YE WERE AS SHEEP GOING ASTRAY

A REFLECTION FOR GOOD SHEPHERD SUNDAY

On this Second Sunday after Easter, we may permit ourselves to relax a little and know that we sheep are safe under the guidance and protection of a good shepherd.  So long as we place ourselves at his feet, follow him wherever he goes and do what he tells us, we have everything we need and nothing to fear.  “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want… Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for thou art with me” (Psalm 22).

And yet, there is danger in that valley.  If our Good Shepherd is with us, we don’t need to fear these perils that surround us, but as soon as we leave his side, as soon as we reject his loving care by sinning against him, we no longer have the comfort of knowing that his rod and staff will keep us safe.  We are exposed to the elements—to the world with its enticements, to the devil and his works, and to our own fallen nature with its inordinate appetite for pleasing ourselves.

Even though our Good Shepherd will come after us when we go astray, we must never presume that we will be found.  Not because our Lord doesn’t know where we are, but because, alas, some of us prefer to remain in that world of freedom outside the fold.  Outside these confines, we don’t feel the need to obey the commands of the shepherd, but simply graze ourselves sick on the bad grass of false doctrine and the rotten morals that grow there. 

Like the grass that some people like to smoke, this wild grass on the other side of the fence is addictive.  The more we munch on it, the longer we want to stay there and enjoy ourselves.  After all, who wants to listen to “Thou shalt not do this or that or the other” when we can do whatever we want?  The Good Shepherd will not tear us away from our enjoyment of sin, he will not drag us by the fleece back into the fold.  He gave us free will, and that very freedom he gave us prevents him from forcing us to do anything against our will.  But we should know better.

The Good Shepherd never walks away from us.  He is always there to pick us up and carry us on his shoulders back to the safety of the fold.  All we have to do is turn to him for help.  That’s all he’s waiting for, an acknowledgment of guilt, a tear or two or repentance, a renewal of our determination to seek heaven.  If we’re afraid of losing our soul, or even just afraid of what’s going on in the world around us, we should look with our eyes of faith at the graces which the Good Shepherd pours upon us like the dew of the morning.  Let us recognize in those graces the call from our Good Shepherd to turn our lives around and follow him back within the fold of mercy.

THE SHEEP OF HIS PASTURE

A SERMON FOR GOOD SHEPHERD SUNDAY

When our Lord described himself as the Good Shepherd, he left it up to us to realize that if he is the Good Shepherd, then there must also be bad shepherds.  Christ founded a church, the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church of which we are the members.  This church through the ages has had a multitude of shepherds (otherwise known as ‘pastors’), some of them good and some of them bad.  During the entire history of the Church though, it is clear who are the sheep…  We are the sheep.  Whether our pastors are good or bad shepherds, we the people remain ‘the sheep’.  As it says in Psalm 94, which we read at Matins every day, “He is the Lord our God; and we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.”  Note that we are the sheep of God’s pasture.  While the Church may have a succession of popes, good and bad, we remain the sheep not of this pope’s pasture or that pope’s pasture, but of God’s pasture.

We know God because we have the faith.  “I know my sheep,” said our Lord, “and my sheep know me.”  And like good sheep, we follow Christ, our Good Shepherd.  And if we are truly good sheep, we will follow his successors who are also good shepherds, pastors who follow in their Master’s footsteps, so that by following them, we follow Christ himself to salvation.  But we will not follow a bad pastor who leads us away from that Master.

Unfortunately, sheep have some good qualities and some bad qualities.  They are generally docile, gentle animals, who lovingly and loyally follow their shepherd as he leads them to pastures green beside the still waters.  In this, we are meant to do as they do, staying as close to them as we possibly can, following them as they follow Christ.  We obey their commands and loyally follow them through this Valley of the Shadow of Death, as they keep us safe from the devil, the world, and our own fallen nature.  Alas, sheep also have a reputation for being rather stupid, and sometimes they wander off, as they go “astray, every one to his own way”, as Isaiah prophesied.  They have even been known to follow bad shepherds who pretend to be good shepherds!  We all know a few of these sheep.  They remain the “people of God and the sheep of his pasture,” but unfortunately, they are taken in by the pretenders who do not feed them with true doctrine and right morals, and instead lead them away from the very God the poor sheep are trying so hard to follow.

