... run to announce the good news! 

He has been raised from the dead!

(Mt 28:7)

SAINT LABORIUS,

PRAY FOR US.

Today's photo: Image of the Icon of the Resurrection, through the hand of Sister Suzanne, ocso.

© Gertrude Feick 2023

Thirty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time

For the Poor Souls in Purgatory

In other years: All the Saints of Ireland; All Saints of Africa; Saint Illtud or Illtyd (early 6th century); Saint Leonard of Noblac, Hermit (6th century); Saint Nuno Alvares Pereira (1360-1431); Blessed Josepha Naval Girbes (1820-1893)

Readings of the Day

Rule of Saint Benedict: Ch 30 The Manner of Reproving Boys

Mass:  2 Macc 7:1-2, 9-14; Resp Ps 17; 2 Th 2:16-3:5; Lk 20:27-38

Lord, when Your glory appears, my joy will be full.

MARY, QUEEN OF PEACE,

SAINT GERTRUDE THE GREAT OF HELFTA,

SAINT NICHOLAS OF TOLENTINO,

SAINT MICHAEL THE ARCHANGEL,

PRAY FOR US.

May Our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God Our Father, encourage your hearts and strengthen them in every good deed and word ...

May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the endurance of Christ.

(2 Th 2:16-17; 3:5)

Something was said about Maltese fr. Marius Zerafa, O.P. (1929-2022), a great man who died recently, that seems, among other things, fitting for today. Another Maltese Dominican friar said this about fr. Marius: "Marius lived his earthly life to the fullest and now he is enjoying eternal life in God's presence." I had the privilege of having fr. Marius as a teacher of art history during my studies in Rome. I remember him fondly, a man who certainly knew the God of the living. He was most definitely "a beloved teacher, scholar, art historian, and member of the Angelicum community for many decades" (Angelicum website). Among other notables, fr. Marius was the mastermind behind the successful recovery of Caravaggio's Saint Jerome that had been stolen from St. John's Co-Cathedral [Valletta, Malta] in the 1980s." I remember his account of the drama. It is true what a cousin of his wrote: "He risked his life, and sanity, and dealt with the threat of being kidnapped in the process, all for the love of art" (L. Boffa, "Fr Marius Zerafa, my naughty cousin," Times Malta, November 1, 2022). 

May we live our lives to the fullest, here, there, and in ways small and not so small. God is praised even in the details. United in faith and prayer, and as we march on to Glory, may we live this earthly life to the fullest and look forward to the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. May the souls of all the faithful departed rest in the peace of Christ. And don't forget about us! Amen.

May Christ bring us all together to everlasting life.

(Rule of Saint Benedict 72:12)

ALL THE SAINTS OF IRELAND,

ALL SAINTS OF AFRICA,

SAINT ILLUD OR ILLTYD,

SAINT LEONARD OF NOBLAC, 

SAINT NUNO ALVARES PEREIRA,

BLESSED JOSEPHA NAVAL GIRBES,

PRAY FOR US.

Friendly reminder: Don't forget to add another saint's name to your collection. A saint is busy looking for you, to be your companion throughout the new liturgical year, coming soon. ☺🎕

Today's photo: For a Sunday. Attend to my outcry.

© Gertrude Feick 2022

Tuesday within the Octave of Easter

 Year of the Family "Amoris Laetitia The Joy of Love"

Saints: Saint Alphege (-1012); Blessed Isnard of Chiampo OP (-1244); Blessed Sibyllina Biscossi OP (C.1287-1367)

Readings of the Day

Rule of Saint Benedict: Ch 63:10-19 Community Rank

Mass: Acts 2:36-41; Resp Ps 33; Jn 20:11-18

The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.

MARY, QUEEN OF PEACE,

PRAY FOR US.

I have here in front of me one of my favorite holy cards; it served as book marker in this year's Lenten book (see Rule of Saint Benedict 48:15). The card is in my collection of holy cards and comes from the Sacro Speco, that is, the holy cave, in Subiaco, Italy, where Saint Benedict lived for three years. The card is of a fresco in the cave and depicts the encounter between Mary Magdalene and Jesus related in today's Gospel. The Magdalene is on her knees, with outstretched arms, reaching for Jesus, who had called her by name, Mary! The Magdalene replies, "Rabbouni", which means Teacher. The viewer can see in the fresco that Mary Magdalene wants to embrace and hold tight the legs of Jesus. Stop holding on to me, says the Risen Lord, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go, Mary, go, announce the Good News! I am going to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God, says the Lord. We join the Magdalene today, and every day, "I have seen the Lord." Keep your eyes and ears and heart and mind open for such encounters with the Teacher. We have work to do. "This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it" Alleluia, alleluia (Gospel verse, Mass).

