Preparing our Paschal Candle

The Paschal Candle: The Light of Christ

During the Easter Vigil, the Church reads the account of creation as a prophecy. In the resurrection, we see the most sublime fulfilment of what this text describes as the beginning of all things. God says once again: ‘Let there be light!’ The resurrection of Jesus is an eruption of light. Death is conquered, the tomb is thrown open. The Risen One himself is Light, the Light of the world. With the resurrection, the Lord’s day enters the nights of history. Beginning with the resurrection, God’s light spreads throughout the world and throughout history. Day dawns. This Light alone – Jesus Christ – is the true light, something more than the physical phenomenon of light. He is pure Light: God himself, who causes a new creation to be born in the midst of the old, transforming chaos into cosmos. (Pope Benedict XVI)

11)    The Cross – “The cross was the first Christian altar, where the first sacrifice was made” (Pope Francis)

Christ yesterday and today; the Beginning and the End

Many of us today do not know God and cannot find him in the crucified Christ. Many are in search for a love, or a liberty, that excludes God. Let us open our hearts to him, Jesus is the truth that makes us free to love.

On the cross the Redeemer has restored to us the dignity that belonged to us, has made us adoptive sons and daughters of God whom he has created in his image and likeness.

  2)    Fear Not!

The Alpha and Omega

The paschal candle represents our Risen Lord.

The Greek letters Apha above the cross and Omega below – the first and the last letters of the greek alphabet – show that Christ is in truth the beginning and the end of our salvation.

“To each person, whatever his condition, even if it were the most complicated and dramatic, the Risen One repeats: ‘Fear Not! I died on the cross but now I am alive for evermore. I am the first and the last, and the living one’ (Rev 1:17) (Pope John Paul II)

  3)    2018– It’s always Easter!

All time belongs to him, and all the ages. To him be glory and power, through every age and for ever.

Between the arms of the cross the numerals of the current year are inscribed.

In Jesus Christ in his incarnation, in his Cross and resurrection, the face of God has been revealed, that in Him God is present in our midst; he unites us and leads us towards our goal, towards eternal love.

Rejoice my soul. It is always Easter, for the Risen Christ is our Resurrection! (Sylvan of Mount Athos)

The completed Paschal Candle

6th. Sunday of Easter

A line from the Alleluia verse of last Sunday's Mass held my attention all week. "LET ME LIVE IN YOU says the Lord" and then while still pondering on these words, to-day’s first Reading had an answering cry, stark and clear   "COULD ANYONE REFUSE"  Jesus the Divine Beggar pleading with you and with me -"let me live in you." 

Can we refuse Him?  In Mary we have a perfect example of one who when the Angel Gabriel came to her with a wondrous message from God, which at first greatly troubled her, asked: "How can this be done?" and on receiving an explanation simply said "Behold the handmaid of the Lord, be it done to me according to your Word."   (Lk.1)   In the Old testament we hear  Abraham,  Moses  and the prophet Isaiah replying in similar fashion when God seems to be making impossible demands "here I am Lord  send me."   Jesus  also, frequently  asked his followers in various ways "let me live in you."  Remember his talk with the Samaritan woman  "give me a drink" (Jn.4.7) and later in the Apocalypse makes a similar request: "behold I stand at  the door and knock, if anyone hears my voice and opens to me I will come to him and eat with him and he with me."  And again in Mt11 Jesus pleads with us to shoulder his yoke and learn from him of the wonder and joy and peace of total surrender to his will for each of us.  There are many other moments when Jesus pleads with us, and never more eloquently than when he is hanging on the Cross arms outstretched, struggling to find a breath to whisper "I THIRST" - Can anyone refuse ---even the hardened Roman centurion  does not hesitate to hold a drink to Jesus’ parched  lips.  We know the reply Dan Shutte made in his song Here I am Lord,  is it I Lord?  I have heard you calling in the night - I will go Lord if you lead me. I will hold your people in my heart"

And so to-day we can make the prayer of an English Dominican Bede Jarrett our own:

May He that is our Teacher, our Friend, our Lover, do His work with us in His own blessed way. May He teach us obedience through what He suffered - He that is our Friend may He help us to go the way He would have us go because we are His friends! May He that is our Lover burn us and cleanse us with the flames of His love, for we are poor and small in our souls, yet we wish to be more than that, He will help us but don't cry out at the way He deals with you. If you love, you must trust, and if you trust all is well. Lifting us, teaching us, helping us, loving us, may He still for all our failure look for beauty in the heart of pain. His final request "WAIT HERE AND KEEP AWAKE WITH ME"

Father if it is possible let this cup pass. Nevertheless let it be as you, not I would have it.

Behold the handmaid of the lord be it done to me according to your Word.

WAIT!

Good Friday - Veneration of the Cross

A short video clip from our veneration of the Cross during the Commemoration of Our Lord's Passion today.

Happy Easter

 

 

We wish all our readers of this blog the peace and joy of our Risen Saviour during this Eastertide.
You are daily in our prayers.