These would-be pastors all pretend to work for the Good Shepherd, but in reality they feed us with grass that, even though it may sometimes taste better, is in fact, poisoned.  So many of the sheep are tempted by the nicer taste of this grass, grass that lets them do whatever they want and believe whatever they want.  Unfortunately they graze themselves sick on it on this toxic but pleasant-tasting grass.  In the Our Father, we make the prayer, “Lead us not into temptation.”  As you know, one of those bad shepherds has recently mutilated this prayer with the excuse that God cannot possibly “lead us into temptation.”  He forgets (or does he?) that Christ’s successors in the papacy, his Vicar on earth, can most certainly lead the sheep into temptation.  We should pray the Our Father with this in mind, and pray for the restoration of a good shepherd, a worthy Vicar of Christ, to the See of Peter, one who will not lead the sheep into temptation.

When our Lord rose from the dead and spent forty more days in this world before his Ascension into heaven, he prepared the world for the coming of his Holy Spirit, who would comfort the world through his Church.  He took aside the chief of the apostles, St. Peter, and he told him that upon this Rock he would build his Church.  But before he did this, he first asked him point blank, “Peter, lovest thou me?”  He had to ask the question, because after all, this was the same St. Peter who had denied him three times.  St. Peter was a little upset at the question, but soon realized why he was being asked.  And he replied to the question that yes, of course, he loved our Lord.  “Feed my sheep,” was Christ’s command in response.  And again he asked Peter if he loved him.  And then a third time.   Three times Christ asked him, three times Peter assured him of his loyalty and love, and three times, Christ commanded him to feed his sheep.

Our Lord wanted to make absolutely sure of Peter, to confirm to the rest of us that Peter and his successors would be worthy successors to himself.  These men would be the Vicars of Christ, the substitutes for Christ on earth, the successors to the Good Shepherd himself, worthy Pastors of the flock.  They would look after the rest of us, the sheep, and make sure we were led by their good example, fed with the right doctrine, fed with the truths of the Faith and the graces of valid sacraments. Most importantly of all, they would feed us with the most Holy Sacrament of the Altar by which he would unite us to himself through the Holy Mass that he gave us.

Peter’s successors, the vicars of Christ on earth, the popes, have truly been the Vicars of Jesus Christ himself, human and fallible sometimes in their behavior, but always divinely infallible in their transmission of the true faith to the sheep.  Since Vatican II of course, they have abolished this true Mass that had been successfully transmitted intact from the Last Supper to the 1960s.  They have renounced their role of feeding the sheep with true doctrine.  We have had profoundly bad shepherds who have led many of the sheep astray. Finally this year, the current shepherd of the flock has renounced the title “Vicar of Christ” entirely, consigning it to a footnote in the 2020 Pontifical Yearbook as a “historical title” only.  It is good, at least, that the pretense is now officially over.  Jorge Mario Bergoglio (for that is now apparently his only title) is so obviously un-Christlike in his beliefs and actions that he has stopped pretending to be anything other than the heretic he is.

For us of course, it makes no difference.  We didn’t need him to renounce titles he never held in the first place to know that he is a bad shepherd.  But what about those other poor lambs who struggle to make sense of the utter contradiction of having a heretic as head of the Catholic Church.  Let us hope that good sense, the sensus catholicus, will finally prevail, and they will force out this fake pastor of souls, calling for the return of a truly Good Shepherd who will lead us out of the Valley of the Shadow of Death, back beside the still waters where, by the grace of God, he will restore our souls.

LOVING SHEPHERD OF THY SHEEP

A HYMN FOR GOOD SHEPHERD SUNDAY

By Jane E. Leeson, 1842

Loving shepherd of Thy sheep,

Keep Thy lamb, in safety keep;

Nothing can Thy power withstand,

None can pluck me from Thy hand.

Loving Savior, Thou didst give

Thine own life that we might live,

And the hands outstretched to bless

Bear the cruel nails’ impress.

I would praise Thee every day,

Gladly all Thy will obey,

Like Thy blessèd ones above

Happy in Thy precious love.

Loving shepherd, ever near,

Teach Thy lamb Thy voice to hear,

Suffer not my steps to stray

From the straight and narrow way.

Where Thou leadest I would go,

Walking in Thy steps below,

Till before my Father’s throne

I shall know as I am known.

LIFE IN A DOUBTFUL WORLD

A SERMON FOR LOW SUNDAY

The Story of St. Thomas today is a story about doubt.  This one apostle is now forever known as “Doubting Thomas”, which itself has become a term to apply to anyone who is dubious of pretty much anything.  You might even ask yourself, “Am I a doubting Thomas?—Am I lacking in something here, am I failing God somehow by doubting?”  Let’s try and answer that question, and if the answer is truly in the affirmative, then let’s see what we can do about it.

