Tag Archives: Resurrection

April 12, 2014

Holy Week

By Fr. Andrew Ricci

Holy Week

Study:  Recall a time in your life when you experienced death and new life.  Where did you find the strength?  Who helped you through this time?

Pray:  Spend some time reflecting on the death and resurrection of Jesus this week.  Read Mark 14-16; Matthew 26-28; Luke 22-24; and John 18-21.  Take in as many prayer opportunities as possible in your parish.

Serve:  Who in your life is dealing with life and death issues right now?  How might you be present to them to offer help, comfort, or strength?

Holy Week audio retreats from the US Bishops

We enter into the heart of the Christian mystery: Holy Week offers us a time to pause, reflect, and pray as the Church ponders on the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

This mystery, often called the Paschal Mystery, recalls us to the saving work of the Lord.  His death frees of from the burdens of sin and death, and his resurrection opens for us the path to eternal life.  This mystery is profoundly experienced over the Triduum – the 3 Great Days:

  • Holy Thursday – the Mass of the Lord’s Supper
  • Good Friday – the Passion of the Christ
  • Easter (Vigil/Day) – the Resurrection of the Lord

On Holy Thursday we find ourselves in Jerusalem, eating with the disciples at the Lord’s Supper and feeling awkward as he washes their feet – wondering how we would react if he did that for us.  We might identify with Peter or Judas – especially when we consider the times we have willingly betrayed or turned our back on the Lord.

On Good Friday we experience the physical pain, emotional abandonment, and personal humiliation on the path to Calvary (also called Golgotha or Skull Place) and look on with horror at the cruel death of Jesus.  We might also consider the times we have helped others – as Simon did when he was forced to carry the Cross of Christ.    And then we stand in profound sorrow with Mary, the Mother of Jesus, helpless as the innocent suffer injustice.

On Easter we wait in vigil and rise early in the morning with Mary Magdalen, only to find to our wonder and joy that the tomb is empty:  Christ is alive!  Our world, like that of the apostles, is changed forever as we experience new hope and life.

A word to the wise – we get out of Holy Week what we put into it.  Here are some simple ways for an incredible experience.

  • Make church services a top priority – Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter (Vigil or Day).
  • Take time to read and reflect on the scriptures (see at the top under “Pray”).
  • Make Holy Thursday an opportunity to offer a special act of service or kindness to another.
  • Make Good Friday fasting extra special with a gift to a particular charity that helps the poor.
  • Make Easter a time of gratitude – take a quiet moment to count our blessings and thank the Lord.
  • Find some time throughout this week to tell the people in our lives how much we love them.

May this be a time for all of us to grow closer to the Lord and one another.

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June 4, 2013

10th Sunday of the Year – Arise!

By Fr. Andrew Ricci

Station - Jesus in the Tomb

Study:  Reflect on a time of grief and loss in your life.  Where did you find support and strength?

Pray:  Pause to consider those who are going through grief and hold them up in your daily prayers.

Serve:  Do you know someone who is struggling with grief right now?  Perhaps a visit or an act of kindness could make the day a little brighter.

Last October I was traveling through the Holy Land and I passed through the village where Jesus performed the miracle that is recounted in the Gospel today.  I find it easy to imagine the situation: a group of people walking in procession with a widow as  they carry her dead son out of the city.  There is grief, terrible loss, and the sense that the entire community is mourning with this woman.

Then an encounter with Jesus.  First he has pity, then he offers consolation, then a single word: arise!

In a moment everything changes.  The Lord gives the man back to his mother, the procession is filled with fear and wonder, and God is praised.

We all know that death is a part of life.  Like the seasons of the year, there are times for birth, growth, harvest, and death.  Yet there are also times when death happens outside this cycle – in moments of tragedy, unforeseen illness, and accident – and our lives are turned upside down in a heartbeat.

In these moments when we are filled with questions, doubts, and uncertainty.  And like the widow in today’s Gospel we can invite the Lord to draw near.  The same pity, consolation, and hope is ours – Christ meets us in our weakness and with tender compassion he touches our hearts.

His love is empowered through the victory of his death and resurrection.  His sacrifice on the Cross opens the gates of Heaven for us.  For at the hour of our death we long to look upon Jesus who will say “Arise!” to us and welcome us to eternal life.

Perhaps you are dealing with grief in your life, or perhaps you are walking with someone in the midst of grief.  The Gospel today gives us an opportunity to face death with the conviction of faith – this is not the end, but a new beginning with the Lord.  May the pity, consolation, and mercy of Jesus help us to be tender with others in their grief, and may it help us to face the hour of our own death with trust in the Lord’s love.

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March 25, 2013

Easter – Abundant Life

By Fr. Andrew Ricci

iPhone 034

Study:  Reflect on moments where you have experienced new life – in a relationship, in a position, in an opportunity.  Consider how your experience of new life can help you embrace the resurrection of Jesus

Pray:  Through the resurrection of Jesus Christ we have been freed from sin and death.  Take a moment in your prayer to thank God for this gift, and count your blessings.

Serve:  How might you bring the hope of new life to others?  How might your life bring life to those around you?

Easter Sunday Readings

All around us, we see signs of change as we enter the season of Spring.  The weather is (slowly) getting warmer, the snow is beginning to melt, and we await the rain to soften the earth and add much needed moisture to the ground.

These signs point to the simple fact that once again new life is bursting forth upon the land.  Spots of green start to appear on the countryside.  Flowers and plants begin to grow.  What was once dead has now been renewed.

The change of seasons shows us in a simple yet powerful way a fundamental truth in our world: out of death comes new life.  Around us we discover that from the cold and barren Winter, the earth is renewed through the annual cycle of life.  Death cannot last forever; it is shattered by the force and power of life – healing, restoring, and making all things new.

With this season of life comes new hope.  We see the changes in nature and respond with new vitality.  We want to get outside, enjoy the fresh air, maybe start a few projects (I said maybe…!), and live with a renewed sense of energy.  As we experience the signs of abundant life revealed in nature, we desire to take hold of our own lives – that we might live with a passion and intensity worthy of this wonderful gift.

Every year the Church celebrates the central mystery of our faith during this season of life.  Beyond his suffering and death on the Cross we celebrate the victory of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  Through this redemption, we have been freed from two of our greatest fears, sin and death, and given the gift of abundant life.

As Christ rose from the dead, not even the grave could contain him, and his triumphant resurrection anchors our hope in eternal life.  We rejoice that through this mystery we now have a path to follow.  We know that death is not the final answer, we know that beyond the suffering and struggle of this life lies our hope in the abundant life of heaven.

Strengthened by our hope in Christ, we are invited to live this moment with our whole hearts.  Having received the gift of life, we are called to share that gift with love and joy, so that the abundant life of the resurrection may pour into this world as well.

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