Since we are travellers and pilgrims in the world, let us ever ponder on the end of the road, that is of our life, for the end of our roadway is our home (St Columban, 8th sermon).
GospelJohn 20:19-31 (English Standard
Version, Anglicised)
On the evening of that day, the first day of the
week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews,
Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, ‘Peace be with you.’ When he
had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were
glad when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you. As
the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.’ And when he had said this,
he breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive
the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any,
it is withheld.’
Now Thomas, one of the Twelve, called the Twin, was
not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, ‘We have seen
the Lord’. But he said to them, ‘Unless I see in his hands the mark of the
nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into
his side, I will never believe.’
Eight days later, his disciples were inside again,
and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood
among them and said, ‘Peace be with you.’ Then he said to Thomas, ‘Put your
finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side.
Do not disbelieve, but believe.’ Thomas answered him, ‘My Lord and my God!’
Jesus said to him, ‘Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are
those who have not seen and yet have believed.’
Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of
the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so
that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by
believing you may have life in his name.
It is true that Jesus says to St Thomas in today's Gospel, Do not disbelieve, but believe. But for many years I have thought that scholars and others have been unfair to this apostle. The expression 'Doubting Thomas' has come down to us in the English language to describe someone who is sceptical, who doesn't believe unless he sees.
That would describe Thomas at one level. But he said, Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe. He had the insight that if Jesus was truly risen he would carry the scars of his crucifixion. He seemed to grasp the extent of the sufferings of Jesus to redeem us sinners. And when he meets the Risen Lord eight days later he makes the most explicit act of faith in the whole Bible: My Lord and my God!
I learned this prayer when I was very young and it is part of the fibre of the Catholic faith here in Ireland. When the Mass promulgated in 1969 by Pope St Paul VI came out it introduced something new: the Acclamation after the Consecration. When the priest says The Mystery of Faith the people answer by singing or saying one of four acclamations. However, here in Ireland we have a fifth, the Act of Faith of St Thomas in today's Gospel: My Lord and my God! This is the one I always ask the people to use now when celebrating a public Mass, unless the choir has prepared one of the others acclamations. (The priest doesn't sing or say the acclamation as it belongs to the congregation / choir.)
When I was growing up the Mass was what's known now as the Traditional Latin Mass or 'TLM'. There were no official acclamations after the Consecration then but there was for me a very powerful unofficial one here in Ireland: the 'communal cough'. People literally held their breaths during the Consecration because they truly believed that through the power of the Holy Spirit acting through the priest the bread and wine became the Body and Blood of Christ, Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity as we learned in kindergarten. After the elevation of the Precious Blood everyone coughed, letting out the tension of their awe-filled faith during the Consecration. This 'communal cough' was full, active participation in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and a deep expression of the faith of the whole community. The priest and people were fully united in worshipping God the Father through our Lord Jesus Christ.
In a meditation on the Easter Vigil published in Magnificat and also on Aleteiaon Thursday, English mystic Caryll Houselander (1901 - 1954) captured for me something of this awe, of the faith that people had in the reality of the bread and wine becoming the Body and Blood of Christ during the Mass. Here is the last part of her meditation. (Emphases are mine).
Once again bread and wine and water are brought into the sanctuary, and a Host is consecrated. At the elevation a peal of little bells rings out. It is not only worship of the soul, but the soul expressed through the body. The priest prostrates himself, beats his breast, lifts his arms up to heaven, makes the sign of the cross, speaks the mysterious words: 'This is my Body.' The congregation joins in this worship, and it is expressed by the body of each one: they know that when the words of consecration are spoken, the Word made flesh is there for each one of them; the same glory pours into the difficult worship of the old rheumatic woman at the back of the church as into the priest who is lifting up God in his hands. The glory of the Incarnation is equally in the aching of the old woman’s bones and the young priest’s ecstasy. The glory is not confined to the church where the Mass is offered: it extends in ring upon ring of light and circles the world.