First of all, let’s be completely clear about what it is that’s missing when we doubt something.  It’s not the lack of knowledge.  Lack of knowledge just means that we don’t have enough facts about something to believe it fully.  For example, if we look at the origins of the Coronavirus, what do we really know, with certainty, about how it began?  Did it really originate in those bizarre wet markets of Wuhan, where people buy everything from cats to bats for their dinner?  Or did it come from the nearby research lab where they were experimenting on bats and coronaviruses?  And if the virus originated in the lab, was it accidentally released, or was it a deliberate ploy by the Chinese to take over the world’s economy?  There’s a lot of things we don’t know, and until these things are investigated by people we can actually trust, we never really will know what went on.  So for now, we have a lack of facts on which we can base a real knowledge of what happened. 

We can compare this situation of having incomplete facts with something a bit different.  Do you know off the top of your head what is 3,487 divided by 65.42.  I doubt it.  You’re probably ignorant of the answer, but I do know what it is.  I’ve had the chance to check my calculator and find out that the answer is 53.3017426.  I’m telling you that’s the answer, and I know it to be true.  Here’s where our assent to the truth is put to the test.  Should you believe the person who is telling you something?

Do you believe me?  Or do you doubt what I’m telling you?  You don’t know the answer, you can’t just sit there and figure it out in your head, and you’re too polite to whip out your calculator and check.  So you have the choice whether or not to believe me.  Would Father lie to us?  Hopefully, you trust me enough not to think that!  But is it possible that Father made a mistake?  Did he do the math right?—he’s not very good at math, that’s for sure.  Or did he make a mistake entering the numbers on his calculator?  Ah, this now becomes a bit more doubtful, doesn’t it?  Now, you’re doubting what I’m telling you.  Probably with some justification.  Just as you might doubt what the Chinese government or the mainstream media end up telling you about how the coronavirus started.  Doubt, you see, is not necessarily wrong, it doesn’t have to be a bad thing.  It’s simply a question of how much credence you give the person or organization that provides the information, with what degree of certainty can you conclude that they aren’t lying or simply mistaken.

So why is Saint Thomas’ reputation so tarnished by the doubt he showed when the other apostles announced to him that they had seen the Lord?  Is it because he doubted the word of his friends, apostles one and all?  He certainly knew them better than to think they would lie to him about such a momentous matter.  But perhaps he thought they were simply mistaken, that they had caught a glimpse of someone who looked vaguely like our Lord, and they had jumped to the wrong conclusion, a simple matter of mistaken identity.  After all, dead people don’t usually pop up a few days later as though nothing had happened.  Saint Thomas certainly didn’t want to get his hopes up about something so fantastic, only to have them dashed by disappointment later.  So did Saint Thomas have some legitimate excuses for “doubting” the other apostles?

No, the real problem with our “Doubting Thomas” is that he doubted the words not of the other apostles, but the very Word of God himself.  Our Lord had repeatedly told them that on the third day he would rise again from the dead.  They had all probably been mightily puzzled by these words, and after our Lord’s death on the Cross, after they had seen him so powerless and humiliated, they had probably consigned his prophecy of resurrection to the very back of their minds.  They had all doubted.  Thomas was not alone in his doubt.  As our Lord died on the cross, they were all, with the exception of St. John, in hiding.  After the Resurrection, they were still there, still hiding when our Lord appeared to them all on the “first day of the week.”  All of them, that is, except Thomas.  The rest saw our Lord with their own eyes, they broke bread with him and, realizing that ghosts don’t eat and drink, they finally understood the truth of his prophecy.  But Thomas had not been there that day; he had not seen with his own eyes, and he still needed to be convinced.  When the apostles told him that Christ was truly risen, that his predictions had come true, he should have remembered our Lord’s words, and been convinced.  The added confirmation by the apostles should have been all that was necessary to restore his faith in Christ’s own words.  But it wasn’t.  Doubting Thomas failed in his faith.

We should never doubt the Word of God.  It might be okay to lack faith in the things we’re told by other people.  It doesn’t mean we’re calling them liars necessarily, but simply admitting the possibility of error creeping in somewhere.  We shouldn’t be gullible, but examine everything we’re asked to believe with the eyes of healthy scepticism, especially when it’s something we want to believe.  But not when we’re told something by God.