5th Sunday of Easter

Gospel: Jn.14:1-12

Jesus said to his disciples:

Do not let your hearts be troubled.
Trust in God and trust in me.
There are many rooms in my Father's house;
if there were not I should have told you.
I am going now to prepare a place for you
and after I have gone and prepared a place,
I shall return to take you with me;
so that where I am you may be too.

In the above few sentences from today's Gospel according to St. John, we are being prepared for the forthcoming celebration of our Lord's Ascension in two weeks time. Jesus is telling us that he is going to prepare a place for us, yes, for each of us individually.

This is truly an amazing statement from Jesus when we really think it through.
We know so well those beautiful and encouraging words of holy Scripture - 'eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither has it entered the human heart what things God has prepared for those who love him' - but in today's Gospel passage we receive a new emphasis on that text - Jesus makes it so personal when he tells us 'I am going now to prepare a place for you' - yes, for each one of us individually.
He goes on to add 'in my Father's house, there are many mansions'
Isn't that a very precious and wonderful thought to meditate on? Jesus continues - 'after I have gone and prepared you a place, I shall return to take you with me; so that where I am you may be too'.

This is Jesus telling us as clearly as the stars shining in the mid-night sky, how deep and personal his love is for each and every one of us, no matter what we have or have not done to hurt him during our lifetime. It is all too easy when we read this passage of Scripture to overlook the deep longing Jesus has for us, for you, for me, for every one, no exceptions. Let us ponder and treasure in our hearts these consoling words of our loving Lord and Master.

When someone dear to us has been away for a long time, we go out of our way to prepare for their home-coming in every conceivable way - nothing is too much trouble. Finally comes the moment of the arrival of our loved one - who of us can express in words the joy of such a re-union? One of the psalms expresses such an emotion so well 'Cry out with joy to the Lord'.

This is how it is with Jesus, he longs so ardently for us to be with him for ever in a blessed eternity - but we do not have to wait until the next life to enjoy this union - he is with us now in this life, every step of the way, every day, every minute.

Further on in our Gospel passage, Jesus says to Thomas 'you know where I am going and you know the way' ... poor Thomas in his exasperation says: 'Lord, we do not know where you are going so how can we know the way'?

No doubt each one of us feels the frustration of Thomas many times in our lives - as Christians, we set out to follow Jesus in whatever calling he has given us in life, yet the way is seldom clear in the tangle of life with all its ups and downs, joys, sorrows, heartaches,, misunderstandings, to name but a few. Pere Caussade S.J. has some encouraging words to help us when he says:

'God is always at work in our lives in and through other people, unpleasant, no less than pleasant - in and through circumstances distasteful as well as those to our taste. Indeed, God so often uses the most unlikely people and circumstances as a special channel of His Grace and Blessing.

Fr. Caussade goes on to say:

If we only knew','the merit hidden in what each moment of the day brings, how much happier we should be. What consolation, what courage we can draw from the fact that in order to live in God's friendship and be welcomed to the home he has prepared for us in heaven, we need neither do nor suffer anything more that we are already doing or suffering'. At times this can be bordering on more than we can bear - it is not easy, Jesus never said it would be - but he is always with us, and how much we need him - he has told us 'I am with you always, yes, even unto the end of the world.

So let us live in the joy that God is with us, we need him not as an instrument but for our full life, for existence, for love. In order that we may meet him, we need to be very attentive, having open hearts rather than eyes. He travels incognito. Let us live constantly as a child before its father. 'Do not let your hearts be troubled' he pleads ' trust in God and trust in me'.

As we conclude this reflection perhaps we could do no better than pray the last verse of that beautiful hymn: Be thou my vision -

High King of Heaven, thou heaven's bright Sun,
Grant me its joys after victory is won,
Christ of my own heart, whatever befall,
Still be my vision, O Ruler of all.

I shall return to take you with me; so that where I am you may be too.

3rd Sunday of Easter - Jesus meets the disciples on the Road to Emmaus

In the story of the journey to Emmaus we encounter two despondent disciples, all hope gone, aimlessly wandering the road, moving as far from the source of their pain as their weary legs would carry them. We encounter too the one who walks with them, gently present to their pain, the one who having met them where they were at, brings the Word of God to bear on their situation, leading them gradually to FAITH which makes it possible for them to recognise Him in the Breaking of Bread.

What this Gospel passage does is to take us on a journey from the darkness of unbelief and incomprehension of God’s ways to the light of faith and to joy in the Risen Lord, a joy to be shared with all the people.

The story of Emmaus shows the disciples profoundly disheartened by the events of the Passion and abandoning Jerusalem the place of their dead dreams. There was in fact no reason for their discouragement. JESUS WAS WITH THEM. But they were unable to recognise him. These two disciples had their minds still fixed on “Jesus the Nazarene, the one who would save them from their Roman occupiers. Jesus had in fact prophesised his resurrection and it had been foretold in Scripture that the Christ should suffer to redeem his people but focused only on their own vision of an earthly liberator they couldn’t go beyond their limited perspective. Jesus wasn’t who he claimed to be because he didn’t meet their immediate needs and expectations they had of Him. They lost all hope because they had no faith. They didn’t believe that Jesus had risen and without faith in the resurrection every thing is meaningless.

