Holy Saturday (Easter Vigil)

Reflection

There is a “The Family Circus” Easter Sunday cartoon of the little girl getting out of bed on Easter Sunday morning and telling her mother, “What I like best about Easter Sunday is the candy, and Jesus not bein’ dead anymore.”

I expect that as youngsters we all looked forward to an Easter basket filled with a chocolate Easter bunny and lots of multi-colored candy Easter eggs; I know I did. But the rest of the child’s comment is, of course, also right-on. We rejoice at this Easter Vigil and on Easter morn because Jesus is “not dead anymore.”

In the film version of the popular musical Jesus Christ Superstar, there is no explicit Resurrection scene but, at its end, the film clearly implies the Resurrection of Jesus through the symbol of a glorious sunrise on the horizon. At this Easter Vigil, the Church’s liturgy joyously encourages us to renew and strengthen our faith and hope in Jesus’ glorious rising from death, the promise of our own ultimate rising from death to eternal life. So:

Prayer

“Rejoice, O Mother Church! Exult in glory!  The risen Savior shines upon you!  Let this place resound with joy, echoing the mighty song of all God’s people!” (Easter Proclamation)

Fr. Ray Doherty, S.S.E. ’51, Campus Minister

Scripture

First Reading: Genesis 1:1-2:2 or 1:1, 26-31a

Psalm 104:1-2, 5-6, 10, 12-14, 24, 35 or Psalm 33:4-7, 12-13, 20, 22
Second Reading: Genesis 22:1-18 or 22:1-2, 9a, 10-13, 15-18
Psalm 16:5, 8-11
Third Reading: Exodus 14:15—15:1
(Psalm) Exodus 15:1-6, 17-18
Fourth Reading: Isaiah 54:5-14
Psalm 30:2, 4-6, 11-13
Fifth Reading: Isaiah 55:1-11
(Psalm) Isaiah 12:2-3, 4-6
Sixth Reading: Baruch 3:9-15, 32—4:4
Psalm 19:8-11
Seventh Reading: Ezekiel 36:16-17a, 18-28
Psalm 42:3, 5; 43:3-4
Eighth Reading: Romans 6:3-11
Psalm 118:1-2, 16-17, 22-23
Gospel: Mark 16:1-7

Daily Scripture readings can be found online at the USCCB website

Good Friday

Reflection

He strained to raise His head and look up to heaven.  “It is finished,” He cried and then bowed His head and gave up His spirit.

At the time, the moment was filled with too much emotion for those words to sink in and to ponder what they meant.  But later, as the early Christians read John’s Gospel and heard again those words, it dawned on them just how powerful these dying words of Jesus were. 

When Jesus says, “It is finished,” He is saying that His job of saving the world has been completed.  Salvation is finished, Jesus cried.  The restoration of the friendship between God and humanity has been finished.  That is why we call today “Good Friday.”  It wasn’t a good day for Jesus.  We call it Good Friday because the cross is the proof of the powerful love God has for each one of us.  Here we see a love that was prepared to endure the ultimate in order to rescue us.

Today we’re going to do an altar call.  We are going to process to the front and venerate the cross.  Let us think about what Jesus has done for you through His death on the cross.  Ask God to wrap you tightly in His love — forgiving you, watching over you, guiding you.

Prayer

Loving God, what You have done for us in Jesus’ death on the cross is far more than we deserve.  His death has made us friends with You again.  His death has given us forgiveness and hope of life forever.  Everything is complete.  We thank You from the bottom of our hearts.  Amen.

Fr. Stanley Deresienski, S.S.E. ’74, M’75

Scripture

First Reading: Isaiah 52:13-53:12
Psalm 31:2, 6, 12-13, 15-17, 25
Second Reading: Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:7-9
Gospel: John 18:1—19:42

Daily Scripture readings can be found online at the USCCB website

Holy Thursday

Reflection

Two major celebrations occur on Holy Thursday in the Catholic Church.  In the morning, we celebrate the Chrism Mass in which the bishop concelebrates with the priests of the diocese the blessing of the sacred oils used throughout the church year and the institution of the priesthood.  In the evening, Catholics gather to celebrate the institution of the Eucharist, a commemoration of the Last Supper when Jesus shared a last meal with the apostles.  The celebration of the evening Mass reminds Catholics about two things.  First, Christians are called to wash the feet of others as did Christ, a reminder that our faith calls us to serve and not to be served.  Second, Christians are reminded that the command of Christ was to serve others in real ways by sharing what they have with those who have not.  The liturgy for the day speaks about collecting goods to be distributed to those in need as a sign of Christian commitment to the poor.

