HE IS RISEN

The Gospel account can make us realize the evil intent of the chief priests. We already know that they had a very strong influence on the people to have Jesus crucified. Repeatedly, throughout Jesus’ life, they were always harassing Him and seeking to do away with this “upstart” from Galilee. Now even the guards cannot convince the chief priests that Jesus has truly risen. Nothing was going to convince them; they had already closed their minds to the truth.

Can you imagine the guards stuttering their message to the chief priests? Earthquake. Angel. Lightning. No body. They were like dead men as they saw the angel move the stone from the tomb. They saw and they heard everything. Dumbfounded and utterly amazed, they were the first to evangelize the authorities. The chief priests, in their ignorance, bribe them with the use of money to cover up this so-called nonsense of a dead man risen. The bribe was taken and they, too, joined the chief priests in their wickedness. Matthew adds his comment to the reader that the story of the stolen body is circulated among the Jews to this day.

It is a terrible thing to close one’s mind to the truth. Nothing will convince one who has already made friends with ignorance. However, the fact is that Jesus has risen and, in this Easter Octave, we, too, have an opportunity to meet the risen Lord. He had not been stolen. He is truly risen! I am sure that as the women blurted out the story of the resurrection, there may have been closed minds. Women were a minority group in the Jewish society. They were often unnoticed and poorly attended. It is no wonder that Jesus’ kindness and openness caused many women to become His disciples. As the women came back that day to report all that had happened, I am sure their testimony fell on deaf ears. How can a dead man rise again? How can an angel roll away the large stone from a tomb? Had they, too, been bewitched? Had they been hallucinating? Was it only a figment of their imagination? Fr. Brian Steele, MGL

 

Reflection Question:

Do you feel like the women or the guards in today’s Gospel?

 

I rejoice in the wonder of Your resurrection. Help me, Lord, to live with this truth in my life. Amen.

 

St. Mella, pray for us.

He is Risen!

 Christ has risen. He has truly risen!

RISEN FROM THE DEAD

Can this be the same Jesus who, only a few days ago, was seen crucified and dead upon the cross? After seeing Jesus, Matthew tells us the women went away quickly, fearful yet overjoyed. They could not believe their eyes for what they saw, and their ears for what they heard. It was a remarkable sight. A dead man rose again! Matthew gives us a dramatic account of the resurrection. There is earthquake and lightning. A huge stone is rolled away from the tomb by an angel. The guards shake with fright.

This is the night of nights where, at the Easter vigil, we celebrate life and light. The Exsultet makes a wonderful reflection as the Church sings with joy the mighty work of God in raising Jesus from the dead. This night is holy and full ofsymbolism in its liturgy. Notice it was at dawn when the women went to the tomb. They wanted to be the first at the tomb to wash and anoint the body, knowing that they were running out of time before Sabbath came. When they reached the tomb, there was no body to anoint. An angel appeared in their midst and told them that the crucified Lord had risen. As they saw for themselves the empty tomb and the risen Christ, their lives were never the same.

Do not be afraid! This is the call of the angel and then of Jesus Himself. There is no need to fear. All fears have been dispelled through Christ’s rising from the tomb.

Why approach the tomb? The angel tells us He is not there. Some of us live as though He is still there, dead and buried. It is true, our sin is dead and buried, thanks be to God, but a new life awaits us. “Go and tell the brothers,” exclaims Jesus, as they did Him homage.

The chains of death have been broken. The triumphant resurrection of Christ has destroyed sin. It is time for us to wake up from sleep for a new day is at hand. Let us walk in the light of this night. Let our faces not be ashamed for He has risen as He has said and He is going before us. Let us run to Him and worship and adore the Risen Christ. Fr. Brian Steele, MGL

 

Reflection Question:

Have you risen with Christ or are you still in the tomb?

 

Lord, I believe that You are raised from the dead. Thank You for the new life You gave me through Your saving death and resurrection. Amen.

 

St. Felix, Fortunatus & Achilleus, pray for us.

APPROACH IN CONFIDENCE

The author of Hebrews proclaims to us on this Good Friday that we are to approach the throne of grace with confidence. Today is Good Friday — good because Jesus has done something good for us. He has died for our sins and now we  have access to the throne of grace — the cross. What seems a tragic and ignominious event is, in fact, life giving and beautiful. The author tells us that Christ offered prayers in tears and loud cries. As we reflect on the Gospel of the Passion today, we see this displayed ultimately on the cross as Jesus cried out to God. His heart was broken out of love – because no one would accept His offering of the love of God. He was the Son of God and  learned His obedience to the Father through suffering. This obedience is rewarded by God who never abandons His people, even though it seems like this at times. “God has said the final word,” says St. John of the Cross, “He has nothing else to say.” Jesus, the Word made Flesh, has done all He could. Now it is up to us to accept and approach the throne to receive mercy and help.

