Tag: Way of the Cross

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Divine Mercy Sunday 2020

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Second Sunday of Easter / Sunday of Divine Mercy Mass Readings

First Reading: Acts 2:42-47
Psalm: Psalm 118:2-4, 13-15, 22-24
Second Reading: 1 Peter 1:3-9
Gospel: John 20:19-31

http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/041920.cfm
https://www.deaconrudysnotes.org/

Happy Easter! Today on this second Sunday during the octave of Easter we celebrate Divine Mercy Sunday. What is that all about? And what’s all this octave of Eater talk?

Let’s get the basics out of the way. Octave means eight. We count the eight days of Easter beginning on Easter Sunday until the following Sunday. This practice started early in the history of the church. The “eighth day” became another name for Sunday, the day we celebrate the resurrection. While we don’t commonly refer to every Sunday as “the eighth day”, we do treat every Sunday as Easter Sunday. That’s why during Lent, Sundays aren’t counted as a day of Lent. Ok, now that the basics are out of the way, let’s jump into the readings in the light of Divine Mercy.

If you’ve been keeping up with the daily readings since last Sunday, you’ll know that Jesus has already appeared three times to the disciples. As we read these accounts, we journey with the first disciples in the days and weeks following the Lord’s resurrection. Our first reading from Acts helps to paint that picture for us. Now, put yourself in their position for a few minutes.

Everyday that passes, the disciples slowly come to understand what Jesus is teaching them. Jesus is the Savior foretold in the Old Testament. Jesus buys salvation to heal the wrong of Original Sin with His own blood. The full weight of the undeserved and unmerited sacrifice – God’s only begotten Son – demonstrates the full extent of God’s mercy.

What an incredible sacrifice Jesus made for you and for me – His beloved! That’s what we find in or second reading from First Peter. His mercy gives us hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, (1 Peter 1:3). So, on this eighth day, we pause to acknowledge the immensity of God’s mercy. But this reading also speaks for trials we might endure to prove the genuineness of our faith (1 Peter 1:6-7). Let’s look at that in the light of the Gospel.

In today’s Gospel, we find the familiar story of Thomas who refused to believe unless he could touch Jesus’ wounds. Thomas need proof or he says he will not believe, (John 20:25). Isn’t it easy to observe what happens in Scripture in a detached sort of way? For example, isn’t it easy to shake your head, giggle and say, “Poor doubting Thomas.” But I think there’s more to this Scripture passage.

For example, how would you describe your faith life before COVID-19? I don’t mean what you used to do, but what you believed. What does Christian faith mean to you? Is it just a moral philosophy – lessons about how to be good and get along with other people? I mean, that’s not bad in itself, but Christian faith is so much more than that.

The Christianity we find in Scripture and tradition teaches repentance, self-sacrificial love, and purity of heart. It commends joining our suffering to Jesus – carry your cross to follow the Way of the Cross – as the path to God.

I know that for many of us, “staying home” doesn’t necessarily mean we have had loads of time to contemplate the meaning of life, the universe and everything, but hopefully we’ve all slowed down a little. I encourage you to use the opportunity to explore your own faith. Are you like the Peter and the other disciples in Acts who boldly profess salvation in the name of Jesus Christ? Or are you more like Thomas who believes only to a certain point, but when push comes to shove, you got to have proof?

God’s mercy and salvation is available to all believers. But if you don’t believe, if you don’t really believe that Jesus really walked among us, taught and healed, was tortured, crucified and died and then rose from the dead, then are you really a believer? This is wildly important because in Revelation 3:16, Jesus warns that like a beverage that is neither hot nor cold but lukewarm, he will spit us out. Now is the time to recommit yourself to Jesus Christ before life starts to return to “normal”. Now, on this Sunday of Divine Mercy, is the time to open your heart to Jesus Christ. If you don’t have access to a priest or the mass, then ask forgiveness, and make an act of spiritual communion. Say it. Mean it. And from now on, walk the walk.