Does not this happen to us too? Are there not times when we too become so engrossed in our daily problems that we cannot see a bigger picture or a different solution to the one we envisage? We too can lose faith. We too can fail to see that there is no need for discouragement. Jesus is risen. He is with us.
But thank God the story does not end there. The Risen Jesus is willing to seek out the lost. He joins them and us on the road. He is walking with them but because they don’t believe he is Risen, there is no possibility of their recognising Him. The Risen Jesus can only be encountered through faith. His physical presence is not enough. He cannot be recognised with our physical senses.

He walks with them and joins in their conversation. Is it here that the first movement of grace begins? in an openness to an outsider, a third party, a different viewpoint to our own ?
Jesus joins the disciples and us not because we are good or faithful. The disciples had neither trusted him nor stood by him. He joins them precisely because they are weak and confused, afraid and angry, despondent, rudderless.
Jesus joins his disciples and walks with them at their pace and in their direction. They are heading away from Jerusalem going towards Emmaus. Now Jesus actually wants them in Jerusalem with the others, ready for the mission he is going to entrust to them but he does not stop them or try to turn them round. They are not yet ready to go back. When they are ready they will go back freely and joyfully. And they will only be ready when having exposed the full depth and extent of their betrayal they raise their eyes and encountering that look of infinite tenderness and compassion they recognise Him and know Him to be truly risen.
That encounter only happened because Jesus brought their story and His story together. Jesus takes up their story, changing nothing in it, but gently leads them through the events of Scripture into a new understanding of these same events. In that light the place of Crucifixion becomes the place of Resurrection; the place of death becomes an opening to new life. This is the gift of Faith. In their eyes Jesus Passion and death was a disaster caused by evil people. Now Jesus uncovers for them a deeper reality hiding under these same events. Jesus victory over death is the real liberation. It frees us not only from earthly despots but it sets us free from the tyranny of sin and death. Now as they see this hidden reality with God’s eyes, their hearts begin to burn within them. As Jesus opened the Scripture to them revealing every thing concerning himself, their eyes are opened, and their faith restored they are able to recognise Him in the breaking of bread.
Then he vanished from their sight. He is gone again. Just as when the women went to the tomb and found it empty but of him there was no sign. But what a change. They had left Jerusalem in despair all hope gone. Now they return full of joy. They have experienced the Risen Lord, an experience of the heart, an experience of love, of presence. They no longer need any tangible visible presence of Jesus. They know with the eyes of faith that he is with them. They are indeed a new creation in Christ. They are ready to return to Jerusalem. They have a new inner life and just can’t wait to share their faith .They set out immediately, their hearts burning within them. They do not leave Jesus in Emmaus. They do not leave him anywhere. He is with them, He is in them.

Divine Mercy Sunday

It is very fitting that the Church celebrates today - on the octave day of Easter - the wonderful mercy of our Saviour, Jesus Christ. At the Easter Vigil the Church burst in a prayer of praise and exultation calling on all creation to join in rejoicing:

Rejoice O earth, in shining splendour
Christ has conquered! Glory fills you
Darkness vanishes for ever! - Alleluia.

Rejoice O Mother Church! Exult in glory!
The Risen Saviour shines upon you!

The cause for this great joy is the fact that Christ has conquered sin and death. As we look around our world or, indeed, just look within our own hearts we can often be discouraged and feel overwhelmed by the darkness of sin and selfishness. But the great truth which we celebrate at Easter, and especially today on Divine Mercy Sunday, is that no matter how many sins weigh on our conscience we have only to turn to Jesus and mercy and forgiveness are ours - what a wonderful cause of joy and peace and thanksgiving!!

When the Risen Jesus appears to the apostles on Easter Sunday evening He breathes on them and says:

"Receive the Holy Spirit
for those whose sins you forgive
they are forgiven
for those whose sins you retain
they are retained" (Jn 20:19 - 31)

It is interesting that St John has Jesus appear to the disciples where they are locked away behind closed doors - terrified! Again this detail can be encouraging for us who sometimes feel too frightened to open the door of our heart to the Lord - He can come inside the locked doors of our insecurity and fear and obstinacy with His healing love and mercy.

At the renewal of our Baptismal vows at the Easter Vigil, among other questions we were asked "Do you believe in the forgiveness of sins?" and we answer "I do" - this is the cause of our joy for we are freed of the burden of sin and given a new life in Christ Jesus and are now called to extend the forgiveness which we have experienced in our own lives to our brothers and sisters as the letter to the Colosians reminds us:

You are the people of God; He loved you and chose you for His own. So then, you must put on compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Be helpful to one another, and forgive one another, whenever any of you has a complaint against someone else. You must gorgive each other in the same way that the Lord has forgiven you. And to all these add love, which binds all things together in perfect unity. And be thankful.

See also a reflection on the icon of the Merciful Christ, through the eyes of St Catherine of Siena - on the Reflections page of our main website - www.dominicnnuns.ie