Tag: death

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Easter Vigil

entrance to the tomb

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Holy Saturday at the Easter Vigil in the Holy Night of Easter Mass Readings

Reading 1: Genesis 1:1-2:2 or Genesis 1:1, 26-31A
Responsorial: Psalm 104:1-2, 5-6, 10, 12-14, 24, 35 or Psalm 33:4-7, 12-13, 20, 22
Reading 2: Genesis 22:1-18 or Genesis 22:1-2, 9A, 10-13, 15-18
Responsorial: Psalm 16:5, 8-11
Reading 3: Exodus 14:15-15:1
Responsorial: Exodus 15:1-6, 17-18
Reading 4: Isaiah 54:5-14
Responsorial: Psalm 30:2, 4-6, 11-13
Reading 5: Isaiah 55:1-11
Responsorial: Isaiah 12:2-6
Reading 6: Baruch 3:9-15, 32-4:4
Responsorial: Psalm 19:8-11
Reading 7: Ezekiel 36:16-17A, 18-28
Responsorial: Psalm 42:3, 5; 43:3, 4 or Isaiah 12:2-3, 4BCD, 5-6 or Psalm 51:12-15, 18-19
Epistle: Romans 6:3-11
Responsorial: Psalm 118:1-2, 16-17, 22-23
Gospel: Mark 16:1-7

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/040321.cfm
https://www.deaconrudysnotes.org/

Happy Easter! He is risen! Alleluia! Alleluia! I’m Deacon Rudy Villarreal and I’m so glad to share this time with you as we break open the Word!

A brother deacon of mine told me recently that he has either served at or assisted with one to two funerals a week, every week for the past year. Half of those funerals were due to COVID. There is no question that this time of pandemic has been difficult for so many people regardless of whether you think things have been handled well or not. But death, I imagine, has been especially difficult. How many deaths might have been preventable if it weren’t for politics? How many people had to die alone, I wonder? And the sad truth of it is that the pandemic is not over yet.

What comfort does all the ritual of Holy Week and Easter offer those who mourn? What comfort does Easter offer? Let’s explore Jesus’ passion, death and resurrection to show how these events relate to lives of people.

Today is the Great Vigil of Easter! Now, these aren’t just some bedtime stories we tell to pass the time until Easter dinner, with tons of chocolate, and easter egg hunts. No! There’s so much more going on. As we listened to the Scriptures and we walked through the events of this most Holy Week, I invite you to stop and think about how we got here to the Easter Vigil. I mean, just last week, we celebrated Palm Sunday. And as we heard in what is typically the first reading proclaimed outside before the procession, the people yelled, “Hosanna!” (11:9), and they spread their cloaks and leafy branches on the road to make way for Jesus! (11:8). The people were cheering and applauding and celebrating! They treated him like a rock star!

Can you imagine what it must have felt like to be one of Jesus’ closest disciples as that scene unfolded? I bet excitement and joy filled the disciples at the way the crowd received their teacher! What a moment!

And then, just a few days later – they crucified him. They stripped Jesus of his dignity, and they nailed him to a cross. There he hung in the air like a criminal until he died a most torturous death.

How do you think the eleven disciples felt? We can’t be sure because they weren’t there! Where were they? They were hiding! I mean, Judas betrayed Jesus. Peter denied Jesus. Their whole world collapsed. So now what?

Just a little earlier in Mark before the reading we heard proclaimed today, Mark tells us that two women who followed Jesus in Galilee were there at the crucifixion. Mary Magdalene, and Mary, the mother of James and Salome. They witnessed the horror of Jesus’ death. They saw where they laid Jesus to rest. For some reason, they decided to go to the tomb to anoint Jesus’ body. Maybe they felt Joseph had rushed things Friday night. The women didn’t realize Jesus has already been “anointed beforehand for burial” by another woman the night before the Last Supper (14:3-8). <1>

Now, this is an interesting point to keep in mind as we move forward. The women – not the men – “provide … continuity between the story of Jesus’ death and burial and the story of Easter morning.” <2> Unlike the male disciples who are nowhere, these women clearly aren’t overcome with despair. They resolve to do something – one final act to honor their beloved teacher. They couldn’t anoint his body on the Sabbath, so early Sunday morning, they set out for the tomb.

Now, the Greek words that Mark uses gives us some interesting insight into this scene. When the women arrived, they looked up and saw the tomb opened. The Greek word Mark used for “looking up” could also mean “to gain sight.” <3> Why gain sight? Perhaps the women were so busy that they were blind to Jesus’ words. Just as they witnessed his death, now they bore witness to the empty tomb.

