We Adore You O Christ and We Bless You, Because By Thy Holy Cross Thou Hast Redeemed the World

The Reproaches from the Mass of the Presanctified on Good Friday

I.

My people, what have I done to you?
How have I offended you? Answer me!

I led you out of Egypt, from slavery to freedom,
but you led your Savior to the cross.

My people, what have I done to you?
How have I offended you? Answer me!

Holy is God!

Holy and Strong!

Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us!

For forty years I led you safely throught the desert.
I fed you with manna from heaven
and brought you to a land of plenty;
but you led your Savior to a cross.

What more could I have done for you?
I planted you as my faires vine,
but you yielded only bitterness:
when I was thirsty you gave me vinegar to drink,
and you pierced your Sacior with a lance.

Holy is God!

Holy and Strong!

Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us!

II.

For your sake I scourged your captors and their firstborn sons,
but you brought your scourges down on me.

My people, what have I done to you?
How have I offended you? Answer me!

I led you from slavery to freedom
and drowned your captors in the seas,
but you handed me over to your high priests.

My people, what have I done to you?
How have I offended you? Answer me!

I opened the seda beofre you,
but you opened my side with a spear.

My people, what have I done to you?
How have I offended you? Answer me!

I led you on your way in a pilar of cloud,
but you led me to Pilate's court.

My people, what have I done to you?
How have I offended you? Answer me!

The Passover is Nearly Upon Us

So let us take our part in the Passover prescribed by the law, not in a literal way, but according to the teaching of the Gospel; not in an imperfect way, but perfectly; not only for a time, but eternally. Let us regard as our home the heavenly Jerusalem, not the earthly one; the city glorified by angels, not the one laid waste by armies. We are not required to sacrifice young bulls or rams, beasts with horns and hoofs that are more dead than alive and devoid of feeling; but instead, let us join the choirs of angels in offering God upon his heavenly altar a sacrifice of praise. We must now pass through the first veil and approach the second, turning our eyes toward the Holy of Holies. I will say more: we must sacrifice ourselves to God, each day and in everything we do, accepting all that happens to us for the sake of the Word, imitating his passion by our sufferings, and honouring his blood by shedding our own. We must be ready to be crucified.

If you are a Simon of Cyrene, take up your cross and follow Christ. If you are crucified beside him like one of the thieves, now, like the good thief, acknowledge your God. For your sake, and because of your sin, Christ himself was regarded as a sinner; for his sake, therefore, you must cease to sin. Worship him who was hung on the cross because of you, even if you are hanging there yourself. Derive some benefit from the very shame; purchase salvation with your death. Enter paradise with Jesus, and discover how far you have fallen. Contemplate the glories there, and leave the other scoffing thief to die outside in his blasphemy.

If you are a Joseph of Arimathea, go to the one who ordered his crucifixion, and ask for Christ’s body. Make your own the expiation for the sins of the whole world. If you are a Nicodemus, like the man who worshipped God by night, bring spices and prepare Christ’s body for burial. If you are one of the Marys, or Salome, or Joanna, weep in the early morning. Be the first to see the stone rolled back, and even the angels perhaps, and Jesus himself.

- From a Homly by St. Gregory of Nazianzen

Retreat

This year I am doing something that a priest would rarely get to do. I am going on retreat for Holy Week. Myself and two brother priests who are studying at the Liturgical Institute will be on retreat from today until Easter Monday at St. Louis Abbey in St. Louis, Missouri. Please pray for us that the retreat will be a powerful time of communion with the Lord who suffered, died, and rose so that we might have life.

Pray for the Pope

From Archbishop Timothy Dolan during his Homily for Palm Sunday:

May I ask your patience a couple of minutes longer in what has already been a lengthy — yet hopefully uplifting —Sunday Mass?

The somberness of Holy Week is intensified for Catholics this year.

