Daily Saints

Good Friday of the Lord’s Passion

Perhaps one of the most surprising practices on Good Friday is that the Mass is not celebrated. Instead, Jesus’ saving Sacrifice is commemorated by the full reading of the Passion account, the veneration of the Cross, and the distribution of Holy Communion that was consecrated the day before. Why wouldn’t we celebrate the Sacrifice of the Mass on Good Friday? Saint Thomas Aquinas gives a profound answer to this question in his masterful work, Summa Theologica (See III.83). In part, he says the following:

Reply to Objection 2. The figure ceases on the advent of the reality. But this sacrament is a figure and a representation of our Lord’s Passion, as stated above. And therefore on the day on which our Lord’s Passion is recalled as it was really accomplished, this sacrament is not consecrated.

A careful reading of that passage, as well as the rest of that article, tells us that there is great power in the Liturgical Year, and in our annual Commemoration of the Lord’s Passion on Good Friday. We celebrate Mass daily throughout the year, except on Good Friday, so that we can receive the fruit of the Passion every day. The Church teaches that Mass is an efficacious sign, meaning that the Mass both signifies Christ’s sacrifice and actually makes it present. But on Good Friday, we celebrate our Lord’s Passion in the reality of time. Therefore, in terms of grace, nothing is lost by the absence of Mass on Good Friday. Instead, we must understand that the day of Good Friday itself becomes a powerful instrument of grace. Our liturgical Commemoration of our Lord’s Passion on Good Friday enables us to share in His saving act of redemption, just as the Mass does every other day of the year.

Setting aside the profound depth of theology present in this teaching, what does this mean, practically, for those who participate in the Good Friday Liturgy today? Here are a few thoughts for pondering.

As you prayerfully participate in the Liturgical Commemoration of the Lord’s Passion, know that this day itself is endowed with grace and power. The grace does not come through the sacramental “Memorial” of the Lord’s Passion but from the reality encountered in this once-a-year Commemoration. This day itself is a real and sanctifying participation in the fruit of Jesus’ saving Sacrifice.

To better understand this, look into your own soul and consider any ways that you have experienced God’s grace powerfully and uniquely on Good Friday. Perhaps, in years past, you entered into the Triduum in a prayerful and recollected way. Call that experience to mind, and understand that this deep encounter with our Lord was especially made possible because those days are holy.

Today, as you celebrate Good Friday, understand that the floodgates of Heaven are opened to you in a way unlike any other day of the year. Seize this moment in time. Seize this once-a-year opportunity to enter into our Lord’s suffering and death. Do so prayerfully, meditatively, truly, and intentionally. Especially honor the hours between noon and three o’clock. Try to set that time aside for nothing other than prayer and recollection. This day is sanctified. Time is sanctified. By entering into prayer during these hours of sanctified time, you will discover that God is especially present to you.

Read the Passion. Pray the Stations of the Cross. Recite the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary. Gaze at a crucifix. Fast, keep vigil, be attentive, and be open to the abundance of grace our Lord wishes to bestow upon you this Good Friday, especially by participating in the liturgical Commemoration of the Lord’s Passion during the sacred hours when our Lord hung on the Cross. Today, “the figure ceases on the advent of the reality.” Today, the reality is here, captured in time, made present to you. Stand before His sacred Cross, and allow His mercy to pour forth upon you from His wounded side.

Source: https://mycatholic.life/saints/saints-of-the-liturgical-year/good-friday/

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Holy Thursday

Catholic Special Day, Daily Saints

Holy Thursday is also called Maundy Thursday. “Maundy” comes from the Latin word mandatum, which is translated “mandate.” It is on this night that our Lord gave the mandate to “do this in remembrance of me.” That mandate was the command to celebrate the Most Holy Eucharist until the end of time, a mandate that the faithful continue to keep.

