For He has risen, as He said” we hear in the Gospel of the Easter Vigil. The Lord Jesus has fulfilled His promise. We have nothing to fear because of His definitive victory over the death of sin and the death of the body.
When Divine Mercy Sunday rolls around again this year, the faithful have the opportunity to take refuge in the depths of Christ’s mercy by receiving either a plenary or partial indulgence.
During Holy Week we commemorate the most important events in the Life of our Loving Savior Jesus Christ. These events of almost two thousand years ago are real and alive in our day. What happened then continues to happen now. This is the key to opening up the Life of Christ in our personal lives and in the world we live in.
John 11: 25-26 – Ego sum resurrectio et vita; qui credit in me, etiam si mortuus fuerit, vivet: et omnis qui vivit et credit in me, non morietur in aeternum. Credis hoc? I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?
Catholic Relief Services aids the poor and vulnerable worldwide through faith-driven programs, relying on donations to continue its mission of compassion and solidarity.
Romans 5:8: But God shows His love for us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us.
John 4:13-14: Whoever drinks this water will get thirsty again; but anyone who drinks the water that I shall give will never be thirsty again: the water that I shall give will turn into a spring inside him, welling up to eternal life.
During these first days of Lent we have had a chance to put into effect our spiritual battle plan. The gospels since Ash Wednesday have reminded us of the need to pray, to do penance, and to love our neighbor, which reveal to us the loving face of our heavenly Father.
On Ash Wednesday, March 5, this coming week, the Catholic Church throughout the world will begin the solemn season of prayer, fasting, penance, and almsgiving known as Lent.
In preparation for a Catholic Funeral Mass the family is given the chance to pick the Scriptures that will be read. Over the years I have noticed that often they will pick the Beatitudes.
The Catholic Church is well known for its use of blessed, lighted candles, which are a traditional symbol that represents Jesus, the light of the world, a light shining in the darkness.
Jesus tells us not necessarily what we want to hear, but what we need to hear. Since He alone can free us from our sins, we must count on Him to forgive our sins and at the same time to raise us up to become new men and new women in Him.