A later addition is the reading proclaimed at Lauds this morning:

Upon my bed at night I 

I sought him whom my soul loves;

I sought him, but found him not;

I called him but he gave no answer ...

The watchmen found me,

as they went about in the city.

"Have you seen him whom my soul loves?"

Scarcely had I passed them,

when I found him whom my soul loves.

(Song of Solomon, 3:1, 3-4a)

SAINT ALPHEGE,

BLESSED ISNARD OF CHIAMPO,

BLESSED SIBYLLINA BISCOSSI,

PRAY FOR US.

Today's photo: Happy Easter from this Bald Hill buttercup near Corvallis, OR. Happy Easter, dear  Catherine.

© Gertrude Feick 2022

Monday within the Octave of Easter

Year of the Family "Amoris Laetitia The Joy of Love"

In other years: Saint Laserian or Molaise (-639); Blessed Marie-Anne Blondin (1809-1890); Blessed Mary of the Incarnation (16th-17th century)

Readings of the Day

Rule of Saint Benedict: Ch 63:1-9 Community Rank

Mass: Acts 2:14, 22-33; Resp Ps 16; Mt 28:8-15

Keep me safe, O God; you are my hope.

MARY, QUEEN OF PEACE,

PRAY FOR US.

Welcome to Easter Monday. The Lord has risen from the dead, so He said; let us all exult and rejoice, for He reigns for all eternity, alleluia (Entrance Antiphon, Mass). Mary Magdalene and the other Mary bump into Jesus in today's Gospel. We will bump into Him too. Be ready. Hold onto Jesus and worship Him. Do not tarry though. There is work to do. Do not be afraid. Go tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me (Mt 28:10). 

I am the Christ ...

Come, then, all you nations of people, receive forgiveness for the sins that defile you. I am your forgiveness. I am the Passover that brings salvation. I am the lamb who was immolated for you. I am your ransom, your life, your resurrection, your light, I am your salvation and your king. I will bring you to the heights of heaven. With my own right hand I will raise you up, and I will show you the eternal Father.

(From an Easter homily by Melito of Sardis, in Office of Readings, Monday within the Octave of Easter)

SAINT LASERIAN OR MOLAISE,

BLESSED MARIE-ANNE BLONDIN,

BLESSED MARY OF THE INCARNATION,

PRAY FOR US.

Today's photo: Frohe Ostern from Moni in Freiburg, Germany. Hallelujah!

© Gertrude Feick 2022

Easter Sunday of the Resurrection of the Lord

Year of the Family "Amoris Laetitia The Joy of Love"

In other years: Saint Donan (7th century); Blessed Baptist Spagnoli Mantau (1447-1516); Blessed Clara Gambacorta OP (1362-1419); Blessed Maria Mancini OP (-1431) 

Readings of the Day

Rule of Saint Benedict: Ch 62 The Priests of the Monastery

Mass: Acts 10:34a, 37-43; Resp Ps 118; Col 3:1-4 or 1 Cor 5:6b-8; Sequence Victimae paschali laudes; Jn 20:1-9

The right hand of the Lord has struck with power.

MARY, QUEEN OF PEACE,

PRAY FOR US.

ALLEULIA! ALLELUIA! ALLELUIA!

HE IS RISEN!

ALLELUIA!

Happy Easter dear friends and faithful readers near and far. Thank you for being there. United in faith and prayer, we seek the living God and pray especially for all those received into the Church last night at the Easter Vigil. God is praised. We see and we believe that "we were indeed buried with Him through baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might live in newness of life" (Rm 6:4).

Every time in your ordinary life that God calls you to die to something, and in that act to rise again to new life beyond death, it is a practice run for the final return home and the ultimate resurrection. You may be asked to die to your own hopes and plans, to your cherished self-image, to your for-a-while-successful work, to something which is holding you back from God. Each time you let go and say 'Yes', you are obeying the Spirit's call to life beyond death. You are consenting to be a son or daughter of God. Every time you choose to act in real freedom, in love, forgiveness, humility, truth and self-forgetting generosity, you are accepting your dignity as the beloved adopted heir.

