Via Lucis - The First Station! (two submissions)

Jesus Rises from the Dead

Here is the center of it all, the center of all the mysteries and of all of life. Without Jesus rising from the dead, faith in him is in vain. The Lord suffered and died and rose again. How simple and how mysterious! No sin, no pain, no suffering could hold him bound. At this first station of light, I pray to be overtaken by the joy in the resurrection, overwhelmed with the power and mystery of it all because even if I don't understand it all, in faith I believe and I accept. (Msgr. Andrew Vaccari)


Jesus Rises from the Dead
We believe in Love even though facing an empty tomb (Giuliana 1998).

In the spiritual life we are reminded to embrace the darkness. Darkness is evil but it has much to teach us. Darkness with God’s grace reveals our brokenness, our wounds, our hurts, our pride and our emptiness without Him. Facing the darkness we are forced to turn towards the light and there we find hope, we find meaning, we see the patterns that lead us to look up and see that our God is alive! He has risen and our spirits cannot be kept down but rise with Him! He promised and he kept His word! He is raised! Amen!
(Teresa Monaghen)

Via Lucis - The First Station! (two submissions)

Via Lucis - Easter Stations!

Join us in reflecting on the Stations of Light or Via Lucis started by Pope John Paul II.

Write your reflections and submit them to the Blog: comment, share and exchange. psm@prosanctity.org

We offer these reflections in honor of our late Holy Father and in thanksgiving for his life and legacy. We commemorate his death on April 2, 2008

Following is one of many suggestions for Via Lucis stations.
1. Jesus rises from the dead;
2. The disciples find the empty tomb;
3. Jesus appears to Mary Magdalen;
4. Jesus walks with the disciples to Emmaus;
5. Jesus reveals himself in the breaking of bread;
6. Jesus appears to the disciples;
7. Jesus confers on his disciples the power to forgive sins;
8. Jesus confirms Thomas in faith;
9. Jesus appears to his disciples on the shore of Lake Galilee;
10. Jesus confers primacy on Peter;
11. Jesus entrusts his disciples with a universal mission;
12. Jesus ascends into heaven;
13. Mary and the disciples await the Holy Spirit's Pentecost;
14. Jesus sends the Spirit promised by the Father to his disciples.

Via Lucis - Easter Stations!

It's the Octave!

Easter in Elkhorn, Ne

Urbi Et Orbi Message
of His Holiness Benedict XVI Easter 2008

Resurrexi et adhuc tecum sum– I have risen, I am still with you, for ever. These words, taken from an ancient version of Psalm 138 (v. 18b), were sung at the beginning of today’s Mass. In them, at the rising of the Easter sun, the Church recognizes the voice of Jesus himself who, on rising from death, turns to the Father filled with gladness and love, and exclaims: My Father, here I am! I have risen, I am still with you, and so I shall be for ever; your Spirit never abandoned me.

In this way we enter the depths of the Paschal mystery. The astonishing event of the resurrection of Jesus is essentially an event of love: the Father’s love in handing over his Son for the salvation of the world; the Son’s love in abandoning himself to the Father’s will for us all; the Spirit’s love in raising Jesus from the dead in his transfigured body. And there is more: the Father’s love which “newly embraces” the Son, enfolding him in glory; the Son’s love returning to the Father in the power of the Spirit, robed in our transfigured humanity. From today’s solemnity, in which we relive the absolute, once-and-for-all experience of Jesus’s resurrection, we receive an appeal to be converted to Love; we receive an invitation to live by rejecting hatred and selfishness, and to follow with docility in the footsteps of the Lamb that was slain for our salvation, to imitate the Redeemer who is “gentle and lowly in heart”, who is “rest for our souls” (cf. Mt 11:29).

Dear brothers and sisters! Let us allow the light that streams forth from this solemn day to enlighten us; let us open ourselves in sincere trust to the risen Christ, so that his victory over evil and death may also triumph in each one of us, in our families, in our cities and in our nations. Let it shine forth in every part of the world.

Urbi Et Orbi Message of Benedict XVI Easter 2008

It's the Octave!

EASTER SUNDAY

"I Have Seen the Lord"

by Jackie Logue,

Aspiriant Cooperative

"But Mary was standing outside the tomb weeping. Then as she wept, she stooped to look inside..."

John 20: 11-18

I imagine Mary this morning, her thoughts racing, her pulse elevating as she finds the stone rolled from the entrance of the tomb. Immediately, she reacts. In her panic, she decides she knows what the problem is: Someone has taken his body. And she’s going to do everything in her power to fix it.

