Imagine for a moment, if you will, the cost of a seminary education.  Seminaries are far smaller, and private, therefore they tend to be more expensive to run.  Generally, there is no public funding, no major sports teams bringing in large alumni contributions, no rich alumni giving back to their alma mater (these are priests graduating after all), etc.  But still, there are the costs of running any educational center: building costs, utilities, maintenance, janitorial staff, supplies, administrative costs, and of course, teachers.  There is, I am sure, much more, but you begin to see the cost of running even a small seminary.  Suffice it to say, a seminary education will be expensive.  And it generally gets paid in one of two ways; first, the seminarian has the school paid for by a religious order or local diocese, second, the seminarian pays for the education himself, incurring a huge debt that must be paid later, by himself, his family and friends, or by the church.  So my first objection to traditional seminary education is based on my desire to see churches, and individuals, use money for more important things, like oh, I don’t know, actually feeding and caring for the poor.

Now, the primary purpose of a seminary education is to train priests to serve within the Church, and yet, most of the time in seminary is spent in an academic environment.  Don’t get me wrong, I am a strong proponent of education, and I firmly, with all my heart, believe that the call to minister in God’s Church carries with it a willingness, a desire, a commitment, to a lifetime of study, of continuing education.  A priest who dies not like to read will never live up to his full potential.    But, spending years in a school, basically hiding from the world, is not what I consider the ideal learning environment for a future priest.  Theoretical applications of moral theology will never trump learning to actually deal with real issues while mired knee deep in your parishioners lives.  Granted, a good seminary education will prepare the future priest to jump head first into parish life, and a good priest will figure it all out pretty darn fast, but why wait?  Why not jump right in?  If you have a calling to serve as a priest, why should we have to delay serving the Church for years, why not start right away?  There are an awful lot of things that the priest-to-be can be doing in the local Church, in the local community while learning and training to be a Priest.

My major objection however, revolves around the issue of accountability.  How are bishops, those most responsible for the teachings of the Church, to guide the proper education of future priests when they have no serious say in the education those priests are receiving?  How much of what our clergy is learning in college and in seminary is contrary to Christianity?  How much of it is a waste of time, money, and energy? Where is the sense of responsibility for those ordained? Do we really want to have bishops basically just show up and ordain new priests, wouldn’t we rather have priests who spent years under the supervision, the tutelage, the mentoring of the bishop who is ordaining? To me it just makes more sense.

My proposal is this: that we take those aspiring to be priests, and assume the responsibility for making them good priests, ourselves.  My solution is to eliminate formal schooling and return to the early European concept of reading for a degree.  Meaning that if someone approaches me and expresses a desire to pursue a vocation in the Church, after assuring myself of their suitability, I am going to begin assigning a course of study.  This is how I envision it working: first, I will give the student a reading assignment, then, on weekly or bi-weekly, dates we will sit down to discuss and analyze what the student has read.  Next, based on discussions we have, I may assign supplementary reading to enhance the students knowledge, or perhaps some research for the student to do on his own.  Finally, when I am sure the student knows and understands the material, I will have them move on.  No tests, no grades, no time schedules.  If they understand, we move on, if they don’t understand, we continue to study.

Now, this is not a proposal that I envision shortening the length of a priests education. It is not a program of education that will be quick or easy to complete. This is not a program that will last a few months, or even a year. Quite the contrary, I imagine it would take several years of serious study to complete this type of seminary education. At the completion of the course of study, when the instructing Bishop feels that the priest-to-be is ready, perhaps a public test could be conducted. This is the type of verbal test that I feel would be the best completion to the seminary education. Imagine the student standing before a board of Bishops, Priests, religious, even the laity. Everyone having an opportunity to question the student on any subject that he has studied. And here he has to stand in public, before a crowd, answering and defending his answers. When he successfully finishes this, we award him the Licentiate in Sacred Theology(STL). A degree issued, not by a school, but by the Church, the Body of Christ, in recognition of his learning and readiness to be ordained.