It isn’t our lack of faith in God that makes us doubters about our very uncertain world.  But it would be a sinful lack of faith in God if we were to doubt that he permits bad things to happen for reasons unknown.   We may have a lack of knowledge about God’s plan for us, but insufficient data must never turn us into doubters of his omnipotence, of his mercy, or of his love for us.  We should often repeat the Act of Faith, begging God to increase our faith in him, reminding ourselves every time we say it, that the things he has revealed can be neither a deliberate lie nor an unintended mistake.

If only Saint Thomas had happily acknowledged the report from the other apostles that our Lord’s prophecy had been fulfilled!  But ironically, the fact that he didn’t gives us more reasons to have faith ourselves.  By his verification of our Lord’s identity, we have less reason to doubt the word of the other apostles about the most important article of our faith.  The Resurrection is our proof of the divinity of Christ, the greatest of miracles that confirms and makes sense of everything we believe.  We have not only our Lord’s words that he would rise from the dead, not only the confirmation of the apostles that he did truly rise, but now also the conversion of the cynical Saint Thomas.  What more do we need?  To place our own hands in his wounds?  Surely not, surely we have learned the lesson of Doubting Thomas?

The world is infected today.  Infected on the physical level by a malicious virus.  But worse yet, infected spiritually by a level of sinfulness beyond anything it has previously experienced.  It’s enough to make us wonder what’s in store for this wicked world.  We may wonder, but we may never lose faith in God and in God’s plan.  We may never doubt.  We must take solace in the words of Holy Scripture—the Word of God—that no matter what dangers befall us, our souls will be kept safe so long as we do God’s will and keep the faith.  We must believe those words of our Lord, that one day, “heaven and earth shall pass away, but my word shall not pass away.”  We must believe these and all the truths which the Holy Catholic Church teaches, because it is God who has revealed them, who can neither deceive nor be deceived.

THE STRIFE IS O'ER

A HYMN FOR LOW SUNDAY

Translated from the Latin by Francis Pott, 1861

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!

1 The strife is o'er, the battle done;

the victory of life is won;

the song of triumph has begun.

Alleluia!

2 The powers of death have done their worst,

but Christ their legions has dispersed.

Let shouts of holy joy outburst.

Alleluia!

3 The three sad days are quickly sped;

he rises glorious from the dead.

All glory to our risen Head.

Alleluia!

4 He closed the yawning gates of hell;

the bars from heaven's high portals fell.

Let hymns of praise his triumph tell.

Alleluia!

5 Lord, by the stripes which wounded thee,

from death's dread sting thy servants free,

that we may live and sing to thee.

Alleluia!

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!

IF PIGS COULD FLY

A REFLECTION FOR LOW SUNDAY

This Sunday’s Gospel tells the tale of St. Thomas the Apostle—Doubting Thomas.  There’s a story told of another St. Thomas who seems to be the direct opposite of his namesake.  This was the great theologian, St. Thomas Aquinas, and the story provides, through his apparently mistaken credulousness, with a different perspective about having faith…

St. Thomas Aquinas was in his priory one day, when he noticed some of the other friars standing over by the window, chuckling amongst themselves and looking through the window up into the heavens.  “Come quickly!” they called to Thomas, “look up there in the sky!  There’s a pig flying up there!”  And St. Thomas ran to the window and looked up.  Of course, there was no flying pig, and the other friars were highly amused at their friend’s credulity.

They asked him how on earth he could have believed that pigs could fly, and his response contains a good lesson for all of us.  “I’d rather believe,” he said, “that pigs can fly, than believe that my brothers could tell a lie.”

When I first heard the story, I wondered what was going on with such a smart doctor of the Church as St. Thomas when he made this surprising response to the prank played on him.  On the face of it, he seems to be saying that we should believe without question everything people tell us.  But of course, that wouldn’t make sense at all, and St. Thomas Aquinas of all people knew that.  On the contrary, he questioned everything that human beings had to say about the things of God, and his list of Quaestiones form the great Summa Theologica, which is the standard theology text in traditional seminaries even today.

St. Thomas’s point was simply this—that we should tell the truth at all times.  If everyone always told the truth, we would never have to question anyone’s veracity, only whether or not they had make an inadvertent mistake in what they said.  The world would certainly be a simpler and better place if we could trust everything we read and hear, and not have to resort to cynical disbelief as our default response to everything we’re told.

Alas, we cannot change the world.  But we can change our own behavior.  If we, at least, tell the truth at all times, we will develop a reputation for being trustworthy.  People will recognize that when we speak, we mean what we say, and they can take it as being factual, or at the very least, sincere.  Lying is sinful because it is opposed to our Lord, who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.  And the only way to achieve Life eternal, is by maintaining the Truth along the Way.