The recent tidal wave of headlines about abuse of minors by some few priests, this time in Ireland, Germany, and a re-run of an old story from Wisconsin, has knocked us to our knees once again.

Anytime this horror, vicious sin, and nauseating crime is reported, as it needs to be, victims and their families are wounded again, the vast majority of faithful priests bow their heads in shame anew, and sincere Catholics experience another dose of shock, sorrow, and even anger.

What deepens the sadness now is the unrelenting insinuations against the Holy Father himself, as certain sources seem frenzied to implicate the man who, perhaps more than anyone else has been the leader in purification, reform, and renewal that the Church so needs.

Sunday Mass is hardly the place to document the inaccuracy, bias, and hyperbole of such aspersions.

But, Sunday Mass is indeed the time for Catholics to pray for “ . . . Benedict our Pope.”

And Palm Sunday Mass is sure a fitting place for us to express our love and solidarity for our earthly shepherd now suffering some of the same unjust accusations, shouts of the mob, and scourging at the pillar, as did Jesus.

No one has been more vigorous in cleansing the Church of the effects of this sickening sin than the man we now call Pope Benedict XVI. The dramatic progress that the Catholic Church in the United States has made — — documented again just last week by the report made by independent forensic auditors — — could never have happened without the insistence and support of the very man now being daily crowned with thorns by groundless innuendo.

Does the Church and her Pastor, Pope Benedict XVI, need intense scrutiny and just criticism for tragic horrors long past?

Yes! He himself has asked for it, encouraging complete honesty, at the same time expressing contrition, and urging a thorough cleansing.

All we ask is that it be fair, and that the Catholic Church not be singled-out for a horror that has cursed every culture, religion, organization, institution, school, agency, and family in the world.

Sorry to bring this up … but, then again, the Eucharist is the Sunday meal of the spiritual family we call the Church. At Sunday dinner we share both joys and sorrows. The father of our family, il papa, needs our love, support, and prayers.

I whole heartedly agree.

Palm Sunday of the Lord's Passion

Today I wanted to share two beautiful pieces of music in honor of Palm Sunday of the Lord's Passion. The first is the antiphon for the beginning of the Procession, and the second is my favorite hymn for Palm Sunday.

Will You Accept the Invitation?

Virtual Pilgrimage to the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem

View of the interior of the Tomb of Jesus.

The Church of the Holy Sepulchre is the premiere pilgrimage site for Christians, but sadly, many never get the opportunity to visit the very place where the Lord Jesus died, was buried, and rose from the dead. Thanks to some friends, I found this virtual tour of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Passiontide would be a wonderful time to make a virtual pilgrimage to this holy site.

Click here to go to the website.

Where You Are From

Recently someone commented to me that my readership seems to be kind of international, and in fact it is. Here are just some of the countries that visitors to this blog are from:

Get Thee to Sunday Mass

Apparently it is a tradition for the Archbishop of New York to write a letter to his flock on St. Patrick's day. This year Archbishop Timothy Dolan wrote to his people on the topic of Sunday Mass. At one particular point he addresses those who are already going to Mass every Sunday. He encourages them to evangelize their friends on this topic by saying

How about giving this message to someone who no longer does, especially if he or
she has stopped going to Sunday Mass? Get ready for the excuses:

– “Sunday is our only free time together.” (Great, what better way to spend that time than by praying together at Mass).

– “I pray my own way.” (Nice idea. But, odds are, you don’t).

– “The sermon is boring.” (You may have a point).

– “I hate all the changes at Mass.” (see below)

– “I want more changes at Mass.” (see above)

– “Until the church makes some changes in its teaching, I’m staying away.” (But, don’t we go to Mass to ask God to change us, not to tell God how we want Him and His Church to change to suit us?)

– “Everybody there is a hypocrite and always judging me.” (Who’s judging whom here?)

. . . and the list goes on.

And the simple fact remains: the Eucharist is the most beautiful, powerful prayer that we have. To miss it is to miss Jesus — His Word, His people, His presence, His Body and Blood.

