Triduum Meditation: The Friday We Call Good

Last year I started the Triduum Mediation, and I and I started with Holy Thursday.  I intended to post on one day of the Triduum each year.  This year I will post a meditation on Good Friday.

As I said last year, the Pascal Triduum are the three days that lead to the Resurrection on Easter Sunday. 

The Gospel reading for Good Friday is the entire Passion Narrative from the Gospel according to St. John, Jn 18:1-19:42.  I can’t post the entire two chapters, so I’ll take a portion that will have the most resonance to the embedded homilies.

 

So they took Jesus, and, carrying the cross himself, he went out to what is called the Place of the Skull, in Hebrew, Golgotha.

There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, with Jesus in the middle.

Pilate also had an inscription written and put on the cross.

It read,

“Jesus the Nazorean, the King of the Jews.”

Now many of the Jews read this inscription, because the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, Latin, and Greek.

So the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate,

 “Do not write ‘The King of the Jews,’ but that he said, ‘I am the King of the Jews’.”

Pilate answered,

“What I have written, I have written.”

 

When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his clothes and divided them into four shares, a share for each soldier.

They also took his tunic, but the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from the top down.

So they said to one another,

“Let’s not tear it, but cast lots for it to see whose it will be, “ in order that the passage of Scripture might be fulfilled that says:

            They divided my garments among them,

                        and for my vesture they cast lots.

This is what the soldiers did.

Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary of Magdala.

When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple there whom he loved he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son.”

Then he said to the disciple,

“Behold, your mother.”

And from that hour the disciple took her into his home.

 

After this, aware that everything was now finished, in order that the Scripture might be fulfilled,

Jesus said, “I thirst.”

There was a vessel filled with common wine.

So they put a sponge soaked in wine on a sprig of hyssop and put it up to his mouth.

When Jesus had taken the wine, he said,

“It is finished.”

And bowing his head, he handed over the spirit.

 

Here all kneel and pause for a short time.

 

Now since it was preparation day, in order that the bodies might not remain on the cross on the sabbath, for the sabbath day of that week was a solemn one, the Jews asked Pilate that their legs be broken and that they be taken down.

So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and then of the other one who was crucified with Jesus.

But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs, but one soldier thrust his lance into his side, and immediately blood and water flowed out.

An eyewitness has testified, and his testimony is true; he knows that he is speaking the truth, so that you also may come to believe.  For this happened so that the Scripture passage might be fulfilled:

            Not a bone of it will be broken.

And again another passage says:

            They will look upon him whom they have pierced.

~Jn 19:17-37

I will go with Fr. Geoffrey Plant again because he offers so much information.  After he explains Good Friday, Fr. Geoffrey takes us through Jesus last seven words on the cross.  

It is with the fourth cup of the Passover and the death of the Lamb of God that completes the atonement.    I loved that ending from Fr. Geoffrey: “The Evangelists remind us that the life of a Christian is lived in the tension between ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me” and “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.”

Bishop Barron tells us on the horrific nature of the crucifixion.

And despite the horror of the cross, Christians embraced it!

 

Sunday Meditation: "When Jesus had taken the wine, he said,

“It is finished.” And bowing his head, he handed over the spirit."

 

This is too solemn a day for a hymn.  Indeed there was no music at Good Friday Mass today, just a Capella.  So another reflection is in due order, this time by two Dominican friars from Our Sunday Visitor, Frs. Patrick Briscoe and Vincent Bernhard O.P. who reflect on Good Friday traditions.

 

If you’re wondering what a “double genuflection” is, it’s not very mysterious.  I had just never heard it was called anything.  Here is a clip to demonstrate it.

 

So at Good Friday adoration of the wood of the cross, I had to try a double genuflection after hearing the friars talk about it.  Geez, I almost couldn’t get up with my aging knees.

