Easter Sunday

You may think this post is late in coming. Its not. I have lots of time. Easter, for Catholics, is so important it is our longest holiday of the year, it has a preparation period of 40 days of reflection and penitence, then one week of commemoration(holy Week), and now we are in the 50 days of Easter, which ends at Pentecost.

During Lent we sing no Alleluias, During Easter we sing them all the time. We just finished yesterday the Octave of Easter, eight days of readings surrounding the events of Easter itself. Yesterday was considered both "Doubting Thomas Sunday" and "Divine Mercy Sunday". The first for the gospel reading that we read on that day, the upper room visits of Jesus, first without poor maligned Thomas, and then with him and his profession of faith.

Divine Mercy Sunday has a number of meanings, but primarily celebrates the Mercy of God in granting us forgiveness for our sins.

So Happy Easter.

Holy Saturday

The day of silence. Traditionally(no that is not a bad word but a word that indicates we have a rich heritage as Christians), Holy saturday is the day when Our Lord is missing from the earth. The Pauline Revelation tells us that He descended into hell and defeats Satan and takes the keys of death and hell from him on this day.

It is a day of waiting for us. For the disciples it was a day of confusion and dwindling hope.

Good Friday

Good Friday for Catholics is a day of fasting and abstinence. We fast all day and when we do bread our fast we abstain from meat. Throughout lent, which is the time set aside for repentance and examination of our life compared to Christ's, we are setting ourselves aside to seek God and take a good look at our lives and how we may become more like Him.

On Good Friday we are devoted to commemorating Christ suffering for our sakes. If you take the time to do this you do find that your life is changed. The reminder of Jesus suffering for you cannot help but humble you and make you take a good look at your life. We must ask ourselves, am i living a life worthy of such sacrifice?

Holy Thursday

Holy Thursday, or Maundy Thursday (for the Maundatum Novum, or the New Commandment in English), commemorates the institution of the Holy Eucharist. On this night, on the first night of passover, Jesus fulfills what he referred to throughout his lengthy discourse in John 6.

In John 6:66 many of His followers left Jesus because they could not accept His teaching that they should eat His flesh and drink his blood. Here at the Last Supper one more of Jesus followers falls away because of this teaching, Judas. Judas cannot accept the suffering, humble Messiah. He looses faith just like the ones at the end of John 6.

The parallels of Jesus giving us His body and blood to eat and drink with that of the Passover story, are rich and closely intertwined with the Institution of the mass. A close study of Jewish practices explains all the parts of the mass juxtaposed over the Last supper that Jesus spends with His disciples, carefully teaching them some of His final life essays in their class on Church building. The final essay being His death and Resurrection.

Passion Sunday

Sometimes known as Palm Sunday because the Gospel chosen for this Sunday starts with Jesus triumphant entry into Jerusalem just prior to passover. Historically this is Passion Sunday in which the whole passion narrative is read as the Gospel. It is a longer mass, because all 4 scripture readings are longer and we have some additional special prayers and readings.

The 2000 year history of our faith is rich in symbolism and rituals based in our Jewish roots. Many of the prayers of the Church can easily be seen as Jewish prayers and blessings. The early Church almost immediately had to go underground because of severe persecution throughout the Roman world. So symbols and signs, like the Ichthus, and the Crucifix were identifiers to other Christians. Possessing these symbols could also bring death! However denying them would be unthinkable and many Christians that remain unnamed perished as unnamed martyrs of the Faith!

Let us never be ashamed of the Church or it's practices, many have died to bring them down to us! As Paul Says "I am not ashamed of the cross of Christ". The earliest crosses had the crucified Christ proudly displayed on them, which spoke the gospel message without words! Other symbols of Christ came later, in our history but are still revered for their connection to Jesus, of whom we should never be ashamed to identify ourselves.

As Gamaliel said of the early Church " For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. ³⁹But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God." (Acts 5)

A reprint from The Voice Magazine Online

Pro-Life Pastor Walter Hoye Sentenced to Jail
Published by TheVoiceMag February 20th, 2009 in Breaking News and Culture.

