This year, the anniversary of the death of St. John Paul II falls on the exact day he died 11 years ago, Easter Saturday, (First Saturday) and the day before Divine Mercy Sunday.

Start a novena either on Holy Thursday or Good Friday.

Novena Prayer to St. John Paul II

Oh, St. John Paul, from the window of heaven, grant us your blessing! Bless the church that you loved and served and guided, courageously leading it along the paths of the world in order to bring Jesus to everyone and everyone to Jesus. Bless the young, who were your great passion. Help them dream again, help them look up high again to find the light that illuminates the paths of life here on earth.

May you bless families, bless each family! You warned of Satan’s assault against this precious and indispensable divine spark that God lit on earth. St. John Paul, with your prayer, may you protect the family and every life that blossoms from the family.

Pray for the whole world, which is still marked by tensions, wars and injustice. You tackled war by invoking dialogue and planting the seeds of love: pray for us so that we may be tireless sowers of peace.

Oh St. John Paul, from heaven’s window, where we see you next to Mary, send God’s blessing down upon us all. Amen.(mention your intentions here)

Litany to Saint John Paul II

Kyrie eleison; Kyrie eleison
Christe eleison; Christe eleison
Kyrie eleison; Kyrie eleison
Christ hear us, Christ graciously hear us
God the Father of heaven, have mercy on us
God the Son, Redeemer of the world, have mercy on us
God the Holy Spirit, have mercy on us
Holy Trinity, one God, have mercy on us
Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us
St. John Paul II, pray for us
Perfect disciple of Christ, pray for us
Generously gifted with the gifts of the Holy Spirit; pray for us
Great apostle of Divine Mercy; pray for us
Faithful Son of Mary; pray for us
Totally dedicated to the Mother of God; pray for us
Persevering preacher of the Gospel; pray for us
Pilgrim Pope; pray for us
Pope of the Millennium; pray for us
Model of industry; pray for us
Model of priests; pray for us
Drawing strength from the Eucharist; pray for us
Untiring man of prayer; pray for us
Lover of the rosary; pray for us
Strength of those doubting their faith; pray for us
Desiring to unite all those who believe in Christ; pray for us
Converter of sinners; pray for us
Defender of the dignity of every person; pray for us
Defender of life from conception to natural death; pray for us
Praying for the gift of parenthood for the infertile; pray for us
Friend of children; pray for us
Leader of youth; pray for us
Intercessor of families, pray for us
Comforter of the suffering; pray for us
Manly bearing his pain; pray for us
Sower of divine joy; pray for us
Great intercessor for peace; pray for us
Pride of the Polish nation; pray for us
Brilliance of the Holy Church; pray for us
That we may be faithful imitators of Christ; pray for us
That we may be strong with the power of the Holy Spirit;
pray for us
That we may have trust in the Mother of God; pray for us
That we may grow in our faith, hope, and charity; pray for us
That we may live in peace in our families; pray for us
That we may know how to forgive; pray for us
That we may know how to bear suffering; pray for us
That we may not succumb to the culture of death; pray for us
That we may not be afraid and courageously fight off various
temptations; pray for us
That he would intercede for us the grace of a happy death; pray
for us
Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, spare us, O
Lord
Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, graciously
hear us, O Lord
Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, have mercy
on us
Pray for us, Saint John Paul II, That we
may become worthy of the promises of Christ. AMEN

PRAYER FOR THE SICK

Saint John Paul, you invited us to look at the difficult situations in our lives from the perspective of faith, so as to see the mystery of pain’s contribution to our lives. In Jesus, who suffered with us and for us, you have taught us to find meaning and value in the physical and psychological ills that often fill our days and nights.  We pray for all those who have suffered the effects of war and for those who carry the burden of illness for a lifetime. We entrust to your prayers those who are in hospitals and nursing homes; people who are disabled or emotionally disturbed; men, women and children who have a terminal illness and who live the Calvary of suffering and loneliness.  May those who accompany and care for the sick find their hearts expanded by love.  May they recognize in the sick the presence of the poor, crucified Christ.  We pray for those who have turned their back on God and faith because of the seemingly unanswerable question of suffering, that they might discover that the mystery of pain can only be understood in Jesus Christ who reveals to us most deeply who we are.  In their pain, may they hear the words of the Master: “Follow me.” AMEN. (mention those whom you are praying for who are ill and/or suffering) 

