Pentecost - 2025

It is impossible to over state the importance of this day of Pentecost. Stating the importance of Easter St. Paul says: “…  if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins.” 1Cor 15:17. So too, of Pentecost Paul states with equal consequence: “… and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit. 1 Cor. 12:3 As examples of the necessity of the Holy Spirit let us look at just two figures in scripture, the Apostle Thomas and the Apostle Paul. The disciples’ faith in Jesus was scandalized and totally crushed by the Cross of Jesus and they fled in despair – as the two disciples on the road to Damascus lamented “we had hoped …” They believed Jesus had come from God, as Luke describes it, "And they were all amazed and said to one another, “What is this word? For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits, and they come out!” Lk 4:36). But to believe Jesus WAS God, and all things were under his authority, including our very lives – this required a direct intervention of Grace. Thomas put it well (especially for our generation): "Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe." Jo. 20:25. Only when, he gazed into the face of the risen Lord, could he then exclaim: “My Lord and my God!” Jo. 20:27 And St. Paul after being knocked to the ground on the road to Damascus – when he saw and heard: “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting”, could he realize who Jesus truly was and turn from being an enemy to apostle.  Acts 9:5.  But as convincing as these visions and encounters were, there was about to happen a different plan for revealing Jesus and convincing believers. This plan was to become the norm for all generations to follow – so for us today. It began on Pentecost. A true living faith would be the result of a direct encounter with the Holy Spirit – an encounter that would take place in the depths of a believer’s soul. And the unfolding of this plan is what we have just witnessed as we have been pondering and praying through the Acts of the Apostles these past Easter Days. Here are just two examples from Acts: While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message. The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on Gentiles. For they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God. Acts 10:44. Paul said, “John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus.” On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied. Acts 19: Remember that amazing and prophetic prayer Pope John XXIII offered up to open the Second Vatican Council 1961:  “Divine Spirit, renew your wonders in our time, as though for a new Pentecost, and grant that the holy church, preserving unanimous and continuous prayer, together with Mary the Mother of Jesus, and also under the guidance of St. Peter, may increase the reign of the Divine Saviour, the reign of truth and justice, the reign of love and peace. Amen” At nine o’clock on the morning of October 12, 1962, twenty-four hundred Roman Catholic bishops began a lone procession through St. Peter’s Square toward the Basilica for the solemn opening of the Second Vatican Council, and a new Pentecost is what has been happening in the Church these last many years since that prayer.  And it’s not over by a long shot. A new Pentecost awaits any and all who desire to know the Lord. Let us be like the father of the possessed boy seeking Jesus help, when Jesus said to him that all things are possible for those who have faith: “… cried out to Jesus, “I believe; help my unbelief!” Mk. 9:24 Cry out your prayer, loud and clear: Jesus my Lord, I confess to you and to all the world my need for your presence in my life. I am alone and in darkness without you. I am influenced and controlled by the many forces that surround me. Even though I struggle against them, it is sin that so easily dominates my life. Who can save me but you alone, my Lord and my God. Deliver me from the Evil One. Touch my life with that power which flows from your resurrection. Cause your Holy Spirit to be born in me anew. Prince of Peace and Lord of Glory reign now in my heart. Baptize me with your Holy Spirit and Fire. Raise me up to a New Life in you. Amen.

Here is a link to a guide to praying for the Baptism of the Holy Spirit +++ LINK +++

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The Ascension of the Lord - Sunday June 8th - 2025

He presented himself alive to them by many proofs after he had suffered, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God. While meeting with them, he enjoined them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for "the promise of the Father about which you have heard me speak; for John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit." Acts 1:3-5