Faith Filled Friday: Michelangelo’s Pieta

It’s Good Friday evening, perhaps the most solemn evening of the year.  Here are a couple of videos to meditate on Christ’s crucifixion.  First this lovely rendition of Stabat Mater (At the cross her stations keeping) in Latin. 

 

Unfortunately it doesn’t mention the artist.  The voices are to be adored.

Second video is a talk on Michelangelo's Three Pietas by an art/theology historian Amy Giuliano.  It was put on by what I think is a new Catholic organization that promotes the Catholic arts, The Benedict XVI Institute.  I've watched a discussion on literature and I thought it was OK, but this talk on Michelangelo's Three Pieta sculptures blew me away.  I was left speechless.  It's a mix of art, theology, and the artist's biography.  I had no idea there were three Michelangelo pietas.  I'm only familiar with the famous one, which I have a special devotion to.  I was on the zoom of the discussion when it was live.  They have put it out to the public on YouTube.

Now it's not as long as it looks.  The actual talk ends around 52 minutes and the first five minutes is introduction, an opening prayer, and some chatter.  So it's really around 47 minutes long.  So after the 52 minutes it was open for questions, and I stayed on for about 10-15 minutes but I didn't find that interesting enough and I had other things to do.  I see it lasted over an hour after the presentation.  So start at the five minute mark and don't worry about the Q&A unless you really want to listen.

I hope you find it as interesting as I did.  

Have a blessed Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday.  One more video.

Faith Filled Friday: The Way of the Cross over the Brooklyn Bridge

Today, arguably the holiest day of the year, as my custom now for the last five years, I participated in the annual Way of the Cross over the Brooklyn Bridge. It’s a sort of mini Stations of the Cross procession, we only do five stations, but the distanced walked is about two and three quarter miles.  It starts in Brooklyn at the St. James Cathedral-Basilica, and then the pilgrimage ensues by crossing over the Brooklyn Bridge, stops at Manhattan’s City Hall, stops at the World Trade Center, and concludes at lower Manhattan’s St. Peter’s Church.  It’s organized by local chapter of the Communion and Liberation Movement, which is a Catholic religious organization of religious and lay members.  Fr. Richard Veras seems to be the primary coordinator, though I don’t know if that is his role.  Fr. Veras was the pastor at my parish, St. Rita’s on Staten Island, for a number of years but has moved on.  He has published a number of books and is a monthly contributor to Magnificat magazine.

The form of the events has not changed in the five years.  I detailed them in my 2014 entry, which you can read here.    

I didn’t take a lot of pictures this year.  It was overcast.  But here’s one picture of the procession ahead of me on the Brooklyn Bridge. 

You can see how far long pilgrimage of people ahead of me, and I was toward the front.  The local news lists us in the hundreds, but it seems more to my non-expert eye.

I was able to film one of the pieces sung by the wonderful—and I do mean wonderful with no exaggeration—Communion and Liberation choir.  At the St. James Cathedral, they sing “Go to Dark Gethsemane.”  Let me preface, for some reason my camera just would not focus on the choir.  The video is blurred but I did capture the singing.

We passed a little garden as you come off the Brooklyn Bridge on the Manhattan side and the tulips were in bloom. 

And of course we passed the new Liberty Tower at the World Trade Center.  I don’t know what that weird sculpture is out in front, but who understands modern art?

Finally we made the news.  Here’s a video clip.

I hope you had a blessed Good Friday.  

Faith Filled Friday: The Twelfth Station

For Good Friday I was going to post some pictures and video of my annual procession of the Way of the Cross over the Brooklyn Bridge, but the batteries in my camera crapped out just after I turned the camera on.  This was the 23^rd year of the March, and that surprised me.  I didn’t realize it went back that far.  I think this was my fifth year attending.  I blogged about the first time in 2014, here.   

Since I didn’t get pictures t post, I’m going to provide one last Caryll Houselander way of the cross station.  What could be more fitting for today, than the twelfth station.

