On Thursday of Holy Week (Maundy Thursday) the Church celebrates the three pillars of the Catholic Church instituted by Jesus Christ at the Last Supper: the priesthood, the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, and the Holy Eucharist. This is the traditional day for priests to gather with their bishop at the Chrism Mass, to receive oils blessed by the bishop and to publicly renew their priestly promises. In the evening the Church celebrates the Mass of the Lord's Supper. After this Mass the altar is stripped bare and the Blessed Sacrament is removed from the Tabernacle and processed to a separate altar of repose. Here the Blessed Sacrament is adored until late in the night to commemorate the time Jesus spent in Garden of Gethsemane in agonizing prayer, the start of his Passion. The Blessed Sacrament is then taken away and hidden until the Easter Vigil in memory of Our Lord's death and burial.
† Quote of the Day "I earnestly admonish you, therefore, my brothers, to look after your spiritual well-being with judicious concern. Death is certain; life is short and vanishes like smoke. Fix your minds, then, on the passion of our Lord Jesus Christ. Inflamed with love for us, he came down from heaven to redeem us. For our sake he endured every torment of body and soul and shrank from no bodily pain. He himself gave us an example of perfect patience and love. We, then, are to be patient in adversity."
-St. Francis of Paola Today's Meditation "No one can fail to understand that the Divine Eucharist bestows upon the Christian people an incomparable dignity. Not only while the Sacrifice is offered and the Sacrament is received, but as long as the Eucharist is kept in our churches and oratories, Christ is truly Emmanuel, that is, 'God with us'. Day and night He is in our midst, He dwells with us, full of grace and truth. He restores morality, nourishes virtues, consoles the afflicted, strengthens the weak. He proposes His own example to those who come to Him that all may learn to be, like Himself, meek and humble of heart and to seek not their own interests but those of God. Anyone who approaches this august Sacrament with special devotion and endeavors to return generous love for Christ's own infinite love, will experience and fully understand—not without spiritual joy and fruit—how precious is the life hidden with Christ in God and how great is the value of converse with Christ, for there is nothing more consoling on earth, nothing more efficacious for advancing along the road of holiness." —Pope Saint Paul VI, p.52
An excerpt from Manual for Eucharistic Adoration Daily Verse "Jesus said to them, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you; he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is food indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so he who eats me will live because of me. This is the bread which came down from heaven, not such as the fathers ate and died; he who eats this bread will live for ever."-John 6:53-58 |  EWTN Daily Saint | | St Francis Of Paola St. Francis of Paola (1416-1507) was born in Calabria, Italy, to a husband and wife known for their holiness. After suffering childlessness for many years, his parents had recourse to prayer, especially the intercession of St. Francis of Assisi. They eventually had three children, and the eldest, Francis, was named after St. Francis in thanksgiving for his birth. Francis of Paola grew in sanctity, and after having a vision of St. Francis he spent a year in a Franciscan convent to fulfill a vow his parents had made to the saint. After his time there, he returned to his parents and accompanied them on a pilgrimage to Assisi. Upon returning home, Francis retired to a private spot on his parents' estate to live as a hermit. He later moved his dwelling to a lonely cave by the seashore, living there in prayer, solitude, and mortification for six years. Disciples gradually came to him to imitate his manner of life, so many that St. Francis of Paola, with the permission of his bishop, built a monastery and church to accommodate them. He later obtained permission from the Holy See to found a new religious order called the Minims, or "The Least," as they were to live hidden lives of poverty, abstinence, and humility. St. Francis of Paola became famous and was sought out by others for his prophecies and miracles. He spent the last three months of his life in solitude in preparation for his death. On Good Friday, after receiving Last Rites, he died while the Passion of Christ was read to him aloud. His feast day is April 2. | Holy Thursday-Evening Mass of the Lord's Supper Lectionary: 39 Reading I Exodus 12:1-8, 11-14 The LORD said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt,
"This month shall stand at the head of your calendar;
you shall reckon it the first month of the year.
Tell the whole community of Israel:
On the tenth of this month every one of your families
must procure for itself a lamb, one apiece for each household.
If a family is too small for a whole lamb,
it shall join the nearest household in procuring one
and shall share in the lamb
in proportion to the number of persons who partake of it.
The lamb must be a year-old male and without blemish.
You may take it from either the sheep or the goats.
You shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month,
and then, with the whole assembly of Israel present,
it shall be slaughtered during the evening twilight.
They shall take some of its blood
and apply it to the two doorposts and the lintel
of every house in which they partake of the lamb.
That same night they shall eat its roasted flesh
with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. "This is how you are to eat it:
with your loins girt, sandals on your feet and your staff in hand,
you shall eat like those who are in flight.
It is the Passover of the LORD.