Meditation for Ascension Sunday You may have heard it said that you get an entirely new body every 7 years - that the cells of the human body are regenerated over a 7-year period. This is not quite accurate – but the cells of our bodies do regenerate and at various rates. Red blood cells live for about four months, while white blood cells live on average more than a year. Skin cells live about two or three weeks. Colon cells have it rough: They die off after about four days. Sperm cells have a life span of only about three days, while brain cells typically last an entire lifetime (neurons in the cerebral cortex, for example, are not replaced when they die) and it takes an average of 10 years to grow an entirely new skeleton. So there is some truth in saying that we are not the person we used to be. The down side is that the new cells are usually not as good as the ones they are replacing. This is what aging is all about. St. Paul has a different take on our “regeneration “ So whoever is in Christ is a new creation: the old things have passed away; behold, new things have come. 2Cor. 5:17 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Galatians 2:20 We are concluding our Easter celebrations with this feast of the Ascension of Jesus, and we now anticipate the feast of Pentecost, the birthday of the Church – our birthday too. The gift of the Holy Spirit is a sharing in the very life of God. Those who receive this Gift begin living a new life, one that has a new destiny, a life that death cannot destroy. “For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.” Rom. 6:5 Even as the cells of this physical body decline and die, within we are living a new spiritual life. The question for today and this week leading to Pentecost is: am I truly living a spiritual Life, the New Life of the Spirit, that I received in baptism? Now, if I am concerned about the condition of my physical body I go to the doctor and he will do tests to diagnose my condition. This week could be viewed as a time of diagnosis, a time to examine the health of my spiritual life. Is my faith-life growing stronger or weaker? Are my works of holiness increasing or decreasing? May I suggest you take St. Paul’s letter to the Galatians, especially Chap. 5. Here Paul is a physician, giving us an excellent examination and diagnosis of our spiritual lives: For you, brothers and sisters, were called to freedom. Only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity to gratify your flesh, but through love make it your habit to serve one another. For the whole Law is summarized in a single statement: “You must love your neighbor as yourself.” But if you bite and devour one another, be careful that you are not destroyed by each other. So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will never fulfill the desires of the flesh. For what the flesh wants is opposed to the Spirit, and what the Spirit wants is opposed to the flesh. They are opposed to each other, and so you do not do what you want to do.  But if you are being led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law. Now the actions of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity, promiscuity, idolatry, witchcraft, l hatred, rivalry, jealously, outbursts of anger, quarrels, conflicts, factions, envy, murder, drunkenness, wild partying, and things like that. I am telling you now, as I have told you in the past, that people who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things. Now those who belong to Jesus have crucified their flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, by the Spirit let us also be guided. Let’s stop being arrogant, provoking one another and envying one another. Galatians 5:13ff.

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NOVENA to the HOLY SPIRIT

On Sunday June 8 the Church will celebrate the Feast of Pentecost. An excellent way to prepare for this Feast is to make a Novena. VOICES has the Official Novena to the Holy Spirit posted. Novenas are prayed over nine days prior to the feast day. This year Thursday May the 29th will mark the 1st day of the Novena, but you can begin the Novena at any time. >>>>>> LINK <<<<<< The novena to the Holy Spirit for the Seven Gifts is the oldest of all novenas. It was first made at the direction of Jesus himself, when he sent his apostles back to Jerusalem to await the coming of the Holy Spirit on the first Pentecost. It is still the only novena officially prescribed by the Church. Addressed to the Third Person of the Blessed Trinity, it is a powerful plea for the light and strength and love so sorely needed by every Christian. Holy Spirit Interactive has adapted it for these times.