The two services speak to each other.  The sacred oils consecrated in the morning Mass speaks to the spiritual healing that priests are to carry out in their service of the church, the people of God.  The evening Mass addresses the responsibility of the church to meet the basic needs of people.  From each service, we learn what Jesus taught at the Last Supper where He humbled Himself in washing the feet of His disciples, exampling to those who followed Him how we are called to serve others in their spiritual as well as their basic human needs.

Prayer

Lord, make me a servant.  Let me bring hope to the despairing and joy to the depressed.  Where there is want and need, let my service be more than the service of my lips in meeting the real needs of those I today.  This I pray in the name of Jesus, who served us all in the giving of His life for our salvation.  Amen.

Fr. David Theroux, S.S.E. ’70, Adjunct Professor of Religious Studies

Scripture

First Reading: Exodus 12:1-8, 11-14
Psalm 116:12-13, 15-16bc, 17-18
Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 11:23-26
Gospel: John 13:1-15

Daily Scripture readings can be found online at the USCCB website

Wednesday of Holy Week

Reflection

Today’s readings revolve around the consequences and rewards of faith.

Isaiah reminds us that faith in the Lord has rewards far beyond earthly comfort and acclaim. By remaining open and receptive to the Word of God and keeping faith with the Lord, the Lord continues to give Isaiah the grace and strength to persevere in his service in the face of public insults.

The Psalm continues the theme of perseverance in the face of insults and rejection suffered at the hands of man because of faith in the Lord. God’s love for us is our constant source of strength and comfort. The psalmist urges us to take heart because the Lord hears, loves, and supports the lowly.

Finally, in his Gospel, Mark shares with us the story of the deep understanding Jesus has for the sacrifice He is about to make for all of us when He celebrates the Passover meal with His disciples. It is clear that Jesus embraces His role as the manifestation of God’s love for humanity even to the extent of showing pity for Judas.

Prayer

Lord, Your love gives us the strength to endure all earthly obstacles and injustices; grant us the grace to discern the role we are to play in spreading God’s love here today and the strength to persevere.

John Paul Devlin, Department of Fine Arts: Theatre, Member of the Worshipping Community

Scripture

First Reading: Isaiah 50:4-9a
Psalm 69:8-10, 21-22, 31, 33-34
Gospel: Matthew 26:14-25

Daily Scripture readings can be found online at the USCCB website

Tuesday of Holy Week

Reflection

Today’s Gospel reading is a real downer.  Both Judas and Peter, trusted disciples, betray Jesus at a crucial moment.  It’s an uncomfortable reminder of our human nature, and how often we fail God in our daily lives.  Fortunately, Isaiah offers comfort, reminding us: “The LORD has spoken, who formed me as His servant from the womb.”  Psalm 71 echoes this:  “On you I depend from birth; from my mother's womb you are my strength.”  We were created by God, with all our failings, to serve and be strengthened by God. 

Oddly enough, this reminds me of The Series of Unfortunate Events by Daniel Handler. These zany tales of woe take on a serious moral tone as the series progresses. Choices are framed as either noble or villainous, but by Book 12, The Penultimate Peril, the Baudelaire children realize that we are all “a mixed bag.” They look back on their Judases and Peters – the many adults who failed them – and also evaluate their own actions which in every book lead (to their dismay) to disaster. They want to be noble, but fear they are not.  In this painful moment of repentance, one adult character — for once — does not fail the children. Without dismissing their concerns, he tells them simply, but with great compassion: “You are noble enough.”

We fail, but we are God’s creation.  We are noble enough. 

Prayer

Lord, remind me each day that I was formed to be Your servant.  Strengthen me to do Your will.

Helen Donahey, Administrative Assistant, Office of the President

Scripture

First Reading: Isaiah 49:1-6
Psalm 71:1-4a, 5ab-6ab, 15, 17
Gospel: John 13:21-33, 36-38

Daily Scripture readings can be found online at the USCCB website

Monday of Holy Week

Reflection

Travel in your heart and mind to being a small infant cradled in your parent’s arms in church.  Warm, milky, totally safe, supported and trusting.  Hear the sounds of the liturgy, the music, the rustling in the pews, the little nuzzling noises your parent makes for you and the steady beat of their heart against your whole body.  Return in your mind’s eye to the fractured colors of the stained glass windows, the blurry glints of gold leaf and brass, the geometric patterns on the ceiling, your parent’s eyes gazing into yours.  Inhale your parent’s smell of rightness, with traces of incense and wax and old hymnals and wet coats overlaid.  Of whom should you ever be afraid?  There, at the most primitive level, we begin to feel in our whole being God’s unconditional love.  Isaiah tells us that this too is the charge of God’s chosen, the Christ: not to shout and demand and break, but to hold and to heal, to bring gentleness and justice, to teach and enlighten.  We are held always in Christ, as in a parent’s arms, held and cherished, taught and formed.  We can always return to the safety of His arms, for having died and risen, He is now with us always.  He is indeed our light and our salvation.