For on this same night I will go through Egypt,
striking down every firstborn of the land, both man and beast,
and executing judgment on all the gods of Egypt—I, the LORD!
But the blood will mark the houses where you are.
Seeing the blood, I will pass over you;
thus, when I strike the land of Egypt,
no destructive blow will come upon you. "This day shall be a memorial feast for you,
which all your generations shall celebrate
with pilgrimage to the LORD, as a perpetual institution." Responsorial Psalm Psalm 116:12-13, 15-16bc, 17-18. R. (cf. 1 Cor 10:16) Our blessing-cup is a communion with the Blood of Christ.
How shall I make a return to the LORD for all the good he has done for me?
The cup of salvation I will take up, and I will call upon the name of the LORD.
R. Our blessing-cup is a communion with the Blood of Christ.
Precious in the eyes of the LORD is the death of his faithful ones.
I am your servant, the son of your handmaid; you have loosed my bonds.
R. Our blessing-cup is a communion with the Blood of Christ.
To you will I offer sacrifice of thanksgiving, and I will call upon the name of the LORD.
My vows to the LORD I will pay in the presence of all his people.
R. Our blessing-cup is a communion with the Blood of Christ. Reading II 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 Brothers and sisters:
I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you,
that the Lord Jesus, on the night he was handed over,
took bread, and, after he had given thanks,
broke it and said, "This is my body that is for you.
Do this in remembrance of me."
In the same way also the cup, after supper, saying,
"This cup is the new covenant in my blood.
Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me."
For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup,
you proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes. Verse Before the Gospel John 13:34 I give you a new commandment, says the Lord:
love one another as I have loved you. Gospel John 13:1-15 Before the feast of Passover, Jesus knew that his hour had come
to pass from this world to the Father.
He loved his own in the world and he loved them to the end.
The devil had already induced Judas, son of Simon the Iscariot, to hand him over.
So, during supper,
fully aware that the Father had put everything into his power
and that he had come from God and was returning to God,
he rose from supper and took off his outer garments.
He took a towel and tied it around his waist.
Then he poured water into a basin
and began to wash the disciples' feet
and dry them with the towel around his waist.
He came to Simon Peter, who said to him,
"Master, are you going to wash my feet?"
Jesus answered and said to him,
"What I am doing, you do not understand now,
but you will understand later."
Peter said to him, "You will never wash my feet."
Jesus answered him,
"Unless I wash you, you will have no inheritance with me."
Simon Peter said to him,
"Master, then not only my feet, but my hands and head as well."
Jesus said to him,
"Whoever has bathed has no need except to have his feet washed, for he is clean all over;
so you are clean, but not all."
For he knew who would betray him;
for this reason, he said, "Not all of you are clean." So when he had washed their feet
and put his garments back on and reclined at table again,
he said to them, "Do you realize what I have done for you?
You call me 'teacher' and 'master,' and rightly so, for indeed I am.
If I, therefore, the master and teacher, have washed your feet,
you ought to wash one another's feet.
I have given you a model to follow,
so that as I have done for you, you should also do." | Praise to You Oh Lord Jesus Christ! |  From Word Among Us WAU.org | Daily Meditation: John 13:1-15 Do you realize what I have done for you? (John 13:12) We might expect the Gospel at tonight's Mass to retell the story of Jesus instituting the Eucharist. Instead, we will hear—and see reenacted—the scene in John of Jesus washing his disciples' feet. Yet, if we have eyes to see it, this passage also reveals beautiful truths about Jesus' gift of his Body and Blood. Do you realize what I have done for you? First, Jesus bends down at the feet of each of his disciples. This is what he did when he willingly took on our human nature. In the words of Pope St. John Paul II, God "graciously stooped down to our weakness, and made it the cause of a new and still more wondrous outpouring of his love" (Message for Lent, 2002). Every time you receive his Body and Blood at Mass, Jesus bends low and fills you with his love and his presence. Do you realize what I have done for you? Next, Jesus washes the disciples' feet, a job reserved for the lowliest servant. As Paul wrote, Jesus took "the form of a slave" when he humbled himself to become a man and die for our sake (Philippians 2:7). He cleansed us with his very own blood. What an amazing gift! Jesus washes you clean, too, every time you confess your sins and every time you receive Holy Communion (Catechism,1393). Do you realize what I have done for you? Finally, Jesus tells us he has given us "a model" to follow; he wants us to "wash one another's feet" (John 13:14, 15). And in the Eucharist, he gives us the grace to fulfill that call. "As bodily nourishment restores lost strength, so the Eucharist strengthens our charity" (Catechism, 1394). Jesus dwells in you and helps you to see more clearly the needs of the people around you. Even more, he moves your heart to gladly sacrifice your time, energy, and resources in love. Do you realize what Jesus has done for you? Bow down before him in wonder and gratitude today! "Thank you, Jesus, for your great gift of the Eucharist." Exodus 12:1-8, 11-14
Psalm 116:12-13, 15-18
1 Corinthians 11:23-26 | Reflections with Brother Adrian: |  Audio of 2 Cents | From today's Holy Gospel: ".. Jesus said to him,
"Whoever has bathed has no need except to have his feet washed, for he is clean all over;
so you are clean, but not all."