Imprimatur: Sean Cardinal O’Malley, O.F.M. Cap., Archbishop of Boston

Start Good Friday, March 25, 2016

The Chaplet of The Divine Mercy Novena**

(1) say the novena prayer for the day

(2) then pray the Chaplet

**How to pray the Chaplet: http://www.praydivineMercy.com/

OUR LORD’S PROMISES ATTACHED TO THE
PRAYING OF THE CHAPLET OF DIVINE MERCY
AS REVEALED TO ST. FAUSTINA KOWALSKA

1. “The souls that say this chaplet will be embraced by My Mercy during their lifetime and especially at the hour of their death.” (Diary, 754)
   2. “When hardened sinners say it, I will fill their souls with peace, and the hour of their death will be a happy one.” (Diary, 1541)
   3. “When they say this chaplet in the presence of the dying, I will stand between My Father and the dying person, not as a just Judge but as a Merciful Savior.” (Diary, 1541)
   4. “Whoever will recite it will receive great Mercy at the hour of death.” (Diary, 687)
   5. “Priests will recommend it to sinners as their last hope of salvation. Even if there were a sinner most hardened, if he were to recite this chaplet only once, he would receive grace from My infinite Mercy….I desire to grant unimaginable graces to those souls who trust in My Mercy.” (Diary, 687)
   6. “To priests who proclaim and extol My Mercy, I will give wondrous power; I will anoint their words and touch the hearts of those to whom they will speak.” (Diary, 1521)
   7. “The prayer most pleasing to Me is prayer for the conversion for sinners. Know, my daughter, that this prayer is always heard and answered.” (Diary, 1397)
   8. “At three o’clock, implore My Mercy, especially for sinners; and, if only for a brief moment, immerse yourself in My Passion, particularly in My abandonment at the moment of agony….I will refuse nothing to the soul that makes a request of Me in virtue of My Passion.” (Diary, 1320; also, cf. Diary, 1572)
   9. “Souls who spread the honor of My Mercy…at the hour of death I will not be a Judge for them, but the Merciful Savior.” (Diary, 1075)
   10. “I promise that the soul that will venerate this image (of the Divine Mercy) will not perish.” (Diary, 48)….“The two rays denote Blood and Water….These two rays issued from the very depths of My tender Mercy when My agonized Heart was opened by a lance on the Cross. These rays shield souls from the wrath of My Father.” (Diary, 299)
   11. “I desire that the Feast of Mercy…be solemnly celebrated on the first Sunday after Easter….The soul that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion (in a state of grace on this day) shall obtain complete forgiveness of sins and punishment.” (Diary, 699)
   12. “Through this chaplet you will obtain everything, if what you ask for is compatible with My will.” (Diary, 1731)
   Excerpts taken from the Diary of St. Faustina Kowalska, titled Divine Mercy in My Soul, ©1987, Congregation of
   Marians of the Immaculate Conception, Stockbridge, MA 01263.

http://fathersofMercy.com/wp-content/uploads/Divine-Mercy-Chaplet-Promises-Attached-To.pdf

First Day:  Good Friday, March 25

Today bring to Me ALL MANKIND, ESPECIALLY ALL SINNERS, and immerse them in the ocean of My Mercy. In this way you will console Me in the bitter grief into which the loss of souls plunges Me.
Most Merciful Jesus, whose very nature it is to have compassion on us and to forgive us, do not look upon our sins but upon our trust which we place in Your infinite goodness. Receive us all into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart, and never let us escape from It. We beg this of You by Your love which unites You to the Father and the Holy Spirit. 

Eternal Father, turn Your Merciful gaze upon all mankind and especially upon poor sinners, all enfolded in the Most Compassionate Heart of Jesus. For the sake of His sorrowful Passion show us Your Mercy, that we may praise the omnipotence of Your Mercy for ever and ever. Amen.

Second Day:  Holy Saturday, March 26
Today bring to Me THE SOULS OF PRIESTS AND RELIGIOUS, and immerse them in My unfathomable Mercy. It was they who gave Me strength to endure My bitter Passion. Through them as through channels My Mercy flows out upon mankind. Most Merciful Jesus, from whom comes all that is good, increase Your grace in men and women consecrated to Your service,* that they may perform worthy works of Mercy; and that all who see them may glorify the Father of Mercy who is in heaven. Eternal Father, turn Your Merciful gaze upon the company of chosen ones in Your vineyard—upon the souls of priests and religious; and endow them with the strength of Your blessing. For the love of the Heart of Your Son in which they are enfolded, impart to them Your power and light, that they may be able to guide others in the way of salvation and with one voice sing praise to Your boundless Mercy for ages without end. Amen.

