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My Prayer Box
the Newsletter of My Catholic Tradition
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HOMILY OF HIS
HOLINESS POPE BENEDICT XVI
Saint Peter's Square
Easter Sunday, 12 April 2009 |
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Dear Brothers and Sisters,
“Christ, our Paschal lamb, has been
sacrificed!” (1 Cor 5:7). On this day, Saint
Paul’s triumphant words ring forth, words that
we have just heard in the second reading,
taken from his First Letter to the
Corinthians. It is a text which originated
barely twenty years after the death and
resurrection of Jesus, and yet – like many
Pauline passages – it already contains, in an
impressive synthesis, a full awareness of the
newness of life in Christ. |
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The central symbol of salvation history – the
Paschal lamb – is here identified with Jesus,
who is called “our Paschal lamb”. The Hebrew
Passover, commemorating the liberation from
slavery in Egypt, provided for the ritual
sacrifice of a lamb every year, one for each
family, as prescribed by the Mosaic Law. In
his passion and death, Jesus reveals himself
as the Lamb of God, “sacrificed” on the Cross,
to take away the sins of the world. He was
killed at the very hour when it was customary
to sacrifice the lambs in the Temple of
Jerusalem. The meaning of his sacrifice he
himself had anticipated during the Last
Supper, substituting himself – under the signs
of bread and wine – for the ritual food of the
Hebrew Passover meal. Thus we can truly say
that Jesus brought to fulfillment the
tradition of the ancient Passover, and
transformed it into his Passover.
On the basis of this new meaning of the
Paschal feast, we can also understand Saint
Paul’s interpretation of the “leaven”. The
Apostle is referring to an ancient Hebrew
usage: according to which, on the occasion of
the Passover, it was necessary to remove from
the household every tiny scrap of leavened
bread. On the one hand, this served to recall
what had happened to their forefathers at the
time of the flight from Egypt: leaving the
country in haste, they had brought with them
only unleavened bread. At the same time,
though, the “unleavened bread” was a symbol of
purification: removing the old to make space
for the new. Now, Saint Paul explains, this
ancient tradition likewise acquires a new
meaning, once more derived from the new
“Exodus”, which is Jesus’ passage from death
to eternal life. And since Christ, as the true
Lamb, sacrificed himself for us, we too, his
disciples – thanks to him and through him –
can and must be the “new dough”, the
“unleavened bread”, liberated from every
residual element of the old yeast of sin: no
more evil and wickedness in our heart. |
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For the complete text of
the Homily of the Holy Father,
please click here. |
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Divine
Mercy Sunday
April 19, 2009
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First Reading From
the
Acts of the Apostles: |
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Acts 3:13-15, 17-19 |
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Peter said to the people:
"The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God
of Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified
his servant Jesus, whom you handed over and denied
in Pilate's presence when he had decided to
release him.You denied the Holy and Righteous
One and asked that a murderer be released to you.
The author of life you put to death, but God
raised him from the dead; of this we are
witnesses.
Now I know, brothers, that you acted out of
ignorance, just as your leaders did; but God has
thus brought to fulfillment what he had announced
beforehand through the mouth of all the prophets,
that his Christ would suffer.
Repent, therefore, and be converted, that your
sins may be wiped away." |
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Responsorial From the Book of Psalms:
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Ps 4:2, 4, 7-8, 9 |
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R. (7a) Lord, let your face shine on us.
or:
R. Alleluia.
When I call, answer me, O my just God,
you who relieve me when I am in distress;
have pity on me, and hear my prayer!
R. Lord, let your face shine on us.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Know that the LORD does wonders for his faithful
one;
the LORD will hear me when I call upon him.
R. Lord, let your face shine on us.
or:
R. Alleluia.
O LORD, let the light of your countenance shine
upon us!
You put gladness into my heart.
R. Lord, let your face shine on us.
or:
R. Alleluia.
As soon as I lie down, I fall peacefully asleep,
for you alone, O LORD,
bring security to my dwelling.
R. Lord, let your face shine on us.
or:
R. Alleluia.
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Second Reading from the First Letter of
John |
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1 Jn 2:1-5a |
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My children, I am writing this to you so that you
may not commit sin. But if anyone does sin, we
have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the
righteous one. He is expiation for our sins, and
not for our sins only but for those of the whole
world.
The way we may be sure that we know him is to
keep his commandments.
Those who say, "I know him," but do not keep
his commandments are liars, and the truth is not
in them.
But whoever keeps his word, the love of God is
truly perfected in him. |
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Reading From the
Gospel of Luke:
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Lk 24:35-48 The two disciples recounted what had taken place
on the way, and how Jesus was made known to them
in the breaking of bread.