We are to be confident. St. John, the evangelist, proclaims this great gift of confidence in his letters. We are children of God, thanks to Jesus who has paved the way for us. I am reminded of the Little Flower, St. Therese of Lisieux, who had an incredible confidence in the Father. She would not think twice in running to the Father whenever she had committed even a mortal sin. Of course, this confidence was always with her as a small child and never left her.

Let us be bold in approaching the Father. He has shown us great love and this is the love we celebrate this Friday. God is good. Today is Good Friday. Fr. Brian Steele, MGL

 

Reflection Question:

Am I confident in the Lord’s mercy and love?

 

Lord, I believe that You have died on the cross for me. Give me the confidence I need to approach Your throne of grace and accept what You have done for me. Amen.

 

St. Mareas, pray for us.

The 3rd secret of Fatima: But is there a 4th?

SHOOTING STRAIGHT 

By Bobit S. Avila 
The Philippine Star

Tomorrow is Holy Thursday and since The Philippine STAR won’t be out on Friday and Saturday, this will be my only column for the week. In deference to Holy Week, let me continue with what we wrote about the Secret of Fatima, which I know a lot of our readers want to know about.

Exactly a week ago, we already featured the first two Secrets of Fatima. So now here’s the third secret and the most enigmatic secret of Fatima, which was contained in a sealed envelop by Sister Lucia and revealed only by the Vatican on June 26, 2000. This is the exact words of Sister Lucia.

“After the two parts which I have already explained, at the left of Our Lady and a little above, we saw an Angel with a flaming sword in his left hand; flashing, it gave out flames that looked as though they would set the world on fire; but they died out in contact with the splendor that Our Lady radiated towards him from her right hand; pointing to the earth with his right hand, the Angel cried out in a loud voice, ‘Penance, Penance, Penance!’.

And we saw in an immense light that is God: ‘something similar to how people appear in a mirror when they pass in front of it’ a Bishop dressed in White ‘we had the impression that it was the Holy Father’. Other Bishops, Priests, men and women religious going up a steep mountain, at the top of which there was a big Cross of rough-hewn trunks as of a cork-tree with the bark: before reaching there the Holy Father passed through a big city half in ruins and half trembling with halting steps, afflicted with pain and sorrow, he prayed for the souls of the corpses he met on his way.

Having reached the top of the mountain, on his knees at the foot of the big Cross he was killed by a group of soldiers who fired bullets and arrows at him, and in the same way there died one after another the other Bishops, Priests, men and women Religious, and various lay people of different ranks and positions. Beneath the two arms of the Cross there were two Angels each with a crystal aspersorium in his hand, in which they gathered up the blood of the Martyrs and with its sprinkled the souls that were making their way to God.” The big question here is whether the man in white is the Pope? Specifically, whether it was the late Pope John Paul II or another Pope?

Writer Antonio Socci who wrote the book that we are quoting says that if it was Pope John Paul II, then the prophesies of Fatima have already been fulfilled. But many analysts insist that in the 3rd Secret, the Pope was actually killed, while we know that Pope John Paul II survived his assassination, insisting that it was the Blessed Virgin Mary herself who “deflected” the bullet fired by Ali Agca in St. Peter’s Square. So if the Pope in the 3rd Secret wasn’t Pope John Paul II, then writer Socci asks, “Who then was the Blessed Virgin Mary referring to… the present or a future Pope?”

After all the analysis, writer Socci insists that the 3rd Secret contains two texts, and since the first text that we have reprinted here is already out… he thinks that part of the 3rd Secret that is still unrevealed has yet to be made public. This is why he calls it the 4th Secret of Fatima. He concludes that the assassination attempt on Pope John Paul II was not contained in the 3rd Secret of Fatima but nonetheless that attempt on his life was already prophesied by the Madonna on earlier apparitions of Mama Mary in Rue du Bac in 1830 and La Salette in Sept. 1846. Now does this 4th Secret contain the natural disaster the world is currently suffering? I hope not.

