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'Peter set out with the other disciple to go to the tomb.  They ran together, but the other disciple, running faster than Peter, reached the tomb first.  He bent down and saw the linen cloths lying on the ground, but did not go in. Simon Peter, following him, also came up, went into the tomb, saw the linen cloths lying on the ground and also the cloth that had been over His head; this was not with the linen cloths but rolled up in a place by itself. Then the other disciple who had reached the tomb first also went in.  He saw and he believed.'  (John 20:3-8)

F- Making an Act of Faith For the   first Christians then faith did not mean primarily believing in a  body of truths or defined dogmas, but in a body that was raised from the dead on the first Easter Day. Just as I used each letter from the word  OUR  as  a memory jog for morning prayer I will now use each letter of the word  FATHER  as a memory jog for daily prayer beginning with the letter  F  for  Faith . But first let me make a few preliminary remarks.   read on .......

The Resurrection Passignano, 1600-25, Pinacoteca, Vatican [ Web Gallery of Art ] The Easter Vigil in the Holy Night Readings   (New American Bible: Philippines, USA) Readings   (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England & Wales, India [optional], Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland, South Africa)  At the Mass During the Day Readings   (New American Bible: Philippines, USA)                                   Readings   (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England & Wales, India [optional], Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland, South Africa) Gospel   John 20:1-9  ( New Revised Standard Version, Catholic Edition , Canada) Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb.   So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.”

(From Tintoretto, via Wikimedia Commons, used w/o permission.) (Detail from Tintorett's "Crucifixion.") Nailed to a cross after a night and day of torture and humiliation, Jesus was "raised high and greatly and greatly exalted ... so marred was his look beyond that of man." " 3 See, my servant shall prosper, he shall be raised high and greatly exalted. " Even as many were amazed at him - so marred was his look beyond that of man, and his appearance beyond that of mortals - " So shall he startle many nations, because of him kings shall stand speechless; For those who have not been told shall see, those who have not heard shall ponder it. " ( Isaiah 52:13 - 53:12 ) Today's readings start with the prophet Isaiah's words, and end on a gloomy note.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

Scientists have found at least a dozen planets where life might exist. They're learning more about biosignatures: signs of life. Understanding Life's Limits "...An Enormous Quantity of Creatures of Every Kind..." "...So Much We Still Don't Understand" A Growing Catalog of Known Worlds Earth-Sized Planets: Billions of Them Searching the Sky: Frustration and Vindication Life on Other Worlds: Imagined (From "Quatermass and the Pit," via Tales of Future Past, used w/o permission) ('That's odd: he doesn't look German.') Some science fiction movies strayed from the man-in-a-rubber-suit style of space alien. But most extraterrestrials in the movies look at least vaguely human. I don't mind, since " Close Encounters of the Third Kind ," " The Last Starfighter ," and " Spaced Invaders " are entertainment: not documentaries.... ...Angels are persons, too: beings of pure spirit, with

I have begun to pray to St. Dismas, one of the two criminals who were crucified with Our Lord on Calvary. He is known as the "Good Thief" because of the way he admitted his wrongdoing, accepted his punishment, and acknowledged the goodness and power of Jesus. The other thief railed against his fate and taunted Jesus, "Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!" But the penitent St. Dismas humbly said to Our Lord, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom." To read the full post, originally published in 2011, click here .

Tantum ergo Sacramentum Veneremur cernui: Et antiquum documentum Novo cedat ritui: Praestet fides supplementum Sensuum defectui. Genitori, Genitoque Laus et iubilatio, Salus, honor, virtus quoque Sit et benedictio: Procedenti ab utroque Compar sit laudatio. Amen. V. Panem de caelo praestitisti eis. R. Omne delectamentum in se habentem. Oremus: Deus, qui nobis sub sacramento mirabili, passionis tuae memoriam reliquisti: tribue, quaesumus, ita nos corporis et sanguinis tui sacra mysteria venerari, ut redemptionis tuae fructum in nobis iugiter sentiamus. Qui vivis et regnas in saecula saeculorum. R. Amen. English Translation Down in adoration falling, Lo! the sacred Host we hail, Lo! oe'r ancient forms departing Newer rites of grace prevail; Faith for all defects supplying, Where the feeble senses fail. To the everlasting Father, And the Son Who reigns on high With the Holy Spirit proceeding Forth from each eternally, Be salvation, honor, bl

Perhaps we identify with the centurion this Holy Week - attending Holy Week services as a casual observer, not allowing ourselves to enter into the truth about what we are witnessing, just watching the clock and waiting for it all to end so we can get back to our "normal" lives.  Let us ask the Holy Spirit to allow us to experience the "earthquake" of deep conversion and  the heartfelt understanding that Jesus is the Son of God who died to save each one of us from our sins. Read more here... To read other Holy Week Reflections follow these links: Am I Simon? Am I Peter? Am I Pilate? Am I the Good Thief?