Sixth Sunday of Easter - 2025

This past week, Wednesday through Friday, the First Reading was taken from chapter 15 of Acts of the Apostle. This passage is known as the account of the first Council of the Church, the Council of Jerusalem. The first issue facing the infant Church dealt with the observance of Jewish Law and the new converts from the ranks of the Gentiles. Was it necessary for Gentile converts to be circumcised and keep the observance of the Jewish law or not? Keep in mind that the disciples of Jesus who form the beginning of the Church were Jews and continued to observe the Law, which required all males to be circumcised. But now the Holy Spirit was being poured out upon Gentile people who after hearing the preaching of the Apostles were being baptized in the Holy Spirit and were manifesting all the same gifts of the Spirit the Jewish Christians had received. A strong faction known as the “Party of the Circumcision” demand Gentles to observe the full Law. But St. Paul and those with him, who where witnessing the mighty work of the Holy Spirit among the Gentiles, stood strongly opposed to the Party of the Circumcision. And so we have here the gathering of the Church leaders to resolve the issue in what became known as the Council of Jerusalem, the first Council. Throughout the history of the Church major issue with conflicting positions continue to arise, and it has been the work of Church Councils to resolve them. The Church has never shied away from dealing with conflicting issues that arise because of the promise Jesus made to his disciple: Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age." Matt. 28:16-20 I find this remark, “… some doubted”, to be very significant here. It will always be a challenge for each generation of the Church to get their head around the full mystery of what God is doing in the church and in the world. But Jesus' final word “I am with you always, to the end of the age”, is key to having a certain and confident trust. Jesus continues to remain in his Church molding, leading, guiding it every step of the way. Just as there was at this very moment of the “Great Commissioning of the Church” there was some who doubt, the Spirit continues to lead the Church ever forward, protecting it from harmful error, until the fullness of the mystery has been revealed. We have experienced a major or ecumenical council in our time, the Second Vatican Council. But now some are doubting, doubting whether the council was inspired by the Holy Spirit; or whether the Council is now being misinterpreted by some factions within the Church. This continues to be how the Holy Spirit works in the Church, challenging us to an ever-deeper faith. In two weeks, we will celebrate Pentecost, the birthday of the Church. We pray as did Pope John XXIII, for new and ever more  powerful Pentecost to come upon the Church.

Fifth Sunday of Easter - 2025

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "See, the home of God is among mortals. He  ...will dwell with them; they will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them; he will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more, for the first things have passed away." And the one who was seated on the throne said, "See, I am making all things new." Also he said, "Write this, for these words are trustworthy and true." Rev. 21:1-5 ... + ... John, in his gospel account of the events that would take us into the passion and death of Jesus, during the Last Supper, describes this chilling scene, Jesus handing Judas a piece of bread. “So, after receiving the piece of bread, he immediately went out. AND IT WAS NIGHT.” John 13:30 Night, with its absence of light, is John’s way of describing the human condition without God’s presence and guiding light.  In Genesis 1 we read: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep. And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. And seeing that the light was good, God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light “day,” and the darkness He called “night.” Jesus said in John, "As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work.” John 9:4 Having a living, active faith in Jesus is often described as walking in the “Light of Christ”. I am the light of the world Jesus tells us. But there are times in our faith journey when a dark shadow overtakes us, and we find ourselves floundering in the darkness of confusion and error. St. Ignatius talks about such times in his Spiritual Exercises. He points out that when we deliberately choose to sin, we bring such darkness upon ourselves; intentionally cutting ourselves off from God’s grace. But there are other times when it is God who hides his light from us. He does this so that we will intensify our search for his truth, thus gaining an even deeper faith and a more secure walk with him. Ignatius directs how we should respond in these times of darkness. First, realize that true peace of heart is not constructed from the things of this world nor the people with whom we interact. True peace comes directly from God and him alone. God wants us to learn how to distinguish between these two realities. People and things are imperfect at the best of times and they can also be the cause of the worst of times. When we make the things of this world the source of our peace and happiness, we are building our house on sand. “When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash.”. These are Jesus’ words in his parable in Matthew 7. (We can really appreciate the imagery of this parable today by just by looking at the pictures in the weather reports.) “Therefore, everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain fell, the torrents raged, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because its foundation was on the rock.…” The rock is Faith, faith built on every word that comes from the mouth of God. Yet so many today have little or no connection to this rock nor do they build their life on it. Today’s second reading tells us that heaven is not on earth. God’s plan is for a new heaven and a new earth, this earth is only for a time. So, where and on what are you building that place in which your heart will dwell?