Christ Dies on the Cross

To His enemies this seems to be the hour of their triumph and Christ’s defeat, but in fact it is the supreme hour of His triumph. Now when He seems to be more helpless than He has ever been before, He is in fact more powerful. When He seems to be more limited, more restricted, His love is boundless, His reach across the world to the hearts of men in all ages is infinite.

But to those who look on, how different what appears to be happening seems to what is really happening. How certain it seems that Christ has been overcome, that His plan of love for the world has failed utterly, that He Himself is a failure, His “kingdom” a pitiful delusion.

Can this be the same Christ who only three short years ago went up into another mountain and spoke to the multitudes, filling the heart of each individually with secret joy and hope?—teaching the poor their own glory, revealing the secret of his personal beatitude to each one who suffered, to each who was downtrodden or unjustly treated, showing them each the reality of the poetry of life, the inwardness of the kingdom which was already theirs if they could receive it with simplicity and the values of unspoilt children?

Did he not tell them, and did they not believe, that their very poverty clothed them, not in drab, worn garments, but in those that, seen by the true vision, are richer than Solomon’s robes, lovelier than the iridescent lilies growing in the fields of Palestine?

Did he not convince them that if their hearts were pure, the kingdom of heaven was already theirs—and he himself, who strewed the wild flowers under their feet and gave them the morning star, their king?

But now on this other mountainside how different everything seems to be. What hope is there now for them? Their king is poorer than any of them. He is stripped of all that he has; his crown is a ridiculous crown of thorns; he has nothing left of his own, not even a grave to receive his dead body. Far from being clothed in splendour that rivals the glory of Solomon, or beauty that rivals the wild flowers, his own natural beauty is hidden under wounds and bruises.

“He has no comeliness whereby men shall know him.”

He has never seemed so helpless as He seems now, not even as a little infant in Bethlehem.

The hands that could raise the dead to life with a touch, could heal the sick and give sight to the blind, are nailed to the hard wood: unforgettable, stiffening in death. The feet that blessed the delicate grass by their touch, that walked on the swiftly moving waves of the storm at sea, are fastened down to the rough trunk and held still. The eyes that could see into the depths of the soul are darkening with the blindness of death. The tongue that spoke the words of eternal love is swollen with thirst, and stiffened in death. The heart of the man who is love is turning to a small, hard stone that a man could hold in his hand!

More bitter than all His other suffering is the desolation of His soul, His own unutterable loneliness, the sense of being wholly unsupported by any love, emptied out, forsaken even by God: “. . . and at the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, ‘Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?’ which means, ‘My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?’” (Mark xv. 34).

He seemed to be quite alone, quite defeated, dying a useless death at the end of a useless life, the tragic life of a poor deluded dreamer who, because of his fondest delusion that his love for the world could save it, had come to a still more tragic death, to die alone, an object only of scorn or pity—not even hated now, since now he is powerless—beaten. Men hate only when they fear.

“The passers-by blasphemed against him, tossing their heads. ‘Come now,’ they said, ‘thou who wouldst destroy the temple and build it up in three days, rescue thyself; come down from that cross, if thou art the Son of God.’”

But Christ would not come down from the cross—“I, if I be lifted up,” He said, “will draw all men to me.” Now He had done just that, He had drawn all men to Him because He was dying all of their deaths for them; He was giving Himself to them in death, so that in their turn they would die His death, with His courage, His love, His power to redeem.

From that moment when He bowed His head, crying out: “Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit” and died, everyone indwelt by Him to the end of time would die His death, with His power to heal and strengthen and redeem themselves and other men by their dying.

He came to the tremendous mystery of His death alone, He felt forsaken even by God; but from that moment until the end of time, no Christian man or woman or child will die alone. Each one will die Christ’s death, their hands in His hands, their feet folded upon His feet, the last beat of their hearts the beat of His heart; and because He has made their deaths His own, theirs too will have the power of His to save themselves and those whom they love.