St Thomas saw the glory of the Incarnation in the scars on the hands, feet and side of the Risen Lord. And his Act of Faith extends in ring upon ring of light and circles the world.
GospelJohn 20:1-9 (English Standard
Version, Anglicised)
On the first day of the week
Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that
the stone had been taken away 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.’
So Peter went out with the other disciple, and they were going towards the
tomb. Both of them were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter
and reached the tomb first. And stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloths
lying there, but he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and
went into the tomb. He saw the linen cloths lying there, and the face cloth,
which had been on the head of Jesus, not lying with the linen cloths but folded
up in a place by itself. Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb
first, also went in, and he saw and believed; for as yet they did not
understand the Scripture, that he must rise from the dead.
standing in the awesome glory of this holy light . . .
that he, who has been pleased to number me,
though unworthy, among the Levites,
and pour into me his light unshadowed . . .
This is the night
that with a pillar of fire
banished the darkness of sin . . .
This is the night
that even now, throughout the world,
sets Christian believers apart from worldly vices
and from the gloom of sin . . .
This is the night
of which it is written:
The night shall be as bright as day,
dazzling is the night for me,
and full of gladness . . .
But know we know the praises of this pillar,
which glowing fire ignites for God's honour,
a fire with many flames divided,
yet never dimmed by sharing of its light . . .
Therefore, O Lord,
we pray you that this candle,
hallowed to the honour of your name,
may persevere undimmed,
to overcome the darkness of this night.
Receive it as a pleasing fragrance,
and let it mingle with the lights of heaven.
May this flame be found still burning
by the Morning Star:
the one Morning Star who never sets,
Christ your Son,
who, coming back from death's domain,
has shed his peaceful light on humanity,
and lives and reigns for ever and ever.
Above are extracts from the Exsultet, the Easter Proclamation, sung at the beginning of the Easter Vigil after the newly-lighted Paschal Candle is brought into the church. I have highlighted the passages dealing with light, the great symbol of the Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ.
Rembrandt's painting at the top, The Resurrection of Christ, captures the light breaking through the darkness. And his painting below, Christ on the Cross, shows our Saviour on the Cross to be The Light that conquers the darkness. Rembrandt was a master in his play of light and darkness.
Fr Pádraig Ó Croiligh is a priest of the Diocese of Derry. Some years ago he published a book of religious poetry in Irish with the title Brúitíní Creidimh, which could be translated as 'Mashed Potatoes of Faith'. In his short poems he helps the reader digest aspects of our faith and religious practices.
His poem Fód na Cásca (The Sod of Easter) refers to what seems to have been a custom in parts of rural Ireland where the hearth (fireplace) was the heart of the home, with a fire made from turf (peat) 24/7 as we say now, for cooking and for heating the house. The family and visitors gathered around it for the family rosary, for telling stories and singing. In many parts of Ireland people would cut their own turf in local bogland during the summer.
The poem for me is a reflection of these lines in the Exsultet:glowing fire ignites for God's honour, a fire with many flames divided, yet never dimmed by sharing of its light. One of the most beautiful moments in the Easter Vigil is when the light of the Paschal Candle is shared, those who have lighted their candles from it passing on the light to others until the whole church is ablaze with the light of Easter. Not only is the light never dimmed but it is multiplied by sharing.
The newly-lighted 'fire in the hearth' on Holy Saturday is to be shared with those who live in the house and with those who visit, giving heat and light and nourishment through the food cooked and baked over it. And it recognises our need for constant renewal and forgiveness in the last line: go cionn bliana eile ar a laghad (at least for another year).
Ghlanaidís an simléir fadó / Aoine an Chéasta, / Agus
d’fhágaidís gan tine é / Go dtí an lá dár gcionn / Go bhfuair siad aibhleog
bheannaithe/Ó thine na Cásca / Ar an Sathairn Naofa.
Aiséírí an Tiarnaa thugann lasadh
don tine teallaigh /go cionn bliana eile ar a laghad.