Fourth Sunday of Easter - 2025

Most of us modern urban dwellers like know very little about raising sheep – their natural behavior etc. But in Jesus’ time it would be quite different, most people would be familiar with sheep and shepherds and the way shepherding worked. So it would be a natural image for Jesus to use as a comparison to himself – the good shepherd. Flocks of sheep belonged to different owners but the grazing pastures were common ground, land for many different shepherds to use, all out grazing together. But this had an important benefit, safety for all the sheep – many eyes overseeing their protection. One practice the shepherds used was at night to herd all the sheep into one common gated shelter to protect them from dangers of the night. But how to sort out the shepherd’s sheep from all the others in the enclosure - sheep all look the same? No problem, the sheep were all imprinted on only their shepherds voice and no other. In the morning each shepherd would stand at the gate and with his distinct voice he would call out to the sheep and only his sheep would come out and follow him. This was a perfect way, commonly known, for Jesus to teach how important it was for them to imprint on his voice, the message of the gospel. God’s plan for salvation for the world was not to kill off unbelievers so only true believers remained. The plan was to imprint the message of the gospel on the hearts of people and then gather them together and lead them home to the Father. Is there any better way to characterize this age we live in today, the age of mass communication, endless number of voices calling out to us to follow them just turn on the TV and see right away all the many voices. The question put before us in today’s liturgy of the word, who’s voice am I hearing and following? Jesus wants us to understand there is only one voice that is proclaiming the truth of eternal life – his voice.

Third Sunday of Easter - 2025

Office of Reading Second Reading                        From the first apology in defense of the Christians                                           by Saint Justin, martyr AD. 100 - AD 165 The Celebration of the Eucharist No one may share the eucharist with us unless he believes that what we teach is true, unless he is washed in the regenerating waters of baptism for the remission of his sins, and unless he lives in accordance with the principles given us by Christ. We do not consume the eucharistic bread and wine as if it were ordinary food and drink, for we have been taught that as Jesus Christ our Savior became a man of flesh and blood by the power of the Word of God, so also the food that our flesh and blood assimilates for its nourishment becomes the flesh and blood of the incarnate Jesus by the power of his own words contained in the prayer of thanksgiving. The apostles, in their recollections, which are called gospels, handed down to us what Jesus commanded them to do. They tell us that he took bread, gave thanks and said: Do this in memory of me. This is my body. In the same way he took the cup, he gave thanks and said: This is my blood. The Lord gave this command to them alone. Ever since then we have constantly reminded one another of these things. The rich among us help the poor and we are always united. For all that we receive we praise the Creator of the universe through his Son Jesus Christ and through the Holy Spirit. On Sunday we have a common assembly of all our members, whether they live in the city or the outlying districts. The recollections of the apostles or the writings of the prophets are read, as long as there is time. When the reader has finished, the president of the assembly speaks to us; he urges everyone to imitate the examples of virtue we have heard in the readings. Then we all stand up together and pray. On the conclusion of our prayer, bread and wine and water are brought forward. The president offers prayers and gives thanks to the best of his ability, and the people give assent by saying, “Amen.” The eucharist is distributed, everyone present communicates, and the deacons take it to those who are absent. The wealthy, if they wish, may make a contribution, and they themselves decide the amount. The collection is placed in the custody of the president, who uses it to help the orphans and widows and all who for any reason are in distress, whether because they are sick, in prison, or away from home. In a word, he takes care of all who are in need. We hold our common assembly on Sunday because it is the first day of the week, the day on which God put darkness and chaos to flight and created the world, and because on that same day our savior Jesus Christ rose from the dead. For he was crucified on Friday and on Sunday he appeared to his apostles and disciples and taught them the things that we have passed on for your consideration.