Pro-life Pastor Walter Hoye was found guilty of violating “The Bubble Law,” a city law that provides an 8-foot buffer zone between pro-life protesters and women entering the abortion clinics. He was sentenced to 30 days in jail and ordered to stay 100 yards away from the clinic where he was arrested for the next three years.

According to the Oakland Tribune, Pastor Walter Hoye, is the first person charged and found guilty of the city’s two-year-old law and must also pay $1,130 in fines and remain on probation for three years after either serving his 30 days in county jail or entering an alternative program run by the sheriff’s department.

Pastor Hoye’s case, has garnered national attention from Christians and pro-life supporters, many of whom traveled from as far as Dallas in support of the beloved pastor, who they said was having his First Amendment rights taken away. Some believe that he was especially targetted by the abortion clinics.

As reported by the Tribune, the courtroom’s atmosphere was charged and filled with both pro-choice and pro-life activists. Supporters of both groups also crammed the hallways of the courthouse before the hearing and shouted at each other as they jockeyed for a seat.

The ruling was made by Alameda Superior Court Judge Stuart Hing.

The tensions flared after the hearing. One pro-lifer wrestled with sheriff’s deputies as he shouted at the judge, condemning him for placing Hoye in jail, while others sang “We Shall Overcome.” Many Christians were shocked at the news of Pastor Walter Hoye’s arrest and believed he was convicted wrongly.

“It is my prayer that God’s name be glorified and the life of His Son Jesus Christ be revealed in me,” said Hoye while he awaited his sentence.

“It’s not an issue of pro-life or pro-choice, it’s about the ability of a man to stand up and speak his truth,” said Dion Evans, shortly before he was restrained by sheriff’s deputies as he shouted at the judge.

Judge Hing said he received stacks of letters in support of Hoye. Perhaps they helped to reduce the sentence. Pastor Hoye was facing up to two years in jail and $4000 in fines.

Alameda County Deputy District Attorney Robert Graff, who tried the case, argued that Hoye was not an innocent man standing on a sidewalk with a sign but someone who violated a city law.

“To suggest that he was merely holding a sign on the sidewalk does not speak to the totality of what is going on here,” Graff said. “This is a balancing of rights here. These people’s rights have to be balanced as well.”

Hoye’s defense attorneys, paid for by the Life Legal Defense Foundation, argued, at times with tears in their eyes, that the law was unconstitutional and that a punishment of jail was cruel and unusual.

Graff, who agreed Hoye should not be placed in jail, suggested the Judge place him on probation for 3 years with an order to stay 100 yards away from the abortion clinic. Graff said, “If Hoye did not agree to that, he should be sent to county jail for two years.”

Hing sentenced Hoye to 30 days in jail with the option of entering a sheriff work-release program that allows him to do sheriff-sponsored community service in exchange for jail time.

Hoye was warned with a threat that if he was found approaching women at the abortion clinic in the future, he would be in violation of his probation and could face additional time in jail.

Meanwhile, Life Legal Defense Foundation is challenging the city’s law in federal court.

Copied in toto from http://www.thevoicemagazine.com/blog/breaking-news/pro-life-pastor-walter-hoye-sentenced-to-jail/

NOTE: as soon as we get the information to write in suport of Pastor Hoye I will post it here!

Infant Stem Cell Research

32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.
33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
34 Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.
35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in,
36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me...
37 Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink?38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you?
39 When did we see you sick...?
40 The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'~ Matt 25

Yesterday President Obama signed into law permission for the use of infant stem cells for research. Why do i use the term "infant" instead of embryo? Because an embryo is a tiny infant. It is human life, and to research on human life is reprehensible. It is the stuff of the most horrible science fiction of the past.

When we used to read science fiction 30 or 40 years ago about harvesting humans to feed or enhance other humans we knew instinctively that it was evil. Today they change the words and make it sound noble.

I call upon those that are diabetic or disabled in any way that could "benefit" from these appalling research methods to let it be known that they refuse to be party to the killing of the innocents.