I have discussed the reasons for my proposal, and the method of instituting said proposal, so before I close out let me briefly talk about what I feel should be taught. I believe that we should retain the in depth teaching of contemporary seminaries and the pre-theology teaching of college. Most importantly, there are a number of areas that are commonly neglected in the education of modern priests in the Independent Catholic communities that I feel should be addressed. This is a sample of the what I feel would be a representative course of study:

A Course of Study for Priestly Formation

Peparatory Studies

• Philosophy
• Logic
• Natural Philosophy
• Metaphysics
• Ontology
• Ethics
• History of Philosophy
• Catholic Doctrine
• Comparative Religion
• Introduction to Sacred Scripture
• Introduction to Theology
• Spiritual Life

Ordination Studies

Sacred Scrioture

• The Pentateuch and Historical Books
• Synoptic Gospels
• Pauline Corpus
• Gospel of John

Moral Theology

• Fundamental Moral Theology
• Human Sexuality
• Catholic Social Ethics
• Medical Ethics

Systematic Theology

• Fundamental Theology and Theological Method
• Christian Anthropology and Life of Grace
• Christology/Soteriology
• Theology of the Church
• The Trinity
• Theology of Sacraments
• Theology of Eucharist
• Theology of Reconciliation and Anointing

Liturgy

• Foundations of Christian Liturgy
• The Liturgical Year
• Liturgical Celebration
• Prayer in Christian Tradition

Church History

• Patristic and Medieval Church History
• The Reformation
• Modern Church History
• The Independent Movement

Pastoral Studies

• Ordained Priesthood and Lay Ecclesial Ministry
• Parish Administration and Finance
• Homiletics
• Catechetics

There is of course, more that could be added, but this is my basic outline.

I know that this is a very controversial subject, and by no means do I wish to attack anyone who feels that the current seminary system best serves the present-day needs of the Church.    Rather, I simply wish to present an alternative that I feel may better serve many of the parishes and orders of the Independent Catholic Churches worldwide.  Also, in no way am I trying to take away from professional university studies.  The Church needs professional theologians, historians, archaeologists, and more, that only a traditional education can provide.  No, I am speaking specifically toward an ecclesiastical education for those who wish to serve the church.

There are a number of different titles used in the Church along with traditional forms of address. We present these in an effort to help people avoid confusion.

• Archbishop: The Most Reverend John Smith, D.D., Archbishop of New York (abbrev.: Most Rev.; bishops in the U.S. commonly employ a terminal degree as postnominals, e.g., J.C.D or S.T.D., or Ph.D., or, in its absence, the honorific D.D.); His Grace; Your Grace; Archbishop Smith. (Titular archbishops almost never have their sees mentioned).
• Bishop: The Most Reverend John Smith, D.D., Bishop of Brooklyn (abbrev.: Most Rev.; bishops in the U.S. commonly employ a terminal degree as postnominals, e.g., J.C.D, S.T.D., or Ph.D., or, in its absence, the honorific D.D.); ); His Excellency; Your Excellency; Bishop Smith.(Titular bishops almost never have their sees mentioned).
• Abbot: The Right Reverend John Smith, O.S.B. (or appropriate order’s postnominals); The Right Reverend Abbot (abbrev. Rt. Rev.); Abbot John or Abbot Smith or Dom John or Father John, depending on personal and abbey custom.
• Prior whether superior of or in a monastery or a province or house of a religious order : The Very Reverend John Smith, O.P. (appropriate postnominals for the order); Father Smith.
• Pastor of a Catholic parish, Parochial Vicar, Chaplain, Priest: The Reverend John Smith (abbrev.: Rev. John Smith); Father Smith.
• Transitional Deacon (i.e., deacon preparing for priesthood): Rev. Mr. Smith or Deacon Smith.
• Permanent Deacon: Mr. John Smith or Deacon John Smith; Mr. Smith or Deacon Smith.
• Seminarian (diocesan seminary or Jesuit scholastic:): Mr. John Smith; Mr. Smith.
• Brother: Brother John Smith, O.F.M.; Brother John (in some teaching orders, “Brother Smith” is customary).
• Abbess, Prioress, superior of a religious order of women or a province: Mother Jane Smith, O.S.B.; Mother Jane (the title of women religious superiors varies widely, and specific customs of the order should be noted)
• Religious sister or nun: Sister Jane Smith, S.C.; Sister Jane

Adapted from Wikipedia and modified to reflect the common Independent Catholic titles.

