Catholic Caucus: Daily Mass Readings, 04-07-12, Holy Saturday

From: Mark 16:1-7

The Resurrection of Jesus. The empty tomb

[1] And when the sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of
James, and Salome, bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. [2]
And very early on the first day of the week they went to the tomb when the sun
had risen. [3] And they were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the
stone for us from the door of the tomb?” [4] And looking up, they saw that the
stone was rolled back; for it was very large. [5] And entering the tomb, they saw
a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe; and they were a-
mazed. [6] And he said to them, “Do not be amazed; you seek Jesus of Naza-
reth, who was crucified. He has risen, he is not here; see the place where they
laid him. [7] But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going before you to
Galilee; there you will see him, as he told you.”

*********************************************************************************************
Commentary:

1. The sabbath rest was laid down in the Law of Moses as a day when the Israel-
ites should devote themselves to prayer and the worship of God, and also as a
form of protection for workers. As time went by the rabbis specified in minuscule
detail what could and could not he done on the sabbath. This was why the holy
women were unable to organize things on the sabbath for anointing the dead bo-
dy of our Lord, and why they had to wait until the first day of the week.

From the earliest days of the Church, this first day is called the “dies Domini’’,
the Lord’s Day, because, St Jerome comments, “after the sorrow of the sabbath,
a joyful day breaks out, the day of greatest joy, lit up by the greatest light of all,
for this day saw the triumph of the risen Christ’’ (”Comm. in Marcum, in loc.).

This is why the Church has designated Sunday as the day specially consecra-
ted to the Lord, a day of rest on which we are commanded to attend Holy Mass.

3-4. On the structure of Jewish tombs and the stone covering the entrance, see
the note on Mt 27:60.

5. Like so many other passages of the Gospel this one shows the extreme sobri-
ety with which the evangelists report historical facts. From the parallel passage
of St Matthew (28:5) we know that this person was an angel. But both Mark and
Luke are content to report what the women say, without any further interpretation.

6. These women’s sensitive love urges them, as soon as the law permits, to go
to anoint the dead body of Jesus, without giving a thought to the difficulties in-
volved . Our Lord rewarded them in kind: they were the first to hear news of his
resurrection. The Church has always invoked the Blessed Virgin “pro devota fe-
mineo sexu’’, to intercede for devout womanhood. And it is indeed true that in
the terrible moments of the passion and death of Jesus women proved stronger
than men: “Woman is stronger than man, and more faithful, in the hour of suffer-
ing: Mary of Magdala and Mary of Cleophas and Salome!

‘’With a group of valiant women like these, closely united to our Lady of Sorrows,
what work for souls could be done in the world!” (St. J. Escriva, “The Way”, 982).

“Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified: the same name as written on the inscrip-
tion on the cross is used by the angel to proclaim the glorious victory of the re-
surrection. In this way St Mark bears witness explicitly to the crucified man and
the resurrected man being one and the same. Jesus’ body, which was treated
so cruelly, now has immortal life.

“He has risen’’: the glorious resurrection of Jesus is the central mystery of our
faith. ‘’If Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith
is in vain’’ (1 Cor 15:14). It is also the basis of our hope: ‘’if Christ has not been
raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. . . . If for this life only we
have hoped in Christ, we are of all men most to he pitied’’ (1 Cor 15:17 and 19).
The Resurrection means that Jesus has overcome death, sin, pain and the po-
wer of the devil. The Redemption which our Lord carried out through his death
and resurrection is applied to the believer by means of the sacraments, espe-
cially by Baptism and the Eucharist: “We were buried with him by baptism and
death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we
might walk in newness of life” (Rom 6:4). “He who eats my flesh and drinks my
blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day” (Jn 6:54). The resur-
rection of Christ is also the role of our new life: “If you have been raised with
Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is seated at the right hand
of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth”
Col 3:1-2). Rising with Christ through grace means that “just as Jesus Christ
through his resurrection began a new immortal and heavenly life, so we must be-
gin a new life according to the Spirit, once and for all renouncing sin and every-
thing that leads us to sin, loving only God and everything that leads to God (St
Pius X, “Catechism”, 77).

7. The designation of the apostle Peter by name is a way of focusing attention
on the head of the Apostolic College, just at this time when the apostles are so
discouraged. It is also a delicate way of indicating that Peter’s denials have
been forgiven, and of confirming his primacy among the apostles.