Amen! It's high time we share things like this with our friends and family who don't observe the Day of the Lord, so get to it.

Heath Care Reform, Repost of Old Homily

When I watched as Health Care Reform Passed and as "Pro-Life" Democrats sold out I was reminded of a homily I preached after an Abortion Ban failed to pass in my home state of South Dakota. I thought I might re-post that homily today.

About a month ago I had a Thursday morning school Mass. It was a couple of days after a group of pastors here in Sioux Falls had abandoned their role to teach the truth to come out in opposition to the Abortion ban. That morning for Mass I was wearing a green vestment as I am today.

I started my homily that morning by trying to convince the children that the vestment I was wearing was actually white. I told them that I have always believed that this color was white…most of them told me no…it wasn’t white…it was green. I persisted…no, I said, this is white…I told them there were lots of people who believed that this color is white so surely it must be white. Yes, they did not believe me…they knew it wasn’t…they knew it was green. Finally, after asking the kindergarteners, the sixth graders and even the teachers, I gave in. I told them that it was green, but just like I tried to convince them that what was actually green is a white, there are people who will try to tell them that killing is ok; that it is not wrong. It told them that in their lives they will run into a lot of people who will try to tell them that something they know is wrong is actually right, like killing, or steeling, or telling lies, and sometimes those people might be important people like presidents, teacher, or even pastors. But that doesn’t matter. What matters is that we stick up for what we know is right.

I reminded them that anyone who tells them that something contrary to what God tells them is wrong. God is always right, he can’t be wrong, he knows everything. He is God. Green is green, it will always be green, it will never be white no matter how many people say it isn’t. Killing is wrong. It will always be wrong. It will never be right. So when people try to tell you it is: Don’t listen, no matter who it is.

That’s what I told them four weeks ago. Then came the election.

On Wednesday, the day after the election, I had the School Mass yet again. I have to admit, I was a bit sad, a bit upset, and even a little angry about the election results. I hadn’t slept much the night before; I couldn’t stop thinking about how Satan must be having quite a celebration. The idea of having to be upbeat for the children really didn’t appeal to me…but nevertheless I did my best.

When the time came for the homily I stood right here, and I looked out into the sea of children and saw the innocence purity and innocence in their eyes my heart melted, and I knew this is exactly where I needed to be on such a dark day.

I asked them to think back to a few weeks before when I tried to convince them that the green vestment I was wearing was white. I asked them if they remembered how I told them that green is green no matter who tells them otherwise. They said yes. I asked them if they remembered what I said about killing, how it has always been wrong, and how it will always be wrong no matter how many people tell them that it’s is right. Again, they nodded affirmatively. Then the emotion welled up inside of me, and my eyes began to tear up, and with a cracking voice and I said “Yesterday we had an election, and a lot of people said it’s ok to kill…but we know it’s not. We know that killing is always wrong…it will never be right…and those who think it right is are wrong…and they will always be wrong even if a lot of people say they are right. Boys and girls” I went on “sometimes it feels like the devil is winning, but he’s not. The devil will never win…he will always lose. Right will always beat wrong. Good will always beat evil. Life will always beat death. In the last book of the bible it tells us that in the end…after a great war between God and the devil, between good and evil, between life and death…God wins.”

You know, Holy Spirit Family, if I am honest with myself didn’t preach that homily on Wednesday to the children as much as I did to myself. I, like you, need a reminder that even though right now it feels like the Satan won…he didn’t. It’s just like Good Friday. It looked hopeless, it looked like God lost, it seemed as if Satan had triumphed, it looked like the darkness of evil had descended upon us forever. But three days later Satan’s head was crushed under the foot of the risen Christ. Life conquered death! Goodness, Truth and beauty had won out.

My people…Don’t lose hope! Life WILL triumph over death! We’ve read the last Chapter…and we win! We win.