Are there any who are devout lovers of God?
Let them enjoy this beautiful bright festival!

Are there any who are grateful servants?
Let them rejoice and enter into the joy of their Lord!

Are there any weary with fasting?
Let them now receive their wages!

If any have toiled from the first hour,
let them receive their due reward;
If any have come after the third hour,
let him with gratitude join in the Feast!
And he that arrived after the sixth hour,
let him not doubt; for he too shall sustain no loss.
And if any delayed until the ninth hour,
let him not hesitate; but let him come too.
And he who arrived only at the eleventh hour,
let him not be afraid by reason of his delay.
For the Lord is gracious and receives the last even as the first.
He gives rest to him that comes at the eleventh hour,
as well as to him that toiled from the first.

To this one He gives, and upon another He bestows.
He accepts the works as He greets the endeavor.
The deed He honors and the intention He commends.
Let us all enter into the joy of the Lord!

First and last alike receive your reward;
rich and poor, rejoice together!
Sober and slothful, celebrate the day!
You that have kept the fast, and you that have not,
rejoice today for the Table is richly laden!

Feast royally on it, the calf is a fatted one.
Let no one go away hungry. Partake, all, of the cup of faith.
Enjoy all the riches of His goodness!

Let no one grieve at his poverty,
for the universal kingdom has been revealed.

Let no one mourn that he has fallen again and again;
for forgiveness has risen from the grave.

Let no one fear death, for the Death of our Savior has set us free.
He has destroyed it by enduring it.
He destroyed Hell when He descended into it.
He put it into an uproar even as it tasted of His flesh.

Isaiah foretold this when he said,
“You, O Hell, have been troubled by encountering Him below.”
Hell was in an uproar because it was done away with.
It was in an uproar because it is mocked.
It was in an uproar, for it is destroyed.
It is in an uproar, for it is annihilated.
It is in an uproar, for it is now made captive.

Hell took a body, and discovered God.
It took earth, and encountered Heaven.
It took what it saw, and was overcome by what it did not see.

O death, where is thy sting?
O Hell, where is thy victory?

Christ is Risen, and you, o death, are annihilated!
Christ is Risen, and the evil ones are cast down!
Christ is Risen, and the angels rejoice!
Christ is Risen, and life is liberated!

Christ is Risen, and the tomb is emptied of its dead;
for Christ having risen from the dead,
is become the first-fruits of those who have fallen asleep.

To Him be Glory and Power forever and ever. Amen!

The Easter sermon of John Chrysostom (circa 400 AD)

Read more on Easter at the Catholic Encyclopedia.

In her diary, St. Faustina wrote that Jesus told her:

“On each day of the novena you will bring to My heart a different group of souls and you will immerse them in this ocean of My mercy … On each day you will beg My Father, on the strength of My passion, for the graces for these souls.”

The different souls prayed for on each day of the novena are:

DAY 1 (Good Friday) – All mankind, especially sinners

DAY 2 (Holy Saturday) – The souls of priests and religious

DAY 3 (Easter Sunday) – All devout and faithful souls

DAY 4 (Easter Monday) – Those who do not believe in Jesus and those who do not yet know Him

DAY 5 (Easter Tuesday) – The souls of separated brethren

DAY 6 (Easter Wednesday) – The meek and humble souls and the souls of children

DAY 7 (Easter Thursday) – The souls who especially venerate and glorify Jesus’ mercy

DAY 8 (Easter Friday) – The souls who are detained in purgatory;

DAY 9 (Easter Saturday) – The souls who have become lukewarm.

During the Solemn Novena leading to Divine Mercy Sunday, the Chaplet of Divine Mercy should be offered each day for the day’s intentions.

It should also be noted that the Novena may be used at any time of year with different intentions.

First Day

“Today bring to Me all mankind, especially all sinners, and immerse them in the ocean of My mercy. In this way you will console Me in the bitter grief into which the loss of souls plunges Me.”

Most Merciful Jesus, whose very nature it is to have compassion on us and to forgive us, do not look upon our sins but upon our trust which we place in Your infinite goodness. Receive us all into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart, and never let us escape from It. We beg this of You by Your love which unites You to the Father and the Holy Spirit.

Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon all mankind and especially upon poor sinners, all enfolded in the Most Compassionate Heart of Jesus. For the sake of His sorrowful Passion show us Your mercy, that we may praise the omnipotence of Your mercy for ever and ever. Amen.

Second Day

“Today bring to Me the Souls of Priests and Religious, and immerse them in My unfathomable mercy. It was they who gave me strength to endure My bitter Passion. Through them as through channels My mercy flows out upon mankind.”

Most Merciful Jesus, from whom comes all that is good, increase Your grace in men and women consecrated to Your service,* that they may perform worthy works of mercy; and that all who see them may glorify the Father of Mercy who is in heaven.

Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon the company of chosen ones in Your vineyard — upon the souls of priests and religious; and endow them with the strength of Your blessing. For the love of the Heart of Your Son in which they are enfolded, impart to them Your power and light, that they may be able to guide others in the way of salvation and with one voice sing praise to Your boundless mercy for ages without end. Amen.

* In the original text, Saint Faustina uses the pronoun “us” since she was offering this prayer as a consecrated religious sister. The wording adapted here is intended to make the prayer suitable for universal use.

Third Day

“Today bring to Me all Devout and Faithful Souls, and immerse them in the ocean of My mercy. These souls brought me consolation on the Way of the Cross. They were a drop of consolation in the midst of an ocean of bitterness.”

Most Merciful Jesus, from the treasury of Your mercy, You impart Your graces in great abundance to each and all. Receive us into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart and never let us escape from It. We beg this grace of You by that most wondrous love for the heavenly Father with which Your Heart burns so fiercely.

Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon faithful souls, as upon the inheritance of Your Son. For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, grant them Your blessing and surround them with Your constant protection. Thus may they never fail in love or lose the treasure of the holy faith, but rather, with all the hosts of Angels and Saints, may they glorify Your boundless mercy for endless ages. Amen.

Fourth Day

“Today bring to Me those who do not believe in God and those who do not know Me, I was thinking also of them during My bitter Passion, and their future zeal comforted My Heart. Immerse them in the ocean of My mercy.”

Most compassionate Jesus, You are the Light of the whole world. Receive into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart the souls of those who do not believe in God and of those who as yet do not know You. Let the rays of Your grace enlighten them that they, too, together with us, may extol Your wonderful mercy; and do not let them escape from the abode which is Your Most Compassionate Heart.

Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon the souls of those who do not believe in You, and of those who as yet do not know You, but who are enclosed in the Most Compassionate Heart of Jesus. Draw them to the light of the Gospel. These souls do not know what great happiness it is to love You. Grant that they, too, may extol the generosity of Your mercy for endless ages. Amen.

*Our Lord’s original words here were “the pagans.” Since the pontificate of Pope John XXIII, the Church has seen fit to replace this term with clearer and more appropriate terminology.

Fifth Day

“Today bring to Me the Souls of those who have separated themselves from My Church*, and immerse them in the ocean of My mercy. During My bitter Passion they tore at My Body and Heart, that is, My Church. As they return to unity with the Church My wounds heal and in this way they alleviate My Passion.”

Most Merciful Jesus, Goodness Itself, You do not refuse light to those who seek it of You. Receive into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart the souls of those who have separated themselves from Your Church. Draw them by Your light into the unity of the Church, and do not let them escape from the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart; but bring it about that they, too, come to glorify the generosity of Your mercy.

Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon the souls of those who have separated themselves from Your Son’s Church, who have squandered Your blessings and misused Your graces by obstinately persisting in their errors. Do not look upon their errors, but upon the love of Your own Son and upon His bitter Passion, which He underwent for their sake, since they, too, are enclosed in His Most Compassionate Heart. Bring it about that they also may glorify Your great mercy for endless ages. Amen.

*Our Lord’s original words here were “heretics and schismatics,” since He spoke to Saint Faustina within the context of her times. As of the Second Vatican Council, Church authorities have seen fit not to use those designations in accordance with the explanation given in the Council’s Decree on Ecumenism (n.3). Every pope since the Council has reaffirmed that usage. Saint Faustina herself, her heart always in harmony with the mind of the Church, most certainly would have agreed. When at one time, because of the decisions of her superiors and father confessor, she was not able to execute Our Lord’s inspirations and orders, she declared: “I will follow Your will insofar as You will permit me to do so through Your representative. O my Jesus ” I give priority to the voice of the Church over the voice with which You speak to me” (497). The Lord confirmed her action and praised her for it.