Prayer

Lord, You are my light and my salvation, my comfort and my safety.  From our trust in You, bring us to justice, without shouting in the streets, but through enlightenment, freedom, and Your everlasting promise.

Jo Ellis-Monaghan, Professor of Mathematics

Scripture

First Reading: Isaiah 42:1-7
Psalm 27:1-3, 13-14
Gospel: John 12:1-11

Daily Scripture readings can be found online at the USCCB website

Passion Sunday

Reflection

It’s a sad truism of life that doing what needs to be done seldom coincides with doing what you perhaps would choose to do. Many a morning has had me lying in bed, staring at the ceiling, turning something over and over again in my mind, afraid to get up and face the prospect of actually doing it. If others also feel this way, we may take some comfort in the fact that we have been given gifts beyond our own power to understand. Isaiah writes of the well-trained tongue, the open ear. We may be astounded that what we say can have weight with other people, we might never expect that being a listening presence to someone can lighten their burden. In our fear and uncertainty, we can be strength for others.

The God we worship showcased this strength, strength that comes from weakness, by choosing to experience life in the way we do. By choosing to come down to our level, by choosing to think, feel, experience, and even die in the way that we all do. He humbled Himself, and took the hardships of life upon Himself. If we could get into the mindset of Christ as He rode into Jerusalem, we can imagine that He knew what would soon befall Him, despite the chants and praises of the crowd. He knew the task before Him, the pain that would soon be experienced. In this moment of greatest weakness, and greatest pain, the greatest power would soon shine forth.

Prayer

Loving God, You know us because You became like us. In facing our fears and learning our gifts, help us to become like You.

Fr. Michael R. Carter, S.S.E. ’12, Religious Studies

Scripture

Procession Gospel: Mark 11:1-10 or John 12:12-16

First Reading: Isaiah 50:4-7

Psalm 22:8-9, 17-18, 19-20, 23-24

Second Reading: Philippians 2:6-11

Gospel: Mark 14:1—15:47 or 15:1-39

Daily Scripture readings can be found online at the USCCB website

Saturday of the Fifth Week

Reflection

In the first reading from Ezekiel, the Lord speaks of bringing together the Israelites as His people. He says, “No longer shall they defile themselves with their idols, their abominations, and all their transgressions. I will deliver them from all their sins of apostasy, and cleanse them so that they may be my people and I may be their God.”

On the eve of Holy Week, I read this as a beautiful call from our Lord to re-center our lives on Him. Far too often I place “idols” before Him. As a young professional with a whole career ahead of me, I find myself desiring money and notoriety because I believe it will bring comfort and happiness for my family and me. Why do I fall for this fallacy when my parents and grandparents have all wisely told me that “money can’t buy happiness” and “faith, family, and friends are the most important”? There’s no simple answer to that question. However, I am comforted by the first reading because God kindly reminds all of us to not put idols before Him. This means I am not alone in this struggle.

Prayer

Going into Holy Week, we pray: God, may we all center our thoughts and desires on You. Let us trust You to guide us amid our temporal fears and anxieties.

Alex Boesch, Member of the Worshipping Community

Scripture

First Reading: Ezekiel 37:21-28

Psalm: Jeremiah 31:10-13

Gospel: John 11:45-56

Daily Scripture readings can be found online at the USCCB website

Friday of the Fifth Week

Reflection

Today’s readings reveal the obvious truth that God’s people are not exempt from hard times. Seeking the assurance of “God with us,” as protector, shield, and refuge is reflected in Psalm 18, Jeremiah 20, and the Gospel reading from John chapter 10.

Jeremiah was called and reluctantly accepted his “prophet status” as an eighteen year old, and served as a voice for justice during the tumultuous time of Babylonian takeover from the Assyrian Empire, and the conquering of Jeremiah’s own nation of Judah. The first reading reflects how Jeremiah’s voice became unwelcomed by even family and friends. Jeremiah remained steadfast that God’s protection and righteousness was with him as a shelter in a storm, in every circumstance.

