October 20, 2008
Optional Memorial of St. Paul of the Cross, priest
Theme: The Passion, suffering and illness
Optional Memorial of St. Paul of the Cross, priest
Theme: The Passion, suffering and illness
Composed Prayer:
St. Paul of the Cross, you found great meaning in the suffering of Jesus on the cross and led your brother priests in preaching the redemptive qualities of human suffering – which brings us closer to God through His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. You were a hospital chaplain and prayed with the sick and dying that they might use their suffering to better understand the Passion and the loving sacrifice of Christ. Pray for us that we may have the strength to offer our suffering up for God’s intentions and use it to bring us into greater communion with Christ, who suffered and died for our sins. Pray for those friends, family, and neighbors we know to be suffering in some way – that they be healed and comforted and also that they are able to develop a better relationship with God through their pain.
Prayer Intentions:
St. Paul of the Cross, pray for the health of ______.
~*~
Responsorial Psalm:
R. The Lord made us, we belong to him.
~*~
Apostle’s Creed:
I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of Heaven and earth;
and in Jesus Christ, His only Son Our Lord,
Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended into Hell; the third day He rose again from the dead;
He ascended into Heaven, and sitteth at the right hand of God, the Father almighty; from thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body and life everlasting.
Amen.
~*~
Guardian Angel Prayer:
Angel of God, my guardian dear,
To whom His love commits me here,
Ever this day be at my side,
To light and guard,
To rule and guide.
Amen.
Tell the children that it is because God loves them so much that He sends an Angel to watch over them. Talking about the Guardian Angel a little every day, and of his presence, leads naturally to telling how God Himself is always here.
~*~
Prayer to St. Michael the Archangel:
Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle.
Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil.
May God rebuke him, we humbly pray; and do Thou, O Prince of the Heavenly Host - by the Divine Power of God - cast into hell, Satan and all the evil spirits, who roam throughout the world seeking the ruin of souls.
Amen.
~*~
Rosary:
The Sorrowful Mysteries
Start by making the sign of the Cross. Then recite the Creed:
I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of Heaven and earth;
and in Jesus Christ, His only Son Our Lord,
Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended into Hell; the third day He rose again from the dead;
He ascended into Heaven, and sitteth at the right hand of God, the Father almighty; from thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body and life everlasting.
Amen.
Then say 1 "Our Father", 3 "Hail Mary's" for the virtues of Faith, Hope and Charity; and then 1 "Glory Be".
The First Sorrowful Mystery
THE AGONY IN THE GARDEN
Jesus comes with his disciples to Gethsemani: "Stay here, while I go yonder and pray."
Entering the garden with Peter, James, and John, Jesus prays, "My soul is sorrowful unto death."
Jesus sees the sins of all mankind, whose guilt He has taken upon Himself.
He sees the wrath of the Father which His sufferings must appease.
So great is his anguish that His sweat becomes as drops of blood falling to the ground.
An angel appears to Him from heaven to strengthen Him.
"Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet, not My will but Yours be done."
Finding the disciples asleep: "Could you not watch one hour with me?"
Jesus is betrayed by Judas, cruelly bound and led away.
Father, by the merits of the agony of Jesus in the Garden, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
Spiritual Fruit: God's Will be done
O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fire of hell, lead all souls to heaven, especially those who are in most need of Thy mercy.
The Second Sorrowful Mystery
THE SCOURGING AT THE PILLAR
Jesus is taken before the High Priest where He is falsely accused, buffeted and insulted.
The Jewish leaders take Jesus before Pilate, for only he can impose the death penalty.
The robber, Barabbas, is preferred to Jesus.
Pilate can "find no cause in Him", yet to appease the Jews, he orders Jesus to be scourged.
The scourge is made of leather thongs to which are attached small sharp bones.
Jesus is bound to a pillar and cruelly scourged until His whole body is covered with deep wounds.
The Lamb of God offers His suffering for the sins of mankind.
Jesus suffers so much in His sacred flesh to satisfy, especially, for sins of the flesh.
The prophesy of Isiah is fulfilled: "He was wounded for our iniquities, He was bruised for our sins."