*********************************************************************************************
Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.

Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.

Sacred Silence

The introduction of the Roman missal for Holy Saturday states that “on Holy Saturday the Church waits at the Lord’s tomb, meditating on his suffering and death. The altar is left bare, and the sacrifice of the mass is not celebrated. Only after the solemn vigil during the night, held in anticipation of the resurrection, does the Easter celebration begin, with a spirit of joy that over flows into the following period of fifty days.”

The liturgy for the Easter Vigil unfolds from darkness to the brightness of the resurrection of Jesus depicting the triumph of love over sin and death.

Whereas the practice in the Jewish synagogues (as described by Henri Daniel-Rops in the book Daily Life in Palestine at the Time of Christ) was that “after the prayers came the essence of the service, the reading of the law, the Hazzan took the holy scroll first from the ark and then from its two wrappings, and offered it to the first of seven readers. True reading was required, and it was forbidden to utter more than one verse by hear t.”

In our Catholic liturgy readings, we have seven readings recounting God’s intervention in our salvation history and then the Epistle before the proclamation of the gospel. It is here that the Christian tradition had recognized the coming of the Messiah, his revelations and His saving act to bring us hope.

In our Gospel, after the scene at the tomb, the women who saw Jesus
alive were told: “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers that they
must leave for Galilee; they will see me there.” What does Galilee
mean? It means that they were reminded of the beginnings of their
encounter with Jesus and how he touched them. Our liturgies help us to
remember our encounters as well where we will see Jesus. Lately, how
important are our own histories of encounters?

One Bread, One Body

<< Saturday, April 7, 2012 >>

Holy Saturday
Saint of the Day

(no eucharistic readings)
View Readings

PREACHING GOD'S WORD TO THE DEAD

"I put my hope in Your word." —Psalm 119:74, JB

Yesterday, there was no Mass anywhere in the world; however, we were able to receive Holy Communion. During the day today, there is no Mass or Communion on this planet earth. We are identifying with the burial of Jesus by being deprived of His eucharistic presence.

The primary presence of Jesus in the world on Holy Saturday is not the Word-made-Flesh in Communion (see Jn 1:14), but simply the Word. During the time Jesus was buried, we know of only one thing He did. In the spirit, Jesus "went to preach to the spirits in prison" (1 Pt 3:19). "The reason the gospel was preached even to the dead was that, although condemned in the flesh in the eyes of men, they might live in the Spirit in the eyes of God" (1 Pt 4:6). Jesus preached His lifesaving Word to the dead so that they could believe in Him (see Rm 10:17) and so enter into everlasting life.

Spend this Holy Saturday immersed in God's Word and therefore in God's presence. Read the nine readings and psalms for tonight's Easter Vigil. May our whole day be a liturgy of the Word which will culminate in the celebration of the Easter Vigil. Then tonight, may we recognize the risen Jesus in the breaking of the bread (Lk 24:31).

Prayer: Jesus, may I bathe in Your Word today (see Eph 5:26).

Promise: (none)

Praise: (none)

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He is Risen! Truly Risen

Holy Saturday and the Easter Vigil

Holy Saturday and the Easter Vigil

Holy Saturday

The women saw
how His body was laid; and they prepared spices and ointments;
and rested the sabbath day according to the commandment.

Luke 23:55,56

Holy Saturday (in Latin, Sabbatum Sanctum), the 'day of the entombed Christ', is the Lord's day of rest, for on that day Christ's body lay in His tomb. We recall the Apostle's Creed, which says "He descended unto the dead." It is a day of suspense between two worlds, that of darkness, sin and death, and that of the Resurrection and the restoration of the Light of the World. For this reason no divine services are held until the Easter Vigil begins that night. This day between Good Friday and Easter Day makes present to us the end of one world and the complete newness of the era of salvation inaugurated by the Resurrection of Christ.

Ideally, Holy Saturday should be the quietest day of the year (although this is not as easy in a busy household with children as it might be in a convent or monastery.) Nightfall on Holy Saturday is time for joy and greatest expectation because of the beautiful liturgy of the Easter Vigil, often referred to as the Mother of all Holy Vigils, or the Great Service of Light. The Easter Vigil was restored to the liturgy in 1955, during the liturgical reform that preceded the Second Vatican Council.