Her anguish, which causes her to see the empty tomb as a problem that she needs to fix, threatens to block her receptivity of the gift of the Resurrection, her identity as well as her mission. If she stays within her grief and never empties herself of it, she will receive her identity from that grief and be forever know as the angry, bitter woman at the empty tomb wailing, “They have taken my Lord away!”

Fortunately, this is not how the story ends!

But how does Mary move out of this false responsibility? How does Mary come to RECEIVE her identity in the love of our Resurrected Lord and RESPOND in mission?

I think the answer is in her weeping. She empties her heart out to God. Can you imagine how each and every molecule in each and every tear carried with it the complicated contents of her heart? As she empties herself of anguish I imagine that the Holy Spirit infuses her soul with an awareness of her identity, the one she received the day she first turned to the Lord. She belongs to Jesus. She is His. As this awareness breaks through the waves of grief, freedom returns.

Then, with the courage of a bride in search of her bridegroom, she moves into the dark tomb where she expects to have her suspicions confirmed. He is gone. But it is precisely in what she thinks will be an abyss of loneliness that she discovers that she is not alone. Exactly where she expects to find nothing she finds everything. All her assumptions are up-ended. She receives the gift of the Resurrection, and in it, her deepened call to mission, personally and particularly. It all happens there in the darkness of the grave in the presence of her beloved Jesus.

Jesus, in my anguish I have no capacity for imagining the awe of your plan, to dispel all evil, wash guilt away, restore lost innocence, and bring mourners joy. But when you speak my name, my heart harkens back to the first time I heard your voice and received my identity as your bride. I remember the love you stirred in me back then, and in gratitude, I am filled with desire to receive more of you, to RECEIVE my identity once again and RESPOND in mission as Mary did.

“Go to the brothers, Mary. Tell them I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and to your God.” With her identity deepened and mission reiterated, her anguish transformed, she runs to her brothers and sisters saying more compellingly than ever, “I have seen the Lord!”

EASTER SUNDAY

Good Friday a call to embrace holiness...Jesus, truth!

Good Friday

by Teresa Monaghen

"Over his head they hung the accusation: Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews."Mt. 27:37

"Where is he who has been born King of the Jews, for we have see his star in the East and have come to worship him." Mt. 2:2


The Jews and the Romans did not recognize the King, but the foreigners did! All the signs were there, but so few had their eyes and their hearts open. I am touched by those who did, those who were able to see Jesus for who he truly was: the centurion, the good thief, the women...they knew, but most, however were blind. The fact that they tormented him excessively reveals they did believe; Jesus was King of the Jews and Son of God. Their hearts were deeply bothered by this awareness because truth challenges us, antagonizes and troubles us. Just being in the presence of the truth can stir us to reaction.

I pray that this Good Friday Night, this most holy night when we spend many long hours before the Cross, contemplating the cross, and confronted by the cross that the eyes of our inner life will be opened and strengthened to see and follow truth: to know who is the King of the Jews, the Gentiles and of our lives and embrace HIM

Who is He? He is the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords; He is King of our lives, come let us adore Him. Amen.

Lord, I know that you have loved me from eternity. You love me and long to make my relationship of love with you stronger and stronger throughout the years. Grant that this knowledge be the light that leads my every step, the norm that guides my every action, and especially the flame that burns in my heart instilling renewed strength for my journey.
(G. Giaquinta)

Good Friday a call to embrace holiness...Jesus, truth!

Holy Thursday: The Way of Holiness

The Way of Holiness
by Kris McGregor (Spirit Catholic Radio KVSS 88.9)

The Church in her great wisdom gives us the Gospel of John on this celebration of the Mass of the Lord’s Supper. Instead of repeating the institution narrative, which we hear with every Eucharistic prayer, we are given a teaching that offers us the deeper meaning of the Eucharist.

The washing of the feet is not a miracle. (Or is it?) But it is one of Jesus’ supreme signs. It sums up His whole life and teaching. This action is so compelling that if we don't undergo it on some level, we will never really understand Him. We will never truly appreciate what is given to us in the sacrifice of the Holy Eucharist. It is to encounter the overwhelming nature of divine love; a love that is given, received and poured out for the sake of all. Without this encounter, we will never truly know the way to respond to our universal call to holiness.

In this passage, Jesus was once again turning his culture upside down. Feet-washing was normally done by slaves, children or wives. By washing the pollution of the day from the feet of men, Jesus humbles himself even more completely. In this humility, He loves His friends and betrayers with the same love that He shares with His Father. Peter rejects the invitation to have his feet washed by the Master because he doesn't understand it. He resists and rejects an act of supreme love. Peter feels shame, insecurity and unworthiness (perhaps not unlike Adam after the fall in the Garden?). Jesus persists and forces him to confront the darkest and deepest part of himself and calls him, along with all of us, to a new way of receiving love. At the same time, Jesus insists that this same act of love be shared with others. Through this washing, pollution is replaced by cleanliness. Through the persistence of divine love, Peter’s humiliation, and ours as well, is replaced by humility. Jesus says to all who follow Him “I have given you a model to follow, so that as I have done for you, you should also do.” The light on the path of holiness now shows us the way.