According to Sacred Scripture, Holy Thursday was a power-packed day and night. It began with Jesus sending Peter and John ahead to prepare the Upper Room for the celebration of the Passover meal. That meal would become the beginning of the New Passover. During the meal, Jesus gave a witness of selfless, sacrificial service by fulfilling the role of a servant and washing the feet of the disciples. After that, Jesus transformed the bread and wine into His Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity for the very first time, and the disciples received Holy Communion. By commanding them to “do this in remembrance of me,” Jesus instituted the new sacramental priesthood. He also predicted that one of those priests would betray Him and another would deny Him, a sign that His chosen priests then and now are also sinners. In John’s Gospel, Jesus gave a lengthy sermon and then went out to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray in agony as He awaited His arrest. Peter, James, and John went with Him but fell asleep, abandoning our Lord in His last agony. Jesus was arrested, endured the scrutiny of the High Priests Annas and Caiaphas, and then was imprisoned so that He could be sent for judgment by Pilate. During the interrogations, the disciples fled, and Peter, the future leader of the Church, denied he knew Jesus three times.

Was this truly a “holy” night? Indeed. True holiness is not a matter of having everything in your life be easy. It’s not about having the most entertaining and comfortable life possible. It’s not about avoiding every obstacle and difficulty that might befall you. Holiness is about fidelity to the fulfillment of the will of the Father in Heaven. Jesus fulfilled the Father’s will that night flawlessly. He set the stage for the coming of the Holy Spirit, instituted the Sacraments, and prepared to empower those Sacraments with His very life, which would be sacrificed the following day.

During the evening of Holy Thursday, after the conclusion of the Mass, the faithful accompany Jesus on a procession from the church to an altar of repose where our Lord’s sacred Body is placed until midnight. Whether you are able to kneel before that altar tonight or not, be with our Lord in prayer. Keep vigil with Him. Hear our Lord say to you, “My soul is sorrowful even to death. Remain here and keep watch with me” (Matthew 26:38). If you struggle with accompanying our Lord in prayer, then hear Him say to you what He said to Peter, “So you could not keep watch with me for one hour? Watch and pray that you may not undergo the test. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Matthew 26:40–41). If you bring burdens with you tonight, say with our Lord, “My Father, if it is not possible that this cup pass without my drinking it, your will be done!” (Matthew 26:42). With a concerted effort, remain recollected throughout this night, tomorrow, and Saturday. It all begins tonight but culminates with Easter joy on Sunday. Enter Jesus’ suffering and death so that you can also share in His Resurrection!

Source: https://mycatholic.life/saints/saints-of-the-liturgical-year/holy-thursday/

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Saint Melito of Sardis

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Melito was a Bishop of Sardis, Lydia (part of modern Turkey). He was an ecclesiastical writer; he wrote an Apology (defense of Christianity) addressed to emperor Marcus Aurelius. Almost nothing else is known about his life.

Died

c.180 of natural causes
interred at Sardis, Lydia (part of modern Turkey)

Canonized

Pre-Congregation

Source: https://catholicsaints.info/saint-melito-of-sardis/

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Saint Benjamin the Deacon

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Benjamin was a deacon. He was imprisoned for a year for his faith. He was released on condition that he never speak about Christianity where he could be heard by any of the royal court. Benjamin then became a street preacher, proclaiming the word in any place he could find people. For his obstinate evangelization during the persecutions of king Vardanes, he was arrested, tortured and martyred.

Born

Persian

Died

impaled on a stake c.424 in Persia

Canonized

Pre-Congregation

Source: https://catholicsaints.info/saint-benjamin-the-deacon/

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Saint John Climacus

Daily Saints

Profile

John was well-educated and came to adulthood in an intellectual environment. He became a monk on Mount Sinai at age 16 and a hermit in various places in the Arabian Desert. He became an abbot at Mount Sinai at age 75. Just before his death, he resigned his position to return to his solitary life. He was an ascetical writer whose works have for 15 centuries influenced those seeking the holy life.