During the day, the preparations at home that must be made for Easter Day are appropriate, however, because they keep our attention fixed on the holiness and importance of the most central feast of the Church. Working with our children to prepare for Easter can offer us many 'teaching moments', as well.

Family Preparations for Easter

As with Christmas, the secular aspects of the Easter season threaten to overwhelm its religious significance. And as in Advent, which is a penitential season also, the solemnity of the events we celebrate during Holy Week risk being obscured by the advance preparations that we may make for the joyous celebration of Easter. As Catholics, we need to keep this in mind, and not put out the Easter decorations before Easter. Holy Week and especially the Triduum (Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday) are so rich with meaning that we must be careful not to lose any of it, and to make our observances fit the solemnity of the celebration. But any festive celebration (and Easter is our greatest cause of rejoicing) takes advance preparation.

Easter Customs:
New Clothes, Easter Rabbits and Easter Eggs

Most American families observe Easter customs and traditions, but the religious significance of many of these may be lost. For example, new Easter clothes. It was part of the baptismal ceremony (and a token still remains) that the candidates for baptism (catechumens) were given a new white garment to wear — both its newness and its whiteness signifying purity. It may seem that Easter is just another excuse for merchandizing (so does Christmas). But we Christians need not regard wearing new or special Easter clothes simply as commercialism or vanity. Christians should try to keep in mind, when wearing something new for this holiday, our New Life in Christ. And we should do our best to make our appearance match the joyousness of the greatest feast of the Church.

The Christian symbolism of Easter bunnies might seem pretty obscure, and it's easy to suppose that the rabbits are simply a pagan symbol of fecundity taken over by Christianity. Even if so, bear in mind that the ancestors of pre-Christian (even pre-historic) pagans at some time knew about the true God — Adam and Eve and Noah, for example. Pagan beliefs about God's action in the world and about man's true destiny were far from the truth, of course, but many things can be understood through basic human intelligence — and that intelligence comes from God. The coming of spring is a cause for rejoicing for everybody, whether Christians or non-Christians. The Easter bunny is actually a pretty good symbol of God's plan for His creatures (including humans) to "be fruitful and multiply", and of the renewed exuberance of all creatures in cooperating with God in creating new life. (The Easter bunny might seem to be more a metaphor for God's plan for His creation in Genesis than in the Gospels.) Maybe we should think of the fecundity of rabbits as a symbol of evangelizing, and the many new believers God desires. We could think of the eggs the Easter rabbit carries in a basket as representing Christians carrying the message of Christ into the world.

The Easter egg is a symbol of the Resurrection. The shell represents the tomb that could not contain the Resurrected Lord. The chick that bursts forth from its lifeless shell is a metaphor for the mystery of Christ's Resurrection.

Filling baskets with colored Easter eggs is a nearly universal custom in Christian countries, and there are nearly as many traditional ways to dye and decorate eggs as there are ethnic groups. From the very elaborate and expensive Easter eggs made by the jeweler Fabergé for the Russian czar in the nineteenth century, to the intricately etched pysanky eggs of the Ukraine and similarly distinctive egg-decorating customs of eastern Europe, to the simple (if messy) kitchen-table food-coloring dyed eggs most Americans know, the Easter egg is revered as a symbol of the Resurrection.

While your family probably has its own traditions about the best way to do Easter eggs, there are web pages and articles and library books on the subject, that might give you some new ideas. One idea is to paint one of the eggs gold and write Alleluia on it. The child who discovers the Alleluia egg might be given a special honor, such as lighting the Easter candle at mealtime.

In some parishes there is a custom of bringing filled Easter baskets to the Easter Vigil, and, after Mass, the priest blesses all the baskets — and the eggs, candy, Easter breads or flowers they contain — with holy water. If your parish doesn't do this, or if your children are too young to go to the Easter Vigil, you might want to do this with your children when they set their baskets of eggs out for hiding before bedtime on Holy Saturday. A simple sign of the Cross with holy water could be made by each child on his own basket.

The Easter Vigil

Very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre,
bringing the spices which they had prepared and they found not the body of the Lord Jesus.

Luke 24:1,3

The night vigil of Easter signifies Christ's passage from the dead to the living by the liturgy, which begins in darkness (sin, death) and is enlightened by the fire and the candle representing Lumen Christi — the Light of Christ — just as the Church, the Mystical Body of Christ, the community of believers, is led from spiritual darkness to the light of His truth. Christ's baptism, which our own baptism imitates, is represented during the liturgy by the blessing of the water of baptism by immersing ("burying") the candle representing His Body into the font.