Reflecting on the great mystery of this action St. Ambrose said:

“ I, then, wish also myself to wash the feet of my brethren, I wish to fulfil the commandment of my Lord, I will not be ashamed in myself, nor disdain what He Himself did first. Good is the mystery of humility, because while washing the pollutions of others I wash away my own. “

The Lord loves each of us unconditionally. His love has power to set us free to serve others with Christ-like compassion and humility. All the saints understood this mystery of self-giving love. It is the great response of Mary’s “fiat”. Does the love of Christ rule in your heart, thoughts, intentions and actions?

"Lord Jesus, your love conquers all and never fails. Help us to love others freely, with heart-felt compassion, kindness and goodness. Continue to help us in responding to our call to holiness"

The Gospel for the Mass of the Lord’s Supper:
http://www.usccb.org/nab/readings/032008b.shtml#gospel

Holy Thursday: The Way of Holiness

Special Guest Blogger: Fr. Bert Buby, S.M. Scripture Scholar

Passion Sunday: What does the death of Jesus mean to me today?

Scripture: Isaiah 50:4-7. Philippians 2:6-11. Psalm 22:8-9.17-20.23-24. Matthew's Passion Narrative: Matthew 26:14-27,66.27:11-54. Lectionary # 38

Passion Sunday will be celebrated with a procession with palms and the reading of Matthew's Passion Narrative. The Synoptic Gospels take their turn in the A.B.and C cycles of the liturgical calendar. Since we follow the traditional western order, Matthew (A), Mark (B), Luke (C) we are to listen to Matthew.

A good way of paying attention to this is first to read all of the last two chapters of Matthew which are the full Passion, Death, and Resurrection narratives that also contain the Last Supper. By asking ourselves what does this death of Jesus mean to me as I read the perspective of it given to me by Matthew this year?

The other readings and Psalm 22 are a way of looking at the Passion Narrative in order to deepen our motivation in answering the question what does Jesus' death mean for me today. We are aware that the Passion Narrative of Mark is closest to the happenings of the Jesus who lived in the first third of the first century.

His last two days occupy more space than the other days in these narratives of the evangelists. We can learn more about Matthew through reflecting upon his chief source that of Mark's Gospel. He changes very little but where he does we find the perspective of Matthew. This theological point of view is important for us on this Sunday when we concentrate on Matthew' account of the Passion, Death, and Resurrection of Jesus. We will help ourselves to ponder over what Matthew is telling us about these last forty-eight hours of Jesus life by carefully taking note of the many explicit as well as implicit referencees to the Old Testament. He crafts his detailed story by using the fulfillment citations throughout his Gospel and now in the Passion of the Christ they are more prevalent. Some are implicit others quite explicit. We,like Matthew, are rereading the prophets especially Isaiah II and Zechariah with the viewpoint of Matthew, probably a converted Jewish scholar or tax-collector as suggested in the tradition about this author. He probably has written this some ten to fifteen years after Mark's Gospel.

As we read the fulfillment texts through the footnotes in our Bible or the parallels to the Old Testament we see that Jesus is the fulfillment of the Torah, the Prophets, and the Writings (Psalms). We realize how much Matthew relied on these divinely inspired writings and brought them to bear on Jesus life and death and resurrection. The innocence of Jesus is seen in the shedding of his blood as in a sacrifice made willingly to the God of love, his Father. When the chalice or cup is prayed over Matthew adds that this is done for the forgiveness of sins. Here is where our question about how does the death of Jesus affect me can be more deeply pondered over with our hearts, our minds, and our whole being. We see that Judas himself who betrayed Jesus is the one who contrasts with him but struggles with the innocence of Jesus' blood.

We take up the Psalm that most closely resembles what Jesus is going through and make it our prayer. This urgent plea to God not to forsake us helps us to identify with Jesus' death. We can also use the beautiful liturgical hymn that Paul gives us about the meaning of Jesus who was equal to God but took on our limited human nature so that through his total surrender in suffering and death he could return to his Father and have the name above all other names in his glorified state as Son of God.

Matthew will remind us throughout the Passion Narrative to meditate on Jesus as the Son of God. Since we are for the most part Gentiles who will be listening to this Passion Narrative on this Sunday we can join in the final expression of faith in the Roman soldiers who confirms Jesus is dead but proclaims, Truly this man was God's Son! Amen.