(M. Boulding, Gateway to Resurrection, p. 130)

We go forth then, raised with Christ and seek what is above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. We think of what is above, not of what is on earth. For we have died and our life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ our life appears, then we too will appear with Him in glory (Col 3:1-4).

This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad.

(Ps 118)

SAINT DONAN,

BLESSED BAPTIST SPAGNOLI MANTUA,

BLESSED CLARA GAMBORTA,

BLESSED MARIA MANCINI,

PRAY FOR US.

Today's image: Icon of the Resurrection, through the hand of Sister Suzanne, ocso.

© Gertrude Feick 2022

The Easter Vigil in the Holy Night

 Readings: Gn 1:1-2:2; Resp Ps 104 or Ps 33; Gn 22:1-18; Resp Ps 16; Ex 14:15-15:1; Resp Ps (Ex 15); Is 54:5-14; Resp Ps 30; Is 55:1-11; Resp Ps (Is 12); Ba 3:9-15, 32:4:4; Resp Ps 19; Ezk 36:16-17a, 18-28; Resp Ps 42-43 when Baptism is celebrated, Resp Ps (Is 12) or Ps 51 when 

is not celebrated; Rm 6:3-11; Resp Ps 118; Mk 16:1-7

 THE EASTER VIGIL, THE MOTHER OF ALL VIGILS

CHRIST YESTERDAY AND TODAY

THE BEGINNING AND THE END

THE ALPHA

AND THE OMEGA

ALL TIME BELONGS TO HIM

AND ALL AGES

TO HIM BE GLORY AND POWER

THROUGH EVERY AGE FOR EVER.

AMEN.

God looked at everything he had made, and he found it very good.

LORD, SEND OUR YOUR SPIRIT, AND RENEW THE FACE OF THE EARTH.

The sacrifice of Abraham, our father in faith.

YOU ARE MY INHERITANCE, O LORD.

The Israelites marched on dry land through the midst of the sea.

LET US SING TO THE LORD; HE HAS COVERED HIMSELF IN GLORY.

With enduring love, the Lord your redeemer takes pity on you.

I WILL PRAISE YOU, LORD, FOR YOU HAVE RESCUED ME.

Come to me that you may have life. I will renew you with an everlasting covenant.

YOU WILL DRAW WATER JOYFULLY FROM THE SPRINGS OF SALVATION.

Walk toward the splendor of the Lord.

LORD, YOU HAVE THE WORDS OF EVERLASTING LIFE.

I shall sprinkle clean water upon you and I shall give you a new heart.

CREATE A CLEAN HEART IN ME, O GOD.

GLORIA IN EXCELSIS DEO.

Christ, raised from the dead, dies no more.

ALLELUIA, ALLELUIA, ALLELUIA.

DO NOT BE AMAZED!

YOU SEEK JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE CRUCIFIED.

HE HAS BEEN RAISED!

Wednesday of Holy Week

Readings of the day: RB 48:1-9 Daily Manual Labor

Mass: Is 50:4-9a; Resp Ps 69; Mt 26:14-25

‘AMEN, I SAY TO YOU, ONE OF YOU WILL BETRAY ME.’

 

Michelangelo, Sistine Chapel

What comes to mind today are St Paul’s words: ‘What I do, I do not understand. For I do not do what I want, but I do what I hate’ (Rm 7:15). Darkness gets a grip on us, like it did Judas, and we do the unthinkable, what we hate, what we said we would never do. Like Judas, we betray. ‘Judas, oh Judas—betrayal hurts more when the one who betrays has received much from the one he betrays. Betrayal hurts, it hurts very much’ (B. Hume). Living and true God, lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

‘SURELY IT IS NOT I, RABBI?’

JESUS ANSWERED, ‘YOU HAVE SAID SO.’

When we run well in the way, let us beware that the serpent may not lie hid anywhere in the path and undermine the footstep of the horse—that is, of our body—and suddenly throw the sleeping rider. For if we are vigilant, we ought to be on our guard in some measure and shun the bites of the serpent.

(St Ambrose)

ANYONE WHO TURNS AWAY FROM THE CROSS,

TURNS AWAY FROM THE RESURRECTION.

(Pope Francis, Twitter, March 28, 2018)