During the liturgy we recall God's sparing of the Hebrews whose doors were marked with the blood of the lamb; we are sprinkled with the blessed water by which we were cleansed from original sin through Christ's sacrifice, and we repeat our baptismal vows, renouncing Satan and all his works. We rejoice at Christ's bodily resurrection from the darkness of the tomb; and we pray for our passage from death into eternal life, from sin into grace, from the weariness and infirmity of old age to the freshness and vigor of youth, from the anguish of the Cross to peace and unity with God, and from this sinful world unto the Father in heaven.

The Water

The Easter Vigil includes a blessing of water. The water is a sign of purification and of baptism. Holy water, that is, water that has been ceremonially blessed, is a sacramental. Sacramentals are "sacred signs which bear a resemblance to the sacraments [by which the faithful are] given access to the stream of divine grace which flows from the paschal mystery of the passion, death, and resurrection of Christ — the fountain from which all sacraments and sacramentals draw their power." [Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, No. 60. Second Vatican Council Documents] Some other common sacramentals are blessed palm (and the ashes used on Ash Wednesday made from them), candles, medals, priestly blessings, and other prayers.

Water blessed during the Easter Vigil is used for baptisms and other blessings. This water does not last the whole year, so there is a special blessing for holy water used at other times of the year, also. Traditionally the blessing of holy water includes an exorcism, or protection against evil, and the addition of salt, a spiritual symbol of wisdom, which preserves our faith.

Catholic churches have basins or fonts containing holy water near the entrance so that believers can dip their fingers in it before making the sign of the cross as they enter the House of God as a symbol of purification. This simple gesture reminds believers of their consecration to Christ in baptism, and visibly indicates their acceptance of the Catholic faith.

The blessed water is available for members of the parish to keep at home to use for special prayers and blessings. In European Churches there are usually large stone basins filled with holy water near the entrance which are used by people in making the sacramental sign and also serve as reservoirs.

A bottle of holy water used to be found in virtually every Catholic home, but the private use of holy water has diminished, probably because people no longer know what it is used for or how to use it. However, it is a very powerful sign and children especially love to learn to use holy water to bless a wreath or flowers or other special religious articles used in the home as a sign of consecration to the Lord. It would be good to have a small bowl or font of holy water near the entrance door of the house for family members to use during the penitential season of Lent.

The Light of Christ (Lumen Christi)

The Paschal candle represents Christ, the Light of the World: "I am the light of the world. He that followeth me walketh not in darkness" [John 8:12]. The pure beeswax of which the candle is made represents the sinless Christ, who was formed in the womb of His Mother. The wick signifies His humanity; the flame, His Divine Nature, both soul and body. Five grains of incense inserted into the candle in the form of a cross recall the aromatic spices with which His Sacred Body was prepared for the tomb, and of the five wounds in His hands, feet, and side.

During the Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday night the priest or deacon carries the candle in procession into the dark church. A new fire, symbolizing our eternal life in Christ, is kindled, which lights the candle. The candle, representing Christ Himself, is blessed by the priest, who then inscribes in it a cross, the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet, (Alpha and Omega - 'the beginning and the end') and the current year, as he chants the prayer below. He then affixes the five grains of incense.

The Easter candle is the largest and most beautiful in the Church. It is a reminder of the Risen Redeemer "who shining in light left the tomb". It is lighted each day during Mass throughout the Paschal season until Ascension Thursday.

In Rome, the wax of the Easter candle from St. Peter's is used to make little locket-like Agnus Dei (Lamb of God) medals. The heart-shaped gold-colored locket is embossed with a cross and a lamb and contains a drop of blessed wax.

Christ yesterday and today,
the Beginning and the End,
the Alpha and Omega.
His are the times and ages:
To Him be glory and dominion
Through all ages of eternity. Amen

A Family Easter Candle

If for some reason your family cannot attend the Easter Vigil (if the children are too young to be taken out late at night, for example) some of this symbolism can be brought into the home, and the ceremony below might be done after dark just before bedtime. The family Easter candle should be large enough to be lighted at meal times for forty days. Most religious goods stores carry Christ Candles, which will serve. A new fire can be kindled in a large heat-proof pan or you may want to do it outside, in the barbecue, for instance. The father may lead the Blessing of the New Fire:

V. The Lord be with you.
R. And with thy spirit.
Let us pray. O God, through Thy Son, the cornerstone, thou hast bestowed on the faithful the fire of Thy glory, sanctify this new fire for our use; and grant that by this paschal festival we may be so inflamed with heavenly desires that with pure minds we may come to the realm of perpetual light. Through the same Christ Our Lord
All Amen
(Sprinkle fire with holy water.)