It is Holy Thursday. Tonight, churches around the entire globe will wait in  prayerful vigil, with lights dimmed, all images covered with the congregation in respectful, sombre silence. The Church is remembering the end of Jesus’s public life as a teacher and healer and walking with Him as He begins His most important work, the work of salvation in His passion, death and resurrection. Yet today’s Gospel takes us back to the beginning of Jesus’s public ministry. He has just emerged from the desert, filled by the power of the Holy Spirit, astonishing crowds with His words. As He stands on the podium in the synagogue to read from the book of Isiah, repeating the Old Testament reading which we have just heard minutes before, Jesus summarizes His entire ministry in a few short verses. The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed

This week, many churches re-enact the story of Jesus washing the disciples’ feet before the Last Supper. The priest washes the feet of 12 people representing the disciples. You can bet that the chosen 12 have ensured that their feet, (or foot, because usually one foot is washed to speed the whole procedure), are/is as clean as could be, to avoid embarrassment during the re-enactment. Please continue reading HERE  

First Station: Jesus is condemned to death Christ Before Pilate   Tintoretto,  1566-67,  Scuola Grande di San Rocco, Venice Around the judgement seat are grouped a motley crowd. Men and women of every rank, the high-born Jewish maiden, the rough Samaritan woman; haughty Scribes and proud Pharisees mingle with the common loafer of the great city. Hatred has united them all for one common object; hatred of One Who ever loves them and to their wild fury has only opposed acts of gentle kindness. A mighty scream goes up, a scream of fierce rage and angry fury, such a sound as only could be drawn from the very depths of hell. “Death to Him! Death to the false prophet!” He has spent His life among you doing good – Let Him die! He has healed your sick, given strength to the palsied, sight to your blind – Let Him die! He has raised your dead – Let death be His fate! Second Station: Jesus takes up His cross Christ Carrying the Cross El Greco, 1600-05, Museo del Prado, Madrid

I have been working on a series every day, all month (except Sundays) where I blog my way through the Catholic faith, by way of the alphabet. Today, I wrote about N ovenas and thought I would share the midpoint of what has become a wonderful, ongoing conversation with atheists, Protestants and cradle Catholics, people from the United States, India and the UK to name a few. I extend the invitation to you, to share your voice and add to the whole of our Catholic faith. Read more at Filling my Prayer Closet...  

A few years back, STRESS payed me a visit (as it often will this side of heaven!). But this time it was different.  This time, it showed up bigger & stronger; more relentless than ever before… making itself at home here.  So-much-so that my unwanted guest was no longer just a visitor, but a resident within my own heart. And what a mess it made ! Maybe I could ignore it, though… Maybe I wouldn’t care... Click Here to Read More at The Way to Nourish for Life  

by De Yarrison Last night, as I was feeling rather heavy-hearted, I read Pope Francis' Palm Sunday homily. This line in particular jumped out at me, "Where is my heart?” the pope asked, pinpointing that as the “question which accompanies us” throughout Holy Week.” Reflecting on that question led to my blog post linked below. Where is my heart? I love that question: where is my heart? Though, I am not happy about my answer today. I have to admit that my heart has been heavy all day. I’m feeling sad, resentful, and frustrated. Perhaps justifiably. Difficult client situations, illnesses, relationship stressors. I’ve faced my share of crappy circumstances this past week. READ MORE at ConversationRevolution.com

Author Gary Garner just told me that Swept Up by the Spirit , the ebook (Kindle) version will be available FREE on this Thursday and Friday, April 17 and 18.   Here’s my review: “I have lived two vastly different lives—one spent exalting materialism and filled with spiritual darkness, the other spent exalting Jesus the Lord and filled with light and hope.”  Because Gary’s conversion was so “life and death,” he sees it that way for everyone. He recounts how the Spirit plainly revealed some of the traps he and his family narrowly avoided. He credits angels, signposts and appointed helpers, “pinpoints of light in the darkness, placed there for us to discover and to show us the way—without them we couldn’t possibly have made it to where we are now. There is hardly an hour that I don’t feel an urgency toward others of the impending dangers and perils that await them, much like someone who barely avoided a collapsing bridge.”  Read the rest of the story at Nancy's blog: JoyAli

What was the difference between the two thieves? How was it that one persisted in his own pride and misery, while the other was able to humbly face the reality of his sinful life and confess that to Jesus?  Why did two people with similar backgrounds encounter Jesus in the same way, but react to him in totally opposite ways? Why do we still today see deathbed conversions of some, while others die in bitterness and unbelief?  Father Sopocko, who was Saint Faustina's Spiritual Director, describes this dramatic conversion as an act of grace in these words... Read more here... To read other Holy Week Reflections follow these links: Am I Simon? Am I Peter? Am I Pilate?

Our daughter wrote about her reflections on the Lenten season last year for me.  She had it as her status on Facebook and I asked her to turn it into a blog post. You can read her reflection at Being Catholic ... Really .