April 9, 2023--Easter Sunday

 

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Jesus Christ is risen today, Alleluia!

Our triumphant holy day, Alleluia!

Who did once upon the cross, Alleluia!

Suffer to redeem our loss. Alleluia!

Hymns of praise then let us sing, Alleluia!

Unto Christ, our heavenly king, Alleluia!

Who endured the cross and grave, Alleluia!

Sinners to redeem and save. Alleluia!

But the pains which he endured, Alleluia!

Our salvation have procured; Alleluia!

Now above the sky he's king, Alleluia!

Where the angels ever sing. Alleluia!

Sing we to our God above, Alleluia!

Praise eternal as his love; Alleluia!

Praise him, all you heavenly host, Alleluia!

Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Alleluia!

This is the day we have been waiting for, the day of our salvation verified! Jesus rose from the grave! He conquered death! He lives again, no more to die! Jesus invites us to live with him forever! All we have to do is accept the invitation! His proclamation of salvation is simple: “This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel” (Mk. 1:15).

After he fully suffered for us and sacrificed his life for our sake, he rose from the dead. If we are waiting for a sign from God, THIS IS IT! This means that our lives have meaning within the context of God's everlasting love for us. We are now called to live each day anew as the dawn of our salvation. We are now called to live as Jesus taught us. We are now called to see Jesus in our neighbor, our colleague, our family, our brother who is begging on the corner, our sister who is raising her children without their father, our son who is in prison, our daughter who is on the street. We are now called to love AS JESUS LOVED US.

April 4--St. Benedict the African, Religious

St. Benedict of Palermo attributed to Juan Pascual de Mena, photograph by Maia C licensed under 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0).

St. Benedict the African, also known as Benedetto Manasseri, was born in Messina, Sicily, Italy in 1526 to slaves brought from Africa who converted to Catholicism.  He was freed and worked as a shepherd and farmer.  At the age of 21 he was publicly insulted due to his skin color and he did not respond in kind.  Because of this, he was invited to join a group of hermits living the Rule of St. Francis of Assisi.  He served as a cook for the community and at age 28 became leader of the group.  At age 38 Pope Pius VI disbanded hermit groups and encouraged the members to join the Order of St. Francis.  St. Benedict became a lay brother to a group in Palermo, Sicily.  He started there as a cook and then became Master of Novices and Guardian of the Community even though he never became a priest.  He taught the Scriptures and had healing abilities, which attracted visitors to the monastery.  After his time as leader, he went back to being cook.  He died in 1589.

"Benedict is remembered for his patience and understanding when confronted with racial prejudice and taunts. He was declared a patron saint of African Americans,along with the Dominican lay brother, [St.] Martin de Porres. In the United States, at least seven historically Black Catholic parishes bear his name, including" St. Benedict the Moor Church in Omaha, Nebraska.

Injustice needs to be confronted in all its manifestations.  This is especially true for America with its history of slavery, racism, and lynchings!  However, St. Benedict showed heroism, as did Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., by not responding to insult with violence.  He turned the other cheek, not as a victim, but as a witness to the love of Jesus.  St. Benedict, pray for us.

March 30--St. John Climacus, Abbot

 

Novogrod school - scan from "Muzeum Rosyjskie w Leningradzie", Arkady, Warszawa 1986, ISBN 83-213-3348-6

Today's saint is so named because of his book, The Ladder of Divine Ascent, which in Greek is
Climacus. Using the symbol of Jacob's ladder, he writes of how to grow in holiness by asceticism, or physical self-denial. He has thirty rungs, or steps, in his ladder on helping monks grow in holiness with such titles as "On that clamorous mistress, the stomach," and "On detachment," and "On holy and blessed prayer, the mother of virtues, and on the attitude of mind and body in prayer." It became popular and is read by Eastern Catholics, especially during Great Lent.

St. John Climacus was born in the 6th century and died in March of 649 at Mt. Sinai. He was from Palestine and became a monk, living a life of solitude and prayer. At age seventy he was elected abbot of the monastery at Mt. Sinai and died about four years later. According to him, the goal of life as a monk was to reach a state of "passive disinterestedness in earthly life so as to anticipate the wonders of heaven."

He writes in "On Detachment": "The man who really loves the Lord, who has made a real effort to find the coming Kingdom, who has really begun to be troubled by his sins, who is really mindful of eternal torment and judgment, who really lives in fear of his own departure, will not love, care or worry about money, or possessions, or parents, or worldly glory, or friends, or brothers, or anything at all on earth. But having shaken off all ties with earthly things ... he will follow Christ without anxiety or hesitation, always looking heavenward and expecting help from there...." With St. John's prayers and God's grace we can also ascend to God as we prepare for Easter!

March 20--St. Cuthbert of Lindisfarne, Bishop, Missionary, and Monk

Cuthbert discovers piece of timber - Life of St. Cuthbert (late 12th C), f.45v - BL Yates Thompson MS 26.jpg licensed under CC0 1.0.

The title for today's saint says it all: Bishop, Missionary, and Monk. St. Cuthbert was an Anglo-Saxon in the 7th century, shortly after the re-Christianization of Britain by St. Augustine of Canterbury. He lived in Northumbria, which was a kingdom in the north of England before England became a state. He became a monk, but also roamed the countryside and spent time among the people, ministering to them, preaching, working miracles, and carrying out missionary journeys. He was noted for his holiness, care, asceticism, and generosity to the poor. He was also famous for his gift of healing, so much so, he was named "Wonder Worker of Britain". He eventually retired to be a hermit, but was elected bishop, although he died in 687, two years after his election.

As a bishop, missionary priest, and monk, St. Cuthbert lived the major vocations of the Church at his time. He brought people to God, prayed for them, and guided them as their shepherd. Bishops have great responsibility to their flocks because they need to be faithful and true teachers of the faith of the Church; they need to be priests and dispensers of the sacraments, which give us opportunities to grow in holiness; and they need to be servants to the position they hold, properly overseeing the goods of the community entrusted to them. Missionaries have the great task of bringing God to new people, who don't know Jesus or his community of love. They face the difficulties of calling people to repentance and conversion. Monks have the joy of leading lives of prayerful contemplation of God, offering their prayers for the sake of the salvation of souls and reparation for sins. Let us join St. Cuthbert in bringing our brothers and sisters back to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.