Third Day:  Easter Sunday, March 27
Today bring to Me ALL DEVOUT AND FAITHFUL SOULS, and immerse then in the ocean of My Mercy. The souls brought Me consolation on the Way of the Cross. They were that drop of consolation in the midst of an ocean of bitterness.
Most Merciful Jesus, from the treasury of Your Mercy, You impart Your graces in great abundance to each and all. Receive us into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart and never let us escape from It. We beg this grace of You by that most wonderous love for the heavenly Father with which Your Heart burns so fiercely. Eternal Father, turn Your Merciful gaze upon faithful souls, as upon the inheritance of Your Son. For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, grant them Your blessing and surround them with Your constant protection. Thus may they never fail in love or lose the treasure of the holy faith, but rather, with all the hosts of Angels and Saints, may they glorify Your boundless Mercy for endless ages. Amen.

Fourth Day:  EASTER MONDAY March 28

Today bring to Me THOSE WHO DO NOT BELIEVE IN GOD AND THOSE WHO DO NOT YET KNOW ME. I was thinking also of them during My bitter Passion, and their future zeal comforted My Heart. Immerse them in the ocean of My Mercy. Most compassionate Jesus, You are the Light of the whole world. Receive into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart the souls of those who do not believe in God and of those who as yet do not know You. Let the rays of Your grace enlighten them that they, too, together with us, may extol Your wonderful Mercy; and do not let them escape from the abode which is Your Most Compassionate Heart. Eternal Father, turn Your Merciful gaze upon the souls of those who do not believe in You, and of those who as yet do not know You, but who are enclosed in the Most Compassionate Heart of Jesus. Draw them to the light of the Gospel. These souls do not know what great happiness it is to love You. Grant that they, too, may extol the generosity of Your Mercy for endless ages. Amen.

Fifth Day:  EASTER TUESDAY March 29
Today bring to Me THE SOULS OF THOSE WHO HAVE SEPARATED THEMSELVES FROM MY CHURCH,* and immerse them in the ocean of My Mercy. During My bitter Passion they tore at My Body and Heart, that is, My Church. As they return to unity with the Church, My wounds heal and in this way they alleviate My Passion. Most Merciful Jesus, Goodness Itself, You do not refuse light to those who seek it of You. Receive into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart the souls of those who have separated themselves from Your Church. Draw them by Your light into the unity of the Church, and do not let them escape from the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart; but bring it about that they, too, come to glorify the generosity of Your Mercy. 

Eternal Father, turn Your Merciful gaze upon the souls of those who have separated themselves from Your Son’s Church, who have squandered Your blessings and misused Your graces by obstinately persisting in their errors. Do not look upon their errors, but upon the love of Your own Son and upon His bitter Passion, which He underwent for their sake, since they, too, are enclosed in His Most Compassionate Heart. Bring it about that they also may glorify Your great Mercy for endless ages. Amen.

Sixth Day  EASTER WED. March 30

Today bring to Me THE MEEK AND HUMBLE SOULS AND THE SOULS OF LITTLE CHILDREN, and immerse them in My Mercy. These souls most closely resemble My Heart. They strengthened Me during My bitter agony. I saw them as earthly Angels, who will keep vigil at My altars. I pour out upon them whole torrents of grace. Only the humble soul is capable of receiving My grace. I favor humble souls with My confidence.
Most Merciful Jesus, You yourself have said, “Learn from Me for I am meek and humble of heart.” Receive into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart all meek and humble souls and the souls of little children. These souls send all heaven into ecstasy and they are the heavenly Father’s favorites. They are a sweet-smelling bouquet before the throne of God; God Himself takes delight in their fragrance. These souls have a permanent abode in Your Most Compassionate Heart, O Jesus, and they unceasingly sing out a hymn of love and Mercy. Eternal Father, turn Your Merciful gaze upon meek souls, upon humble souls, and upon little children who are enfolded in the abode which is the Most Compassionate Heart of Jesus. These souls bear the closest resemblance to Your Son. Their fragrance rises from the earth and reaches Your very throne. Father of Mercy and of all goodness, I beg You by the love You bear these souls and by the delight You take in them: Bless the whole world, that all souls together may sing out the praises of Your Mercy for endless ages. Amen.