Sixth Day

Today bring to Me the Meek and Humble Souls and the Souls of Little Children, and immerse them in My mercy. These souls most closely resemble My Heart. They strengthened Me during My bitter agony. I saw them as earthly Angels, who will keep vigil at My altars. I pour out upon them whole torrents of grace. I favor humble souls with My confidence.

Most Merciful Jesus, You yourself have said, “Learn from Me for I am meek and humble of heart.” Receive into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart all meek and humble souls and the souls of little children. These souls send all heaven into ecstasy and they are the heavenly Father’s favorites. They are a sweet-smelling bouquet before the throne of God; God Himself takes delight in their fragrance. These souls have a permanent abode in Your Most Compassionate Heart, O Jesus, and they unceasingly sing out a hymn of love and mercy.

Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon meek souls, upon humble souls, and upon little children who are enfolded in the abode which is the Most Compassionate Heart of Jesus. These souls bear the closest resemblance to Your Son. Their fragrance rises from the earth and reaches Your very throne. Father of mercy and of all goodness, I beg You by the love You bear these souls and by the delight You take in them: Bless the whole world, that all souls together may sing out the praises of Your mercy for endless ages. Amen.

Seventh Day

Today bring to Me the Souls who especially venerate and glorify My Mercy*, and immerse them in My mercy. These souls sorrowed most over my Passion and entered most deeply into My spirit. They are living images of My Compassionate Heart. These souls will shine with a special brightness in the next life. Not one of them will go into the fire of hell. I shall particularly defend each one of them at the hour of death.

Most Merciful Jesus, whose Heart is Love Itself, receive into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart the souls of those who particularly extol and venerate the greatness of Your mercy. These souls are mighty with the very power of God Himself. In the midst of all afflictions and adversities they go forward, confident of Your mercy; and united to You, O Jesus, they carry all mankind on their shoulders. These souls will not be judged severely, but Your mercy will embrace them as they depart from this life.

Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon the souls who glorify and venerate Your greatest attribute, that of Your fathomless mercy, and who are enclosed in the Most Compassionate Heart of Jesus. These souls are a living Gospel; their hands are full of deeds of mercy, and their hearts, overflowing with joy, sing a canticle of mercy to You, O Most High! I beg You O God:

Show them Your mercy according to the hope and trust they have placed in You. Let there be accomplished in them the promise of Jesus, who said to them that during their life, but especially at the hour of death, the souls who will venerate this fathomless mercy of His, He, Himself, will defend as His glory. Amen.

*The text leads one to conclude that in the first prayer directed to Jesus, Who is the Redeemer, it is “victim” souls and contemplatives that are being prayed for; those persons, that is, that voluntarily offered themselves to God for the salvation of their neighbor (see Col 1:24; 2 Cor 4:12). This explains their close union with the Savior and the extraordinary efficacy that their invisible activity has for others. In the second prayer, directed to the Father from whom comes “every worthwhile gift and every genuine benefit,”we recommend the “active” souls, who promote devotion to The Divine Mercy and exercise with it all the other works that lend themselves to the spiritual and material uplifting of their brethren.

Eighth Day

“Today bring to Me the Souls who are in the prison of Purgatory, and immerse them in the abyss of My mercy. Let the torrents of My Blood cool down their scorching flames. All these souls are greatly loved by Me. They are making retribution to My justice. It is in your power to bring them relief. Draw all the indulgences from the treasury of My Church and offer them on their behalf. Oh, if you only knew the torments they suffer, you would continually offer for them the alms of the spirit and pay off their debt to My justice.”

Most Merciful Jesus, You Yourself have said that You desire mercy; so I bring into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart the souls in Purgatory, souls who are very dear to You, and yet, who must make retribution to Your justice. May the streams of Blood and Water which gushed forth from Your Heart put out the flames of Purgatory, that there, too, the power of Your mercy may be celebrated.

Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon the souls suffering in Purgatory, who are enfolded in the Most Compassionate Heart of Jesus. I beg You, by the sorrowful Passion of Jesus Your Son, and by all the bitterness with which His most sacred Soul was flooded: Manifest Your mercy to the souls who are under Your just scrutiny. Look upon them in no other way but only through the Wounds of Jesus, Your dearly beloved Son; for we firmly believe that there is no limit to Your goodness and compassion. Amen.

Ninth Day

“Today bring to Me the Souls who have become Lukewarm, and immerse them in the abyss of My mercy. These souls wound My Heart most painfully. My soul suffered the most dreadful loathing in the Garden of Olives because of lukewarm souls. They were the reason I cried out: ‘Father, take this cup away from Me, if it be Your will.’ For them, the last hope of salvation is to run to My mercy.”

Most compassionate Jesus, You are Compassion Itself. I bring lukewarm souls into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart. In this fire of Your pure love, let these tepid souls who, like corpses, filled You with such deep loathing, be once again set aflame. O Most Compassionate Jesus, exercise the omnipotence of Your mercy and draw them into the very ardor of Your love, and bestow upon them the gift of holy love, for nothing is beyond Your power.

Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon lukewarm souls who are nonetheless enfolded in the Most Compassionate Heart of Jesus. Father of Mercy, I beg You by the bitter Passion of Your Son and by His three-hour agony on the Cross: Let them, too, glorify the abyss of Your mercy. Amen.

From the diary of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska.

How to pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy

It is prayed on a rosary:

Begin with:
The Sign of the Cross

Opening Prayer:
You expired, Jesus, but the source of life gushed forth for souls, and the ocean of mercy opened up for the whole world. O Fount of Life, unfathomable Divine Mercy, envelop the whole world and empty Yourself out upon us.
O Blood and Water, which gushed forth from the Heart of Jesus as a fountain of Mercy for us, I trust in You!

Then pray:
The Our Father
The Hail Mary
and The Apostles’ Creed

On the large or ‘Our Father’ beads pray:
Eternal Father, I offer you the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Your dearly beloved Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world.

On the small or ‘Hail Mary’ beads pray:
For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.

Continue through the 5 decades and then conclude by praying three times:

Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole world.

Closing Prayer:
Eternal God, in whom mercy is endless and the treasury of compassion inexhaustible, look kindly upon us and increase Your mercy in us, that in difficult moments we might not despair nor become despondent, but with great confidence submit ourselves to Your holy will, which is Love and Mercy itself.

“With the resurrection of Jesus, God said once again: Let there be light!”. The homily for the Easter Vigil on the night of April 7, 2012, in Saint Peter’s Basilica

by Benedict XVI

Dear brothers and sisters,

Easter is the feast of the new creation. Jesus is risen and dies no more. He has opened the door to a new life, one that no longer knows illness and death. He has taken mankind up into God himself. “Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God”, as Saint Paul says in the first letter to the Corinthians (15:50). On the subject of Christ’s resurrection and our resurrection, the Church writer Tertullian in the third century was bold enough to write: “Rest assured, flesh and blood, through Christ you have gained your place in heaven and in the Kingdom of God” (CCL II, 994). A new dimension has opened up for mankind. Creation has become greater and broader. Easter Day ushers in a new creation, but that is precisely why the Church starts the liturgy on this day with the old creation, so that we can learn to understand the new one aright. At the beginning of the Liturgy of the Word on Easter night, then, comes the account of the creation of the world.

Two things are particularly important here in connection with this liturgy. On the one hand, creation is presented as a whole that includes the phenomenon of time. The seven days are an image of completeness, unfolding in time. They are ordered towards the seventh day, the day of the freedom of all creatures for God and for one another. Creation is therefore directed towards the coming together of God and his creatures; it exists so as to open up a space for the response to God’s great glory, an encounter between love and freedom. On the other hand, what the Church hears on Easter night is above all the first element of the creation account: “God said, ‘let there be light!’” (Gen 1:3). The creation account begins symbolically with the creation of light. The sun and the moon are created only on the fourth day. The creation account calls them lights, set by God in the firmament of heaven. In this way he deliberately takes away the divine character that the great religions had assigned to them. No, they are not gods. They are shining bodies created by the one God. But they are preceded by the light through which God’s glory is reflected in the essence of the created being.