(Fr. Bert Buby, SM, Professor at the International Marian Research Institute, Dayton and good friend of Teresa Monaghen. Fr. Bert writes a daily reflection on the scriptures of the day. Go to http://scripmed.blogspot.com/)

Special Guest Blogger: Fr. Bert Buby, S.M. Scripture Scholar

March 15, 2008, Solemnity of St Joseph

Today we honor Joseph, the husband of Mary and the earthly father of Jesus. Just as we know that Mary was chosen by God from all women to be the mother of Jesus, so to we should be aware that Joseph was chosen by God to be his earthly father—both because of his lineage being from the line of David, and also because of his strong and honorable character.

We also know that Joseph listened and did as the angel of the Lord instructed both in the instance in the gospel prior to Jesus’ birth and several instances thereafter. In reflecting on this quality, we must ask ourselves how attentive we are to the still small voice within us to do as the Lord asks us both in the big and little decisions of our lives

When we think of our own fathers, we see them as men of honor who work hard to provide for us materially but also to set an example of selflessness and compassion. We can emulate these qualities as well by doing what we can to respond to the material and spiritual needs around us.

We also cannot forget that we too are in the lineage of Christ, his brothers and sisters, adopted sons and daughters of God Himself. In Romans 8:15-16 we read: For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you received a spirit of adoption through which we cry “abba, Father”.

Let us strive to live fully this high calling as we continue to journey closer to Easter

March 15, 2008, Solemnity of St Joseph

The Gospel Maximum of Love and Holiness

Fifth Sunday of Lent

By Joan Patten

“Master, the one you love is ill.” This was the urgent message that Mary and Martha sent to Jesus. There are three positions to examine in this short line: the one who spoke the message, the one the message is about, and the one whom the message is addressed.

What is first striking is the intimacy of the relationship that Martha and Mary have with Jesus. They freely and confidently ask Jesus for His help, His gifts, and His presence. Both Martha and Mary believe in His love for them. “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever you ask of God, God will give you.” This line should make us pause and ask ourselves, is our relationship with Jesus like this? Do we confidently bring our needs to Him and let Him love us? In the Gospel it says, “Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus.” See how much Jesus loves the family of Bethany: He calls Lazarus His friend and He cries with Mary. There is an exchange of love between them and Jesus, a mutual attending of one another’s hearts. They profess their belief and trust in Him and He gives them the gifts of His love and presence. So deep is this relationship, that Martha and Mary recognize Jesus as the Son of God. Do we know who Jesus is and who we are as a result of our relationship with Him? Sharing the same sentiment, Bishop Giaquinta’s prayer exclaims: “Tell me my Lord that you love me, speak to my heart once again, cry out to me ever stronger, I am breathless when faced with your love.” Yes, tell us how much you love us, Lord, and then we will know who we are: the one you love.

The second position in the passage: “Master, the one you love is ill” is the one loved by Jesus, the one who is sick. This is me, this is you, this is our brothers and sisters. Bishop Giaquinta always had an eye on “the others”. Do we notice the needs of my brothers and sisters; do we see them and love then as the ones Jesus loves? Like Jesus, we must look at others with compassion, especially those who have forgotten that they are loved by Jesus or do not know that they are loved. As Pro Sanctity members we have been entrusted to announce the Universal Call to Holiness. Do we believe that all of our brothers and sisters are beloved sons and daughters of the Father and do our attitudes reflect this belief? We have often heard that sanctity is s community project; no one should go to Heaven alone! Giuliana Spigone wrote a beautiful letter on the resurrection of Lazarus in 2002. In it she reminded us that we must first reach out to those immediately around us. “Many times we feel compassion toward people who are far from the Lord and make intercessions for them, yet we find it difficult to recognize our own internal and mutual need for the Lord’s presence. All too often we do not notice the need that our [family has] for the Lord, need for my help to meet the Lord, and to love - my [family’s] truest illness.” Do we love each other enough that we pull each other up, closer to the tabernacle, closer to the Heart of Jesus?

The third position is the Lord’s, for this plea: “Master, the one you love is ill” is made to Him. He is the God who loves us and keeps His promises. In the first reading from Ezekiel, we read, “I will put my spirit in you that you may live, and I will settle you upon your land; thus you shall know that I am the Lord. I have promised, and I will do it, says the Lord.” As you read today’s readings, look for His promises. They are promises made to us today, not promises of yesterday. Underline these promises as they come up, because it is a sign of His love for us. Today, Jesus made the promise to us, “I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” Can we answer with Martha, “Yes, Lord.” Treasure the promises that He has made to us like His faithful presence in the Eucharist and His assurance to be with His Church. Simply rest in knowing you are loved by the King and Creator of the Universe and He desires to dwell in you. In Pope Benedict XVI’s encyclical, Spe Salvi, he states: “it is the great hope based upon God's promises that gives us courage and directs our action in good times and bad.” Mary, our Mother did not let hope die, even under the tragedy of the cross. We too, must pray for the trust to turn to God in all areas in our lives and those of our brothers and sisters. We pray that our hope will never die, but grow stronger as we look ahead towards the promise of our Heavenly home.