Seventh Day:  EASTER THURSDAY March 31

Today bring to Me THE SOULS WHO ESPECIALLY VENERATE AND GLORIFY MY MERCY,* and immerse them in My Mercy. These souls sorrowed most over my Passion and entered most deeply into My spirit. They are living images of My Compassionate Heart. These souls will shine with a special brightness in the next life. Not one of them will go into the fire of hell. I shall particularly defend each one of them at the hour of death. Most Merciful Jesus, whose Heart is Love Itself, receive into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart the souls of those who particularly extol and venerate the greatness of Your Mercy. These souls are mighty with the very power of God Himself. In the midst of all afflictions and adversities they go forward, confident of Your Mercy; and united to You, O Jesus, they carry all mankind on their shoulders. These souls will not be judged severely, but Your Mercy will embrace them as they depart from this life. Eternal Father, turn Your Merciful gaze upon the souls who glorify and venerate Your greatest attribute, that of Your fathomless Mercy, and who are enclosed in the Most Compassionate Heart of Jesus. These souls are a living Gospel; their hands are full of deeds of Mercy, and their hearts, overflowing with joy, sing a canticle of Mercy to You, O Most High! I beg You O God: Show them Your Mercy according to the hope and trust they have placed in You. Let there be accomplished in them the promise of Jesus, who said to them that during their life, but especially at the hour of death, the souls who will venerate this fathomless Mercy of His, He, Himself, will defend as His glory. Amen.

Eighth Day:  EASTER FRIDAY, April 1 (also First Friday)
Today bring to Me THE SOULS WHO ARE DETAINED IN PURGATORY, and immerse them in the abyss of My Mercy. Let the torrents of My Blood cool down their scorching flames. All these souls are greatly loved by Me. They are making retribution to My justice. It is in your power to bring them relief. Draw all the indulgences from the treasury of My Church and offer them on their behalf. Oh, if you only knew the torments they suffer, you would continually offer for them the alms of the spirit and pay off their debt to My justice. Most Merciful Jesus, You Yourself have said that You desire Mercy; so I bring into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart the souls in Purgatory, souls who are very dear to You, and yet, who must make retribution to Your justice. May the streams of Blood and Water which gushed forth from Your Heart put out the flames of Purgatory, that there, too, the power of Your Mercy may be celebrated. Eternal Father, turn Your Merciful gaze upon the souls suffering in Purgatory, who are enfolded in the Most Compassionate Heart of Jesus. I beg You, by the sorrowful Passion of Jesus Your Son, and by all the bitterness with which His most sacred Soul was flooded: Manifest Your Mercy to the souls who are under Your just scrutiny. Look upon them in no other way but only through the Wounds of Jesus, Your dearly beloved Son; for we firmly believe that there is no limit to Your goodness and compassion. Amen.

Ninth Day:  EASTER SATURDAY, April 2, also First Saturday and the eleventh anniversary of the death of St. John Paul II
Today bring to Me SOULS WHO HAVE BECOME LUKEWARM,* and immerse them in the abyss of My Mercy. These souls wound My Heart most painfully. My soul suffered the most dreadful loathing in the Garden of Olives because of lukewarm souls. They were the reason I cried out: ‘Father, take this cup away from Me, if it be Your will.’ For them, the last hope of salvation is to run to My Mercy. Most compassionate Jesus, You are Compassion Itself. I bring lukewarm souls into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart. In this fire of Your pure love, let these tepid souls, who, like corpses, filled You with such deep loathing, be once again set aflame. O Most Compassionate Jesus, exercise the omnipotence of Your Mercy and draw them into the very ardor of Your love, and bestow upon them the gift of holy love, for nothing is beyond Your power. Eternal Father, turn Your Merciful gaze upon lukewarm souls who are nonetheless enfolded in the Most Compassionate Heart of Jesus. Father of Mercy, I beg You by the bitter Passion of Your Son and by His three-hour agony on the Cross: Let them, too, glorify the abyss of Your Mercy. Amen.

POTENT MESSAGES FROM OUR BLESSED MOTHER

Extraordinary messages

Two major apparitions that began the same year had potent messages most relevant to our times. Though in remote outbacks, she said her messages were “for the whole world.”

Start with this:

True joy comes in closeness with Christ.

Riches of spirit are the only real wealth. All else is fool’s gold. So was a message from the Blessed Mother in eastern Africa.

It can’t be said enough during this deceived, gilded time.

Poverty? Riches? At this site, Kibeho in Rwanda — a Church-approved apparition that began in November 1981, in one of the poorest places on earth (chosen, said Mary, precisely because it was still pure) — she explained why some who pay little or no attention to goodness, charity, and God often seem to do just fine, even magnificently so. Atheists can be celebrities, leaders, beauty queens, billionaires. Why is that? How?