What is the creation account saying here? Light makes life possible. It makes encounter possible. It makes communication possible. It makes knowledge, access to reality and to truth, possible. And insofar as it makes knowledge possible, it makes freedom and progress possible. Evil hides. Light, then, is also an expression of the good that both is and creates brightness. It is daylight, which makes it possible for us to act. To say that God created light means that God created the world as a space for knowledge and truth, as a space for encounter and freedom, as a space for good and for love. Matter is fundamentally good, being itself is good. And evil does not come from God-made being, rather, it comes into existence through denial. It is a “no”.

At Easter, on the morning of the first day of the week, God said once again: “Let there be light”. The night on the Mount of Olives, the solar eclipse of Jesus’ passion and death, the night of the grave had all passed. Now it is the first day once again – creation is beginning anew. “Let there be light”, says God, “and there was light”: Jesus rises from the grave. Life is stronger than death. Good is stronger than evil. Love is stronger than hate. Truth is stronger than lies. The darkness of the previous days is driven away the moment Jesus rises from the grave and himself becomes God’s pure light. But this applies not only to him, not only to the darkness of those days. With the resurrection of Jesus, light itself is created anew. He draws all of us after him into the new light of the resurrection and he conquers all darkness. He is God’s new day, new for all of us.

But how is this to come about? How does all this affect us so that instead of remaining word it becomes a reality that draws us in? Through the sacrament of baptism and the profession of faith, the Lord has built a bridge across to us, through which the new day reaches us. The Lord says to the newly-baptized: “Fiat lux”, let there be light. God’s new day – the day of indestructible life, comes also to us. Christ takes you by the hand. From now on you are held by him and walk with him into the light, into real life. For this reason the early Church called baptism “photismos”,  illumination.

Why was this? The darkness that poses a real threat to mankind, after all, is the fact that he can see and investigate tangible material things, but cannot see where the world is going or whence it comes, where our own life is going, what is good and what is evil. The darkness enshrouding God and obscuring values is the real threat to our existence and to the world in general. If God and moral values, the difference between good and evil, remain in darkness, then all other “lights”, that put such incredible technical feats within our reach, are not only progress but also dangers that put us and the world at risk. Today we can illuminate our cities so brightly that the stars of the sky are no longer visible. Is this not an image of the problems caused by our version of enlightenment? With regard to material things, our knowledge and our technical accomplishments are legion, but what reaches beyond, the things of God and the question of good, we can no longer identify. Faith, then, which reveals God’s light to us, is the true enlightenment, enabling God’s light to break into our world, opening our eyes to the true light.

Dear friends, as I conclude, I would like to add one more thought about light and illumination. On Easter night, the night of the new creation, the Church presents the mystery of light using a unique and very humble symbol: the Paschal candle. This is a light that lives from sacrifice. The candle shines inasmuch as it is burnt up. It gives light, inasmuch as it gives itself. Thus the Church presents most beautifully the paschal mystery of Christ, who gives himself and so bestows the great light. Secondly, we should remember that the light of the candle is a fire. Fire is the power that shapes the world, the force of transformation. And fire gives warmth. Here too the mystery of Christ is made newly visible. Christ, the light, is fire, flame, burning up evil and so reshaping both the world and ourselves. “Whoever is close to me is close to the fire,” as Jesus is reported by Origen to have said. And this fire is both heat and light: not a cold light, but one through which God’s warmth and goodness reach down to us.

The great hymn of the Exsultet, which the deacon sings at the beginning of the Easter liturgy, points us quite gently towards a further aspect. It reminds us that this object, the candle, has its origin in the work of bees. So the whole of creation plays its part. In the candle, creation becomes a bearer of light. But in the mind of the Fathers, the candle also in some sense contains a silent reference to the Church. The cooperation of the living community of believers in the Church in some way resembles the activity of bees. It builds up the community of light. So the candle serves as a summons to us to become involved in the community of the Church, whose “raison d’être” is to let the light of Christ shine upon the world.

Let us pray to the Lord at this time that he may grant us to experience the joy of his light; let us pray that we ourselves may become bearers of his light, and that through the Church, Christ’s radiant face may enter our world. Amen.