They would clean the chimney long ago/On Good Friday,/And
would leave it without a fire /Till the following day / When they would be able to
light a sod /Blessed by the Easter fire /On
Holy Saturday.
The Resurrection of the Lord / Is what lights the
fire in the hearth / At least for another year.
James Shevlin, a friend, wrote an article during Covid about a wake and funeral in rural Ireland during winter when neighbours could not visit the home of the deceased or attend the funeral Mass. The remains were brought home at night. But as the family of the deceased came within a few miles of their village, the glow could be seen in the night sky. In the cold and frost, people stood outside their houses, along the roadway, at the end of roads, at crossroads holding all sorts of lighted candles and making makeshift altars and shrines to guide them all the way back home.
The family later said that there were no words to explain the uplifting of spirits they experienced with the show or support they received . . . What was done was done with real love and kindness and support for them by people closest and dearest to them.
This was a Christian community expressing the truth of the words of the Easter Proclamation: a fire with many flames divided, yet never dimmed by sharing of its light.
An Easter Song from Beirut, Lebanon, 2011
I don't know of a more joyful expression of the Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ than this Easter song in Arabic. I have used it many times here.
May the people of Lebanon, who are undergoing times of difficulty and uncertainty, experience the consolation of the Risen Lord and find support from the international community in their vocation to be a land of encounter, coexistence and pluralism (Pope Francis, Urbi et Orbi, Easter Sunday 2021).
And when the sabbath was past, Mary Mag′dalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salo′me, bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him (Mark 16:1; Gospel).
And as he rode along, they spread their cloaks on the road (Luke 19:36).
Readings(Jerusalem Bible: Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland)
The gospel for the procession with palms is included here as is the Passion according to St Luke arranged for reading by N. Narrator. ✠ Jesus. O. Other single speaker. C. Crowd, or more than one speaker.
Readings(English
Standard Version, Catholic Edition: England & Wales, India, Scotland)
The gospel for the procession with palms is included here as is the Passion according to St Luke arranged for reading by N. Narrator. ✠ Jesus. O. Other single speaker. C. Crowd, or more than one speaker.
The gospel for the procession with palms is included here as is
the shorter form of the Passion according to St Luke, Luke 23:1-49.
Gospel for procession of Palms Luke 19:28-40 (English Standard Version Anglicised: India)
When Jesus had said these things, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem.When he drew near to Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount that is called Olivet, he sent two of the disciples,saying, “Go into the village in front of you, where on entering you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever yet sat. Untie it and bring it here.If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ you shall say this: ‘The Lord has need of it.’”So those who were sent went away and found it just as he had told them.And as they were untying the colt, its owners said to them, “Why are you untying the colt?”And they said, “The Lord has need of it.”And they brought it to Jesus, and throwing their cloaks on the colt, they set Jesus on it.And as he rode along, they spread their cloaks on the road.As he was drawing near—already on the way down the Mount of Olives—the whole multitude of his disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen,saying, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”And some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples.”He answered, “I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.”
Now when the centurion saw what had taken place, he
praised God, saying, ‘Certainly this man was innocent!'(Luke
23:47; Gospel).
A very ancient tradition in the Church identifies St Longinus as the centurion who uttered those words.
Pope Benedict on Palm Sunday
Up to 2020 in years when World Youth Day wasn't celebrated overseas it was observed in Rome and in many other dioceses on Palm Sunday. Now such celebrations are observed on the Solemnity of Christ the King. However, this year it will take place in Rome from 25 July to August 3 as the Jubilee of Young People. Here are extracts from Pope Benedict's homily on Palm Sunday 2010 in Rome, emphases added.
Dear Brothers and Sisters, Dear Young People,
The Gospel of the blessing of the palms that we have heard gathered here in St Peter's Square, begins with the sentence: '[Jesus] went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem' (Lk 19: 28). At the very beginning of today's Liturgy, the Church anticipates her response to the Gospel saying: 'Let us follow the Lord'. This clearly expresses the theme of Palm Sunday. It is the sequela (consequence). Being Christian means considering the way of Jesus Christ as the right way for being human as that way which leads to our destination, to a completely fulfilled and authentic humanity. In a special way I would like to repeat to all young people on this 25th World Youth Day that being Christian is a path or, better, a pilgrimage; it is to travel with Jesus Christ, to journey in the direction he has pointed out and is pointing out to us.