CHRIST IS RISEN

A SERMON FOR EASTER SUNDAY

By St. John Chrysostom, Bishop, Confessor, and Doctor of the Church

If any man be devout and love God, let him enjoy this fair and radiant triumphal feast. If any man be a wise servant, let him rejoicing enter into the joy of his Lord. If any have labored long in fasting, let him now receive his recompense. If any have wrought from the first hour, let him today receive his just reward. If any have come at the third hour, let him with thankfulness keep the feast. If any have arrived at the sixth hour, let him have no misgivings; because he shall in nowise be deprived therefor. If any have delayed until the ninth hour, let him draw near, fearing nothing. If any have tarried even until the eleventh hour, let him, also, be not alarmed at his tardiness; for the Lord, who is jealous of his honor, will accept the last even as the first; he gives rest unto him who comes at the eleventh hour, even as unto him who has wrought from the first hour.

And he shows mercy upon the last, and cares for the first; and to the one he gives, and upon the other he bestows gifts. And he both accepts the deeds, and welcomes the intention, and honors the acts and praises the offering. Wherefore, enter you all into the joy of your Lord; and receive your reward, both the first, and likewise the second. You rich and poor together, hold high festival. You sober and you heedless, honor the day. Rejoice today, both you who have fasted and you who have disregarded the fast. The table is full-laden; feast ye all sumptuously. The calf is fatted; let no one go hungry away.

Enjoy ye all the feast of faith: Receive ye all the riches of loving-kindness. let no one bewail his poverty, for the universal kingdom has been revealed. Let no one weep for his iniquities, for pardon has shown forth from the grave. Let no one fear death, for the Savior’s death has set us free. He that was held prisoner of it has annihilated it. By descending into Hell, He made Hell captive. He embittered it when it tasted of His flesh. And Isaiah, foretelling this, did cry: Hell, said he, was embittered, when it encountered Thee in the lower regions. It was embittered, for it was abolished. It was embittered, for it was mocked. It was embittered, for it was slain. It was embittered, for it was overthrown. It was embittered, for it was fettered in chains. It took a body, and met God face to face. It took earth, and encountered Heaven. It took that which was seen, and fell upon the unseen.

O Death, where is your sting? O Hell, where is your victory? Christ is risen, and you are overthrown. Christ is risen, and the demons are fallen. Christ is risen, and the angels rejoice. Christ is risen, and life reigns. Christ is risen, and not one dead remains in the grave. For Christ, being risen from the dead, is become the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. To Him be glory and dominion unto ages of ages. Amen.

HAIL THEE, FESTIVAL DAY!

A HYMN FOR EASTER SUNDAY

by Venantius Fortunatus, 6^th C.

Hail thee, festival day!

Blest day that art hallowed forever;

day wherein Christ arose,

breaking the kingdom of death.

All the fair beauty of earth,

From the death of the winter arising!

Every good gift of the year

Now with its Master returns.

Rise from the grave now, O Lord,

The author of life and creation.

Treading the pathway of death,

New life you give to us all.

God the Almighty, the Lord,

The Ruler of earth and the heavens,

Guard us from harm without;

Cleanse us from evil within.

Jesus the health of the world,

Enlighten our minds, great Redeemer,

Son of the Father supreme,

Only begotten of God.

THE STONE ROLLED AWAY

A REFLECTION FOR EASTER SUNDAY

On the first Easter Sunday morning, two women headed to the sepulcher where Jesus had been interred after he was taken down from the Cross.  Their purpose was to complete the burial rituals that had been cut short by the Friday sunset and the start of the Sabbath.  Now the Jewish holy day was over and they could finish up their sad religious observances.

On the way to the tomb, they knew they were going to have a problem.  A great stone had been rolled in front of the entrance to the Holy Sepulcher in order to prevent anyone from removing Christ’s body and claiming he had risen from the dead.  How were they, two women, going to get into the tomb to anoint the body?

But instead of going to the twelve apostles for help, the two women continued their pilgrimage to the Holy Sepulcher.  There, instead of encountering the insurmountable problem they had anticipated, they found that the great stone had already been moved away from the tomb’s entrance and they were able to enter unimpeded.  The Gospel never addresses the question of who it was that moved the stone out of the way, and we are left to wonder.

