Easter Sunday

CHRIST'S RESURRECTION is the most important day of the church year.  Easter Sunday varies from year to year because the Council of Nicaea (325 A.D.) determined that it would be celebrated on the Sunday following the first full moon after the vernal equinox.  There are two times during the year when the length of day and night are equal: the vernal equinox and autumnal equinox.  The word "Easter" is probably derived from the Goddess of Spring, Eostre.  

Many churches hold an annual Easter sunrise service.  This comes from the fact that Mary Magdalene and the other Mary first learned of Christ's resurrection at dawn on the first day of the week.  Matthew 28:1

Christian Churches commonly fill their altars and surround their crosses with masses of Easter lilies to commemorate the resurrection of Jesus and the hope of life everlasting.  In the Old Testament, the lily is associated with Christ in the Song of Songs passages ("I am a rose of Sharon, a lily of the valleys.") and Hosea, through whom God promises a resurrection to Israel if the nation repents.  The reference reads:  " I will heal their waywardness and love them freely...Israel will blossom like a lily."  Lilies are said to have been found growing in the garden of Gethsemane after Christ's night of agony.  Tradition indicates that the beautiful white lilies sprang up where drops of Christ's perspiration fell to the ground in his final hours of sorrow and distress.

Holy Saturday Easter Vigil

EASTER VIGIL

"For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God.  He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit, through whom also he went and preached to the spirits in prison who disobeyed long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built.  In it only a few people, eight in all, were saved through water."  - 1Peter 3:18-20

Early Christians believed that the just who died before the coming of Christ awaited redemption in a shadowy existence, referred to the Old Testament as Sheol.  This belief is alluded to in First Peter 3:18-22, where the place is described as a prison.  The statement " he descended into hell" in the Apostles' Creed refers to this belief.  It expresses our faith that, after his death but before his resurrection, Jesus went to announce to those in "prison" that they had been saved and were invited to heavenly life.

Holy Saturday evolved in the church after the fourth century.  Before that time, only Easter was recognized as a holy day.  But during the fourth century all the days of the week before Easter were established as holy days.

Some churches reserve Holy Saturday as a traditional time for baptism.

Prayer to the Shoulder Wound of Jesus

I have been instructed by our religious classmate Vicky (her TV channel is on EWTN always) to please pray this prayer daily.  According to her, it is a promise of our Lord to St. Bernard - whoever venerates and honor His Sacred Shoulder Wound will be forgiven of all venial and mortal sins.  How remiss of me! I'm always thinking of Jesus' 5 wounds only but not his shoulder wound (for carrying the Cross).

PRAYER TO THE SHOULDER WOUND OF JESUS

   O most loving Jesus, meek Lamb of God, I a miserable sinner, salute and worship the most Sacred Wound of thy Shoulder to which Thou didst bear thy heavy Cross, which so tore Thy Flesh and laid bare Thy Bones as to inflict on Thee an anguish greater than any other Wound of Thy Most Blessed Body.  I adore Thee, O Jesus most sorrowful; I praise and glorify Thee and give Thee thanks for this most sacred and painful Wound, beseeching Thee by that exceeding pain and by the crushing burden of Thy heavy Cross to be merciful to me, a sinner, to forgive me all my mortal and venial sins, and to lead me on towards Heaven along the Way of Thy Cross.  Amen.

More On St. Bernard: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernard_of_clairvaux
                                http://www.thesacredheart.com/shwound.htm

Previously Published 4/5/10  ust1611.multiply

Lenten Rose

The Lenten Rose is not truly a rose but a helleborus, a perennial flower that resembles a rose.  It is called the Lenten Rose because in some parts of the world it uniquely blooms during the spring and winter.  It has many beautiful colors of white, yellow, and purple.

Roses were banned in the early Church because at the time the flower was viewed as symbol of paganism, orgy, and lust.  Church writer and critic Tertullian wrote an entire volume denigrating the flower.  In about 202 A.D., noted theologian Clement of Alexandria forbade Christians to adorn themselves with roses. 
Helleborus orientalis

 

 

Previously Published 4/16/11  ust1611.multiplly

The True Cross of Christ

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   The Cross is a symbol of Hope, Faith and Promise of Everlasting Life.