For today's readings from the USCCB web site

http://www.usccb.org/nab/readings/030908.shtml

Fr. Cantalamessa wrote a commentary on today’s Gospel: Resurrection of the Heart

http://www.zenit.org/article-21995?l=english

For Giuliana Spigone’s letter The Resurrection of Lazarus

http://www.prosanctity.org/library/general/giulianasconclusion2002.htm

The Gospel Maximum of Love and Holiness

The Gospel Maximum of Love and Holiness

Fourth Sunday of Lent
Sunday Readings
by Jessi Kary

Born blind from birth, the man in this Gospel likely had a heightened sense of hearing. Without the ability to see, his other senses would have developed more fully in an attempt to compensate for his lack of sight. Perhaps we can consider this a particular way the Father cultivated his heart to receive the Good New and profess faith in Jesus Christ. The blind man was disposed to listening. He listened not only to the external world with a profound acuteness, but also the whisperings he found within his own heart. Thus, when he heard the voice of Christ, he spoke to Jesus of the desires of his heart.

Do I take time to pause and listen to the thoughts, feelings, and desires in my heart?
Do I bring them to Jesus without reservation?

The blind man is also an example to us because he allowed Jesus to use his poverty to glorify the Father. He boldly professed faith in Jesus – both to Christ and to the Scribes. He offered not only the poverty of his blindness to be transformed by Christ but also the poverty of his status. The teachers of the law ridiculed him for trying to teach them. Yet, touched and transformed by Christ, the man said, “He is a prophet.”

Do I offer Jesus my poverty, my weakness, my inability, my insufficiencies, trusting in God’s strength rather than my own?
Or do I ignore my poverty or try to overcome it, trusting in my own strength.

Giuliana invites us into the apostolic silence that transforms the world. The blind man surely pondered in silence and responded with courage to the invitation of Christ and became a powerful witness of Jesus. We are invited into apostolic silence as well.

“I would like only to remind us of the times when the Virgin Mary was silent, ‘Pondering in her heart all the wonders of the Almighty.’ Mary’s silence is full of meaning; it is filled with the Word. It is almost like an Easter Vigil, preparing Mary for other silences; the silence under the Cross, in order to accept with fortitude the death of her Son; the silence of the Cenacle, in order to bring forth her sons, courageous witnesses of the Resurrection.

Mary’s silence becomes our silence, a heroic silence about self and every thing in order to treasure the wonders which the Lord does in and through us. May we accept silence in reparation for the weaknesses and failures that fill our days. May our silence, like suffering accepted in love, produce Redemption. May the Virgin Mary teach us apostolic silence and help us speak only one phrase, ‘Here I am.’” (Giuliana Spigone).

Am I afraid or unwilling to say, “Here I am” – just as I am?
Am I honest as I speak to the Lord – presenting myself just as I am?

“May the Virgin Mary teach us apostolic silence and help us speak only one phrase, ‘Here I am.’”

The Gospel Maximum of Love and Holiness

The Gospel Maximum of Love and Holiness

Third Week of Lent
Reflection for Sunday, February 24, 2008
by Msgr. Andrew Vaccari

Traveling on a pilgrimage through the Holy Land a number of years ago, the hot summer days always made the members of our group thirsty. Taking a drink of that cold bottled water was a tremendous relief, soothing and refreshing. And there was no substitute for it. But no matter how many times we drank it, the thirst always came back after a while. The experience reminded me of the promise of Jesus in the Gospel today, when he says to the woman of Samaria: "whoever drinks the water I give him will never be thirsty; no, the water I give shall become a fountain within him, leaping up to provide eternal life."

The Jews and the Samaritans were notorious for hating each other. The Jews felt that the Samaritans had made many religious concessions, and that their practice of the faith was impure. The Samaritans, for their part, taunted the Jews. In addition to the differences between Jews and Samaritans, it was considered inappropriate for a Rabbi to talk with a woman in public.

So when Jesus encounters and converses with the woman at the well, his disciples are astounded. Jesus is ready to break down the barriers between the groups. He is at the well at the exact time the woman comes for water and begins a conversation. He tells her he is thirsty but it is not primarily physical water he wants. He wants to win her for the Kingdom!

He wants you and me as well. His profound thirst, here and on the cross, is for our human love. He yearns to be that water welling up inside of us, quenching our spiritual thirst. We must recognize and admit the times we have tried to drink from other sources.