When they entered the tomb, instead of finding Jesus, they encountered a young man in white. Scholars tell us that based on various Scripture passages, we can believe that this youth was some sort of angel. <4> Jesus is not in the tomb. The youth tells the women that Jesus has risen. Scholars tell us that even the Greek verb Mark uses is passive to describe “the divine origin of the miracle.” <5>

The youth tells the women to go and tell the other disciples that Jesus will meet them in Galilee. The women are commissioned to be the first evangelizers of the Resurrection! <6>

While this passage from Mark ends by describing the women’s fear, they told someone because the faith spread like wildfire and is with us here today. “The Gospel of Mark begins and ends with the proclamation of good news and the invitation to participate in God’s reign alive among us (1:14-15; 16:7).” <7>

Isn’t it wonderful? But this is no story.

What comfort do these events offer those who mourn their dead?

You see, for Christians, death isn’t the end of the story! Jesus was raised from the dead! Jesus overcame sin and death! Jesus’ triumph tells us, that, “The power of God is on the loose in the world, calling for our response.” <8>

As baptized Christians, we are united through Jesus with God – all of us – those who came before, those here with us now, and those yet to be born. And because we are united through Jesus, death is not the end! We are connected with our dead friends and family. And we will see them again! That’s part of the great hope of the Kingdom of God! The hope of the resurrection is felt by all believers, of course, but it’s felt in a particular way by all those who mourn. Indeed, all of the rituals of this most Holy Week affirms our hope in Christ Jesus. As we gather to mark the Great Vigil of Easter, we remember. We celebrate. And we believe!

Homework! Rejuvenated by the Easter message that we celebrate through the Word of God and the Eucharist, I invite you to reflect on the following question.
The women commissioned to announce the resurrection were ordinary people, just like most of us. How am I called to share the Good News?

Doing our homework reminds us as disciples that Easter is not just any day. It’s a reminder of our commission to go out into the world spreading the Good News of Jesus Christ. Do you got it? Do you get it? Good! Now go make disciples! May we all come to know the joy of Easter and may God bless you, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit! +Amen!

You’re listening to deacon rudy’s notes. Thank you for joining me today. Silent Partner composed our theme music. You can find all sorts of helpful information on the website at www.deaconrudysnotes.org. I’m Deacon Rudy Villarreal. Join me again next weekend as we break open the Word. Peace!

Image Credit: Easter Tomb. Artist Unknown. JPG.

Notes:
<1> Mary Ann Beavis, chap. Mark 16:1-8, sec. Tracing the Narrative Flow, Kindle.
<2> Dawn Ottoni-Wilhelm, 352.
<3> Mary Ann Beavis, chap. Mark 16:1-8, sec. Tracing the Narrative Flow, Kindle.
<4> Mary Ann Beavis, chap. Mark 16:1-8, sec. The Messenger in the Tomb, Kindle. Also see Dawn Ottoni-Wilhelm, 351.
<5> Mary Ann Beavis, chap. Mark 16:1-8, sec. The Messenger in the Tomb, Kindle.
<6> Mary Ann Beavis, chap. Mark 16:1-8, sec. The Messenger in the Tomb, Kindle.
<7> Dawn Ottoni-Wilhelm, 355.
<8> Dawn Ottoni-Wilhelm, 357. Emphasis in original.

Bibliography/Suggested Readings:
1. Beavis, Mary Ann. Mark. Paideia Commentary Series. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2011. Kindle.
2. Healy, Mary. Hebrews. The Gospel of Mark. Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2008. Kindle.
3. Hahn, Scott W. and Curtis Mitch. Romans. Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2017. Kindle.
4. Ottoni-Wilhelm, Dawn. Preaching the Gospel of Mark: Proclaiming the Power of God. Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2008.

Catechism References http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc.htm:
1. Christ’s resurrection and ours: 638-58, 992-1004
2. Easter the Lord’s Day: 647, 1167-70, 1243, 1287
3. The Sacraments of Initiation: 1212
4. Baptism: 1214-22, 1226-28, 1234-45, 1254
5. Baptism – death and resurrection with Christ: 1214, 1220, 1227
6. Baptism – the sacrament of faith: 1226, 1253-54
7. Baptism – the sacrament of justification: 1266, 1992
8. Confirmation: 1286-89
9. Eucharist: 1322-23
10. The first day of the week: 2174-77

Holy Saturday at the Easter Vigil in the Holy Night of Easter https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/040321.cfm
Lectionary: 41

Gospel
Mark 16:1-7
When the sabbath was over,
Mary Magdalene, Mary, the mother of James, and Salome
bought spices so that they might go and anoint him.
Very early when the sun had risen,
on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb.
They were saying to one another,
“Who will roll back the stone for us
from the entrance to the tomb?”
When they looked up,
they saw that the stone had been rolled back;
it was very large.
On entering the tomb they saw a young man
sitting on the right side, clothed in a white robe,
and they were utterly amazed.
He said to them, “Do not be amazed!
You seek Jesus of Nazareth, the crucified.
He has been raised; he is not here.
Behold the place where they laid him.
But go and tell his disciples and Peter,
‘He is going before you to Galilee;
there you will see him, as he told you.’”