__________

Original Here.

Let us pause for a moment in our day and meditate on the meaning of Holy Saturday.  In many ways today is a day of uncertainty, of not knowing the future.  Our past is fixed, it is certain, we cannot change it, though we often dwell in it.  We may regret, or rejoice in, our past, but no matter, we all are living in the present.  The crucifixion of our Lord was yesterday, today He lies in a tomb.  Imagine the fear, the trepidation, that His followers felt.  What happened, they must have been thinking.  A week ago we were the center of attention, crowds thronged to us, they sang and welcomed us into the city.  A week ago we believed in, we loved, this man who now is gone from us.  What happens now?  Is everything we believed, were taught, lived, just gone?  Was any of it true?  How could this man we thought was our Messiah be dead?  This is the state that we are in today.  This state of not knowing what the future holds, not knowing how we will get through another day, not knowing if there will be another day.   It is a place we often find ourselves in throughout the year, but today is a day for really meditating on the uncertainty of our futures.  It is a day to remind us that we must place our faith in God, to offer up the uncertainty of our futures, to trust that He will comfort and guide us through the wilderness of our lives.

O Jesus, my Savior and Redeemer, Son of the living God, behold, we kneel before Thee and offer Thee our reparation; we would make amends for all the blasphemies uttered against Thy holy name, for all the injuries done to Thee in the Blessed Sacrament, for all the irreverence shown toward Thine immaculate Virgin Mother, for all the calumnies and slanders spoken against Thy spouse, the holy Catholic Church. O Jesus, who hast said: “If you ask the Father anything in My name, He will give it to you”, we pray and beseech Thee for all our brethren who are in danger of sin; shield them from every temptation to fall away from the true faith; save those who are even now standing on the brink of the abyss; to all of them give light and knowledge of the truth, courage and strength for the conflict with evil, perseverance in faith and active charity! For this do we pray, most merciful Jesus, in Thy name, unto God the Father, with whom Thou livest and reignest in the unity of the Holy Spirit world without end. Amen

This event is described in the three Synoptic Gospels: Matthew 26:14-16, Mark 14:10-12, Luke 22:3-6.

The Sanhedrin was gathered together and it decided to kill Jesus, even before Pesach if possible. In the meantime, Jesus was in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper. Here he was anointed on his head by Mary, the sister of Martha and Lazarus, with very expensive ointment of spikenard. Some of the disciples, particularly Judas, were indignant about this; the oil could have been sold to support the poor. Judas went to the Sanhedrin and offered them his support in exchange for money. From this moment on Judas was looking for an opportunity to betray Jesus. (Wikipedia).

A brief meditation for the day:

We are healed by His bruises! O heavenly Physician, who takes upon Himself the sufferings of those He comes to cure! But not only was He bruised for our sins, He was also slaughtered as a lamb; and this not merely as a Victim submitting to the inflexible will of His Father who hath laid upon Him the iniquity of us all, but (as the prophet here assures us) because it was His own will. His love for us, as well as His submission to His Father, led Him to the great Sacrifice. Observe, too, how He refuses to defend Himself before Pilate, who could so easily deliver Him from His enemies: He shall be dumb as a lamb before his shearers, and He shall not open His mouth. Let us love and adore this divine silence, which works our salvation. Let us not pass over an iota of the devotedness which Jesus shows us—a devotedness which never could have existed save in the heart of a God. Oh! how much He has loved us, His children, the purchase of His Blood, His seed, as the prophet here calls us. O holy Church! thou long-lived seed of Jesus, who laid down His life, thou art dear to Him, for He bought thee at a great price. Faithful souls! give Him love for love. Sinners! be converted to this your Savior; His Blood will restore you to life, for if we have all gone astray like sheep, remember what is added: The Lord hath laid upon Him the iniquity of us all. There is no sinner, however great may be his crimes, there is no heretic, or infidel, who has not his share in this precious Blood, whose infinite merit is such, that it could redeem a million worlds more guilty even than our own. — The Liturgical Year, Abbot Gueranger O.S.B.

Today is also the feast day of St. Isidore of Seville – Doctor of the Church, who is patron saint of the internet, and all things computer.