March 24, 2012
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March 24, 2012 – Saturday in the 4th week of Lent
Saint for the day: St. Catherine of Genoa (1447-1510)
Scripture readings for today's liturgy:
Jeremiah 11:18-20
Psalm 7
John 7:40-53
Looking forward to Holy Week
The first principle that we have to keep in mind is that the Gospels are put together backwards. They begin at the reality of the resurrection and then reconstruct all the – “Oh! Now I see what He was talking about when He said …” So the Gospels are the lived and preached faith of the early Church from what they remember He said and did. There’s not much said about His childhood except that He got lost in the Temple and that “he grew in grace and truth.”
If we want to know what’s important about Jesus just look at the early part of the Gospels up against how much is included about His passion, death and resurrection. John 3:16 seems to be the key: “God so loved the world that He sent His only begotten Son so that all who believe in Him might have eternal life.”
In a week’s time we will begin Holy Week where we will walk with Jesus from His triumphal entry into Jerusalem; to the upper room for the Last Supper – which, interestingly enough doesn’t give us the “institution account of the Eucharist” but, rather, the washing of the feet. Then, we move into the most solemn liturgy of the Church year: Good Friday, the one day in the entire year when Mass is not celebrated. The Good Friday Liturgy shocks us by its dramatic difference from what we are used to participating in when we come to church. The center of the liturgy is the reading of the Passion account with its high drama that draws us into the reality of what our Christian life is all about. In this liturgy we’re not going to hear a “prosperity gospel” or about blessings gained by believing in Jesus such as miracles and speaking in tongues. We’re brought very dramatically face to face with the fact that Jesus gave His life that we might live with Him in paradise. We then become like the disciples on the road to Emmaus and say, “Were not our hearts burning within as He explained the scriptures to us?”
But we can't just come for Holy Thursday and Good Friday. We have to stay around for that still, quiet day – Holy Saturday – when the entire Church awaits the solemnity of the Resurrection on Easter Sunday. Holy Week and the “Paschal Triduum” brings it all together. Here we come to understand what our life is all about. Don’t miss any of it as it is one, week-long liturgy that shouldn’t be sidestepped in any way. We want to get to that point where we can say, “our hearts were burning (with excitement) when we unknowingly met Jesus on the road.” Amen!
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