“The devil places no obstacles,” said Mary at Kibeho, “on the road to darkness.”

We are confused, she said, at how “those who follow Jesus may receive poverty while those who don’t may be rich.”

But we must remember, she reminds us, that “they are rewarded only on this earth and one day will lose everything.”

She warns against those “using deviousness to succeed.”

“The one who takes the road to hell will walk with no difficulty, yet he will suffer once for all his evil, and this will last forever.”

Find unity with God. Currently, said the Blessed Mother, we are “distracted by earthly goods and desires,” though “time is short.”

“Man is chasing the wind,” she warned — at this place of many forewarnings. “Some do not believe in Heaven. They say the only Heaven is on this earth. The only poverty is the lack of Grace that leads to the Lord.”

It is a time of battle with the devil. Only with prayer and fasting is he driven off, she said. In fact “every attack from Satan,” said Mary, can be warded off with prayer and sacrifice.

“The one who turns to God in this life can shorten and even avoid his time in purgatory,” said the Virgin of the Word, as she is known there. “Each one of you must give an account of what was entrusted to you. Those who go to Heaven are those who struggled to get there.”

The lives of priests and religious, she consoles, is “especially demanding and comprised of many difficulties.” (Yet, more the potential for Grace.)

“If the Son of God suffered in this world,” asked Mary, “why would you try to escape your suffering? Stop clinging to all that is bothering you and depriving you of peace. In suffering, let there be joy. Blessed is the one who is an instrument for me. I will reward him with Heaven. All the trials he has to endure will end one day”

“There is no one who doesn’t suffer in this world,” she further explicated. “The poor man suffers because of his poverty, the rich man suffers because of the worries that come with his riches. How humans deceive themselves. We think, that person is so rich, but — the person’s soul is empty.”

As we approach major changes, it is a “time of trials,” she said in this hilly terrain west of Kigali — soon to be a horrid war zone, a place of AIDS and genocide.

This is a totally Church-approved apparition, the sanction of authenticity announced from Rome itself (under the pontificate of Pope John Paul II and from Cardinal Ratzinger’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith).

Ask for the strength and knowledge to understand what is expected from you; many want to reach Heaven but do not have the strength to ask. “I will teach you to pray,” she promised, “from the bottom of your heart.”

We must all care for each other, rich or poor, good or bad: “Be patient with all people, because God is patient with you. Don’t work for the things of this world, since they do not belong to you.”

“You are all taking the same trip, so help each other.”

Each day do well what God has asked of you. Have faith in everything, even sickness!

“For those who have been declared ‘incurable,’ nothing is healthier than a soul at peace,” said Mary, in a way a doctor can’t. “There is no greater wealth than that of a pure heart.” Trials and suffering help us pray better, explained the Virgin of Kibeho: “aim with your strength to the tree of life.”

“You must love each other and not hold onto anger. A small seed of anger can grow into a great tree of hatred. Pardon those who have hurt you.”

“Those who love to wear flashy clothes try to please men, but aim only to please God. Despite your beautiful clothes, you will always be naked before God. You who pride yourselves on beauty should humble yourselves. Your beauty comes only from God.”

“One day soon God will take it all back.”

“God has placed us on this earth to do His Will.”

“The one who trusts in Me will lack nothing. Follow only one road, not two.”

“I will acknowledge the one in Heaven who acknowledges Me on earth,” said Jesus — when He too allegedly appeared to a seer in Rwanda.

At Medjugorje — in then-Yugoslavia (a Communist nation that jailed the seers, and which preceded Kibeho by several months, beginning June 24, 1981, though it is not yet approved by the Church), Mary has likewise said that this is a “special time” and warned: “You are creating a new world without God, only with your own strength, and that is why you are dissatisfied and have no joy in your hearts.”

Think about it.

Cogitate.

Take it to the desert.

Fasting is spiritual hygiene while lust is the thrust of the flesh

“I want you to comprehend,” she said at Medjugorje, “that God has chosen each one of you in order to use you in His great plan for mankind. You are not able to comprehend how great your role is in God’s design. Therefore. dear children, pray, so that in prayer you may be able to comprehend what God’s Plan is in your regard.”