Was it an angel?  Or simply the mighty hand of God?  I think back to the words of our Lord just a week ago, as he entered into Jerusalem amid the frenzied shouts of “Hosanna” from the crowds.  The disciples had been scared by the tumult, fearing to attract the attention of the Pharisees who were already plotting Christ’s death.  They had begged our Lord to silence the multitude, but he had rebuked them, saying that even if they were silent, the very stones of the earth would call out.  On Good Friday, as our Lord died on the Cross, the stones of the earth did indeed cry out, as the whole of nature rebelled against the infamous cruelty being perpetrated on its Creator.  They stones of the earth moved, and the earth gave up her dead that day.  People long deceased were seen walking the streets of Jerusalem, a foreshadowing of the resurrection of the body at the end of time, and of our Lord’s own Resurrection in three days.

While we may marvel at the idea, we should not be surprised that the stone at Christ’s tomb had moved.  In the face of such momentous events surrounding the death and resurrection of the Maker of all things, it was to be expected that even these inanimate objects would rebel against the laws that kept them in their place.  Modernists would have us believe that today’s great pandemic is a punishment from nature because of our disregard for climate change.  Catholics believe rather that it is nature’s rebellion against the flaunting of God’s laws so prevalent today.  It is a rebellion that will continue if mankind continues on its path to perdition.  But if we obey God’s laws and have faith like the two women, we will conquer all adversity, and all obstacles to our salvation will be rolled away.

ST. MATTHEW'S PASSION

Due to the current health emergency, the reading of the Passion will be omitted at today’s Palm Sunday Mass, and there will be no sermon.  No sermon can ever adequately replace the account of our Lord’s sufferings contained in St. Matthew’s Passion, and I cannot urge you strongly enough to read and meditate on the events of this Gospel.  If possible, it should be read aloud at some time today to the whole family assembled together.