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ATC 14 Pray for the Dead?

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C.S. Lewis once wrote, “Of course I pray for the dead. The action is so spontaneous, so all but inevitable, that only the most compulsive theological case against it would deter me. And I hardly know how the rest of my prayers would survive if those for the dead were forbidden. At our age, the majority of those we love are dead. What sort of intercourse with God could I have if what I love best were unmentionable to him?”

Happy Easter! Alleluia! Alleluia! Thank you for joining me for All Things Catholic. I’m your host, Deacon Rudy Villarreal, and together we are going to explore what it means to be Catholic. I recently saw what struck me as an odd question on a discussion board. The question was, “Why do Catholics pray for the dead?” That’s an interesting question, isn’t it? As a Catholic, I don’t’ think I have ever thought twice about it. But it’s a good question to explore.

We lost a dear friend this week. Between COVID-19 and the fact that she is in Honduras, well, she might as well be on Mars. So, thinking about her and our all the souls she helped and all the souls she encountered around the world, I’d like to take on that question today. Don’t forget to send me your questions either through the comment form on the website, or by email to rudy@deaconrudysnotes.org.

First, and this is important, we pray for the dead because we are grieving. We pray for the dead out of love. We pray for the dead to help our families and friends and who are suffering from the loss – and we all suffer. When Jesus heard about Lazarus’ death, he wept, John 11:39. So comforting someone who is suffering is certainly in line with what St. Paul told the Corinthians. We are part of the Body of Christ, so when one of us suffer, we all suffer, 1 Corinthians 12:26-27.

But we also pray for our friends and family that God forgive their sins and that He receive them into the light of His face. Now, we are not the only ones who pray for the dead. The Jews pray for the dead as do the Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus and at least half a dozen others. In 2 Maccabees, the Jewish leader Judas Maccabeus leads his army into battle. After the battle, they find some pagan amulets under the tunics of some of their soldiers. This was a sin against the Ten Commandments, so they pray that God shows these troops mercy (2 Maccabees 12:40, 42, 44).

Why pray for someone who is dead unless we know we will see them again? Our liturgies are designed to support us through this process. Our prayers and the liturgies of the Church recognize the spiritual bonds between the living and the dead. It affirms that all the faithful will be raised again and reunited, (Rites, 6).

But we don’t just gather to commiserate. The Easter season is a clear reminder! “The Church confidently proclaims that God has created each person for eternal life and that Jesus, the Son of God, by his death and resurrection, has broken the chains of sin and death that bound humanity,” (Rites, “Order of Christian Funerals”, 1). St. Paul tells us, “If we have died with Christ, we have faith that we shall also live with him,” (Romans 6:8). So, our prayers and our liturgies offer hope and consolation to the living. (Rites, 7).

This is important because first and foremost, our liturgies are about worshipping God. We worship God and we give thanks for the blessing of the life of the person who died and everyone they touched. We celebrate the life in Christ.

One of the most beautiful parts of the various liturgies we have for the dead is something we call the final commendation. This happens after the funeral and before the body is processed to the cemetery. In the final commendation, the entire, “community acknowledges the reality of separation and commends the deceased to God,” (Rites, 6). We give thanks for our deceased who is now returning to God. That’s a beautiful image, isn’t it?

Why do Catholics pray for the dead? We pray to thank God for the gift this person was in life. We pray to help console ourselves in our grief. And we pray for the soul of our deceased that God show them mercy for any unresolved sins in their life.

Does that make sense? Do you got it? Do you get it? Good! Now go make disciples! May Almighty God bless you, Father, Son and Holy Spirit! +Amen!

You’re listening to All Things Catholic. If you have a question you’d like me to discuss, please use the comment form on the website, or send me an email to rudy@deaconrudysnotes.org.

This episode was produced by deacon rudy’s notes. Our theme music was composed by Silent Partner. You can find all sorts of helpful information on the website at www.deaconrudysnotes.org. I’m your host, Deacon Rudy Villarreal. Join us again next time and don’t forget to check out the weekend edition where we break open the Word. He is RISEN! Alleluia! Alleluia!

References:
1. Johnson, Kevin Orlin, Ph.D. Why Do Catholics Do That? A Guide to the Teachings and Practices of the Catholic Church. New York: Ballantine Books, 1994.
2. Sheed, Frank. Theology for Beginners. Published by Beacon Publishing with permission of Servant Books, an imprint of Franciscan Media, © 1981.
3. The Bible: A Study Bible freshly translated by Nicholas King. Buxhall, Suffolk UK: Kevin Mayhew, 2013.
4. The Rites of the Catholic Church: the Roman Ritual Revised by Decree of the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council and Published by the Authority of Pope Paul VI. Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 1990.