Homework! I ask you to reflect on the following two questions this week.

  1. In the Gospel we heard, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger into the nail marks and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.” What are the obstacles to my belief? How can I help others overcome their doubts?
  2. We also heard, “Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.” How is my faith a blessing to me and my family? How can I accompany those who are skeptical?

I think doing our homework will help us live as Christians resolute in our faith. Do you got it? Do you get it? Good! Now go make disciples! May Almighty God bless you, Father, Son and Holy Spirit! +Amen!

References:
1. Keating, Daniel. First and Second Peter, Jude. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2011.
2. Kurz, William S. Acts of the Apostles. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2013.
3. Lectio Divina Of The Gospels. Washington, D.C.: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, 2019.
4. Martin, Francis and William M. Wright. The Gospel of John. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2015.
5. The Bible: A Study Bible freshly translated by Nicholas King. Buxhall, Suffolk UK: Kevin Mayhew, 2013.

Catechism References: Easily search the Catechism at http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc.htm
1. Faith and assurance, 163
2. Appearances of the risen Jesus, 448, 641-46
3. Resurrection of Jesus, 651-55
4. Eschatology, 673-74
5. The Holy Spirit and the Church, 737-41
6. Apostles’ teaching, 857
7. Communal life, 949-53
8. Sanctifying presence of the risen Christ in the liturgy, 1084-89
9. Breaking of bread, 1329, 1342
10. I believe in the forgiveness of sins, 1441-42
11. The Sacrament of Reconciliation, 1461-67
12. Our new birth in the Resurrection of Christ, 1988 (also 654-55)
13. Christian spirituality, 2013-16
14. The Sunday Eucharist, 2177-78 (also 1342)
Prayer, 2624-25
15. Blessing, 2626-27
16. Communion of spiritual goods, 2790 (also 949-53, 1329, 2624)

Second Sunday of Easter (or Sunday of Divine Mercy)
Mass Readings http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/041920.cfm
Lectionary: 43

First Reading
Acts 2:42-47
They devoted themselves
to the teaching of the apostles and to the communal life,
to the breaking of bread and to the prayers.
Awe came upon everyone,
and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles.
All who believed were together and had all things in common;
they would sell their property and possessions
and divide them among all according to each one’s need.
Every day they devoted themselves
to meeting together in the temple area
and to breaking bread in their homes.
They ate their meals with exultation and sincerity of heart,
praising God and enjoying favor with all the people.
And every day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.

Responsorial
Psalm 118:2-4, 13-15, 22-24
R. (1) Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, his love is everlasting.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Let the house of Israel say,
“His mercy endures forever.”
Let the house of Aaron say,
“His mercy endures forever.”
Let those who fear the LORD say,
“His mercy endures forever.”
R. Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, his love is everlasting.
or:
R. Alleluia.
I was hard pressed and was falling,
but the LORD helped me.
My strength and my courage is the LORD,
and he has been my savior.
The joyful shout of victory
in the tents of the just:
R. Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, his love is everlasting.
or:
R. Alleluia.
The stone which the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone.
By the LORD has this been done;
it is wonderful in our eyes.
This is the day the LORD has made;
let us be glad and rejoice in it.
R. Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, his love is everlasting.
or:
R. Alleluia.

Second Reading
1 Peter 1:3-9
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who in his great mercy gave us a new birth to a living hope
through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading,
kept in heaven for you
who by the power of God are safeguarded through faith,
to a salvation that is ready to be revealed in the final time.
In this you rejoice, although now for a little while
you may have to suffer through various trials,
so that the genuineness of your faith,
more precious than gold that is perishable even though tested by fire,
may prove to be for praise, glory, and honor
at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
Although you have not seen him you love him;
even though you do not see him now yet believe in him,
you rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy,
as you attain the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

Alleluia
John 20:29
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
You believe in me, Thomas, because you have seen me, says the Lord;
blessed are they who have not seen me, but still believe!
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel
John 20:19-31
On the evening of that first day of the week,
when the doors were locked, where the disciples were,
for fear of the Jews,
Jesus came and stood in their midst
and said to them, “Peace be with you.”
When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side.
The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.
Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you.
As the Father has sent me, so I send you.”
And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them,
“Receive the Holy Spirit.
Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them,
and whose sins you retain are retained.”

