ALREADY IN ROME: CHRIST IS RISEN! GLORIFY HIM!
Easter,
for Christians is a celebration in and with faith, for others, in many
countries, it is merely a long holiday weekend. For the second time in this
pandemic, it is understandable that the vast majority of people are exhausted.
The physical and mental stress of lockdowns and isolation, isolation especially
from family, while particularly hard on the elderly, are compounded by the
increase of mental illness, domestic violence, racism, and the seemingly
unending, relentless tsunami of covid, ye or nay conspiracy theories, ye or nay
vaccine arguments; then there is the proliferation of demonstrations, some
violent, against government imposed restrictions on daily life, including the
assault on religious practice through restrictive measures and in some
countries using the pandemic as an excuse to enact laws which restrict freedom
of conscience and freedom of religion.
It is
as if for more than a year we have been living and wandering in desert
darkness.
In his
General Audience address, before the Triduum, Pope Francis reminded us: Ever
since Jesus took upon himself the wounds of humanity and death itself, God’s
love has irrigated these deserts of ours, he has enlightened our darkness.
Because the world is in darkness. Let us make a list of all the wars that are
being fought in this moment; of all the children who die of hunger; of children
who have no education; of entire populations destroyed by wars, by terrorism.
Of the many, many people who, just to feel a bit better, need drugs, the drug
industry that kills … It is a disaster, it is a desert! There are small
“islands” of the people of God, both Christian and of all other faiths, that
hold in their heart the desire to be better. But let us tell the truth: in this
Calvary of death, it is Jesus who suffers in his disciples. During his
ministry, the Son of God disseminated life by the handful, healing, forgiving,
reviving… Now, in the hour of his supreme Sacrifice on the cross, he brings to
fulfilment the task entrusted to him by the Father: he enters into the abyss of
suffering, he enters into these disasters of this world, to redeem and
transform. And also to free every one of us from the power of darkness, of
pride, of resistance to being loved by God. And this, only God’s love can do
this. By his wounds we have been healed (see 1 Pt 2: 24), the apostle Peter
says, by his death we have been reborn, all of us. And thanks to him, abandoned
on the cross, no-one will ever again be alone in the darkness of death. Never,
he is always beside us: we need only open our heart and let ourselves be looked
upon by him. [1]
If
during this pandemic we allow ourselves to pay more attention to the cacophony
of news and social media, go down and linger in rabbit-holes of conspiracies,
or bend towards ourselves ceaselessly lamenting all that is happening in the
world, thus being emotionally so stressed that our faith, our prayer lives,
like water run through our fingers, shattering like glass on the ground. This
because we deliberately or inadvertently listen to that black hyena, satan, who
whispers the lie to us that we must take care of ourselves, cherry pick
‘truth’, trust no one, not even God for clearly, look around, He has abandoned
us.
Lie,
lie, lie!
The
first step to easing the emotional, physical, spiritual stress of these days is
to forget self, stand up, raise our eyes, look to Jesus on the Cross, our Lover
and Redeemer, keeping vigil until His death and then to go, lay our heads
against the stone rolled over the entrance of His tomb and wait!
Even if
in forgetting self we can’t go physically to meet and comfort someone else we
can phone, text, skype, write a letter. Most importantly since our brothers and
sisters are suffering all over the world: in hospitals, old age homes, prisons,
labour camps, migrant camps, in places of war and hunger, homeless in back
alleys or shelters, we can follow the urging of St. Theodore the Studite: We
should pray and lament for the world……should not be concerned just with
ourselves, but also lament and pray for the whole world. [2]
We, as
people of faith, should ask the Holy Trinity, these days of such suffering in
the human family, to accept our acts of faith and fidelity to Christ and the
Holy Gospel, from our loving hearts, as proxy for the whole human family, as
theirs.
Roman
Catholics and Orthodox embrace with joy the truth Christ remains with us:
loving, glorified, in the Holy Eucharist and each time we receive Jesus in Holy
Communion we are loved, vivified, glorified as salt of the earth and light in
this darkness. Love, His love pouring out from our hearts is more powerful and
real than any darkness, hate, discouragement, if we truly love everyone as He
loves us.
Light:
the whole universe breathes light because it is the indivisible syllable of
Light that from the beginning has spoken the universe itself into life. Light:
more than ordinary air, a synonym for blood, the secret face of
love…..Somewhere, sometime, Easter happened in you, even if it was only the
moment of your conception. Somewhere, the light shone in you, and your heart
know that this light is your life. Your heart know that if you keep looking,
you will see the face of Light, and hear His voice speak your name. Then you
will live because you have heard the voice of love. Then as you name the one
who is the glory of love made visible, you will see light everywhere. It will
be Easter. Always……….Light everywhere. “I will be with you all days, even until
the end of the world” (Matt.28:20)………..Light everywhere. Light: Jesus the
Christ risen from the dead. [3]
italics
are mine
[2]
PENTOS, The Doctrine of Compunction in the Christian East; Irenee Hasher, SJ;
pp.42,43; Cistercian Publications, 1982
italics are mine
[3]
CIRCLING THE SUN; Meditations on Christ in Liturgy and Time; Robert D. Pelton;
pp. 85 & 89; The Pastoral Press, 1986 [out of print] italics are mine
© 2021
Fr. Arthur Joseph
1 comment:
Catholic must know Dogma > Ripped from your soul.
If you're at all interested in knowing ... the Catholic Dogma ... that we *must believe* to
get to Heaven, and which you have *never* seen ...
I list it on my website > > www.Gods-Catholic-Dogma.com
And no ... the anti-Christ vatican-2 heretic cult (founded in 1965) is not the Catholic Church (founded in 33 A.D.).
There are over 200 heresies against Catholic Dogma ... in the "vatican-2 council" documents ...50 listed on Section 12 (followed by Catholic corections) > www.Gods-Catholic-Dogma.com/section_12.html
Being outside ... the Catholic Church in any heresy ... leaves one with no chance of getting to Heaven.
Physical participation in a heretic cult (vatican-2, lutheran, evangelical, etc) ... automatically excommunicates you from the Catholic Church (that is, Christianity) > www.Gods-Catholic-Dogma.com/section_13.2.2.html
Mandatory ... Abjuration of heresy to enter the Catholic Church > www.Gods-Catholic-Dogma.com/section_40.html
Dogma that one must Abjure to leave the vatican-2 heretic cult and enter the Catholic Church > www.Gods-Catholic-Dogma.com/section_40.1.html
The BIBLE says ... 15 TIMES ... it is not the authority on Faith,
the BIBLE says the Church in it's Dogma and Doctrine ... is the authority on Faith and the definition of the Catholic Faith ... www.Gods-Catholic-Dogma.com/section_6.html
The Catholic God knows ... what we think and believe ...
Catholic writing of Romans 1:21 >
"They ... became vain in their thoughts, and their foolish heart was darkened."
Catholic Faith (pre-fulfillment) writing of Deuteronomy 31:21 >
"For I know their thoughts, and what they are about to do this day."
Catholic Faith (pre-fulfillment) writing of Job 21:27 >
"Surely I know your thoughts, and your unjust judgments against Me."
Regards – Victoria
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