Houselander, Caryll. The Way of the Cross (pp. 79-82). Angelico Press. Kindle Edition.

Let me leave you with this glorious hymn that is so fitting for today, “What Wondrous Love is This.”

WE ADORE YOU, O CHRIST, AND WE PRAISE YOU, BECAUSE BY YOUR HOLY CROSS YOU HAVE REDEEMED THE WORLD.

Faith Filled Friday: Contemporary Holy Martyrs for Good Friday

I know the Brussels terror attack is very much in the news today, but I assume most have heard about the ISIS attack in Yemen on a retirement home a few weeks ago (March 4^th) run by the Sisters of Charity, part of the late Mother Theresa's ministry. If you haven't you can get filled in by this news clip.

Five Nuns ran the retirement home, one survived, a Sister Sally and she recounted the events. The following are a second hand retelling from a Sister Rio, written down by a Sister Adriana. Sister Sally is apparently in shock and has not come out in public yet.

This Yemen massacre was what I think finally pushed the Obama administration to agree that the slaughter of Christians and other minorities in the Middle East to be classified as genocide. I don't know why it took the Obama administration this long - it's been evident for a long time - but at least we should be grateful they finally did.

So for Good Friday, here is the second hand retelling of what happened that morning.  The description is gruesome and brought me to tears. You might want to pass on it. It's a little disjointed, as you can imagine something like this might be.

SISTER RIO’S WORDS TO SISTER ADRIANA, MC: Friday, midday, March 4, 2016

Sisters had Mass, breakfast as usual. As usual, Father stays back in chapel to say prayers, then to fix things around the compound.

8:00am: Said apostolate prayer and all 5 went to home.

8:30am: ISIS dressed in blue came in, killed guard and driver.

5 young Ethiopian men (Christian) began running to tell the sisters ISIS was here to kill them. They were killed one by one. They tied them to trees, shot them in the head and smashed their heads.

The sisters ran 2 by 2 in different directions, as they have mens and ladies home. 4 working women were screaming, “Don’t kill the sisters! Don’t kill the sisters!” One was the cook for 15 years. They killed them as well.

They caught Sr. Judith and Sr. Reginette first, tied them up, shot them in the head and smashed their heads. When the sisters ran in different directions, the Superior ran to the convent to try to warn Father Tom.

They caught Sr. Anselm and Sr. Marguerite, tied them, shot them in the head and smashed their heads in the sand.

Meanwhile, the Superior could not get to the convent. It is not clear how many ISIS men were there.

She saw all the sisters and helpers killed. The ISIS men were already getting to the convent so she went into the refridgerator room, since the door was open. These ISIS men were everywhere, searching for her, as they knew there were 5. At least three times they came into the fridgerator room. She did not hide, but remained standing behind the door – they never saw her. This is miraculous.

Meanwhile, at the convent, Father had heard the screaming and consumed all the Hosts. He had no time to consume the large Host, so he threw the oil out of the sanctuary lamp and dissolved it in the water.

A neighbor saw them put Father Tom in their car. They did not find any trace of Father anywhere. All the religious articles were smashed and destroyed – Our Lady, crucifix, altar, tabernacle, lectionary stand – even their prayer books and Bibles.

10:00 or 10:15am: The ISIS men finished and left.

Sr. Sally came to get the bodies of the sisters. She got them all. She went to the patients to each one individually to see if they were OK. All were OK. Not one was hurt.

The son of the woman who was the cook (who was killed) was calling her on her cellphone. Since she was not answering, he called the police, and he went with the police there and found this great massacre. The police and the son arrived at about 10:30am.

The police tried to take Sr. Sally out of there — she refused to leave the people who were crying, “Don’t leave us; stay with us.” But the police forced her to go with them because the ISIS knew there were 5 sisters, and they were convinced they will not stop until they kill her too. So finally she had to leave. She took one set of clothes and the sisters’ bodies, and the police brought them to an international hospital called “Doctors Without Borders” for protection. As there was not enough room in the mortuary of that hospital for the sisters’ bodies, the police brought their bodies to a bigger hospital mortuary.

