On the 40th Day of Easter

In the Philippines and in some other countries, the celebration of the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord will be transferred to Sunday and it will take the place of the 7th Sunday of Easter. The reason for this is that the Ascension Feast is not a Holy Day of Obligation here and so the Feast is transferred to Sunday when people are obliged to assist at Mass.

I have no objection to celebrating an External Solemnity of the Ascension on Sunday so that more people can participate in it. However, I have issue with not celebrating this Feast on the ACTUAL 40TH DAY OF EASTER. In most parishes today, there is not even a hint that om this day, Christ ascended into heaven. It is as if nothing happened today. Why is that an issue for me?

First of all, the Acts of the Apostles is written: "After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. " (Acts 1:3) The Scriptures testify to the fact that the Ascension happened on the 40th day of the Resurrection. When we do not celebrate the Ascension today (the 40th day) because we will celebrate it on Sunday, then we are giving out the message that Christ our Lord ascended to heaven on the 43rd day of Easter.

Before the Vatican II liturgical reform, the celebration of the external solemnities on Sundays was already practiced. Its purpose was to enable more people to celebrate the mystery in as much as Sunday was an obligatory day for Mass. However, even if there was an external solemnity, still, the Feast of the Ascension was celebrated on Ascension Thursday, which is the actual 40th day. Perhaps, fewer people are able to assist at Mass but at least there was no liturgical denial that the Lord ascended to heaven on the 40th day.

In fact, in the new English Translation of the Roman Missal, the collect for the Vigil Mass of the Ascension reads: "O God, whose Son TODAY ascended to the heavens as the apostles looked on, grant, we pray, that in accordance with his promise, we may be worthy for him to live with us always on earth..." If the Vigil Mass were celebrated on Saturday evening (which would be the eve of the 43rd day), would he really be honest in the prayer if he said "Your Son TODAY ascended to the heavens..."? Of course, the liturgists would appeal to the argument that the prayer refers to the Liturgical Hodie (today) but these are distinctions in theology which the ordinary faithful are not familiar with. The same is said by the Preface of the Ascension: "The Lord Jesus,,,ascended TODAY to the highest heavens..." The same is said by the Solemn Blessing of the Feast: "May the almighty God bless you for ON THIS VERY DAY his only begotten Son pierced the heights of heaven."

I repeat that I do not have any objection to the celebration of an external feast on Sunday for the sake of the people who cannot go to Mass on Ascension Thursday. But let us not liturgically deny on the actual 40th day that Christ ascended to heaven. To my opinion, we have to keep the Feast on the actual 40th day itself.

From Bethlehem to Jerusalem

Praised be Jesus, Mary, and Joseph!

Every first born male in the Jewish society was consecrated to the Lord and was redeemed at the price of a sacrifice of 2 turtle doves. To redeem is to “buy back” the life of the baby boy from God. to understand this, we must recall that blessed night of the Exodus when the angel of death was sent by God to the land of Egypt in order to slay every first-born son throughout the land. To save the Hebrew children, each family killed a lamb and its blood was painted on the lintels of the door of the house. The angel of death passed over that house and so the live of the babies were spared. This is the reason why today, the 40^th day of Christmas, Mary and Joseph went to the temple to present the Baby Jesus to the Lord and to ‘redeem’ his life at the price of the lives of 2 turtle doves.

God presented his Son to his people who waited for the fulfillment of the promise