Born

between 505 and 579 in Syria

Died

between 605 and 649 on Mount Sinai of natural causes

Canonized

Pre-Congregation

Representation

abbot carrying a ladder
man having a vision of a ladder being scaled by monks
monk on a ladder

Source: https://catholicsaints.info/saint-john-climacus/

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Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion

Catholic Special Day, Daily Saints

This day could be thought of as a day of contradiction. The Mass begins with the reading of Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem and His joyous reception by the crowds who strewed palm branches before Him, crying out, “Hosanna to the Son of David; blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord; hosanna in the highest.” Today, this inspiring scene is commemorated by processions of the faithful carrying palm branches into their churches. The contradiction, however, is experienced as the full narrative of the Passion of Christ is read, culminating with Jesus’ death on the Cross.

But is it a contradiction? Is His glorious entrance into Jerusalem at the beginning of the week in any way opposed to His crucifixion? Certainly not. From a worldly perspective, for someone who lacks the ability to penetrate this mystery with the eyes of faith, the week ends in tragedy. But from the perspective of the Eternal Father, the welcome Jesus receives as He enters Jerusalem is the welcome given to the Savior of the World. His Cross would become the culmination of that act of salvation. For that reason, His entrance into that holy city was rightly celebrated with great joy, even though the people did not yet understand that the throne their new King would mount was the Cross.

As early as the fourth century, the diary of one traveler to Jerusalem records how the faithful reenacted Jesus’ triumphal entry:

And as the eleventh hour approaches, the passage from the Gospel is read, where the children, carrying branches and palms, met the Lord, saying; Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord, and the bishop immediately rises, and all the people with him, and they all go on foot from the top of the Mount of Olives, all the people going before him with hymns and antiphons, answering one to another: Blessed is He that cometh in the Name of the Lord. And all the children in the neighborhood, even those who are too young to walk, are carried by their parents on their shoulders, all of them bearing branches, some of palms and some of olives, and thus the bishop is escorted in the same manner as the Lord was of old (The Pilgrimage of Etherea).

Though very few Christians are able to celebrate Passion Sunday in Jerusalem, walking from the Mount of Olives to the city gate, we are all invited to do so spiritually, meditatively, and interiorly. Our participation is not just the recalling of a historic event; it’s a real participation in that event. Our hearts must begin outside of Jerusalem’s gate today, and we must courageously and joyfully accompany our Lord into that holy city. During that first Holy Week, the people’s joy arose from their belief that Jesus would be an earthly ruler Who would free them from Roman oppression. Today, we are privileged to express our joyous acclamations as we spiritually accompany our Lord to the city of His crucifixion, because we know that Jesus’ Kingship is so much more than an earthly triumph. His triumph is an eternal one that invites us to share in His Eternity. His triumph is a sacrificial one that invites us to share in His Sacrificial Love. His triumph is a glorious one that invites us to share in the Glory of His Resurrection.

Walk with our Lord today into that holy city of Jerusalem. As you do, know that the earthly city of Jerusalem is also now a spiritual one. The events that took place there two millennia ago transcend and permeate all time. As a result, the events of Holy Week today are just as significant as they were long ago. Through the Mass, we are there. We walk with our Lord, witness all He accomplished, receive His Body and Blood sacrificed on the Cross and memorialized in the Eucharist, and are resurrected with Him on the third day. Commit yourself to this journey today, an eternal pilgrimage with our Lord to the Eternal City of Heaven.

Source: https://mycatholic.life/saints/saints-of-the-liturgical-year/palm-sunday-of-the-lords-passion/

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Saint Hilarion of Pelecete

Daily Saints

Profile

Hilarion was an eighth-century hegumen (abbot) of the Pelecete Abbey on Mount Olympus, Bithynia, Greece. He was persecuted for defending the use of icons and fighting the iconoclasts.

Canonized

Pre-Congregation

Source: https://catholicsaints.info/saint-hilarion-of-pelecete/

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Saint John of Lycopolis

Daily Saints

Profile

John was a carpenter. He became a hermit on a mountain near Lycopolis from ages 25 to 65, living most of his life in a small, walled-up cell. He devoted himself to prayer and meditation five days a week, spiritual direction of male students the other two days; there were so many, he had to build a hospice for them. His reputation for wisdom and holiness caused him to be chosen as advisor to Emperor Theodosius. He had the gifts of prophecy, healing, and knowledge of the hidden sins of his visitors. He was known and admired by Saint Jerome, Saint Augustine of Hippo, Saint Cassia, and Saint Palladius.