Father, by the merits of Jesus in this painful scourging, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
Spiritual Fruit: Mortification of the senses
O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fire of hell, lead all souls to heaven, especially those who are in most need of Thy mercy.
The Third Sorrowful Mystery
THE CROWNING WITH THORNS
Pilate asks, "Are You a king?" Jesus answers: "I am a King, but My kingdom is not of this world."
In the praetorium, the soldiers place an old purple robe on Jesus in mockery of His claim to be a king.
They fashion a crown out of thorns, and forcefully press it down upon His head.
In His bound hands they place a reed, as a sceptre, in mockery of His kingship.
Kneeling before Him in derision, they spit on Him, and cry out: "Hail, King of the Jews!"
Taking the reed from His hand they strike Him on the head, driving the thorns more deeply into His scalp.
Pilate brings Jesus before the people, hoping His pitiful sight will soften them: "Behold the man!"
Their response: "Crucify Him! Crucify Him!"
Our Blessed Lord submitted to this terrible humiliation to make reparation for our pride.
Father, by the merits of this painful humiliation, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
Spiritual Fruit: Reign of Christ in our heart
O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fire of hell, lead all souls to heaven, especially those who are in most need of Thy mercy.
The Fourth Sorrowful Mystery
THE CARRYING OF THE CROSS
One condemned to death by crucifixion is forced to carry the cross to the place of execution.
The suffering of Jesus is intense as the cross is laid on His bruised and wounded back and shoulders.
Weak and exhausted from loss of blood, lack of food and rest, Jesus falls three times under the cross.
Jesus meets His afflicted Mother causing untold anguish in the Hearts of Son and Mother.
The countenance of Jesus is disfigured with blood and sweat, with dust and spittle.
Veronica wipes His face, leaving on her towel the image of His countenance.
Fearing that Jesus might die on the way, the soldiers force Simon of Cyrene to carry the cross behind Jesus.
Jesus speaks to weeping women; "Weep not for Me, but for yourselves and your children."
"If anyone is to be My disciple, let him take up his cross and follow Me."
Father, by the merits of this painful journey to Calvary, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
Spiritual Fruit: Patient bearing of trials
O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fire of hell, lead all souls to heaven, especially those who are in most need of Thy mercy.
The Fifth Sorrowful Mystery
THE CRUCIFIXION
The hands and feet of Jesus are nailed to the cross in the presence of His afflicted Mother.
"Father, forgive them for they know not what they do."
"This day you will be with Me in paradise."
"Woman, behold your Son. Son, behold your Mother."
"My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?"
"I thirst."
"It is finished."
"Father, into Your hands I commend My spirit."
The side of Jesus is pierced with a lance. His body is taken down and placed in the arms of His Mother.
Father, by the merits of the crucifixion and death of Jesus, have mercy on us and on the whole world.
Spiritual Fruit: Pardoning of Injuries
O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fire of hell, lead all souls to heaven, especially those who are in most need of Thy mercy.
Hail, holy Queen, mother of mercy, our life, our sweetness, and our hope. To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve. To thee do we send up our sighs mourning and weeping in this valley of tears. Turn then, most gracious advocate, thine eyes of mercy toward us, and after this our exile show us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus. O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary.
Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God.
That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
~*~
Daily Readings:
Reading 1
Eph 2:1-10
Brothers and sisters:
You were dead in your transgressions and sins in which you once lived following the age of this world, following the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the disobedient. All of us once lived among them in the desires of our flesh, following the wishes of the flesh and the impulses, and we were by nature children of wrath, like the rest. But God, who is rich in mercy, because of the great love he had for us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, brought us to life with Christ (by grace you have been saved), raised us up with him, and seated us with him in the heavens in Christ Jesus,
that in the ages to come he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not from you; it is the gift of God; it is not from works, so no one may boast. For we are his handiwork, created in Christ Jesus for good works that God has prepared in advance,
that we should live in them.
Responsorial Psalm
Ps 100:1b-2, 3, 4ab, 4c-5
R. (3b) The Lord made us, we belong to him.
Sing joyfully to the LORD all you lands;
serve the LORD with gladness;
come before him with joyful song.