Passiontide

Today, the Fifth Sunday of Lent, begins Passiontide. In many parishes the crucifixes and statues will be veiled until the Easter Vigil to remind us that sin separates us from God and from Heaven, and that sin leaves us isolated and alone. These last two weeks of Lent are a time to enter in even more fully into the spirit of the season. If we have not been so faithful to our lenten penances and good works, it's a time to regroup. If we have yet to get to confession during this season, well, it's time to go. If you already have went to confession this Lent, it's time to go again. We can never confess to much or too many times.

Just the other day I was reading a few things about the value of frequent confession in an excellent book entitled Lukwarmness: The Devil in Disguise, by Francis Carvajal. Here is what he said regarding making a good confession:

Classical spiritual authors have handed down to us sixteen characteristics of a good Confession: simple, humble, pure, faithful, frequent, clear, discrete, voluntary, without boasting, integral, secret, sorrowful, prompt, firm, self accusatory, dispoing on to obedience. Normally, our confessions should be concise. We should say what has to be said without becoming unduly wordy. More than anything else, our confessions have to be done with a supernatural spirit. We are asking Christ Himself to forgive our sins. This attitude will help us to put aside that temptation concering what the priest will think of me...

[...]

Confession should make us happy. Our Father God is awaiting us with open arms just like in the parable about the prodigal son. He is ready to run right up to us to prove his infinite paternal love.

My friends, get thee to confession.

Prayer for Government

We pray, Thee O Almighty and Eternal God! Who through Jesus Christ hast revealed Thy glory to all nations, to preserve the works of Thy mercy, that Thy Church, being spread through the whole world, may continue with unchanging faith in the confession of Thy Name. We pray Thee, who alone art good and holy, to endow with heavenly knowledge, sincere zeal, and sanctity of life, our chief bishop, Pope N., the Vicar of Our Lord Jesus Christ, in the government of his Church; our own bishop, N., all other bishops, prelates, and pastors of the Church; and especially those who are appointed to exercise amongst us the functions of the holy ministry, and conduct Thy people into the ways of salvation. We pray Thee O God of might, wisdom, and justice! Through whom authority is rightly administered, laws are enacted, and judgment decreed, assist with Thy Holy Spirit of counsel and fortitude the President of these United States, that his administration may be conducted in righteousness, and be eminently useful to Thy people over whom he presides; by encouraging due respect for virtue and religion; by a faithful execution of the laws in justice and mercy; and by restraining vice and immorality. Let the light of Thy divine wisdom direct the deliberations of Congress, and shine forth in all the proceedings and laws framed for our rule and government, so that they may tend to the preservation of peace, the promotion of national happiness, the increase of industry, sobriety, and useful knowledge; and may perpetuate to us the blessing of equal liberty. We pray for his excellency, the governor of this state , for the members of the assembly, for all judges, magistrates, and other officers who are appointed to guard our political welfare, that they may be enabled, by Thy powerful protection, to discharge the duties of their respective stations with honesty and ability. We recommend likewise, to Thy unbounded mercy, all our brethren and fellow citizens throughout the United States, that they may be blessed in the knowledge and sanctified in the observance of Thy most holy law; that they may be preserved in union, and in that peace which the world cannot give; and after enjoying the blessings of this life, be admitted to those which are eternal. Finally, we pray to Thee, O Lord of mercy, to remember the souls of Thy servants departed who are gone before us with the sign of faith and repose in the sleep of peace; the souls of our parents, relatives, and friends; of those who, when living, were members of this congregation, and particularly of such as are lately deceased; of all benefactors who, by their donations or legacies to this Church, witnessed their zeal for the decency of divine worship and proved their claim to our grateful and charitable remembrance. To these, O Lord, and to all that rest in Christ, grant, we beseech Thee, a place of refreshment, light, and everlasting peace, through the same Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Savior. Amen.

The above prayer was composed by John Carroll, Archbishop of Baltimore, in 1791.