In this season Lent, we do well to repent of the times we have turned to other ways to satisfy our yearnings, our hopes and our aspirations. Our sins have left us thirsty. and we have to keep returning again and again, because we are never satisfied. And they have left the Lord thirsty again. After five husbands, and who knows how many other relationships, the woman at the well finally finds peace when she comes to Jesus. Yes, she will have to come to draw water again from that physical well, but her soul has been satisfied with the water of eternal life!

The Gospel Maximum of Love and Holiness

When you're weary...

When reading today’s gospel, we often think about the many sermons and essays we’ve encountered over the years that deal with Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well. The synthetic threads between today’s first reading and gospel lend themselves easily to reflections about the “living water” that Our Lord offers us.

As I was praying with this gospel in preparation for Sunday, my attention was diverted from the theme of "living water" and seemed riveted on the words that mentioned that Jesus was tired. In my imagination I could picture him, climbing up toward the well with his friends from the dusty paths in the heat of midday. Weary, with muscles throbbing from the walk, he sits to rest while the disciples offer to go into town for food. In my mind’s eye, I watch him sitting there, rubbing his feet, squinting in the bright sun as he sees his friends go on. It is good to have some quiet time! He leans back against the stones of the well and closes his eyes for a brief moment.

His few seconds of peace and rest are broken when he hears her approach. Opening his eyes, he sees her, and he knows her. His heart fills with compassion! He doesn’t see her as the ‘damaged goods’ that the town gossips about, he doesn’t see her culturally lower status as a woman, he doesn’t see her ethnic background or the errors of her religious beliefs; he simply sees her. He knows she has spent a lifetime of “looking for love in all the wrong places” and now he is here to show her what true love is.

Jesus, who Scripture tells us was tired, begins to engage her in conversation. He puts aside his own desire for a few precious minutes of solitude, he overcomes the fatigue of his long, dusty journey, he ignores the social mores of the time-- all for the sake of reaching this woman who the rest of the world would view as insignificant. He spends himself once again. What love!

In this season of Lent, it is good to remember the example of Our Lord, whose love for us was not just demonstrated in the ultimate act of His death on the cross, but in daily sacrificial acts for others.

When you're weary...

The Gospel Maximum of Love and Holiness

Second Sunday of Lent:
HOPE

by Nick Emanuel

"Lord, it is good that we are here." St. Peter, maybe a little impetuous, proclaims what James and John must have been thinking as well. And as Jesus' face "shone like the sun," one can only imagine the overwhelming sense of hope that filled their hearts at that moment. And without this hope, how could they have suffered the trial of Jesus' crucifixion? Would Peter have become another Judas, if he had not seen the glory of the Lord and been filled with hope?

The Transfiguration of our Lord which our former Holy Father, John Paul II brought to the forefront with the luminous mysteries, is a sign of hope. It points to things yet to come, it is the promised glory of our Lord's Resurrection. During this season of Lent, meditate on the Lord's shining face and how it brings hope in the midst of suffering. Hope tells us that all will be well, that in the end there will be no darkness, only light. That all will be transformed in the love of the Father.

Second Sunday of Lent: Mt. 17:1-9
Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother,and led them up a high mountain by themselves.And he was transfigured before them;his face shone like the sunand his clothes became white as light.And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them,conversing with him.Then Peter said to Jesus in reply,“Lord, it is good that we are here.If you wish, I will make three tents here,one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”While he was still speaking, behold,a bright cloud cast a shadow over them,then from the cloud came a voice that said,“This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased;listen to him.”When the disciples heard this, they fell prostrateand were very much afraid.But Jesus came and touched them, saying,“Rise, and do not be afraid.”And when the disciples raised their eyes,they saw no one else but Jesus alone.As they were coming down from the mountain,Jesus charged them,“Do not tell the vision to anyoneuntil the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.”

The Gospel Maximum of Love and Holiness

First Sunday of Lent - The Gospel Maximum!

IDENTITY CRISIS?

by Kay Parlor, Nebraska Local Pro Sanctity Director

“If you are the Son of God…”

In today’s gospel reading, the evil one uses this phrase twice as he puts forth temptations to Christ in the desert. The challenge to Jesus to defend His identity by a show of power is remarkable. Surely the tempter is aware of just Who he is speaking to, so why the word “if”? Also, as we read this with our 21st century eyes, it seems ludicrous to us that he would try to appeal to Our Lord’s pride or might because we have the knowledge of the ignominy of the cross.

We see in Jesus’ response that he does not fall into the trap. He doesn’t even dignify the challenge with a direct response, saying something like, “Of course I’m the Son of God you ninny, but doing that stuff just isn’t my style!” He simply recalls the Word.