THE PASSION OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW

At that time:  Jesus spake unto his disciples, saying:  Ye know that after two days is the feast of the passover, and the Son of man is betrayed to be crucified.  Then assembled together the chief priests, and the scribes, and the elders of the people, unto the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas, and consulted that they might take Jesus by subtilty, and kill him. But they said, Not on the feast day, lest there be an uproar among the people.  Now when Jesus was in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper, there came unto him a woman having an alabaster box of very precious ointment, and poured it on his head, as he sat at meat.  But when his disciples saw it, they had indignation, saying, To what purpose is this waste?  For this ointment might have been sold for much, and given to the poor.  When Jesus understood it, he said unto them, Why trouble ye the woman? for she hath wrought a good work upon me.  For ye have the poor always with you; but me ye have not always. For in that she hath poured this ointment on my body, she did it for my burial.  Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached in the whole world, [there] shall also this, that this woman hath done, be told for a memorial of her.  Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went unto the chief priests, and said unto them, What will ye give me, and I will deliver him unto you?  And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver.  And from that time he sought opportunity to betray him.  Now the first day of the feast of unleavened bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying unto him, Where wilt thou that we prepare for thee to eat the passover?  And he said, Go into the city to such a man, and say unto him, The Master saith, My time is at hand; I will keep the passover at thy house with my disciples.  And the disciples did as Jesus had appointed them; and they made ready the passover.  Now when the even was come, he sat down with the twelve.  And as they did eat, he said, Verily I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me.  And they were exceeding sorrowful, and began every one of them to say unto him, Lord, is it I?  And he answered and said, He that dippeth his hand with me in the dish, the same shall betray me.  The Son of man goeth as it is written of him: but woe unto that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! it had been good for that man if he had not been born.  Then Judas, which betrayed him, answered and said, Master, is it I?  He said unto him, Thou hast said.  And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body.  And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; for this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.  But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom.  And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives.  Then saith Jesus unto them, All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad.  But after I am risen again, I will go before you into Galilee.  Peter answered and said unto him, Though all men shall be offended because of thee, yet will I never be offended.  Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, That this night, before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice.  Peter said unto him, Though I should die with thee, yet will I not deny thee. Likewise also said all the disciples.  Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder.  And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy.  Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me.  And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.  And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour?  Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.  He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done.  And he came and found them asleep again: for their eyes were heavy.  And he left them, and went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words.  Then cometh he to his disciples, and saith unto them, Sleep on now, and take your rest: behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.  Rise, let us be going: behold, he is at hand that doth betray me.  And while he yet spake, lo, Judas, one of the twelve, came, and with him a great multitude with swords and staves, from the chief priests and elders of the people.  Now he that betrayed him gave them a sign, saying, Whomsoever I shall kiss, that same is he: hold him fast.  And forthwith he came to Jesus, and said, Hail, master; and kissed him.  And Jesus said unto him, Friend, wherefore art thou come?  Then came they, and laid hands on Jesus, and took him.  And, behold, one of them which were with Jesus stretched out his hand, and drew his sword, and struck a servant of the high priest's, and smote off his ear.  Then said Jesus unto him, Put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword.  Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels?  But how then shall the scriptures be fulfilled, that thus it must be?  In that same hour said Jesus to the multitudes, Are ye come out as against a thief with swords and staves for to take me?  I sat daily with you teaching in the temple, and ye laid no hold on me.  But all this was done, that the scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled. Then all the disciples forsook him, and fled.  And they that had laid hold on Jesus led him away to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders were assembled.  But Peter followed him afar off unto the high priest's palace, and went in, and sat with the servants, to see the end.  Now the chief priests, and elders, and all the council, sought false witness against Jesus, to put him to death; but found none:  yea, though many false witnesses came, yet found they none.  At the last came two false witnesses, and said, This fellow said, I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to build it in three days.  And the high priest arose, and said unto him, Answerest thou nothing?  what is it which these witness against thee?  But Jesus held his peace.  And the high priest answered and said unto him, I adjure thee by the living God, that thou tell us whether thou be the Christ, the Son of God.  Jesus saith unto him, Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.   Then the high priest rent his clothes, saying, He hath spoken blasphemy; what further need have we of witnesses?  behold, now ye have heard his blasphemy.  What think ye?  They answered and said, He is guilty of death.  Then did they spit in his face, and buffeted him; and others smote him with the palms of their hands,  Saying, Prophesy unto us, thou Christ, Who is he that smote thee?  Now Peter sat without in the palace: and a damsel came unto him, saying, Thou also wast with Jesus of Galilee.  But he denied before them all, saying, I know not what thou sayest.  And when he was gone out into the porch, another maid saw him, and said unto them that were there, This fellow was also with Jesus of Nazareth.  And again he denied with an oath, I do not know the man.  And after a while came unto him they that stood by, and said to Peter, Surely thou also art one of them; for thy speech bewrayeth thee.  Then began he to curse and to swear, saying, I know not the man.  And immediately the cock crew.  And Peter remembered the word of Jesus, which said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice.  And he went out, and wept bitterly.  When the morning was come, all the chief priests and elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put him to death:  And when they had bound him, they led him away, and delivered him to Pontius Pilate the governor.  Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood.  And they said, What is that to us?  see thou to that.  And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself.  And the chief priests took the silver pieces, and said, It is not lawful for to put them into the treasury, because it is the price of blood.  And they took counsel, and bought with them the potter's field, to bury strangers in.  Wherefore that field was called, The field of blood, unto this day.  Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying, And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of him that was valued, whom they of the children of Israel did value; and gave them for the potter's field, as the Lord appointed me.  And Jesus stood before the governor:  and the governor asked him, saying, Art thou the King of the Jews? And Jesus said unto him, Thou sayest.  And when he was accused of the chief priests and elders, he answered nothing.  Then said Pilate unto him, Hearest thou not how many things they witness against thee?  And he answered him to never a word; insomuch that the governor marvelled greatly.  Now at that feast the governor was wont to release unto the people a prisoner, whom they would.  And they had then a notable prisoner, called Barabbas.  Therefore when they were gathered together, Pilate said unto them, Whom will ye that I release unto you? Barabbas, or Jesus which is called Christ?  For he knew that for envy they had delivered him.  When he was set down on the judgment seat, his wife sent unto him, saying, Have thou nothing to do with that just man: for I have suffered many things this day in a dream because of him.  But the chief priests and elders persuaded the multitude that they should ask Barabbas, and destroy Jesus.  The governor answered and said unto them, Whether of the twain will ye that I release unto you? They said, Barabbas.  Pilate saith unto them, What shall I do then with Jesus which is called Christ? They all say unto him, Let him be crucified.  And the governor said, Why, what evil hath he done? But they cried out the more, saying, Let him be crucified.  When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but that rather a tumult was made, he took water, and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person: see ye to it.  Then answered all the people, and said, His blood be on us, and on our children.  Then released he Barabbas unto them: and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified.  Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the common hall, and gathered unto him the whole band of soldiers.  And they stripped him, and put on him a scarlet robe.  And when they had platted a crown of thorns, they put it upon his head, and a reed in his right hand: and they bowed the knee before him, and mocked him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews! And they spit upon him, and took the reed, and smote him on the head.  And after that they had mocked him, they took the robe off from him, and put his own raiment on him, and led him away to crucify him.  And as they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name: him they compelled to bear his cross.  And when they were come unto a place called Golgotha, that is to say, a place of a skull, they gave him vinegar to drink mingled with gall:  and when he had tasted thereof, he would not drink.  And they crucified him, and parted his garments, casting lots:  that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, They parted my garments among them, and upon my vesture did they cast lots.  And sitting down they watched him there; and set up over his head his accusation written, THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.  Then were there two thieves crucified with him, one on the right hand, and another on the left.  And they that passed by reviled him, wagging their heads, and saying, Thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, save thyself.  If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross.  Likewise also the chief priests mocking him, with the scribes and elders, said, He saved others; himself he cannot save. If he be the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him.  He trusted in God; let him deliver him now, if he will have him: for he said, I am the Son of God.  The thieves also, which were crucified with him, cast the same in his teeth.  Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour.  And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?  Some of them that stood there, when they heard that, said, This man calleth for Elias.  And straightway one of them ran, and took a spunge, and filled it with vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink.  The rest said, Let be, let us see whether Elias will come to save him.  Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost. 

