Today's Great Silence

(Intro: I really like the quote "My sleep will rouse you from your sleep" in the last paragraph. It really says what Jesus died on the cross and descended into Hell for. He died to give us sinners life.  Being perfect and being God He could have chosen not to die and could have stayed out of Hell, but He did this to save us from eternal suffering.

This would have been an excellent reading for Good Friday, which was yesterday, as well as for Holy Saturday, which is today.

It reminds me of the Apostles' Creed, where it said that Jesus "descended into Hell, On the third day He rose again, ascended into Heaven.

Yesterday was the day He "was crucified, died, and was buried." And He descended into Hell. Tomorrow is Easter, and we will celebrate His Resurrection from the dead. This will be the time that He returned to Heaven and took his seat at the right hand of the Father. Easter is a favorite holiday of mine because of that-not because of the candy, baskets, bunnies, and warmer weather as much as I like them too.)

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 in a garden, and I was crucified in a garden.

"See on my face the spit 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 removed the burden of sin that weighs upon your back. See my hands, nailed firmly to a tree, for you who once 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 changer 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."

ascribed to Saint Epiphanios of Cyprus

circa 4th century

Gratitude

We had a different priest say the Latin Mass yesterday morning. The one we usually have is on retreat.

The priest we had this time talked about being gratitude. He also said that there's a restaurant in Michigan he stops at on the way to "my native Canada." I've known for a long time that the Canadians' Thanksgiving is held in October-not November. Must be wonderful being a Canadian living in the United States-getting to celebrate Thanksgiving twice! I had that pleasure one year. I was going with a man who lived with a Canadian citizen. I was invited over to their house for Thanksgiving twice-both in October and in November. It was awesome! In fact the food the Canadian's wife fixed in October was the same as what we have in November in the US.

My friends in AA (Alcoholics Anonymous) refer to November as Gratitude Month and say that the Canadians' Gratitude Month is October.

What a wonderful thing to have 61 days dedicated to being grateful!

Many times I'm not grateful enough-and complain about things not going my way-instead of being grateful for the good things.

I'm grateful today that I have a room to retreat to with a full bath and a phone (same number I had in my apartment) without people constantly banging on my door all hours of the day and night-regardless of what I'm doing trying to get money out of me for cigarettes-or at least a can of pop-as if I were responsible for feeding their addictions.

I'm glad that I can spend some time here praying at different times without having to constantly being distracted by noise or being dragged out of my "prayer closet" to see what anyone wants. I think this really helps me spend time with the Lord-and His Mother-when things are quiet most of the time-or that the noise out in the hall is not there to get me to do anything for anyone-it's just there.

I'm grateful that there are plenty of dogs and cats I can visit and pet. We can't have a dog or cat at the place I live, but we can have pet fish in our rooms-and I have a couple of them. I have a friend who has dogs and cats at her house. I get to go over there and pet them. Actually, there's just ONE dog at her house-she called me to tell me the other one is missing and to tell me to have EVERYONE I know pray for the other one to come back.

I'm not exactly rich or the healthiest person around-but others have it worse than me. Of course this is not good that people are so sick and poor-they do need our help.

And I'm grateful today that Jesus and Mary love me and want me to be in Heaven with them. In fact the ONE thing that Father says matters the most-that no matter what else happens to him is that he is in a state of grace!

I guess I haven't been thinking about that very much before attending the Latin Mass as much as I've been admiring the Protestants for their love of Jesus. But thinking of what Father says sometimes helps me to keep my sanity about even things that seem catastrophic-such as my rent check bouncing on me in July.

I've been very grateful that someone did the Heimleich maneuver on me and saved me from choking to death on a tiny bran flake. The feeling of gratitude I have about being alive-in the physical sense-reminds me of how I need to be grateful to Jesus for saving my soul-so I can go to Heaven when I finally have to leave this earth. But the sanctifying grace given by Jesus is far more important than anything that can be done by any man, woman, or child to keep me breathing so I can still be with them on Earth.

Be A Saint!

I've been browsing around on eBay to find more missals and other books to sell to the people at the Latin Mass and and at our parish's next yard sale.

I love what one seller has on the page with the description of the item he/she's trying to sell. This person prays for anyone who buys at least one item from him/her and wants to be kept in our prayers.

The paragraph ends with "....the only tragedy in life is not to have become a saint."

How true. It reminds me of something Father says that the thing that matters most is that one is in a state of grace. This matters even more than if you have food in the house-or whether you're dead or alive.

In fact Father did tell us in one of his homilies that one mother said to her sons, "As much as I would hate to see you dead, I'd rather you die and be in a state of grace than to be alive and in mortal sin."

And some people have been murdered for going along with what the Lord wants of them rather than to commit some sin so that they could live (in the physical sense.) These people have been rewarded for losing their lives for their obedience to God-no time in Purgatory-straight to Heaven! These are the martyrs.

I've read about how and why some of them have been killed-many have even been killed for refusing to commit a mortal sin.

A friend of mine started a group on Facebook about St. Maria Goretti, who went to Heaven at age 11. Some young man wanted to make her give up her virginity and murdered her because she refused. The Lord miraculously kept her alive for 24 hours while she prayed for the man and witnessed to him about the Lord. Eventually he repented and talked about how the young Saint had helped him come closer to the Lord.

Sure other things matter. I was very unhappy about the check for my rent bouncing-but this is better than being in a state of mortal sin. Hearing Father's words about a state of grace being what really matters was a real comfort to me. When I saw him last Saturday night at the mostaccioli dinner, I told him about how I thought of his words about being in a state of grace. I told him that if I didn't hear him talking about a state of grace like that I probably would have had a "nervous breakdown" over the bad check. True, overdrafts like that also need to be taken seriously.

But like everything else on this earth even bad checks don't "hold a candle" to mortal sin.

Claims about the Brown Scapular

When Father gave his homily Sunday morning he told us about a Protestant minister who threw a Brown Scapular into the sea during a hurricane. The hurricane calmed down and the minister and his family became Catholic.

Someone who knew 7 men who were about to die were asked by them for cigarettes. He told them that they would have promise to wear the Brown Scapular in order to get their cigarettes.

There's the promise that whoever dies wearing the Brown Scapular will not suffer the eternal fires of Hell.

Six of them became believers and the other one continued not to believe. When they died the 6 believers had their scapulars on. But the wind blew the scapular off the other one just before he died.

Prayer for Daily Neglects

Prayer for Daily Neglects

ETERNAL FATHER, I offer You the Sacred Heart of Jesus, with all its love, all its sufferings, and all its merits.
First: To expiate all the sins I have committed this day and during all my life. Glory be to the Father....
Second: To purify the good I have done poorly this day and during all my life. Glory be to the Father....
Third: To supply for the good I ought to have done, and that I have neglected this day and all my life. Glory be to the Father....

HISTORY: Soon after the death of a certain Poor Clare nun, she appeared to her abbess who was praying for her and said: "I went straight to Heaven because I paid all my debts by virtue of this prayer."

I encourage you all to keep up the good work in doing the other things you're doing for your Lord and your souls-and don't forget to say this prayer.

paula

P.S. See y'all in Heaven!