John’s Gospel reading indicates that Jesus was treated in exactly the same way by Pharisees and Scribes who constantly attempted to “catch Jesus” in violations of the Law. Jesus responds to His accusers of the crime of blasphemy in today’s Gospel by saying, “The Father is in me, and I in the Father.” This reference brings to mind the work of Blaise Pascal, C.S. Lewis, and Saint Augustine, who all made references to a “God-shaped space” existing in each of our hearts. In short, God’s love and goodness lives within each of us.

As faithful followers of Christ, we can confidently turn to our God in times of hardship. Beyond that, because God’s love and goodness is within each of us, we are able to serve others with shelter and refuge as our lives’ hardships are manifested. Our love of God and our love of neighbor can both grow in accordance with that great commandment.

Prayer

Loving God, help us to always remember the last words of Your Son Jesus to His disciples, “And I am with you always to the end of the age.” Amen.

Michael Samara, Academic Mentor

Scripture

First Reading: Jeremiah 20:10-13
Psalm 18:2-7
Gospel: John 10:31-42

Daily Scripture readings can be found online at the USCCB website

Thursday of the Fifth Week

Reflection

The first reading, Genesis 17:3-9, is one of the most seminal in the Old Testament as it recounts God making His covenant with Abraham.  First, God changes the latter’s name from Abram (exalted father) to Abraham (father of a great multitude).  Changing a person’s name also symbolizes a rebirth – shortly after this passage God changes the name of Abraham’s wife from Sarai (princess) to Sarah (mother of nations).  Interestingly, in the passage, God does not describe the nature of the covenant except to say that He will be the God of Abraham and his descendants.  In the following verses, God describes the covenant of circumcision, but clearly the covenant goes well beyond this – God intends to be the ONLY God.

In the Responsorial Psalm 105:4-4, 6-7, and  8-9, the people are reminded to serve God constantly, and that God will keep His covenant forever.  In the verse before the Gospel, Psalm 95:8, we are reminded to be open to the word of God.

In the Gospel, John 8:51-59, Jesus assures the Jews in the Gospel reading that those who keep His word will never die.   The Jews rebuke Him for apparently making Himself greater than Abraham and the prophets, who all died.  When He replies that it is God who has glorified Him and that Abraham rejoiced at His coming, they again rebuked Him, questioning how He could have seen Abraham.  His reply that He existed before Abraham and  “I AM” echoes God’s words to Moses in Exodus 3:14.  Here, the evangelist John, the most mystical of the four, asserts Christ’s divinity — that like the Father, He exists through all time.

Prayer
Lord, as You have kept Your promise through all ages, help us to keep our covenant with You.

Bill Thompson, Member of the Worshipping Community

Scripture

First Reading: Genesis 17:3-9
Psalm 105:4-9
Gospel: John 8:51-59

Daily Scripture readings can be found online at the USCCB website

Wednesday of the Fifth Week

Reflection

With Holy Week almost upon us, today’s readings offer good opportunities for reflection and recommitment to our Lenten goals.  Today’s gospel reading from John offers a challenging exchange between Jesus and some of “those Jews who believed in him.” Faced with their security and perhaps complacency as descendants of Abraham, Jesus reminds them that to be truly free from bondage to sin, their faith and works must rest in God and in the Son whom He sent.

We encounter a beautiful “double dose” of Daniel’s Chapter 3 in the first reading and Responsorial Psalm. Describing 6^th century BC events during King Nebuchadnezzar’s reign, the Book of Daniel was written several centuries later. Earlier in the book, we learn about the captured Daniel and his three Hebrew companions Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, who were given pagan names of Belteshazzar, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego (likely connected to Babylonian gods) to encourage their Babylonian cultural integration.

Despite their bondage and their captors’ efforts, Daniel and his friends remained true to their faith, initially resisting the king’s food and drink and thriving on a diet of vegetables and water. Enduring smaller tests of fidelity in captivity, Daniel and his companions remained faithful and achieved true freedom when faced with the fiery furnace “heated seven times more than usual.”  Would that we all dance one day “unfettered and unhurt” with the Son of God in the joy of the resurrection!  Source of a common Liturgy of the Hours canticle refrain, Daniel’s Chapter 3 reminds us that our Lord is “praiseworthy and exalted above all forever.”  Our Gospel verse nicely concludes our reflection: Blessed are they who keep the word with generous heart and yield a harvest through perseverance.