(Here all genuflect, and pause for a time)  

And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent; and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, and came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.  Now when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God.  And many women were there beholding afar off, which followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering unto him:  Among which was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of Zebedee's children.  When the even was come, there came a rich man of Arimathaea, named Joseph, who also himself was Jesus' disciple:  He went to Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus.  Then Pilate commanded the body to be delivered.  And when Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock:  and he rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulchre, and departed.  And there was Mary Magdalene, and the other Mary, sitting over against the sepulchre.

Now the next day, that followed the day of the preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees came together unto Pilate, saying, Sir, we remember that that deceiver said, while he was yet alive, After three days I will rise again.  Command therefore that the sepulchre be made sure until the third day, lest his disciples come by night, and steal him away, and say unto the people, He is risen from the dead: so the last error shall be worse than the first.  Pilate said unto them, Ye have a watch: go your way, make it as sure as ye can.  So they went, and made the sepulchre sure, sealing the stone, and setting a watch.

SWEET THE MOMENTS, RICH IN BLESSING

A HYMN FOR HOLY WEEK

by James Allen, 1804

1 Sweet the moments, rich in blessing,
Which before the cross we spend.
Life and health and peace possessing
From the sinner's dying Friend.

2 Here we rest in wonder, viewing
All our sins on Jesus laid;
Here we see redemption flowing
From the sacrifice He made.

3 Here we find the dawn of heaven
While upon the cross we gaze,
See our trespasses forgiven,
And our songs of triumph raise.

4 Oh, that, near the cross abiding,
We may to the Savior cleave,
Naught with Him our hearts dividing,
All for Him content to leave!

5 Lord, in loving contemplation
Fix our hearts and eyes on Thee
Till we taste Thy full salvation
And Thine unveiled glory see.

MASTER, REBUKE THY DISCIPLES

A REFLECTION FOR PALM SUNDAY

As our Lord approached Jerusalem, “the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen; saying, Blessed be the King that cometh in the name of the Lord: peace in heaven, and glory in the highest.  And some of the Pharisees from among the multitude said unto him, Master, rebuke thy disciples.”

As we continue to endure our global brush with death, there are those who try to force us to choose between our desire to please God by attending Sunday Mass, and our desire to love and protect our neighbor by staying home.  Different churches have taken opposite approaches, some taking the “safe” choice by closing down altogether, and others defying any attempt to prevent their public worship.  All seem to be motivated by good intentions, be it one or the other of the above goals, to love God or love our neighbor.

We must recognize, however, that there is, and can never be, any true opposition between these two desires, and we never have to choose one over the other.  In today’s situation, we need to remember that true love and worship of God is the same as it always is, and that we show it by our sacrifice.  The Sacrifice of the Mass has as much value in God’s eyes, whether it is attended by only one person, or a hundred thousand.  And that Sacrifice will be offered every Sunday, somewhere, and as long as there is a priest to offer it.  Our own obligation to attend is certainly waived under the present conditions, and if we stay home and keep holy the Sabbath as best we can, we should not be ashamed to ask God for all the graces we would have received by coming here.  We may offer counsel, but never condemn, those who choose to go to church in these times, or those who choose to stay home.  Rather, we must acknowledge that everyone must be guided by their own conscience, and never “rebuke” our fellow disciples who follow theirs. 

In this particular chapel, Sunday Mass will be offered until such time as the emergency restrictions forbid us to do so.  Meanwhile, continue to follow the advice of your better angel as to whether to attend or not.  Either way, you will remain pleasing to God, so long as your motivation is pure.