Catechism References: Easily search the Catechism at http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc.htm
1. I believe in the resurrection of the body, 988-91
2. Christ’s resurrection and ours, 992-1004
3. Dying in Christ, 1005-1019

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Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion

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Readings
Gospel at the Procession with Palms: Luke 19:28-40
Reading 1: Isaiah 50:4-7
Psalm: Psalm 22:8-9, 17-20, 23-24
Reading 2: Philippians 2:6-11
Gospel: Luke 22:14-23:56

Today we celebrate Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion. Can you imagine being one of Jesus’ disciples during the scene described by Luke today? People were cheering and clapping and celebrating. They treated him like a rock star! And then a few days later, just a few days later, they crucified him. They stripped him and they nailed him to a cross. They drove nails through his hands and his feet and hung him in the air until he died.

Can you imagine what his disciples were feeling as they watched Jesus dying on the cross? Do you think they were sad? I think they were profoundly sad. Were they scared? Oh yes. Scripture tells us that his closest disciples, those who would become his apostles, were in the upper room hiding – hiding! They were hiding! Yes, I think they were scared. Do you think they were angry? You bet! How could this happen? They thought he was their savior. They thought he was supposed to be their king. This wasn’t supposed to happen! Now what?

Now what?

Death has a funny way of making us feel a hurricane of emotions like sad, scared, angry. Like our Psalmist today, we want to scream and shake our fists to heaven, “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?”, (Ps 22:2).

When death comes, some of us move on and try as best we can to pick up the pieces of our lives. But some in our families never do move on, do they? In both cases, those who move on without processing what happened, and those who can’t seem to move on don’t understand the message of Easter.

Before we get there, though, let’s make sure we’re all on the same page and to do that, we need to go back to the beginning. In the Garden while Adam and Eve were walking, they encountered a sly and cunning serpent. Can you imagine how that conversation went? He probably told them, “Good? You’re not good! You’re human! You’re so filthy! If you want to be good, then you need to be like God and if you want to be God, then you need to eat the fruit of this tree.”

Jewish scholars tell us that evil entered the world through the first temptation. What was the first temptation? Doubting the goodness of God’s creation. You see, Adam and Even didn’t need to eat the fruit to be good. God made them so they were good just the way they were.

The Original Sin totally disrupted our ability to find God on our own. Humans caused the rift, and only a human could fix it, but no human had the power to bridge the gap between God and us. So, God chose to send His son to us, as a human. St. Paul tells us in the second reading today from Philippians, that, “…though he was in the form of God, Jesus did not regard equality with God something to be grasped. Rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness…” (Phil 2:6-7).

As a human, Jesus sanctifies humanity. That’s what the incarnation is all about. But to save us – to bridge the gap between God and humanity, requires the ultimate sacrifice. St. Paul goes not to tell us that, “…found human in appearance, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross,” (Phil 2:8). Through his death and by his blood, we are washed clean of our sins and we become whiter than snow (Ps 51:9). And by his resurrection, he conquers death itself! Death no longer has any hold over us.

So, in both cases we discussed earlier, those who move on after death without processing what happened, and those who can’t seem to move on, both don’t understand the promise of the resurrection. All of us disciples, those of us who accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, will see our friends and loved ones again! Death is not the end.

Today, the Church celebrates both Palm Sunday and Passion Sunday. We enter Holy Week and welcome Jesus into our lives, asking him to allow us to share in his suffering, death and Resurrection. Palm Sunday and Passion Sunday are two sides of the same coin. We rejoice as we receive Jesus into our lives as our Lord and Savior. We weep and mourn as his death confronts us with our sin. But that is not the end, because we look forward with great hope to Easter when we will celebrate the Resurrection.

Homework! As we enter Holy Week, I suggest we reflect on the following questions:

  1. Am I ready to welcome Jesus into my heart? Am I ready to surrender my life to Him during this Holy Week and welcome Him into all areas of my life as my Lord and Savior?
  2. Are we willing to follow Jesus, not just to Church but in our daily lives? Are we willing to entrust ourselves to Him even when the future is frightening or confusing, believing God has a plan? Are we willing to serve Him until that day when His plan for us on earth is fulfilled?

I think that reflecting and contemplating these questions this week will further our Lenten exercise of taking the focus off our own lives and opening us up to God’s people. Do you got it? Are you going to do it? Good! May each of us have a blessed Holy Week! The Lord be with you. And may Almighty God bless you, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. +Amen!