First Friday

Passion (Palm) Sunday

The Bible begins with God creating the world in a single week; it was a work upon which He looked and saw “that it was good” (Gen. 1:4, 10, 12, 18, 21, 25, 31). This good world was ruined by sin - your sins, my sins, universal or original sin, everybody’s sins.

But God would not permit His good world to remain ruined, it must be re-created, made “good” again and holy unto its Maker. Jesus accomplished this during the Week called Holy.

Triumphantly Jesus inaugurated this week, setting His face steadfastly toward the Hill of Calvary, the Cross. Shouts of joyous triumph ring all about, palms, olive branches, garments flung in the path before Him. A Victory Parade is being celebrated. Jesus is “going up,” His Father’s providential plan is being realized - and we are in that procession with our victorious Passover King.

The Passover Mystery

Is there one week during the year that stands mountain-high over the other weeks throughout the year?

Yes! April 9 to 16 is that week.

No eight days during the months preceding or in the time following are more significant than the period beginning with Passion (Palm) Sunday and continuing on to Holy Easter.  These are the days in which Catholics enter into and re-live the mystery of the Lord’s Passover.

The Popes - No. 81

BENEDICT II (684—685)
 
He was born in Rome to the powerful Savelli family and was so esteemed by Emperor Constantine IV that the latter had him adopt his two sons Justinian and Heraclius. The same emperor granted the Roman Church and people greater autonomy, giving them the right to elect the pope without having to have the emperor’s approval as Justinian bad established. The exarch of Ravenna was given this task. Very probably it was Benedict who convinced the emperor to make this modification.

- Antonio Lopes, THE POPES

The Cross

Pause for a moment, look up from this page and find a cross. There’ s one close by:

+ Where the window panes are divided,
+ Where the chair legs cross,
+ Where the tree limbs bend,
+ Where the streets intersect,
+ Where the walls and ceilings pass,
+ Where the doorjambs meet, 
+ Where the edges of tiles cross,
+ Where a “t” appears,
+ Where telephone poles rise,
+ Where girders are going up.
+ Where a crucifix hangs on your wall.

The Sign of the Cross surrounds us, a continuing reminder of Jesus’s Sacrifice for our sakes.

The cross is a symbol full of contradictions. Meant for death, it now stands for everlasting life, Made for torture and out of hate, it now exhibits triumph and unending joy.

Anniversary of Pope John Paul II's Death, April 2, 2005

“Come, you blessed...
Depart from me, you accursed . . .“
And so the generations pass -
Naked they come into the world and naked they return
To the earth from which they were formed.
From dust you came, and to dust you shall return;
What had shape is now shapeless.
What was alive is now dead.
What was beautiful is now the ugliness of decay.
And yet I do not altogether die,
What is indestructible in me remains!

   - Pope John Paul II. An excerpt from The Poetry of John Paul II, Roman Triptych: Meditations

April First Friday Mass

Our Special Mass will be on Friday, the 7th day of April, 2006, at 8:00 a.m., at St. Leo the Great Church, 3700 old Lee Highway,Fairfax, VA. You’ll be on your way before 8:30 a.m. for the day.

PARKING

Please park in the lot nearest the school building- the entrance to which is next to the fire hydrant.  PLEASE DO NOT PARK in the main lot which is used, at this time of the day, by carpools discharging school children.                        

They May See...

They may see the good you do as self-serving -- Continue to do good.

They may see your generosity as grandstanding -- Continue to be generous.

They may see your warm and caring nature as a weakness - Continue to be warm and caring.

For, you see, in the end it is between you and God. It never was between you and then anyway.

David McCullough

This Pulitzer Prize-winning historian issued a warning during his testimony before a U.S. Senate committee in 2004:

“We are raising a generation of people who are historically illiterate and ignorant of the basic philosophical foundation of our constitutional free society .... We need to know the Constitution and we don’t. When you have students at our Ivy League colleges saying they thought Germany and Japan were our allies in World War II, you know we’ve got a very serious problem.”

It Wasn't A Yarmulke

Michael A. Catalano, an attorney in Miami, Fla., was waiting in the courtroom of Dade County Judge Harvey Baxter while a drunken driving case was being heard.

“Please take your hat off,” the Judge told the defendant. “Unless, of course, you are wearing it for religious reasons.”