 

Largest Awesome Standing Cross in America located in Groom, Texas

January 2009

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From: lt
Subject: FW: The True Cross of Christ
Date: Fri, 22 Jun 2012 15:52:57 -0500

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How Saint Helen found the True Cross in Jerusalem

Saint Helen and the True Cross of Christ

In order to squash Christian devotion to Christ in Jerusalem, the pagan Romanserected shrines over the Christian holy sites (in about AD 146). This is well documented both historically and archeologically.

Saint Helen came to Jerusalem in 326 after she had a dream about the true cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. She felt that she had been divinely appointed to find our Lord's life-giving cross.

When she arrived in Jerusalem, the Catholic bishop of Jerusalem, Macarius, told her that the holy sites had been covered by pagan Roman shrines for the previous 180 years. Christians did not visit the sites since they had become the shrines of idols.

Here is what she found:

• Over the cave in Bethlehem where Christ was born was an idol of Adonis.


• Over Calvary where Christ had been crucified was a large marble idol of Venus, the goddess of carnal lust.


• Over the Holy Sepulchre from which Christ had risen from the dead was an idol of Jupiter, king of the false gods.

Saint Helen, in the name of her son the Emperor Constantine, had these pagan monuments torn down and the ground cleared and made ready for Catholic churches. The Christians in Jerusalem rejoiced.

How did Saint Helen find the true cross?

Here's the official tradition:

Then she had thus cleansed the place {from the idol of Venus} where the Cross had stood, Helen caused deep excavations to be made, which resulted in the discovery of three crosses, and, apart from them, the writing which had been nailed on that of the Lord. But which of the crosses had been His was unknown, and was only manifested by a miracle. Macarius, Bishop of Jerusalem, after offering solemn prayers to God, touched with each of the three a woman who was afflicted with a grievous disease. The two first had no effect, but at the touch of the third she was immediately healed.

Since the third cross worked miracles, it became manifest that this cross was the true cross of Christ. And this is how Saint Helen found the true cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.

-->Previously Published 6/23/12  ust1611.multiply
Web Page: The True Cross of Christ

About Migrating

Previously Published 2/13/09  ust1611.multiply

I just found out we lose the message with photos upon deletion of a MSN GROUPS website that migrated to Multiply if those photos are not in the shoebox of that website. So, I'm pretty sure we'll see a lot of blanks with the red Xs after February 21. However, thankfully, we can edit the messages.

FYI:  The "ust1611" Multiply website was all permanently disconnected  from the internet on March 21, 2013.  So you'll see red Xs again on this blogspot website.

Updated 3/23/13

More On Why We Pray the Rosary

 We have very powerful connections from above when praying the Rosary.  God bless!

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From: ltumang
Subject: FW: More On Why We Pray the Rosary
Date: Wed, 29 Jun 2011 23:16:57 -0500

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The Rosary

Beautiful thoughts. At the end of this e-mail there is an exhortation to forward this to Catholics
but I take the liberty to forward to all for as Jesus said from the Cross, Mary is Mother to us all.     The ROSARY