R. The Lord made us, we belong to him.
Know that the LORD is God;
he made us, his we are;
his people, the flock he tends.
R. The Lord made us, we belong to him.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
his courts with praise.
R. The Lord made us, we belong to him.
Give thanks to him; bless his name, for he is good:
the LORD, whose kindness endures forever,
and his faithfulness, to all generations.
R. The Lord made us, we belong to him.
Gospel
Lk 12:13-21
Someone in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, tell my brother to share the inheritance with me.” He replied to him, “Friend, who appointed me as your judge and arbitrator?” Then he said to the crowd, “Take care to guard against all greed, for though one may be rich, one’s life does not consist of possessions.”
Then he told them a parable. “There was a rich man whose land produced a bountiful harvest. He asked himself, ‘What shall I do, for I do not have space to store my harvest?’ And he said, ‘This is what I shall do: I shall tear down my barns and build larger ones. There I shall store all my grain and other goods and I shall say to myself, “Now as for you, you have so many good things stored up for many years, rest, eat, drink, be merry!” But God said to him, ‘You fool, this night your life will be demanded of you; and the things you have prepared, to whom will they belong?’ Thus will it be for the one who stores up treasure for himself but is not rich in what matters to God.”
~*~
Saint of the Day Biography:
Paul Francis Daneo, founder of the Congregation of the Passion, is considered to be a visionary and mystic in his time. But like us, he was also a seeker, a questioning heart, a man on a lifelong journey of faith that took him inward to the deepest part of his soul and outward as a preacher to the harshest of lands. His journey began and ended at the very same place – at the foot of the Cross, at the place of his beloved Crucified Jesus through whom, for Paul, all love was given, all suffering was transformed, all death was overcome, and all questions would one day be answered.
Paul Daneo was born on January 3, 1694, in Ovada, Italy. Even as a young person, Paul felt strongly connected to God and moved by the passion of Christ.
At the age of 19, Paul’s father wanted him to become a merchant like himself. Marriage was a possibility looming in the future. At times Paul dreamed of becoming a soldier, and even enlisted in the Venetian army when volunteers were requested by the Pope.
But he soon realized that neither the adventure of a military career, the financial promise of the business world, nor the joys and sorrows of marriage were to be his life’s journey. Listening one day to a simple sermon on the sufferings of Jesus, Paul suddenly experienced what he called his “conversion.” He heard the voice of God calling him to a life of the spirit and a path of spiritual rigor.
He spent long hours in prayer, wrestling often with his own inner darkness and fierce temptations, a struggle that continued throughout 40 years of his life. But it was in his connection to the Crucified Jesus that Paul found solace and meaning, and in his meditations on Christ’s passion that new inner directions opened up for Paul. His prayer life became an experience for him of the tremendous love God has for us.
Paul could see how many of his contemporaries did not know that God’s love had not deserted them. The sick, the poor, the ordinary people of his day had few hours of rest, little hope of healing, and lived in crippling fear of war and bloodshed. Few found spiritual strength in the ritualistic services of the Church, which had became increasingly inaccessible to those who were living at the margins of society. It was these abandoned people who Paul wanted to reach, and eventually, it was to their side that Paul traveled long hours throughout the harsh countryside to preach a message of faith, compassion and loving redemption.
Paul had dreamed of gathering companions who would live together in community and promote this new message. But it took from 1720 to 1741—twenty-one years of humble service as a hospital chaplain and traveling preacher combined with quiet perseverance in the face of official Church rejection—for Paul to receive his first papal authority to found his religious order, “The Congregation of the Passion.”
For over 40 years, Paul and his “like-minded companions,” the Passionists, preached the loving memory of the passion and death of Jesus Christ. Paul would challenge his hearers to die a mystical death with Christ so as to rise up with Christ to a life of faith and love. The sick and the poor remained special recipients of Paul’s care, but he would also preach to the clergy and remind them of their obligations to serve the neglected. After many years of preaching, teaching and serving the Passionist community as its founder and leader, Paul died in 1775. His feast day is celebrated in the United States on Oct. 20.