The father makes five holes in the candle by piercing it with a hot skewer; then members of the family insert five cloves (or five pieces of incense).The Father lights the candle, and the following Blessing of the Paschal Candle is read:

V. The Lord be with you.
R. And with thy spirit.

Let us pray. May Thy abundant blessing descend upon this lighted candle, we beseech Thee, almighty God: Look down on it shining in the night, that the sacrifice offered this night may shine by the secret mixture of Thy light; and wherever this mystically blessed object shall be brought, may the power of Thy majesty be present, and may all the deceitful works of Satan be driven out. Through Christ our Lord.

All. Amen.+

Other prayers that may be said after the lighting of the candle are:

We pray thee, Lord: may this candle consecrated to thine honor continue with undiminished light to dispel darkness. Receive it as a fragrant and pleasing offering, and let its light mingle with the lamps of heaven. Amen.

May the morning star behold its flame — that morning star who knows no setting, who rose from hell and gently shines on man. Amen.

By His wounds
Holy and glorious
May He protect us
Who is Christ the Lord, Amen.

Following the blessing the family might recite the Litany of the Saints, another traditional prayer used during the Easter Vigil.

Resurrexit sicut dixit, Alleluia!

+ + +
He is risen as He said, Alleluia!

READINGS:

Year A

Gn 1:1-2:2 or 1:1:1, 26-31a
Gn 22:1-18 or 22:1-2, 9a, 10-13, 15-18
Ex 14:15-15:1
Is 54:5-14
Is 55:1-11
Bar 3:9-15, 32-4:4
Ez 36:16-17a, 18-28
Rm 6:3-11
Mt 28:1-10

Year B

Gn 1:1-2:2 or 1:1:1, 26-31a
Gn 22:1-18 or 22:1-2, 9a, 10-13, 15-18
Ex 14:15-15:1
Is 54:5-14
Is 55:1-11
Bar 3:9-15, 32-4:4
Ez 36:16-17a, 18-28
Rm 6:3-11
Mk 16:1-7

Year C

Gn1:1-2:2 or Gn 1:1, 26-31a
Gn 22:1-18 or Gn 22:1-2, 9a, 10-13, 15-18
Ex 14:15- 15:1
Is 54:5-14
Isaiah 55:1-11
Bar 3: 9-15, 32- 4:4
Ezekiel 36:16-17a, 18-28
Romans 6:3-11
Luke 24:1-12

Saint John Baptist de la Salle, Priest

Saint John Baptist de la Salle, Priest
Memorial
April 7th

Rome, the chapel of the Generalate: the relics of Saint John Baptist DE LA SALLE. After 187 years at Rouen and 31 years at Lembecq-lez-Hal (Belgium), these relics were transferred to Rome in 1937, arriving on January 24. The following day, they were received into the present chapel with great solemnity.

Saint John Baptist de la Salle was born in Rheims, France, known as the Father of Modern Pedagogy. He opened free schools for poor children, introducing new teaching methods. He organized the congregation called the Brothers of the Christian Schools which made great contributions to popular education.

Collect:
O God, who chose Saint John Baptist de la Salle
to educate young Christians,
raise up, we pray, teachers in your Church
ready to devote themselves wholeheartedly
to the human and Christian formation of the young,
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. +Amen.

First Reading: 2 Timothy 1:13-14 - 2:1-3
Follow the pattern of the sound words which you have heard from me, in the faith and love which are in Christ Jesus; guard the truth that has been entrusted to you by the Holy Spirit who dwells within us.

You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus, and what you have heard from me before many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.

Gospel Reading: Matthew 18:1-5
At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" And calling to Him a child, He put him in the midst of them, and said, "Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

"Whoever receives one such child in my name receives Me."

http://resources.sainteds.com/showmedia.asp?media=../sermons/homily/2012-04-07-Homily%20Fr%20Gary.mp3&ExtraInfo=0&BaseDir=../sermons/homily