While they were still speaking about this, he
stood in their midst and said to them,
"Peace be with you."
But they were startled and
terrified and thought that they were seeing a
ghost.
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Then he said to them,
"Why are you troubled?
And why do questions arise in your hearts?
Look at my hands and my feet, that it is I myself.
Touch me and see, because a ghost does not have
flesh and bones
as you can see I have." And as he said this,
he showed them his hands and his feet.
While they were still incredulous for joy and were
amazed,
he asked them,
"Have you anything here to eat?" They gave him a piece of baked fish;
he took it and ate it in front of them.
He said to them,
"These are my words that I spoke to you while I
was still with you,
that everything written about me in the law of
Moses
and in the prophets and psalms must be fulfilled." Then he opened their minds to understand the
Scriptures. And he said to them,
"Thus it is written that the Christ would suffer
and rise from the dead on the third day
and that repentance, for the forgiveness of sins,
would be preached in his name
to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem.
You are witnesses of these things." |
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And then the
fight started!
Part 2 |
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A few funny
lines submitted by D. |
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6) |
I tried to talk my wife into buying a case of
Tiger for $14.95.
Instead, she bought a jar of cold cream for
$7.95.
I told her the beer would make her look better
at night than the cold
cream.
And then the fight started.... |
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7) |
My wife asked me if a certain dress made her
butt look big.
I told her not as much as the dress she wore
yesterday
And then the fight started..... |
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8) |
A man and a woman were asleep like two
innocent babies. Suddenly, at 3 o'clock in the
morning, a loud noise came from outside. The
woman, bewildered, jumped up from the bed and
yelled at the man 'Holy !@#$. That must be my
husband!'
So the man jumped out of the bed; scared and
naked jumped out the window. He smashed
himself on the ground, ran through a thorn
bush and to his car as fast as he could go.
A few minutes later he returned and went up to
the bedroom and screamed at the woman, 'I AM
your husband!'The woman yelled back, 'Yeah,
then why were you running?'
And then the fight started.... |
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9) |
I asked my wife, "Where do you want to go for
our anniversary? "
It warmed my heart to see her face melt in
sweet appreciation.
"Somewhere I haven't been in a long time!" she
said.
So I suggested, "How about the kitchen?"
And that's when the fight started.... |
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10) |
My wife and I are watching Who Wants To Be A
Millionaire while we were
in bed. I turned to her and said, "Do you want
to have sex?"
"No," she answered.
I then said, "Is that your final answer?"
She didn't even look at me this time, simply
saying "Yes."
So I said, "Then I'd like to phone a friend."
And that's when the fight started.... |
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References |
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Render Unto Caesar: Serving the Nation by Living our Catholic Beliefs in Political Life
by
Charles J. Chaput
(Author)
“At a time
when the ‘faith and values’ vote has never
been more important, Archbishop Charles Chaput
deftly explores the intersection of morality,
reason, and politics. |
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This isn’t
just a book for Catholics, but for anyone who
cares about the state of America’s soul —and
how that concern might shape the 2008
elections.”
—John
L. Allen Jr., NCR and CNN senior Vatican
correspondent,
Amazon |
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Happiness Is a Serious
Problem: A Human Nature Repair Manual
by Dennis Prager.
In this unique blend of self-help and moral
philosophy, talk-radio host Dennis Prager
asserts that we're actually obligated to be
happy, because it makes us better people.
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Praying With Frederic Ozanam (Companions for the Journey Series)
- Paperback, by Ronald Cm Ramson (Author) |
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Praying With Louise De Marillac (Companions for the Journey Series)
by Audrey Gibson (Author), Kieran Kneaves
(Author) |
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Praying with Vincent de Paul (Companions for the
Journey)
2004, by Thomas McKenna
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The Rise of Christianity: How the Obscure, Marginal, Jesus Movement Became the Dominant Religious Force ....
(Paperback)
by
Rodney Stark (Author)
From the Publisher |
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"... this account of Christianity's remarkable
growth within the Roman Empire is already the
subject of much fanfare. "Anyone who
has puzzled over Christianity's rise to
dominance... must read it," ...
Read
the first page. |
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Living Liturgy: Spirituality, Celebration, and Catechesis for Sundays and Solemnities - Year B - 2009
by C.PP.S. Joyce Ann
Zimmerman (Author), Thomas A. Greisen (Author),
S.N.D. de N. Kathleen Harmon (Author), M.S.
Thomas L. Leclerc (Author) |
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"Perfect for home use or to prepare for weekly
liturgy . . . It includes help for the
celebration, ideas for catechesis on the
particular event, and ways to understand the
readings more deeply. Finally, it includes
sample questions from which priests, deacons,
lay groups, ministers and others can jump off
into deeper discussion." |
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Straight Answers, Answers to 100 Questions about
the Catholic Faith
by Ph.D Rev. William P.