But at this moment, it was not Mary and Joseph who presented the Baby Jesus to the Lord but it was God who presented his Son to his people who have been waiting for his promised coming. The Holy Spirit pointed the child Jesus to the aged Simeon who recognized him as the Salvation which God has prepared in the sight of all the people…”a light of revelation to the gentiles, and the glory of the people of Israel.” Mary and Joseph will not be permitted to redeem the life of this child who was destined for the rise and fall of many in Israel as he will be a sign that will be contradicted. The turtle doves will not be the sacrifice. It will be the child…the true Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. This child is the Redeemer who will buy us back at the price of his own blood. This child is the Son of God who shares in the blood and flesh of all humanity. His flesh will be sacrificed on the Cross and his blood will be shed. “Through death, he might destroy the devil who has the power of death and free those who through fear of death had been subject to slavery all their life.” (Ginawa niya ito upang sa pamamagitan ng kanyang kamatayan ay maigupo niya ang diyablo na siyang may kapangyarihan sa kamatayan. Sa gayon, pinalaya niyaang lahat ng naging alipin habang panahon dahil sa kanilang takot sa kamatayan.) This child is not only the offering but he is also the “merciful and faithful High Priest” who stands before God to expiate the sins of the people. This child will once again make the sacrifice of Judah and Jerusalem pleasing to the Lord, as in the days of old, as in years gone by.

Today, God presents his Son to his people: here is My Son in whom I am well pleased. Today, God gives us the Lamb for the sacrifice as foretold by Abraham to his son Isaac: “The Lord will provide the Lamb for the sacrifice” (Gen 22:8). This Lamb is his Son, who is enthroned in the arms of Mary the Ark of the Covenant, as he enters the temple. On the day Jesus consummates his sacrifice on the Cross, the great curtain of the Holy of holies will be rent into two for he shall put the temple sacrifices to an end as His sacrifice is the one and only sacrifice that will please the Father. Today, we come to church to meet him who is God, Priest, and Lamb. Our eyes behold him who is like us in every way except in sin. And we rejoice for God has fulfilled his promise. We begin preparing for the sacrifice that he was sent to do. Christmas ends and paves the way for the coming of Lent and the Easter Triduum. The days of feasting come to a close. The days of fasting will draw near. Mary and Joseph left Bethlehem and journeyed to Jerusalem to bring Jesus to the temple. It is now time for us to bid Bethlehem goodbye and begin fixing our eyes to Jerusalem. The Lamb who is truly unblemished has arrived…we shall now accompany him to his Sacrifice. Let us walk with him to Jerusalem. Let us prepare to be sprinkled clean by his Blood.

Jesus, I trust in you! O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee!

Transfer the Feast or Have an External Solemnity...that is the question

In the ordinary form of the Roman rite, the celebration of the Solemnity of the Ascension of our Lord may be transferred to a Sunday if it is not observed as a holy day of obligation in a certain region. I find this rule strange because the Scriptures say that the Lord ascended into heaven on the 40th day. If the Ascension is celebrated on Sunday, it would not be the 40th day but the 43rd. I may sound very petty but I have just been thinking that with regards Christmas, there is no rule that allows us to transfer the celebration of this feast to a Sunday if this were not observed as a holy day of obligation in a certain place. And yet, we all know that the date of the feast (December 25) is not indicated in Scriptures (unless there is something from Apostolic Tradition that I am unaware of). The Ascension event is different. The Acts of the Apostles really mention the 40th day. 

Of course, in the extraordinary form, the celebration of an external solemnity on Sunday is allowed. However, even with an external solemnity, Ascension is still celebrated on a Thursday, which is the 40th day. Besides, the novena to the Holy Spirit begins on the Friday after Ascension Thursday. Even if the Feast is moved to Sunday, the novena should still begin on the Friday before that Sunday in order to have complete 9 days for the devotion (or else it could not be called a "novena"). Sometimes, I am amused by people who say, 'We will have a 7 day novena.' I find it strange that the novena to the Holy Spirit should begin before Ascension is celebrated. Did not Our Lady and the Apostles begin praying after the Ascension? 

Truth in Liturgy

Over the social networks, I found out that TV Masses here are shot weeks before the actual Sunday when they are supposed to be aired. A Palm Sunday Mass was offered in some church on the first week of Lent for the purpose of airing it on Palm Sunday. I am concerned about the way the Mass is treated like a TV series which may be taped many weeks before the actual airing. Is it right to shoot the Mass weeks before the actual feast?