For he knew who would betray him;
for this reason, he said, "Not all of you are clean." So when he had washed their feet
and put his garments back on and reclined at table again,
he said to them, "Do you realize what I have done for you?
You call me 'teacher' and 'master,' and rightly so, for indeed I am.
If I, therefore, the master and teacher, have washed your feet,
you ought to wash one another's feet.
I have given you a model to follow,
so that as I have done for you, you should also do....." | From Roberto Juarez: "The washing of the feet reveals to us what God is like. He is not a distant, cold God who dominates from above. He is a God who is close, who bows down, who serves, who loves. In a world where power, recognition, prestige are often sought, Jesus proposes a totally different path, the path of humility, the path of service, the path of concrete love. And this is the true path to greatness.
Today we also celebrate the institution of the Eucharist. And this is very important: The Eucharist and service cannot be separated. It makes no sense to commune with Christ... and then not serve the brethren. Every time we participate in the Eucharist, we receive the love of Christ to become love ourselves. The Eucharist transforms us into what we receive.
On this Holy Thursday, the Lord makes two very concrete invitations to us. First: to let ourselves be washed, to accept his love, his forgiveness, his grace. Second: wash your feet, serve others, love concretely, live with humility.
We can ask ourselves: Do I allow myself to be loved by God truly? Or do I find it difficult to recognize that I need it? Am I willing to serve, even in what is not seen, in what costs?
Today we contemplate Jesus kneeling, washing his feet. There is God. There is the true face of love. Let us ask Him on this Holy Night, for a humble heart, a grateful heart, and a heart willing to serve. May we learn to let ourselves be loved by Him... and to love others as He has loved us." end quote.
From Bishop Barron: "But we see now in John's Gospel how the distinctive mark of Jesus's kingdom is precisely the overturning of the master-slave dynamic. Jesus bends down to do the work that was so lowly and frankly gross that only the lowest of the slaves were expected to do it, and he says, "As I have done for you, you should also do." And what does he do later at the same supper? He gives himself away entirely in the Eucharist: "This is my body, which will be given for you." It is into this new dynamic that we are invited by Jesus: the washing of the feet, the giving away of body and blood. " end quote.
Bro. Adrian Our Lord asked: "Do you realize what I have done for you? (John 13:12)
I don't think we quite realize what He has done for us.
I don't think many inquire as to what He has done for us.
And if you find out what He has done for us...and it affects you deeply...then you will do for others, as He has done for you and me.
What has He done for us my child?
All we hear is simple...He gave His life for You.
That's it?
There's more. Tonight, we will find out more, in Holy Thursday.
He gives His life in the Eucharist before giving His flesh in His body on the cross, which will happen on Good Friday. Within 24 hours all of this sacrifice happens.
The light illuminates the dark night.
Tonight will be dark. Only the glow of the full moon will suffice as our Lord is taken away. And when He is taken away...darkness enters the world. He is slaughtered.
What does this mean to you?
When the light is taken away...darkness enters.
When we step away from the Lord, other things enter.
I wrote a song about yesterday's readings called "30 coins" with the help of artificial intelligence. Song Click: Thirty Pieces
The first part of the song goes: "Trading truth to feel accepted,
For a world that won't save me.
Likes and praise, they fade like shadows,
Still I bend, still I pretend—
But in the silence, I hear You say,
"Child, come back again." What is the price of a restless soul?
What do I gain if I lose it all? Thirty pieces in my hand,
Dust and ashes, sinking sand,
Every time I choose the world, I fall apart.
But You're the pearl I cannot buy,
Love that paid the highest price,
Take these coins, Lord—take my heart" Our 6 year old daughter listened to it last night as I was working on it and she said "dad, that song makes tears come to my eyes". I said "yes mija, I designed that song to make it do that.
It is supposed to be a repented soul singing, someone pleading for mercy. Someone trying and trying...like me. Hard to die to self. God we need You! We lost track of what was important. What was number one.
What was to be the highest priority.
What should it be?
Jesus shows the way...God's Holy Will is the priority...always has been since the dawn of time. God, we need to be with You! Help us start now! Help us love Thee more and more! Light to light...love to love.... If you want to share the light...share this word to the world...the world needs Jesus! KING! LOVE! |  Click for Audio | Random Bible Verse 1
Hebrews 13:15 "Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name." | If one day you don't receive these, just visit Going4th.com
God Bless You! Peace | | |
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