* * *** “He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus; then Pilate ordered it to be handed over. Taking the body, Joseph wrapped it in clean linen and laid it in his new tomb that he had hewn in the rock. Then he rolled a huge stone across the entrance to the tomb and departed.” (Mt 27:58-60)

(“The Burial of Christ” by Carl Bloch)

* * *** “And Jesus said, ‘Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.'” (Lk 23:34)

**The day of solemn and prayerful remembrance — we mourn the suffering, crucifixion, and death of Jesus Christ, Our Savior.

* * *** “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” (1 Cor 11:24)

The Sacred Triduum begins with the Mass of the Lord’s Supper. It commemorates the principal events that took place during the final meal Jesus shared with his disciples prior to his arrest: Jesus instituted the Holy Eucharist and the Priesthood, and also gave us the New Commandment. ~ “I give you a new commandment: love […]

* * *** thirty pieces of silver…

Spy Wednesday marks the day when Jesus was betrayed by Judas, the spy for the chief priests. ~ “Then one of the twelve, who was called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, ‘What will you give me if I deliver him to you?’ And they paid him thirty pieces of silver. And […]

* * *** Palm Sunday commemorates the triumphant entrance of Jesus into Jerusalem. The townspeople welcomed Jesus by placing palms and tree branches on the road in front of him, a customary practice reserved for people of great honor and respect.

~ “Many people spread their cloaks on the road, and others spread leafy branches that they had cut from the fields. Those preceding him as well as those following kept crying out: ‘Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the kingdom of our father David that is to […]

* * *** JESUS CHRIST, Our Savior, Son of the Living God

All that He endured for us… ~ Holy Week begins on Palm Sunday, March 28

* * *** “And he came to her and said, ‘Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you!… He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there will be no end.'” (Lk 1:28,32-33)

— The Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord is celebrated as one of the highest ranking liturgical feasts. Mary’s consent to God’s Word — that she would be Mother of the incarnate Son of God — played a crucial role in the redemptive work of her Son, Jesus Christ, for all of humanity.

* * *** “The Imitation of Christ,” the popular 15th-century work by Thomas “of Kempen”, is believed to be one of the most widely read devotional classics next to the Bible.

“Do not try to find a place free from temptations and troubles. Rather, seek a peace that endures even when you are beset by various temptations and tried by much adversity.” – Thomas a Kempis –

* * ***

ANIMA CHRISTI Soul of Christ, sanctify me. Body of Christ, save me. Blood of Christ, inebriate me. Water from the side of Christ, wash me. Passion of Christ, strengthen me. O Good Jesus, hear me. In your wounds, hide me. Apart from you let me never be. From the enemy, defend me. At the hour […]

St. John of God (1495– 1550) was a farmer and soldier, before having a profound conversion experience at the age of forty. Reflecting on his life he vowed to follow the word of God and from then on lived at the service of the sick in Granada, Spain. Behind John’s outward acts of concern and love for the sick and the poor was a deep interior prayer life and spirit of humility. He founded what would become known as the Order of Brothers Hospitallers of St. John of God, a congregation devoted to the infirm.

~ “O God, who filled Saint John of God with a spirit of compassion, grant, we pray, that, giving ourselves to works of charity, we may merit to be found among the elect in your Kingdom. Through our Lord Jesus Christ.” ~ from the Proper of Saints, Daily Roman Missal

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