Born

c.305 at Assiut, Egypt

Died

394 of natural causes

Canonized

Pre-Congregation

Source: https://catholicsaints.info/saint-john-of-lycopolis/

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Saint Emmanuel

Daily Saints

Profile

Emmanuel was martyred with 42 companions in the persecutions of Diocletian.

Died

c.304

Canonized

Pre-Congregation

Representation

man tied and nailed to a tree

Source: https://catholicsaints.info/saint-emmanuel/

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Annunciation of the Lord

Daily Saints

In the fifth century, bishops engaged in a fierce theological debate over the unity of the divine and human natures of Christ, referred to as the “hypostatic union.” Nestorius, the Archbishop of Constantinople, argued that there were two underlying hypostases, or substances, in Christ, one human and one divine. He believed that the humanity of Christ was born of the Virgin Mary, but not His divinity. Therefore, Nestorius believed Mary should only be called the “Christ-bearer” and not the “God-bearer” (Theotokos). Saint Cyril, the Archbishop of Alexandria, argued that the divine and human natures of Jesus were united in one hypostasis. Divinity and humanity were perfectly united and, therefore, Mary is properly called the Theotokos, or “Mother of God,” not just the “Mother of Christ.” God was born of her, not just His body. Mary conceived a Person in her womb, and that Person was both God and man, perfectly united as one. In 431 the Church held a council at Ephesus at which Cyril’s position was adopted and Nestorius’ position was condemned. Nestorius was then removed as Archbishop of Constantinople.

The Solemnity we celebrate today came into practice around the time of this controversy, possibly as a way of emphasizing the theological teaching that emerged from the Council of Ephesus. Throughout Church history, when a theological truth is defined, that truth is then celebrated liturgically as a lived expression of the Church’s faith.

The date of this celebration is interesting. It is set nine months before Christmas, but most likely, the date of Christmas was set nine months after the Annunciation. Many early Christians believed that Jesus’ death occurred on March 25, and, therefore, His Incarnation must have also taken place on this day. Interestingly, as early as the third century, it has been suggested that March 25 was also the date of the creation of Adam, the fall of Adam, the fall of the angels, the sacrifice of Isaac by Abraham, and the passing of the Israelites through the Red Sea.

Today’s celebration of the Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord recalls the historical event of the Angel Gabriel appearing to the Virgin Mary, as found in Luke 1:26–38. It also celebrates the Church’s faith in the underlying reality that took place at that moment in time. It celebrates the Incarnation, making this solemnity not only a Marian solemnity, but first and foremost a Christological one. Though Christmas commemorates the birth of Christ, the Annunciation commemorates the Incarnation within the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Most certainly, this solemnity is also a Marian celebration. We celebrate the Virgin Mary’s perfect “Yes” to the plan of the Father. We celebrate her humility, obedience, docility, and especially her motherhood of God and man.

This solemnity is also a celebration of the Father in Heaven because it reveals the beginning of the pinnacle of His perfect plan of salvation. That moment in time, the moment of the Incarnation, holds significance beyond comprehension. This moment was in the mind of the Father in Heaven from all eternity and took place in a hidden way, known only to this lowly and humble virgin.

As we celebrate this glorious solemnity, ponder all these central mysteries of our faith. Faith must be celebrated, not only believed. It must be proclaimed, rejoiced in, loved, and lived. Profess your faith in the Incarnation and seek the intercession of the Virgin Mary. Ask her to pray for you that you may imitate her “Yes” to the will of the Father in Heaven, so that you can continue to bring forth His divine Son in your soul, so that He will continue to be made manifest to the world through you.

Source: https://mycatholic.life/saints/saints-of-the-liturgical-year/march-25-annunciation-of-the-lord/

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Good Friday of the Lord’s Passion

Holy Thursday

Saint Melito of Sardis

Saint Benjamin the Deacon

Saint John Climacus

Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion

Saint Hilarion of Pelecete

Saint John of Lycopolis

Saint Emmanuel

Annunciation of the Lord

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