In the liturgical reform after the second Vatican Council, there was an emphasis on the return to the "Truth of the Hours" in matters concerning the Liturgy of the Hours. This is the reform of a prevalent liturgical practice wherein the celebration of matins and lauds were anticipated on the night before (as in the case of the Tenebrae of Holy Week) or the celebration of all the hours were lumped together at the most convenient time of the priest. Also, in the 1955 reform of Holy Week, the hour of the celebration of Easter Vigil was transferred from the morning of Holy Saturday to the hours of the night. 

If the "truth of the hour" mattered, should the "truth of the day" be treated differently? The Liturgy is not a game of "make believe" but an actual encounter with the Blessed Trinity. It is not honest (and therefore not right) to offer the Mass of Palm Sunday when it is not yet Palm Sunday. Perhaps it is true that the Mass will be aired on Palm Sunday itself but when it was actually celebrated, it was not yet Palm Sunday.

The Holy Father Benedict XVI reminded us that the Liturgy is not a show. It is not meant to be a form of entertainment. Liturgy is an encounter with God.  Liturgy is prayer in Spirit and in TRUTH.

The 40 Days of Christmas

The liturgical celebration of Christmas, then, is not only a remembrance but is above all a mystery; it is not only a memory but also a presence. To appreciate the meaning of these two indissoluble aspects, one must live intensely the whole Christmas season as the Church presents it. If we consider it in a broad sense, it extends for 40 days, from Dec. 25 to Feb. 2, from the celebration of Christmas Eve to Mary's Maternity, to the Epiphany, to the Baptism of Jesus, to the wedding of Cana, to the Presentation in the Temple, precisely in analogy with Eastertide, which forms a unity of 50 days, until Pentecost. The manifestation of God in the flesh is the event that revealed Truth in history. In fact, the date Dec. 25, linked with the idea of the appearance of the sun -- God who appears as a light that doesn't set on the horizon of history -- reminds us that this is not just an idea: that God is the fullness of light, but rather a reality for us men that is already fulfilled and always present. Today, as then, God reveals himself in the flesh, namely, in the "living body" of the Church journeying in time, and, in the sacraments, he gives us salvation today.

Benedict XVI, Wednesday General Audience, 5 January 2011.

On the Feast of Christ the King

“The rulers sneered at Jesus…” These words open the Gospel reading on this feast of Christ the King. These words do not simply describe the atmosphere of mockery that surrounded our Lord as he hung on the Cross. These words appropriately describe our times. When Pope Pius XI established the Feast of Christ the King in 1925, he described a very alarming image of a world where rulers reject Christ: “The empire of Christ over all nations was rejected. The right which the Church has from Christ himself, to teach mankind, to make laws, to govern peoples in all that pertains to their eternal salvation, that right was denied. Then gradually, the religion of Christ came to be likened to false religions and to be placed ignominiously on the same level with them…Some men went even further, and wished to set up in the place of God’s religion a natural religion consisting in some instinctive affection of the heart. There were even some nations who thought they could dispense with God, and that their religion should consist in impiety and the neglect of God. The rebellion of individuals and States against the authority of Christ has produced deplorable consequences…the seeds of discord sown far and wide, those bitter enmities and rivalries between nations…; that insatiable greed which is often hidden under a pretense of public spirit and patriotism…; a blind and immoderate selfishness, making men seek nothing but their own comfort and advantage…; no peace in the home, because men have forgotten or neglect their duty; the unity and stability of the family undermined; society…shaken to its foundations and on the way to ruin.” (Pius XI, Quas Primas , Dec. 11, 1925, 24.) We cannot easily brush aside the observations of Pius XI because they are also appropriate descriptions of our own times. Indeed, even today, “the rulers sneer(ed) at Jesus” and such unfortunate state of things persist on account of “a certain slowness and timidity in good people, who are reluctant to engage in conflict or oppose but a weak resistance; thus the enemies of the Church become bolder in their attacks.” (Ibid.) And bolder do they become as we refuse to “valiantly defend His rights.” (Ibid.)