Saunders (Author)
Review by:
Reverend William G. Curlin Bishop of Charlotte
Straight Answers offers Catholics a simple and
direct response |
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to the many questions
concerning the Catholic Church. It spells out
profound truths in very simple language for all
who seek a better understanding of their Faith.
I highly recommend it for Catholics, both young
and old. |
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The Power of Intention: Learning to Co-create Your World Your Way
From Amazon: |
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After years of spiritual study and reflection,
inspirational speaker and bestselling
author Wayne Dyer has emerged a highly esteemed
teacher. His current message about tapping into
the power of intention may sound like good old
positive thinking: just stay focused on what you
want, rather than focusing on the lack of having
what you want. But the teaching here goes deeper
than just controlling thoughts (although he does
acknowledge that thought control is a
surprisingly challenging and significant
endeavor).
This book might
help readers land a better job, but it's more
relevant for those who are ready to detach from
an ego-driven life filled with quick fixes of
happiness and step into a more authentic,
joyful, and spiritually fulfilling life. His
core teachings speak to tapping into a universal
source of energy that can also be called the
"power of intention." |
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The Chariot of Israel: Exploits of the Prophet of Elijah
THE CHARIOT OF ISRAEL: When Elijah was caught up
to heaven, his disciple Elisha cried out, "the
chariot of Israel, and its horsemen." Elisha was
referring not to the chariot but to the prophet.
This study of Elijah’s life will captivate you
as |
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it walks you through a
pivotal period in Israel’s history, and
illustrative maps will give you a better
picture of the physical geography of this
ancient land. |
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The First Book of Kings (Cambridge Bible Commentaries on the Old Testament) This
volume of commentary on the New English Bible text of the First Book of Kings
follows the pattern of the now well-established series on the Old and New
Testaments. The main divisions of the text are those provided |
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by the New English Bible
itself, but these are further subdivided for the
purposes of the commentary, which is printed in
short sections following the relevant portion of
the text.
Canon Robinson suggests that the editors of I
Kings compiled their history in order to teach
the Hebrews that their existence as Israel, the
covenant people of God, depended upon their
continuing loyalty to their own religious
traditions, and their refusal to exchange them
for the very different traditions of the
Canaanites among whom they lived.
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I & II Samuel: A Commentary (Old Testament Library)
First sentence in
the book:
""THE BOOKS OF SAMUEL contain that
part of the history of Israel which describes
the foundation of the State, running from the
close of the period of the Judges to the
establishment of the united kingdom." |
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Read more about the Liturgical Year |
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The Origins of the Liturgical Year (Pueblo
Books)
by
Thomas J. Talley
(Author) The Rev. Dr.
Thomas J. Talley, Professor of Liturgics
at the General Theological Seminary in New
York, is one of the leading liturgists in
the country. He gives us a fresh
examination of the complex history of the
Liturgical Year. |
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The Cultural World of Jesus: Sunday by Sunday, Cycle C. (Bestseller! the Cultural World of Jesus: Sunday by Sunday)
by
John J. Pilch (Author)
Reader
Review: The book by Pilch provides those
who not only fill the pulpits across this
country but also all interested in the |
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cultural world in which Jesus lived with a lot
of pertinent information that sheds light on a
lot of areas that have been "muddled" in the
past. Yes, I highly recommend this book. -
James Mauldin |
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Learn more and read the Old Testament. |
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Preaching from the Old Testament
by Elizabeth Achtemeier (Author) Reader
Review: The author of these
thirty-two short chapters begins and ends
with the assumption that problems we
experience with the Old Testament are our
problem, not the Bible's. This
subordinating of the Bible reader to the
well-weathered book he holds in his hand
opens doors, not to forced
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harmonisations
of problematic passages, but to fresh
reappraisal of difficult texts on their
own terms. -
David A. Baer |
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The Navarre Bible: Pentateuch (The Navarre Bible: Old Testament)
This volume helps you make the first five
books of the Old Testament a vital part of
your spiritual reading and practical
growth in the Christian life. It contains
the full English and Latin texts of these
books, along with extensive and
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faithfully Catholic
commentaries. Like other volumes in the
world-renowned Navarre Bible series, these
commentaries draw on Church documents, the
exegesis of Fathers and Doctors of the Church, and the works of contemporary
spiritual writers — particularly St. Josemaría
Escrivá, who initiated the Navarre Bible
project. |
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Comments and
Suggestions are Most Welcome.
If you have any
comments or contributions, please
use the form in this link.
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Comments and Suggestions are Most Welcome.
If you have any comments or contributions,
please
use the form in this link.
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Rey
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