After a pause, the Judge added, “But I can’t imagine what the religious significance is to a baseball cap that says ‘Coors’ on it.”

- ABA Journal

Some fishermen in the highlands of Scotland came into a little Scottish inn late one afternoon for a cup of tea.

As one was describing “the one that got away” to his friends, he flung out his hands in the typical fisherman gesture. He did so just as the waitress was setting down his cup of tea. The resulting collision left a huge tea stain spreading on the white-washed wall. The fisherman apologized profusely.

Another man seated nearby said, “Never mind.” Rising, he took a crayon from his pocket and began to sketch around the ugly, brown stain. Slowly there emerged the head of a magnificent stag with large antlers. The man was Edwin Landseer, England’ s foremost painter of animals.

Now if an artist can do that with an ugly, brown stain, what can God do with my sins and mistakes if I but give them to Him.

- Ruth Bell Graham

Jest Kidding ...

A passenger jet was traveling through a severe thunderstorm. As everyone on board did their best to ignore the turbulence, a young woman turned to a priest sitting next to her and with a nervous laugh asked,  “Father, you’re a man of God. Can’t you do something about this storm?”

The priest replied, “Lady, I’m in sales, not management.”

An Angel Has Been There

Into each life some tears must fall;
Our hearts may sometimes break,
And sorrows come to one and all,
For all must give and take.
But God never leaves us hopeless;
He listens to each prayer,
And when we’re filled with peacefulness,
An Angel has been there.

Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord

Archangel Gabriel Announced To Mary That She Was To Become The Mother Of Christ

This feast, observed since 430, deserves the thundering dignity of its long name, because it differed so much from all other mere “announcements.” There have been announcements of the birth of princes, and of the assassinations of kings; announcements of new Presidents and new Popes; announcements of wars declared and peace treaties signed - thousands of announcements. 

But in the headlines of history there never has been an announcement like this:  “God Comes on Earth!” For the Feast of the Annunciation celebrates the day when the Archangel Gabriel announces to the Virgin Mary that she was to become the Mother of Christ. And when she consented, the Word was made Flesh - to be born nine months later on the twenty-fifth of December. It all began today. Everything that went before, patriarchs and prophets, were preparation. Everything afterward, a natural effect. This the event of salvation history.

- DAY BY DAY WITH THE SAINTS

More Irish Blessings

May the Irish hills caress you.
May her lakes and rivers bless you.
May the luck of the Irish enfold you.
May the blessings of Saint Patrick behold you.
May your neighbors respect you.
Trouble neglect you.
The angels protect you.
And Heaven accept you.

What Cancer Cannot Do!

It cannot cripple love.
It cannot shatter hope.
It cannot corrode faith.
It cannot destroy peace.
It cannot kill friendships.
It cannot suppress memories.
It cannot silence courage.
It cannot invade the soul.
It cannot steal eternal life.
It cannot conquer the Spirit.

G.K. Chesterton

“The recent mistakes of our rulers have been mainly excusable; it is their defenses that are indefensible.”

- Christians can cope with their past because they have hope for the future.

         

Tidbits II

- Don't sepnd time; invest it.

- Pray as a child talks to his father.
         
- Prayerful thinking leads to purposeful thanking.

When we approach the Lord in prayer,
We can come boldly to His throne;
His children come expectantly,
For grace and mercy will be shown.

Solemnity of St. Joseph (1st Century)

Spouse of Mary, Foster Father of Jesus, Patron of the Universal Church
         
Scripture records not a single word spoken by St. Joseph. The little we know of him portrays him as a man of great faith, prudence and obedience, “a just man.”

As protector of Mary’s honor in becoming legal father of Jesus, he was entrusted with the duty of providing for the Mother of God and God’s Son. What a privileged position!  Yet Joseph went about his daily labors as a carpenter in a quiet, unassuming manner, eager to be of service to his family and neighbors. Because he was divinely appointed head of the Holy Family, Pope Pius IX solemnly proclaimed him Patron of the Universal Church (1870). As such he is the guardian and protector of the family of the Church and all Christian families.

Let us pray to him with confidence for all our needs, to be faithful to the duties of our call in life, and finally for the grace of a holy and peaceful death.