But why should we defend the rights of Christ the King? It is because peace and order in society rests upon the truth of Christ’s kingship: “for in Him were created all things in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible…all things were created through him and for him. He is before all things, AND IN HIM ALL THINGS HOLD TOGETHER.” Such is the primacy of Christ: in Him all things hold together and when He is eased out of the picture, everything falls apart. It is only when “men recognize. Both in private or in public life, that Christ is King,” that “society will at last receive the great blessing of real liberty, well-ordered discipline, peace and harmony. Our Lord’s regal office invests the human authority of princes and rulers with a religious significance; it ennobles the citizens’ duty of obedience…If princes and magistrates duly elected are filled with the persuasion that they rule, not by their own right, but by the mandate and in the place of the Divine King, they will exercise their authority piously and wisely, and they will make laws and administer them, having in view the common good and also the human dignity of their subjects. The result will be stable peace and tranquility.” (Quas Primas, 19.)

Thus, nations should be reminded “that not only private individuals but also rulers and princes are bound to give public honor and obedience to Christ. (They should) call to their minds the thought of the Last Judgment, wherein Christ, who has been cast out of public life, despised, neglected and ignored, will most severely avenge these insults; for His Kingly dignity demands that the State should take account of the Commandments of God and of Christian principles, both in making laws and in administering justice, and also in providing for the young a sound moral education.” (Quas Primas, 32.)

We, the faithful, must likewise be reminded that we must form our lives after the true Christian ideal. “If to Christ our Lord is given all power in Heaven and on earth; if all men, purchased by His Precious Blood, are by a new right subjected to His dominion; if this power embraces all men, it must be clear that NOT ONE OF OUR FACULTIES IS EXEMPT FROM HIS EMPIRE. He must reign in our minds, which should assent with perfect submission and firm belief to the revealed truths and to the doctrines of Christ. He must reign in our wills, which should obey the laws and precepts of God. He must reign in our hearts, which should spurn natural desires and love God above all things, and cleave to Him alone. He must reign in our bodies and in our members, which should serve as instruments for the interior sanctification of our souls.” (Quas Primas, 33.) It is by submitting our entire persons to Him that we are able to say, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” Then, and only then, will we hear from Him those consoling words: “Amen, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.”

All the Faithful Departed

Some pictures from the Requiem Mass on All Souls' Day from PLDM. Thanks Gerard Cenir for the pictures.

Easter Vigil in the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite

Exultet

Just want to share pictures of our Easter Vigil in the Extraordinary form of the Roman Rite at the Parish of the Lord of Divine Mercy, Sikatuna Village, Quezon City. Thanks to Jesus Felix Valenzuela, our Cantor, for the wonderful photographs

HOLY WEEK IN THE EXTRAORDINARY FORM OF THE ROMAN RITE

SCHEDULE OF HOLY WEEK CELEBRATIONS

IN THE EXTRAORDINARY FORM OF THE ROMAN RITE

AT THE PARISH OF THE LORD OF DIVINE MERCY,

1 MAAMO STREET, SIKATUNA VILLAGE,

QUEZON CITY, THE PHILIPPINES

March 28, 2010 PALM SUNDAY

1:00 pm Solemn Blessing and Procession of Palms / Mass

March 29, 30, 31, 2010 HOLY MONDAY, TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY

8:30 am Mass

April 1, 2010 MAUNDY THURSDAY

10:00 am Mass of the Last Supper

April 2, 2010 GOOD FRIDAY

10:00 am Celebration of the Lord's Passion

(Mass of Catechumens, Adoration of the Cross, Holy Communion)

April 3, 2010 BLACK SATURDAY

April 4, 2010 EASTER SUNDAY

12:00 midnight Easter Vigil

Ash Wednesday

from Google images

Lent is once again upon us: this grave season that is marked by penance and prayer. The post-modern man might find this season repulsive on account of the discipline, the mortification which characterize its gravity. However, in his 2nd letter to the Corinthians, St. Paul gives us a refreshing perspective on the season of Lent. He calls it the acceptable time and the day of salvation: In an acceptable time I heard you, and on the day of salvation I helped you. Behold, now is a very acceptable time; behold now is the day of salvation. Lent is called “the acceptable time” because, in the light of Christ’s passion, death, and resurrection, God is most disposed to accept us sinners once again into his bosom. This is the most opportune time to be reconciled with God. St. John Marie Vianney said, “It is not the sinner who comes back to God in order to ask him forgiveness, but rather, it is God who runs after the sinner and helps him come back to him.” And because he is most disposed to accept us back, he is most disposed to pour upon us all his graces and blessings to help us come back to him. Thus, this is “the day of salvation.”