Beautiful Reasons for Praying the Rosary Even More Often Father Gabriel Amorth, Chief Exorcist of the Vatican writes: One day a colleague of mine heard the devil say during an exorcism,  "Every Hail Mary is like a blow on my head. If Christians knew how powerful the Rosary was, it would be my end." The secret that makes this prayer so effective is that the Rosary is  both prayer and meditation. It is addressed to the Father, to the Blessed Virgin, and to the Holy Trinity, and is a meditation centered on Christ. I write in addition to the above: Please enunciate each word of the Rosary clearly and distinctly. Do not trample on the words.  Do not speak over the leader if you are following or the respondent if you are leading the Rosary. Remember that they also are having a conversation with Mary Our Mother and it is not polite to speak when someone else is speaking. In the case of the public Rosary there are only two people speaking: the Leader and the respondents. Each is speaking to the Blessed Mother and listening carefully to her response within their hearts as they meditate on the scene before them in their consideration of the mystery being spoken of and interpreted and translated into their lives. Spread this powerful prayer of exorcism, the Rosary, which contains the Our Father, the Perfect Prayer, prayed five times in the recitation of each set of the Rosary's Mysteries, backed up by the powerful prayers of Our Mother who prays with us as we pray 53 Hail Mary's. The Eternal Father described to a group of us, through a Visionary Friend of mine, what happens when we pray the Rosary, saying, "When you pray Holy Mary Mother of God, pray for us sinners now....., the Blessed Mother comes instantly to your side to pray with you. And she does not come alone. She brings angels with her. And not just one or two for she is the Queen of Angels, so choirs of angels come with her. And she and Jesus are joined at the heart and cannot be separated so she brings Jesus with her. And Jesus cannot be separated from the Trinity so He  brings the Father and the Holy Spirit with Him. And where the Holy Trinity is, all of creation is, and you are surrounded by such beauty and light as you cannot imagine in this life. Your Mother comes as Our Lady of Grace with her hands outstretched. Rays of light emit from her hands piercing your body, healing you and filling you with graces. This is your inheritance which was poured out from the heart of Jesus on the Cross, when the centurion pierced His Heart with the spear, into the only pure vessel ready to receive such graces at that time, Your Mother. Now as you pray the Rosary, or even just recite one Hail Mary, you receive your portion of these graces. He also said at this time, "Anyone who goes to Mary and prays the Rosary cannot be touched by Satan." Is it any wonder that anyone who prays the Rosary from the heart is so blessed and protected and powerful in their prayers for  others? Please e-mail this message to every Catholic on your address list, and ask them to pass it along to everyone who believe in God.

Previously Published 7/1/11 ust1611.multiply

Passion Week

CHURCH OF THE HOLY SEPULCHRE

http://libslabyrinth.blogspot.com/2013/03/holy-week.html

Handmaid of the Lord

On March 14, 2013, the Handmaids of the Lord prayed for their family and friends that they be blessed spiritually, physically, mentally and economically.

Video http://youtu.be/YvNuPyoctxs  Handmaid of the Lord - Northwest Illinois

         http://youtu.be/8bZfqp4hHu0 Change My Heart, Oh God

Fasting and Feasting

LENTEN OBSERVANCE

BY FR. GREG SAKOWICZ

Not only on Holy Week but always.

FASTING

Fast from judging others

Fast from emphasis on differences

Fast from apparent darkness 

Fast from thoughts of illness

Fast from words that pollute

Fast from discontent

Fast from anger

Fast from pessimism

Fast from worry

Fast from complaining

Fast from negatives

Fast from unrelenting pressures

Fast from hostility

Fast from bitterness

Fast from self-concern

Fast from personal anxiety

Fast from discouragement

Fast from facts that depress

Fast from lethargy

Fast from suspicion

Fast from thoughts that weaken

Fast from shadows of sorrow

Fast from idle gossip

FEASTING

Feast on the Christ within them

Feast on the unity of life

Feast on the reality of lights

Feast on the healing power of God

Feast on phrases that purify

Feast on gratitude

Feast on patience

Feast on optimism

Feast on divine order.  Trust in God.

Feast on appreciation

Feast on affirmatives

Feast on unceasing prayer

Feast on nonresistance

Feast on forgiveness

Feast on compassion for others

Feast on eternal truth

Feast on hope

Feast on verifies that uplift

Feast on enthusiasm

Feast on truth

Feast on promises that inspire

Feast on the sunlight of serenity

Feast on purposeful silence

Raven Resort Cavite

PHILIPPINE VISITORS

Click photo to enlarge

Group photo of Med Tech Batchmates e-mailed by Carme.  Raven Resort & Log Cabin is the coolest place in town - don't they all looked good and refreshed?
L-R: Minda, Nerie, Lily, Josie, Lilia, Carme, Pilar, Evelyn, Rose, and Wilma