In a further comment on prayer, the Virgin of Kibeho said: “You must tell God yourself. Hold back nothing. God knows your every action and your every thought. But you must tell Him yourself — all the transgressions of body, mind, and spirit. Ask for God’s forgiveness from the bottom of your heart. If you seek it sincerely, He will forgive you. This way, my children, the sins you carry will not distract you. Pray to Him fervently. Fast for His blessing. Then you too must ask God to offer forgiveness to all those who have trespassed against you, all who have given you suffering or insult or injury and ask God to bless them and help them. Your prayers have no meaning if they do not come from the depths of your heart. When you lack the strength to pray, pray for my help and I will offer you strength.”

The fruit of prayer is love; the fruit of love is forgiveness; the fruit of forgiveness, she has said, is peace.

[resources: Our Lady of Kibeho, The Medjugorje Fasting Book, and Our Lady Speaks]

From :spiritdaily.comhttp://spiritdaily.com/kibehomedj.htm

Eyes That Are Seeing

By Bishop James Conley on Mar 17, 2016 02:23 pm

The 19th-century poet Charles Warren Stoddard wrote a poem, “Stigmata,” which I often reflect on during Holy Week. The second stanza is striking:

They have crucified Thee for a token,
For a token Thy flesh crucified
Shall bleed in a heart that is broken
For love of the wound in Thy side;
In pity for palms that were pleading,
For feet that were grievously used,
There is blood on the brow that is bleeding
And torn, as Thy brow that was bruised!
By Thee have we life, breath, and being;
Thou hast knowledge of us and our kind;
Thou hast pleasure of eyes that are seeing,
And sorrow of eyes that are blind;
By the seal of the mystery shown us—
The wound that with Thy wounds accord—
O Lord, have mercy upon us!
Have mercy upon us, O Lord.

By Jesus Christ, “we have life, breath, and being.” God offers us life in this world, and eternal life, with him, forever. God offers us mercy from our sins: freedom and forgiveness—new life, new breath, and a new kind of being.

But God’s mercy comes to us at a price. Christ became a man in order to overcome the chasm of sin separating God and mankind. And Christ suffered, died, and was resurrected in order to conquer death, to bear the consequences of our sin and to make everlasting mercy manifestly possible for each one of us.

Paragraph 616 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church says “It is love ‘to the end’ that confers on Christ’s sacrifice its value as redemption and reparation, as atonement and satisfaction. He knew and loved us all when he offered his life… No man, not even the holiest, was ever able to take on himself the sins of all men and offer himself as a sacrifice for all. The existence in Christ of the divine person of the Son, who at once surpasses and embraces all human persons, and constitutes himself as the Head of all mankind, makes possible his redemptive sacrifice for all.”

He was crucified: beaten, bleeding, and broken, because of his love for us, and because his crucifixion bore the penalty for our sin.  “The wages of sin is death,” St. Paul tells us, and so Christ took on death, taking on the cost of our sin, so that we could have eternal life.

It is easy, in the busy-ness of ordinary life, to forget what Christ bore for our sake. We often have “eyes that are blind” to the great penalty he paid for us.  Lent is a time to remember Christ’s sacrifice, and during Holy Week, and the Sacred Triduum, we remember it especially. We recall Christ’s sacrifice each year, so that we will not forget the source of God’s mercy.

Since at least the fifth century, in one form or another, the Church has remembered Christ’s passion during the sacred Triduum in a haunting ritual called Tenebrae. Tenebrae is a service of readings and chanted psalms. The Latin word “Tenebrae” simply means “shadows,” because as the Church prays, light is gradually extinguished, reminding us of the darkness of death, into which Christ descended.

Tenebrae is both beautiful and haunting. It is especially beautiful when it is prayed using the rich melodies and customs of the Church’s traditions. As we pray Tenebrae, the Lord reminds us of his mercy, and gives us “eyes that are seeing.” Through these ancient liturgical rituals, we somehow get a glimpse, an insight, into the incomprehensible mysteries that surround us during this holiest time of the liturgical year.

The seminarians of St. Gregory the Great will pray Tenebrae on Holy Saturday in the Cathedral of the Risen Christ. They will call to mind the passion of Jesus Christ. They will do so with great beauty, with deep faith and with solemn reverence. I invite the faithful from across the Diocese of Lincoln to join me and our seminarians in this ancient prayer of the Church at 8:30 a.m. on Holy Saturday, March 26, at the Cathedral of the Risen Christ.

Whether or not you pray Tenebrae during this Holy Week, I pray that you set aside time to reflect on the gift of God’s mercy, and on the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. I pray that Christ give you new life and breath, and that you know the mercy of God, and you know its source: Jesus Christ, who heals our wounds with his wounds, and gives us life by conquering death.