Sr. Sally told Sr. Rio she is so sad because she is alone and did not die with her sisters. Sr. Rio told her God wanted a witness and told her, “Who would have found the sisters’ bodies and who would ever tell us what happened? God wants us to know.”

Pope Francis had his secretary contact the Yemen Secretary of State very often – about once a week to check up on the sisters and reassure them of his closeness. Today, the Pope’s secretary sent the message: “I thank them — Little M.C. martyrs.” He said he is offering the 40-hour First Friday devotion for them.

Sr. Sally told Sr. Rio that Fr. Tom tells them every day, “Let us be ready for martyrdom.”

Sr. Judith — they were trying so hard to take her for senior course, but they were not able to get her out.

Sr. Reginette — they were trying to send her for junior course but could not get her out.

God wanted them there.

Aden is rich city – a port city. Aden wanted to be its own state, so they got ISIS in to help them fight against Yemen. So ISIS won for Aden. That was the war last year, with all the bombing. They won, so that is over, but ISIS won’t leave. They want to take over and exterminate any Christian presence. They did not kill the sisters in the war because they had no political reason to waste time on them. But now, they are the only Christian presence, and ISIS wants to get rid of all Christianity. So they are real martyrs — died because they are Christians. They could have died so many times in the war, but God wanted it to be clear they are martyrs for the faith.

Sr. Rio said Sr. Sally is fully surrendered. The police are trying to get her out because they will just keep after her until they kill her. She is fully surrendered and told Sr. Rio – whatever God wants. She said the other Muslims are so respectful of them. She said to pray that their blood will be the seeds for peace in the Middle East and to stop the ISIS.

She said that if they kidnapped Father Tom most probably they will wait 2 days, then ask in exchange for Father Tom either money or the release of their members held in prison.

Sr. Rio said they were so faithful – ISIS knew exactly when they leave and when to break in. And because of their faithfulness, they were in the right place at the right time and were ready when the Bridegroom came.

Sr. Adriana said she thinks the crushing of the heads has some evil connection with “She will crush head of the serpent,” some kind of mockery or evil meaning.

CORRECT NAMES:

Sister M. Sally, MC (Superior)

Sister M. Anselm, MC (Bihar)

Sister M. Marguerite, MC (Rwanda)

Sister M. Judith, MC (Kenya)

Sister M. Reginette, MC (Rwanda)

Read more at National Catholic Register.

I thought that after the Holocaust, the world promised never again would we be idle in the face of genocide. But as you can read here, there has been a long string of genocides across the world since WWII. I don't know why humanity succumbs to such evil, but here it is again. On this Good Friday, give a special prayer or two for the innocent people massacred here and across the Middle East, especially for these modern day Holy Martyrs who have died simply for being Christian. May they rest in peace.

Faith Filled Friday: Holy Thursday Feet Washing and Good Friday Procession

I never got to mention last week’s Easter Triduum events.  I had the honor of being asked to be one of the twelve that had their feet washed at the Holy Thursday Mass.   At least I think it was an honor.  Given that Pope Francis the last few years has been picking criminals to wash their feet I hope the new pastor at our church who picked me doesn’t think I’m a crook…lol.  Seriously, it was a huge honor.  Actually there was an interesting mix of people: six men and six women, some old and young, and couple of people who were converting at the Easter Vigil.  The pastor only washed our right feet.  My wife has long made fun of my toes (they tend to curl up—don’t laugh—I know reader you’re laughing!) so I was a little self-conscious.  Someone suggested I get a pedicure, but no I couldn’t stoop to that.  I wouldn’t even know where to get one.  I did make sure my toe nails were clean, especially underneath.  Unfortunately there were no pictures, but I’ll leave you with a painting from an unknown artist.  I assume it goes back to the Middle Ages.