On account of the superfluous grace and mercy of God to us during this season, St. Paul admonishes us: “we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain.” He invites us to take advantage of this season of grace, to do all we can to get as much grace as we can. Hence, the mortification, the fasting, the abstinence, the penance. It is like being in the middle of a long dry spell, at the sight of dark and heavy clouds in the horizon, we put out as many empty pails as we can so that we can catch as much rain water as we can. Of course, to get optimum results, the pails have to be empty and clean. If pails are filled with sand, or garbage, or murky water, we waste the opportunity to catch pure rain water. We cannot benefit from the graces which God intends to pour upon us during this season if we are so filled with ourselves. I remember once, I chanced upon this noontime variety show in which the contestant must gather as much coins as he can because the heavier the total weight of what he gathered, the higher the price money gets. The show had a heavily bosomed woman and on account of her massive breasts, the coins keep falling off into the ground. He gathered almost nothing. Fasting and other disciplines help empty us of our egoism so that we may be prepared to receive everything that comes from God. In his Lenten message this year, Pope Benedict writes: “With bitterness the Psalmist recognizes this: ‘Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me’ (Ps 51,7). Indeed, man is weakened by an intense influence, which wounds his capacity to enter into communion with the other…By nature, he is open to sharing freely, but he finds in his being a strange force of gravity that makes him turn in and affirm himself above and against others: this is egoism, the result of original sin… Conversion to Christ, believing in the Gospel, ultimately means this: to exit the illusion of self-sufficiency in order to discover and accept one’s own need – the need of others and God, the need of His forgiveness and His friendship. So we understand how faith is altogether different from a natural, good-feeling, obvious fact: humility is required to accept that I need Another to free me from ‘what is mine,’ to give me gratuitously ‘what is His.’" Fasting helps free me from “what is mine” so that I can receive in abundance “what is His.”

In a similar light, fasting also addresses the scandal of our times: the discrepancy of the abundance of our age and the widespread hunger of people. The scandal of hunger is so blaring that politicians jump into this issue with one candidate promising “masarap na pagkain sa bawa’t mesa” and another pledging “masustansyang pagkain sa bawat mesa.” The Church looks at fasting as the solution to the discrepancy of affluence and hunger. We empty our plates so that we may put food in the plates of the hungry. Receiving in abundance “what is God’s” I freely give up “what is mine” so that it may also be “theirs.” This charity does not only make up for a multitude of sins but also makes up to God the worship that I have failed to offer him. The Holy Father said: “giving to the poor (for the Israelite) is none other than restoring what is owed to God, who had pity on the misery of His people.”

End of Christmas

With the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord in the Calendar of the Ordinary Form of the Roman Rite, we say goodbye to the wonderful Christmas Season.

Here are pictures of the Crib of the Lord for the Christmas season of 2009 in the Parish of the Lord of Divine Mercy, Sikatuna Village, Quezon City, Philippines.

De Publicatione Festorum Mobilium in Epiphania Domini

Know ye, beloved brethren, that as by God's favor we rejoiced in the Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ, so, too, we announce to you the glad tidings on the Resurrection of our Savior.

The Sunday of Septuagesima will fall on the 31st of January.

Ash Wednesday and the beginning of the most holy Lenten fast on the 17th of February.

On the 4th of April you shall celebrate with greatest joy

the holy Pasch of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ will occur on the 13th of May.

The Feast of Pentecost on the 23rd of May.

The Feast of Corpus Christi on the 3rd of June.

November 28 will usher in the Advent of our Lord Jesus Christ,

to Whom be glory and honor eternally. Amen.