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Prayer for the Election of a Pope O God, eternal shepherd, who govern your flock with unfailing care, grant in your boundless fatherly love a pastor for your Church who will please you by his holiness and to us show watchful care. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen. Excerpt from the English translation of The Roman Missal © 2010 ICEL. All rights reserved.

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Second Sunday of Easter - 2025

Today, Second Sunday of Easter is Divine Mercy Sunday – established by Pope John Paul II, April 30, 2000, which was the 2nd Sunday of Easter that year and the day of the Canonization of Sister Faustyna KowalskaI, who is the source of the Divine Mercy devotion. Now, I suspect most everyone has a go at the board game Monopoly. On some moves you can pick up special cards you can use when needed. One such is the “get out jail free” card. If a move lands you in jail you just use the card and you’re out. I think it characterizes well the way some people think of God’s Mercy. Since God loves us, He forgives us, and our sins are wiped away. All we do is say thanks. In today’s gospel we see Jesus commissioning his disciples to go and preach forgiveness. In Luke’s account, the commission is stated this way: “. . . repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in Jesus’ name to all the nations.” There are two dynamics happening here, Mercy is given, but given to those who repent. It’s the repentance part that some people seem to overlook. Today’s second reading comes into play here. It is the beginning of the Book of Revelation which will be the source of the Second Readings for the rest of these Easter Sundays. John is told by the Lord to write to the seven Churches of Asia Minor: The Lord says to John,  "Write in a book what you see and send it to the seven churches, to Ephesus, to Smyrna, to Pergamum, to Thyatira, to Sardis, to Philadelphia, and to Laodicea." Rev.1:11 These are people who have heard the gospel, repented, embraced the faith and were formed into churches – not unlike us gathered today. But some of these churches and their people have a problem – something has gone wrong with their repentance. "To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks among the seven golden lampstands:  "I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance. I know that you cannot tolerate evildoers; you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them to be false. I also know that you are enduring patiently and bearing up for the sake of my name, and that you have not grown weary." Wow, this is one commendable church to be sure. The message continues, “But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. Remember then from what you have fallen; repent and do the works you did at first.” Only a couple of the seven Churches escape the Lord’s rebuke. Notice how they are called back to repentance – that which is our part in God’s Mercy – not just on the day of our baptism but all through our Christian life. Easter is a time for celebrating God’s Mercy and a time to examine the quality of our response to that Mercy. Might the Lord be saying something similar to us today, “I have this against you- “ And what might that be? So let us look again at the Cross of Jesus and see what mercy cost him, the mercy that He gives us so freely. How am I doing? Have I grown mediocre in my faith? What needs to revive in the practice of my faith? What is the quality of my love? Then He will say to those on His left, ‘I was hungry and you gave Me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave Me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, I was naked and you did not clothe Me, I was sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.’ Mtt. 25:41 Let us use these days of Easter to truly examine and put to the test the quality of our love.

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Easter Sunday - 2025

"He is not here; he has risen, just as he said."

An Easter Homily One of my favorite Easter hymns is The Strife is O’er – The strife is o'er, the battle done; + Now is the Victor's triumph won; + O let the song of praise be sung! Alleluia! So what exactly is this battle that the hymn is referring to? – the hymn continues . . . Death's mightiest powers have done their worst, + And Jesus has His foes dispersed; + Let shouts of praise and joy outburst. Alleluia! The battle is as St. Paul describes it in his letter to the Ephesians, ch. 6:12  For our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. – against Satan and his army of fallen angels. Vs.  4. He closed the yawning gates of hell; + The bars from heaven's high portals fell. + Let songs of praise His triumph tell. Alleluia! In the Apostle Creed we say, Jesus suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried: he descended into hell and on the third day rose again . . . . Jesus came from the Father to break down the gates of hell that, as the hymn says, “. . . bared us from entering the portals of heaven because of our sins. This event is the subject of many classic paintings – a favorite of mine is by Gustave Dore entitled THE VALLEY OF TEARS, 1883, showing Jesus in the bowels of the earth coming to call sinners. See the panel below  Justice demanded that sinners receive the same fate as the fallen angels – but mercy over road justice and armed with the authority of mercy from the Father Jesus delivers souls of sinners from the penalty of death. Jesus did not die because he miscalculated the danger he was in visiting Jerusalem at that time. He knew well what awaited him and the price he would pay for taking on Satan. If we have any hope beyond the grave, it is found in these mysteries. St. Paul lays it out crystal clear in 1 Cor. 15: “16 For if the dead are not raised, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If our hope in Christ is for this life alone, we are to be pitied more than all people.