- DAY BY DAY WITH THE SAINTS

An Olde Irish Blessing

Lucky Stars above you,
Sunshine on your way,
Many friends to love you,
Joy in work and play -
Laughter to outweigh each care,
In your heart a song -
And gladness waiting everywhere
All your whole life long.

Irish Blessings

Always remember to forget the things that made you sad.
But never forget to remember the things that made you glad.
Always remember to forget the friends that proved untrue.
But never forget to remember those that have stuck by you.
Always remember to forget the troubles that passed away.
But never forget to remember the blessings that come each day.

    Let my Sign of the Cross be a petition for peace in Ireland

Memorial of St. Patrick (389-461)

On Easter Sunday, Patrick, the once captive swineherd, appeared in full episcopal attire at Tara, where chieftains and pagan priests were gathered for a pagan ceremony.  After he had successfully defeated the pagan priests, Patrick began to preach on the true Faith. He plucked a shamrock from the grass and used it to explain the Trinity. That is why the shamrock is held in reverence by the Irish.

The truth of the three persons in one God is the most sublime and most mysterious truth in our Faith. It is a mystery that our limited minds cannot grasp. If it had not been revealed to us, we would never know it. Each time we make the Sign of the Cross, we pay homage to this great mystery. We should also remind ourselves of the debt we have to the Trinity - to the Father because He created us, to the Son who redeemed us, and to the Holy Spirit who makes us holy.

- DAY BY DAY WITH THE SAINTS

Offer Legal Advice

Taylor was desperate for business and was happy to be appointed by the court to defend an indigent defendant.

The judge ordered Taylor, “You are to confer with the defendant in the hallway, and give him the best legal advice you can.”

After a time, Taylor re-entered the courtroom alone.    When the judge asked where the defendant had gone, Taylor replied, “You asked me to give him good advice. I found out that he was guilty, so I told him to split.”

Canned Kindness

Some of you these winter mornings are eating the honey which the bees gathered last May, or syrup which a year ago was sap stirring in the sugar maples. The kindness done today will help sweeten the years ahead.

Store up enough so that whatever happensin the future, you will not run short.

-  Source Unknown

Example

Roger Brooke Taney, Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court from 1836 to 1854, was a sterling and practical Catholic. Many exemplary stories are told of his devotion to his faith.

One of these has to do with Justice Daniel, an associate of Taney on the Supreme Court.  They boarded at the same house in Washington. One morning, just before the usual time for going to court, Daniel opened the door of Taney’s room to find the Chief Justice on his knees in prayer. Making profound apologies for not rapping. Daniel was about to withdraw when Taney told him to stay, explaining that it was his regular custom before he began his duties of the day to ask God’s help through prayer.

- Msgr. Arthur Tonne

The Greatest Asset

I consider my ability to arouse enthusiasm among the men the greatest asset I possess, and the way to develop the best that is in a man is by appreciation and encouragement.

There is nothing else that so kills the ambitions of man as criticisms from his superiors. I never criticize any one. I believe in giving a man incentive to work.

So I am anxious to praise but loathe to find fault. If I like anything, I am hearty in my approbation and lavish in my praise.

- Charles Schwab

Praise

We all know the answer to this question:  “What’s the difference between the Optimist and the Pessimist?”

The Optimist sees the half a glass of water as “half-full.” The Pessimist calls the same glass “half-empty.”

As people baptized into the very life of the risen Christ, Christians are optimists by calling and experience. We live praising God, whether we are at Mass, or drawing breath with each new day. We praise God for His goodness: life, health, pleasure, pain, joy, sorrow.

We recognize that all, from first breath o last, is a gift from our loving Creator even when we can not yet “see” how God turns sorrow to joy, pain to growth and new life.

Be a Christian optimist this Lent.

Praise God each day!

- FMAFocus

Tidbits

- There is no higher praise of a man saying he is just.

- Lord, let me be open to whomever You send to encourage me.

- An interruption may be a divine appointment.

Lord, if I’m feeling rushed today,
I need your eyes to help me see
That when an interruption comes
It is an opportunity.

Where He Stands

The ultimate measure of a man
is not where he stands in moments
of comfort and convenience,
but where he stands at times of
challenge and controversy.

- Martin Luther King, Jr.