What does that mean to me, as a wife and mother trying to live the call to holiness this Lent? The words “If you are the Son of God…” stop me in my tracks because they could be spoken to me. Pope St. Leo the Great once said, “"Christian, recognize your dignity and, now that you share in God's own nature, do not return to your former base condition by sinning. Remember who is your head and of whose body you are a member. Never forget that you have been rescued from the power of darkness and brought into the light of the Kingdom of God."

I am a daughter of God! Am I aware of my dignity as such or do I have “an identity crisis”? Do I know who I am and where I am going? Pope John Paul II often quoted the following line from Guadium et Spes (24): “Man, who is the only creature on earth which God willed for itself, cannot fully find himself except through a sincere gift of himself.” How do I see my Lenten experience in light of those words? What is the gift of self that I am being called to offer? As temptations present themselves (and they already have, even though Lent has just begun!) can I draw on the strength I gain from my union with Jesus Who is the Word, truly present in the Eucharist?

In the third temptation of today’s gospel, the evil one tries to entice Jesus with the things of this world. In this age of conspicuous consumerism we can easily fall into the trap of all the things that lure us away from Our Lord. In a passage from an earlier gospel this week, Jesus puts things in perspective for us. “What profit is there for one to gain the whole world yet lose or forfeit himself?” (Lk. 9: 25) As a beloved child of God, do I want to jeopardize that relationship by getting caught up in the lure of “things”, status, power, etc.?

Is my heart rightly disposed? (We pray from Psalm 51: “Create a clean heart in me, O Lord…”) What are the true motives for the choices I make?

I had to laugh when, on Ash Wednesday, a man went to great lengths to draw the attention of everyone in the room to the fact that he had washed off his ashes after Mass so as not to appear “in Walmart or some other such place” like the hypocrites in the gospel of that day. Even when trying not to put on a false show of piety, we can fall into the trap! And I was laughing not at him but because I could see myself doing the same foolish thing. We’re so human! The beauty of it is that Our Lord loves us just as we are because He sees our true dignity as His children.

As I go through the days ahead, I will continue to reflect on Christ’s humble yet resolute response to the temptations laid before him in the desert.

(This is a new series, The Gospel Maximum: An Invitation to Love and Holiness, please let us know if you would like to contribtute for a reflection on a Sunday Gospel: psm@prosanctity.org - Teresa)

First Sunday of Lent - The Gospel Maximum!

Please remember to pray for the Priest Clergy Conference in Columbus, NE today!

The Gift of Conversion

My Mother, My Confidence!

Bishop Robert Carlson, Bishop of Saginaw, recently released a Pastoral Letter on Penance: Jesus Christ, the Divine Physician. It is a marvelous gift for the people of his diocese and for all of us! In addition to a clear catechesis on the Sacrament, the letter contains several meditations scattered throughout, inviting the reader to deepening conversion through lectio.

Jesus Christ, the Divine Physician: Pastoral Letter on Penance

This is something we cannot keep to ourselves! Please read it, pray with it, talk about it, share it! We will continue to post fruits and reflections from this powerful letter on the blog throughout Lent. May we receive and ponder this gift with Mary.

The Gift of Conversion

Our Lady of Trust - Mama!

Central States Our Lady of Trust Celebration

by Kay Parlor, Local Pro Sanctity Board President

My heart has been so full of joy since yesterday’s celebration of Our Lady of Trust! Despite an unexpected snow band that swept the region earlier in the day, the room filled with people who have such great love for Our Lady! (And in typical Pro Sanctity fashion, they spanned all walks of life, cultures, and ages.) I can just imagine Our Mother’s joy as she looked down upon all those beautiful faces!

All, young and old, joined in praying a beautiful meditative rosary as the celebration began. Somehow, the little ones knew to behave for “Mama” and the reverence and devotion were keenly apparent. In this age where media-saturated children have developed short attention spans, these precious little ones defied the cultural trend.

We were treated to a beautiful talk about Our Lady given by Fr. Damien Cook, a holy priest of the Archdiocese of Omaha with a deep love for the Mother of Jesus. Fr. Cook masterfully managed to sprinkle humor, scripture, and theology throughout his talk. One of his key themes was from a Latin expression which states, “Of Mary, there is never enough.” Fr. Cook also shared a personal story of Mary’s intercession in his teen years that assured him of the need to trust.

Marian songs composed by member Stephen Tefft (many with lyrics by Bishop Giaquinta) were interspersed throughout the event, creating the perfect atmosphere. As is customary at all Pro Sanctity events, the tables were laden with a wide variety of delicious treats generously provided by our friends.