Prayer

Lord, help us to stay true to our faith in smaller matters in preparation for future trials. May our growth through daily challenges lead to true rejoicing on Easter! We pray especially for Christians worldwide who are persecuted for their faith, yet persevere through adversity. Amen.

George Ashline, Professor of Mathematics

Scripture

First Reading: Daniel 3:14-20, 91-92, 95
Psalm: Daniel 3:52-56
Gospel: John 8:31-42

Daily Scripture readings can be found online at the USCCB website

Tuesday of the Fifth Week

Reflection

Life offers constant challenges to help us grow in many ways physically, emotionally, and spiritually.  In our first reading today, the people of Israel have come within reach of the Holy Land and had hopes of at long last being able to enter, but Moses is instructing them to go back to the desert. They did not seek explanation and insight for this decision, but immediately started their old pattern of complaining against Moses.

Complaining and not seeking God now is the sin they committed and sin is a self-destruct mechanism in our very beings.  Their immune systems became weakened and the snakes’ bites caused many deaths. When they realized their sin in not seeking God, wisdom, and understanding, they expressed their sin and ask forgiveness and a means of healing.

Sometimes it is easier to blame others, become angry, complain, and not seek to understand and ask God for help.  It is important to recognize our feelings and sometimes express them in a safe and satisfying way but also bring them to God for understanding.  So often the answers do not come right away and like the children of Israel, I can become impatient and act out of that feeling.

When we ask God for understanding and clarity, sometimes the answer lies in looking at the very thing that caused our frustration as the children of Israel were instructed to look at the serpent on the pole.  When someone or something has triggered strong negative feelings in me, I usually do not want to see or be with that person or thing, but unless I express my feelings, listening and hearing the others, wisdom can’t be found.

Prayer

Merciful Abba, thank You for always being present and available to hear my feelings both positive and negative and ready to help me see and understand Your ways.  Amen.

Sr. Karen Pozniak, S.N.D. de N., Member of the Worshipping Community

Scripture

First Reading: Numbers 21:4-9
Psalm 102:2-3, 16-21
Gospel: John 8:21-30

Daily Scripture readings can be found online at the USCCB website

Monday of the Fifth Week

Feast of Saint Joseph

Reflection

“I will be a father to him, and he shall be a son to me.”  (2 Samuel 7:14)  This quote, abstracted from today’s first reading, represents God's words to the prophet Nathan as he counsels David about his “retirement” and his legacy as the ruler of a nation whose byword is its devotion to the faith of Abraham.  We seem to interrupt our normal Lenten programming in order to honor St. Joseph, “spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary,” to cite the Church’s official designation of his feast day.  In retrospect, the Samuel passage might be decoded as a prophecy of Jesus as the “son,” and God as the “father.”  But, for us honoring St. Joseph, it is useful also to acknowledge his own role as father. 

The word “righteousness” appears in the letter to the Romans and is echoed in the Matthew reading as an attribute of Joseph’s.  Romans describes righteousness as something that “depends on faith.”  Righteous faith may be contrasted with “self-righteousness” which is the exact opposite of a total Spirit-filled reliance on God’s mercy and a soul-filled (“prayer-full”) dependence on His love – the marks of who Joseph is.  Joseph is the humble father.  In Matthew, he is the “husband of Mary.”  In the alternative Luke reading, he plays “second fiddle” to Mary, often simply alluded to as a “parent.”  Mary is the one who speaks (in the alternative reading), expressing her (and “your father’s”) great anxiety, concerning Jesus’ being “lost” in the temple.  If she is sometimes the spokesperson, and ultimately the “deliverer” of God’s Word, Joseph is the enabler.  In so doing, he represents the true, human father, according to the ways of God.

Prayer

Gracious God, may we be sisters and brothers of St. Joseph, and witnesses to Christ who is in us, and with all God's people.  May the Light of Jesus’ Love increase in us in our celebration the Mystery of Holy Week and Easter.  We make this prayer in the name of same Jesus, Your Son, our Lord, in the unity of Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Fr. Marcel Rainville, S.S.E. ’67, Edmundite Campus Ministry

PS: On this day, in 1998, Diane Foster, then a member of Edmundite Campus Ministry, died as a consequence of a brain hemorrhage.  For years, Diane had served St. Michael’s College much like Joseph would have.

Scripture

First Reading: 2 Samuel 7:4-5a, 12-14a, 16

Psalm 89:2-5, 27, 29

Second Reading: Romans 4:13, 16-18, 22

Gospel: Matthew 1:16, 18-21, 24a or Luke 2:41-51a

Daily Scripture readings can be found online at the USCCB website