On Good Friday I went on the Way of the Cross procession as I did last year.  You can read about last year’s procession and see pictures at the photo essay I posted.  It was essentially the same thing.  I did get to see Fr. Richard Veras, who organizes it, again.  He was the pastor at my parish who to my displeasure was transfer from our parish last June.  I blogged about it last year here.    

Here are a few additional pictures from this year’s procession.

Here’s the absolutely wonderful Communion and Liberation choir that sang at each station.  Here at the St. James Cathedral-Basilica in Downtown Brooklyn.

Here on top of the Brooklyn Bridge.  It was a drizzly day.

The choir at the final stop, St. Peter’s Church in Lower Manhattan.  

You can see the contrast in church alter styles from the previous church.  And finally Fr, Veras giving a homily. 

Fr, Veras gave the very best homilies I’ve ever had the privilege of hearing.  I so miss them.

Faith Filled Friday: The Blood of the Martyrs, The Holy Thursday Massacre

“If you were a Christian,” one student recalled to the Associated Press, “you were shot on the spot.”     

I gasped when I read it.  They must think that this will cause Christians to wither and Christianity to recede.  But they are so wrong.  The blood of the martyrs is the seed to the church.  Martyrdom only makes Christianity grow.  The latest is 147 dead, and a claimed terrorist attack by the Somali Muslim (of course) group Al-Shabaab.  Blessed be the 147.  They died on the Holy weekend.  They died for their Christian identity.  They are united in Christ.  Pray for them on this Good Friday.

Photo Essay: Way of the Cross 2014 - UPDATED

I mentioned yesterday I was participating in the Way of the Cross GoodFriday procession in New York City.  You can find links on yesterday’s post to what The Way of the Cross entails.  Well, I participated and here is a little photo essay of the procession.

One correction from yesterday’s post.  There weren’t fourteen stops on the procession reflecting the fourteen stations of the cross.  That was an assumption on my part that turned out to be wrong.  There were five stops where we came to a halt and read a Gospel reading (from the Passion chapters of St. John’s Gospel), read a meditation from the writings of Luigi Giussani (the event was sponsored by the local Communion and Liberation movement), listened to a mini homily by Fr. Richard Veras (my pastor at St. Rita’s who I mentioned here ), and sang hymns.  The five stations were (1) at St. James Cathedral in Brooklyn, (2) at the Brooklyn Bridge, (3) at City Hall in Manhattan, (4) at Ground Zero where 9-11 World Trade Center tragedy occurred, and (5) at St. Peter’s Church in Lower Manhattan. 

This is inside the St. James Cathedral where the Communion and Liberation Choir were magnificent. 

 

And then onto the Brooklyn streets. 

 

 

The highlight for me was the procession over the Brooklyn Bridge.  I had never walked over before.  I took lots of wonderful pictures which I'll have to reserve for another photo essay.  The tall building on the left with the antenna is the new Liberty Tower that replaced the Twin Towers that collapsed.

 

 

You can see the hundreds of people in front of me, and I would say there were even more behind me.  There must have been a thousand people that participated.  At the head of the procession was a man carrying a wooden cross, but within the crowd there was a man carrying a statue of a black Jesus carrying his cross. 

 

At New York City Hall. 

 

 

At Ground Zero.  We weren’t actually at Ground Zero since the construction has closed it off, but about a block away.  I didn’t get a good picture but I have this.

 

And finally at St. Peter’s.  It looks a lot prettier on the inside than the outside. 

 

 

It was a great experience.  The only difficulty was getting to a bathroom.  The bus left in the morning at 8:30 and the last station was at about 1:30 PM.  Thank God St. Peter’s had a bathroom for us to use, even though the line was very long.

 

UPDATE (April, 19, 2014 @ 9:19 AM):

New York Post reports this morning that over 3000 participated in the procession.   Whoo hoo!  That’s a better turn out than I imagined.