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Second reading Office of Readings  From an ancient homily on Holy Saturday "The Lord descends into hell." Something strange is happening—there is a great silence on earth today, a great silence and stillness. The whole earth keeps silence because the King is asleep. The earth trembled and is still because God has fallen asleep in the flesh and he has raised up all who have slept ever since the world began. God has died in the flesh and hell trembles with fear. He has gone to search for our first parent, as for a lost sheep. Greatly desiring to visit those who live in darkness and in the shadow of death, he has gone to free from sorrow the captives Adam and Eve, he who is both God and the son of Eve. The Lord approached them bearing the cross, the weapon that had won him the victory. At the sight of him Adam, the first man he had created, struck his breast in terror and cried out to everyone: “My Lord be with you all.” Christ answered him: “And with your spirit.” He took him by the hand and raised him up, saying: “Awake, O sleeper, and rise from the dead, and Christ will give you light.” I am your God, who for your sake have become your son. Out of love for you and for your descendants I now by my own authority command all who are held in bondage to come forth, all who are in darkness to be enlightened, all who are sleeping to arise. I order you, O sleeper, to awake. I did not create you to be held a prisoner in hell. Rise from the dead, for I am the life of the dead. Rise up, work of my hands, you who were created in my image. Rise, let us leave this place, for you are in me and I am in you; together we form only one person and we cannot be separated. For your sake I, your God, became your son; I, the Lord, took the form of a slave; I, whose home is above the heavens, descended to the earth and beneath the earth. For your sake, for the sake of man, I became like a man without help, free among the dead. For the sake of you, who left a garden, I was betrayed to the Jews in a garden, and I was crucified in a garden. See on my face the spittle I received in order to restore to you the life I once breathed into you. See there the marks of the blows I received in order to refashion your warped nature in my image. On my back see the marks of the scourging I endured to remove the burden of sin that weighs upon your back. See my hands, nailed firmly to a tree, for you who once wickedly stretched out your hand to a tree. I slept on the cross and a sword pierced my side for you who slept in paradise and brought forth Eve from your side. My side has healed the pain in yours. My sleep will rouse you from your sleep in hell. The sword that pierced me has sheathed the sword that was turned against you. Rise, let us leave this place. The enemy led you out of the earthly paradise. I will not restore you to that paradise, but I will enthrone you in heaven. I forbade you the tree that was only a symbol of life, but see, I who am life itself am now one with you. I appointed cherubim to guard you as slaves are guarded, but now I make them worship you as God. The throne formed by cherubim awaits you, its bearers swift and eager. The bridal chamber is adorned, the banquet is ready, the eternal dwelling places are prepared, the treasure houses of all good things lie open. The kingdom of heaven has been prepared for you from all eternity.

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Holy Week - 2025

These meditations from previous posts focus on Jesus' battle with Satan and His Victory on the Cross. Palm Sunday begins with Meditation 01, and continues through each day of Holy Week and the Easter Season.

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HOLY WEEK / EASTER MEDITATIONS
Meditation 01	Meditation 05	Meditation 09
Meditation 02	Meditation 06	Meditation 10
Meditation 03	Meditation 07	Meditation 11
Meditation 04	Meditation 08	Meditation 12

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