One thing is very clear; our Blessed Mother prophesied the start of World War II and the end of Communism. What she prophesied really came true! When Pope John XXIII read the 3rd secret, he decided to send the sealed envelope back to the Holy Office and had it “Quarantined” so it won’t be revealed to the public, so it won’t cause panic among the people. Pope Paul VI also read the sealed envelope, but decided that it contained nothing that wasn’t already written in the Bible, specifically in Revelations.

Hence these Popes never obeyed Mama Mary’s message to the children when she said, “If Russia is not consecrated to my Immaculate Heart, she will spread her errors.” Since these Popes never consecrated Russia, Communism spread at the end of World War II and ignited the Korean War, the Vietnam wars and all the other wars that the USSR engaged in, which entered into a “Cold War” with the United States of America and its NATO allies vs the Warsaw Pact countries.

Finally it was only Pope John Paul II who read the 3rd Secret of Fatima on July 18, 1981 after his assassination attempt in St. Peter’s Square on May 13, 1981. His first thoughts were to immediately do the Consecration of Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. So what’s hanging now is whether the 4th Secret revealed in Fatima was about the natural disasters happening around the world at this time. For this Holy Week, let’s listen to the words of the angel, “Penance, Penance, Penance…” and never stop praying the Rosary as it is the most effective tool against evil.

* * *

For email responses to this article, write to vsbobita@mozcom.com or vsbobita@gmail.com. His columns can be accessed through http://www.philstar.com.

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AS I HAVE LOVED YOU

  

The Passover was a huge festive event in the life of the Jewish religious. Every year, the people would re-enact that wonderful “pass over” of the Lord as He led the Israelites from slavery to freedom. It was rich in symbolism, history and celebration. All people, from the youngest to the eldest, were to take part in this lasting memorial.

The Gospel is the story of the washing of the feet, one of the central rituals of the night liturgy on Holy Thursday. One of the common tasks of the household slave was feet washing. The roads were hot and dusty, and so the slave would offer this gesture as a sign of hospitality. The visitor would have his feet washed and welcomed into the home of the host. This reveals to us that Jesus takes upon Himself the task of a slave, but He adds a new meaning — just as He has washed the feet of the disciples, they, too, must do the same. The ritual practiced every Holy Thursday, a symbol of Jesus’ great love, is a call to us to love one another as He has loved us.

The opening sentence in the Gospel is the beginning of the fourth Eucharistic prayer. Jesus loves His own in the world and the act of feet washing and giving bread are gestures of His love. He even washed the feet of Peter, who was to deny Him, and Judas, who was to betray Him. Amazing love!

Are we willing to wash the feet of one another? Are we willing to take upon the menial task of reaching out in love and humility? Are we willing to love no matter what denial or betrayal we may experience from those dear to us? Let us reflect and imitate Jesus who washes the feet of all disciples. He is fully aware of what will happen in a few hours. Is there a Peter among you? Is there a Judas in your life? Are you willing to love them even if they do not change their ways? Challenging, isn’t it? Moreover, Jesus has shown us the example: As I have loved you. Fr. Brian Steele, MGL

GLORIOUS ENDING

From Didache Daily Devotional HOLY WEDNESDAY     “ The Lord is my help, therefore I am not disgraced. I have set my face like flint, knowing that I shall not be put to shame.” – Isaiah 50:7   I didn’t want to accept that my seven-month-old son was dying. I had been telling everybody how God was healing my son of his congenital heart condition. Everyone knew how much I’d been praying. Didn’t Jesus say that all you need is faith the size of a mustard seed to move mountains? Mine was as big as a watermelon so why was it not happening? Then one night, I realized that I was more concerned about my pride as a Christian rather than God’s glory. God is God and He answers our prayers as best suited to His plans, not ours. After months of struggling emotionally and mentally, I finally surrendered to His sovereignty and embraced His will. The next day, my son breathed his last as I  cradled him in my arms and whispered to him to tell God how much I love Him when he sees Him. Nine years after his death, people still come up to me to tell me how much they’ve been touched by my story, which I shared during a televised Good Friday recollection. What I thought was a disgraceful ending, God was able to use to touch many people. It’s not what we do for Him that gives Him glory… it’s what He does through us that glorifies Him. Ronna Ledesma (ronnaledesma@email.com) 20 REFLECTION: If we can dictate to God how we want Him to answer our prayers, then He wouldn’t be God at all.   Father, let Your will be done here on earth as it has been done already in heaven. Amen.