~*~
Reflections on Theme:
“The world lives unmindful of the sufferings of Jesus which are the miracle of miracles of the love of God. We must arouse the world from its slumber.” – St. Paul of the Cross
“Suffering can be of value. It tells me that, given the amount of suffering/passion in the world, it gains currency, and becomes valuable currency, through the Passion of Christ. When St. Paul says he fills up in his body what is lacking to the sufferings of Christ, he is saying he is putting more money in the bank to give added credit value to all the suffering/passion going on in the world. The Passion is a letter of certification that all the suffering going on in the world is constantly accumulating value for an eventual transaction that will enrich us.”
Fr. Sebastian MacDonald, CP, 3.19.08
“Be willing to risk for the sake of good. I am so grateful for the Passion of Jesus for it helps me to make sense of much in my world that confuses, frightens and dismays me. There is so much cruelty, bigotry, self-centeredness! Evil seems so powerful and love so impotent. Yet, when I reflect on his Passion my spirits are lifted. In him there is a love unquenched by evil, unbroken by cruelty and ferocious suffering. The struggles of my world and my own challenges sometimes leaves me feeling weak, empty and without energy. His Passion is a source of courage and willingness to risk for the sake of the good. I can never say thanks enough for His Passion.”
Fr. James Thoman, CP, 3.1.08
“Be in solidarity with those who suffer. ’The Cross, which cries out God’s love for humanity, incarnates Jesus’ plan to bring the good news to the poor and oppressed.’ (Jean-Marc Ela, “Is God Neutral?”) Ela’s statement tells the reality of the cross, which is all about a personal communion with God and all persons who live under the oppressive structures and powers of an unjust society.
Thus, unless I dispose myself to be in authentic solidarity with those who experience such detrimental human realities of oppression, poverty, and violation of their human dignity and rights, my life will not experience the transforming power of Jesus’ cross.
Therefore, it is in and through the tension between oppression and liberation that the cross can effect its transforming power and grace in my life. If I indeed believe that God’s love is incarnated in such a miserable human reality, I should then discover God’s loving and suffering face in the transforming experience of the cross by extending a liberating hand to my sisters and brothers who experience the oppression and suffering of human poverty, hunger, tyranny, and sickness.”
Alfredo Ocampo, CP, 3.16.08
“Strive to have peace even in the face of suffering. To take up Christ’s Cross-that is, to embrace your own cross each day-is a great test of faith. I think the transformation in one’s life comes when you realize that in accepting your own sufferings, you are sharing in Christ’s Cross. Jesus gave up his life. What am I giving up? How can I share in Christ’s salvation if I don’t share in His passion and death? I think this perspective on Jesus’ sacrifice can give you immense courage in facing personal misfortune. I know that anything that does not bring me peace is not of God. So this is what I strive for-to have peace even in the face of suffering. I don’t believe we can ever be happy in our lives (as God wants us to be) until we get rid of our fear of suffering. What a great burden would be lifted from all our shoulders if we let go of our fear of suffering. To embrace Christ on the Cross is to lose that fear because we know what lies at the end of this sacrifice-redemption, salvation, eternal joy. To reach that goal would be truly transformative.”
Marlo Serritella, 2.29.08
“The Cross reminds me this is a God I can trust. The Cross transforms my life because God is not just supernatural and “other.” Jesus participated in life the same way I do-in flesh and blood; joy and sorrow-giving me the perfect example of how to live in right relationship with God, with myself, and with others. The Cross teaches me that “righteousness” is not about following rules to feel good. It’s not about wallowing in guilt and pain either. Life contains times of dying and rising-every day. Jesus shows me how to live and die. Jesus gives me the hope of resurrection and assurance of God’s unconditional love. Nothing in life is more important than my relationship with God. Jesus shows me the way.
The Cross reminds me this is a God I can trust, a God I can let into my consciousness, into my heart-because this God holds nothing back.
Accepting God’s love demands a response. Being God’s beloved creature means acknowledging in humility that only God IS GOD. I am constantly called to repent of other gods I have given allegiance to. I have to give up my rules for God, my feeble attempts to control God. Trusting God completely is terrifying-and life-giving!”
Dianne Cotton, 2.27.08
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