Thomas, called Didymus, one of the Twelve,
was not with them when Jesus came.
So the other disciples said to him, “We have seen the Lord.”
But he said to them,
“Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands
and put my finger into the nailmarks
and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”

Now a week later his disciples were again inside
and Thomas was with them.
Jesus came, although the doors were locked,
and stood in their midst and said, “Peace be with you.”
Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands,
and bring your hand and put it into my side,
and do not be unbelieving, but believe.”
Thomas answered and said to him, “My Lord and my God!”
Jesus said to him, “Have you come to believe because you have seen me?
Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.”

Now, Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples
that are not written in this book.
But these are written that you may come to believe
that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God,
and that through this belief you may have life in his name.

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ATC 10 Stations of the Cross

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During the Middle Ages, priests started assigning trips to the Holy Sepulchre as a penance for certain serious sins! The trip was dangerous and could take nearly two years to make. And women with children were not allowed.

Welcome to All Things Catholic. I’m your host, Deacon Rudy Villarreal, and I’m so glad you’re here! Together we are going to explore what it means to be Catholic. In today’s episode we’re going to jump in the deep end of the Catholic pool. We’re talking about the Way of the Cross which is also know as the Stations of the Cross. What is the particular devotion? When did it start and where did it come from?

One of the criticisms of Catholics is that we don’t know Scripture. Well, we might not be able to quote chapter and verse like our Protestant brothers and sisters, I’ll grant you that, but so much of what we do is absolutely rooted in Scripture. The Stations of the Cross are first and foremost a meditation on the Passion and Death of Jesus Christ, very often coming from the arrest of Jesus in John 18:1 to the death of Jesus in John 19:42. I want to be clear that the purpose is to meditate on what Jesus willingly went through to save us. No matter how we live our lives, the example of Jesus challenges us to do more with our lives.

Ok, are we clear? The Stations of the Cross are a meditation of the Passion and Death of Jesus Christ. I want to be clear about that before we jump in. I was born and raised Catholic, so I can’t speak to similar devotions among other Christians, so no offense. Ok, are we all set? Let’s go!

The story of the devotion to the footsteps of Jesus on his way to his death begins with the mother of the Roman emperor Constantine – yes, the very same Constantine who called the Council of Nicea which, among other things, gave us the Nicaean Creed recited by Catholics (and other Christians) every weekend in mass. His mother’s name was Helena.

Sometime between the years 324 and 326 AD, Helena began a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. She finds the True Cross and she finds Jesus’ tomb. She has a church built over the sites. Today, it is known as the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, and people began visiting the site.

By the Middle Ages, some priests began assigning trips to the Holy Sepulcher as a penance for certain serious sins. <1> Whoa! That must have been some sin! Can you imagine undertaking such a trip on foot and/or by horse from various parts of Europe? By some estimates, the roundtrip journey could take almost two years! Two years without your family knowing whether you lived or died!

Why would a priest assign such a penance? Well, that leads us to another particularly Catholic topic: indulgences. Now just give me a minute before you run away. Hear me out. Maybe we’ll dedicate an entire episode to indulgences, but here’s the reader’s digest version. During the first rounds of Christian persecution before Constantine, some Christians in name only left the Church in a hurry. And some of them named names.

After the persecutions settled down, many of these folks wanted back in the Christian community. This created a huge dilemma. Is it possible for someone who is already baptized and whose sins are forgiven to receive forgiveness again for new sins? Some said yes and wanted to welcome back those who left with open arms. Others said absolutely not.