But what direction is this? How do we find it? Our Gospel passage offers two clues in this regard. In the first place it says that it is an ascent. This has first of all a very concrete meaning. Jericho, where the last part of Jesus' pilgrimage began, is 250 metres below sea-level, whereas Jerusalem the destination is located at 740 to 780 metres above sea level: a climb of almost 1,000 metres. But this external route is above all an image of the internal movement of existence that occurs in the following of Christ: it is an ascent to the true heights of being human. Man can choose an easy path and avoid every effort. He can also sink to the low and the vulgar. He can flounder in the swamps of falsehood and dishonesty. Jesus walks before us and towards the heights. He leads us to what is great, pure. He leads us to that healthy air of the heights: to life in accordance with the truth; to courage that does not let itself be intimidated by the gossip of prevalent opinions; to patience that bears with and sustains the other. He guides people to be open towards the suffering, to those who are neglected. He leads us to stand loyally by the other, even when the situation becomes difficult. He leads us to the readiness to give help; to the goodness that does not let itself be disarmed, even by ingratitude. He leads us to love; he leads us to God.
. . . Jesus knows that his way goes further: the Cross will not be his end. He knows that his journey will rend the veil between this world and God's world; that he will ascend to the throne of God and reconcile God and man in his Body . . .
. . . Since the way to true life, to being people in conformity with the model of the Son of God Jesus Christ, surpasses our own strength, this journey always means being carried. We find ourselves, so to speak, roped to Jesus Christ together with him on the ascent towards God's heights. He pulls and supports us. It is part of following Christ that we allow ourselves to be roped together; that we acknowledge we cannot do it alone. This act of humility, entering into the 'we' of the Church is part of it; holding tight to the rope, the responsibility of communion not breaking the rope through stubbornness or self-importance. Humbly believing, with the Church, like being a roped-party on the ascent towards God, is an essential condition for the following of Christ. This being roped together also entails not behaving as masters of the Word of God, not running after a mistaken idea of emancipation. The humility of 'being with' is essential for the ascent . . .
We find ourselves, so to speak, roped to Jesus Christ together with him on the ascent towards God's heights.
. . . Let us sum up: the following of Christ requires, as a first step, a reawakening of the desire to be authentic human beings and thus the reawakening of oneself for God. It then requires us to join the climbing party, in the communion of the Church. In the 'we' of the Church we enter into communion with the 'you' of Jesus Christ and thus reach the path to God. We are also asked to listen to the Word of Jesus Christ and to live it: in faith, hope and love. Thus we are on the way toward the definitive Jerusalem and, from this moment, in a certain way, we already find ourselves there, in the communion of all God's Saints.
Our pilgrimage following Christ is not therefore bound for an earthly city, but for the new City of God that develops in the midst of this world . . .
by Bishop David M. O'Connell CM of Trenton, New Jersey
Verso l'alto - To the heights
Humbly believing,
with the Church, like being a roped-party on the ascent towards God, is an
essential condition for the following of Christ. This being roped together also
entails not behaving as masters of the Word of God, not running after a
mistaken idea of emancipation. The humility of 'being with' is essential for
the ascent . (Homily of Benedict XVI).
Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati (1910 -
1925) has been one of the patron saintsof World Youth Day. He will be canonised on
3 August this year during World Youth Day / Jubilee of Young People.
Blessed Pier Giorgio, patron of young
adults, man of the beatitudes, pray for us.
Traditional Latin Mass
Palm Sunday
The Complete Mass in Latin and English is here. (Adjust the date at the top of that page to 04-13-2025 if necessary).
,%20Wikipedia,%20Italian.jpeg)