Long time Pro Sanctity member, Chris Peters, led the children in their own Festival of Faith during Fr. Cook’s talk. Chris is a teacher who just has a special way of relating to relating to young people and she planned fun activities which included a Trust Walk. The older children graciously stepped in to lend a hand with the younger ones in the true spirit of our Pro Sanctity family.

Special thanks go to local board member, Mary Alice Lanspa, who coordinated the celebration. Though she made it look easy, a lot of prayer and work goes into such a big event. Mary Alice attended to every detail, from securing the hall at Mary Our Queen parish (isn’t it appropriate we’d be there on Our Lady’s day?) to inviting our speaker to calling on volunteers to bring treats to finding someone to help with the children’s program and much, much more. It is a delight to see so many of the Pro Sanctity family grow in their love for the Movement and, out of that love and desire to spread the call to holiness, they give so generously of their time and talent.

The memory of this celebration of love for Our Lady of Trust will linger for a long time: as we recall bits of Fr. Cook’s talk that spark reflection, as we pray again the rosary mediations, and as we continue to support each other in growing in holiness!

Our Lady of Trust - Mama!

DAY NINE - Model of Trust

Mary - Model of Trust

By National Spiritual Advisor of the Pro Sanctity Movement,

Msgr. Andrew Vaccari

Today we rejoice in the great celebration of Our Lady of Trust. For nine days we have been praying and preparing, reflecting and looking with eager and open hearts, asking her to draw us to the perfection of the Father. We do not want to loose heart or become discouraged, although we might be tempted to do so when we see the greatness of the task which lies before us. It is exactly in moments such as these, when the magnitude of the call to holiness impresses itself on us, that we look to Our Lady and renew our trust in her.She is the model for us, the model of all the virtues. Today we call upon her as the Model of Trust because she placed her entire being into the loving hands of the most merciful Father. Without knowing where the future would lead, she gave herself to the mission and the plan of God. It was not a trust without foundation. No, it was a trust that drew on the whole history of her people, the Chosen People, led by God through the desert and through the centuries. It was a trust nourished by the Scriptures and the faith of her family and people around her. It was a trust that shines through the pages of the Gospel into our hearts today.We too are called to be people of trust, strengthened by how God has lead his people through the centuries. God has watched over and guided the Church, through all the ups and downs of history. God continues to form us through the Scriptures and the teaching of the Church, through the good example and the faith and the prayer of others around us in the Christian community.

May our trust remain strong, and with the help of Mary our Mother, may it shine through to everyone around us, so that all may become Saints!

DAY NINE - Model of Trust

DAY EIGHT: Pregnant with Hope

The Holy Father, in the opening paragraph of his encyclical, Spe Salvi, writes: "Redemption is offered to us in the sense that we have been given hope, trustworthy hope, by virtue of which we can face our present: the present, even if it is arduous, can be lived and accepted if it leads towards a goal, if we can be sure of this goal, and if this goal is great enough to justify the effort of the journey."

Mary was given this Hope; she bore this Hope.

Yes, Mary had hope in the midst of an arduous circumstance, which gave her the strength and trust to continue in the journey the Father asked of her.

But even more than this great virtue she possessed and exercised, she was pregnant with Hope Himself! Her redemption, her Hope, came in the form of the little child growing within her.

Imagine the difference it would make in our day if we lived it in the confident assurance (hope) that Christ desires to grow within us and transform the world...in us, to be the Hope of the world...in us, to Redeem the world...in us. Mary carries Hope and Redemption into the world because she carries Christ. May we, like Mary, have hope in the midst of all; may we carry Hope and Redemption everywhere we go because we, like Mary, are pregnant with Hope, pregnant with Christ.

DAY EIGHT: Pregnant with Hope

DAY SEVEN: Woman of Understanding

Mary - Woman of Understanding

by Nick Emanuel, Pro Sanctity Board Member and Teacher

Lk 2: 48-51
When they saw Him, they were astonished; and His mother said to Him, "Son, why have You treated us this way? Behold, Your father and I have been anxiously looking for You." And He said to them, "Why is it that you were looking for Me? Did you not know that I had to be in My Father's house?" But they did not understand the statement which He had made to them.
And He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and He continued in subjection to them; and His mother treasured all these things in her heart.

Mary may not have understood why her Son did what he did, but in faith she knew it was necessary. How often do we think we need to know the reasons for the events in our lives, how often do we ask, "Why Lord?"

Mary teaches us that true understanding can only come through faith, in believing that God really does seek our infinite good. Rather than persist in asking Jesus his reason for being absent(by the way, how many parents would blow their stack if their adolescent son responded to their questions with questions of his own?), she believes in her Son, accepting his response and treasuring "all these things in her heart."

She shows us true understanding of the ways of God.
Nick

DAY SEVEN: Woman of Understanding