The solution was a compromise of sorts: public reconciliation and penance. This is the beginning of the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Now listen to what I just said: reconciliation and penance. Very often, these people would stand before the congregation and publicly apologize for what they’d done. Then, before they would be admitted back into the community, they and to pay for their sins. Very often this meant they had wear something uncomfortable like burlap and commit themselves to study and prayer. After some period of time, they would be readmitted community.

Think of this like a fine that accompanies speeding. You get caught speeding and you get a ticket. So, first you confess to your wife that you were racing down the road. Then you pay the fine to the court.

But do you have to pay the fine, so to speak, or is there anything you can do get out of the punishment. In our speeding ticket example, think community service. Well, as time went by, a practice developed that enabled people to receive either a partial forgiveness or full (also known as plenary) forgiveness of the penalty. Why did the Church do this? Well, they didn’t want you to feel stuck. They wanted to give you options to be healed – to be whole. I think that’s pretty cool! The term for this debt forgiveness is “indulgence.”

Ok, back to the Middle Ages. Some sins were so huge that the penalty was correspondingly huge. Some penitents preferred to undertake at two-year journey to the Holy Land and retrace the footsteps of Christ in exchange for penalty forgiveness or indulgence. This practice grew with some measure of success, but here’s the catch. Who was capable of taking a two-year trip to a foreign land? A wealthy person. Is that fair? Of course not!

The Franciscans came up with an idea. Why not build replicas of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, called lesser Sepulchers? They installed wooden crosses to mark out the major points of interest for pilgrims to the Holy Land. And they secured the ability for people to receive indulgences for doing this devotion locally. Fast forward four hundred years. The Way of the Cross became a well-established and popular devotion among the faithful. In 1731, Pope Clement XII fixed the number of stations at fourteen, the number we know today. <2>

Fast forward again to the Second Vatican Council. The Council updated the practice of indulgences, including for the Way of the Cross. Now this is important. There are no specific readings or prayers that must be said as part of this devotion. Indeed, the elaborate pictures, or carvings or statues that emerged over time are not important. The point is that the disciple should use the Stations, specifically the crosses which mark the fourteen stations, as a prompt to meditate on the biblical story of the Passion and death of Jesus.

Now, here’s another cool development. Let’s say the space is cramped, like a small church or chapel. It’s not necessary for the disciples to walk from station to station. As long as the presider moves from station to station, everyone else can remain in their place. This is especially true for people who are prevented for some reason for moving. So, what began as a “death-defying trip” to the Holy Land centuries ago to walk in the actual steps of Jesus Christ has evolved into, “a devotion that can be followed without leaving a hospital bed.” <3>

As we approach Easter, it is important to remember that there is no resurrection with the Passion and death of Jesus. Pausing to reflect on what Jesus voluntarily suffered for our salvation is humbling! We are washed clean by the blood of Jesus. These are not just words. It happened, and meditating on that suffering can help me appreciate the great gift of salvation – totally unmerited and totally undeserved.

One brief announcement. This Sunday is Palm Sunday. Without access to churches, one thing we can all do to show our unity to the community is to hang branches with green leaves on our doors They don’t have to be palm leaves if you don’t have any around. Any bit of greenery will do in this circumstance. It doesn’t have to be fancy. Just hang some greenery on your front door to show you are part of the community of believers in Christ Jesus.

Do you got it? Do you get it? Good! May Almighty God bless you, Father, Son and Holy Spirit! +Amen!

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. You’re listening to All Things Catholic. 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. Peace!

<1> Kevin Orlin Johnson, Ph.D., Why Do Catholics Do That? A Guide to the Teachings and Practices of the Catholic Church (New York: Ballantine Books, 1994), 92.
<2> Johnson, 94.
<3> Johnson, 95.

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.

Resources:
1. Code of Canon Law, 992: indulgences (http://www.vatican.va/archive/cod-iuris-canonici/eng/documents/cic_lib4-cann959-997_en.html).
2. Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1478: indulgences (http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/para/1478.htm).