Traditional Roman Catholic Thoughts

Traditional Roman Catholic Thoughts

Reintroducing Logic and Reason to the Age of Sentimentalism

Easter

All of the posts under the "Easter" category.

Consecrate Yourself to Jesus Through Mary This Lent

I do not intend to be the bearer of bad news, but Lent is only four weeks away. With that said, have you begun considering what you can do for Lent this year? If not, might I offer a suggestion?

Easter is on March 27 this year. Just two days before that, March 25, we celebrate the Feast of the Annunciation, though I am unsure how that will work liturgically as Good Friday and the Easter Triduum supercedes all other feast days. However, I believe you can still celebrate the feast day though I am open to correction by someone who knows more than I.

sacred-heart-of-jesus-_amp_-immaculate-heart-of-mary_001

I would suggest, though, that this Lent you consecrate (or reconsecrate if you’ve done so already) yourself to Jesus through Mary. You would begin on February 22 (because 2016 is a Leap Year), so you would still spend the majority of Lent performing a spiritual work.

The best method for consecrating yourself to Jesus through Mary is St. Louis de Montfort’s True Devotion to Mary. I would highly suggest a copy of this book as it is what I have used and find it very helpful as all of the material you will need is in it. The book is available from Amazon here.

In consecrating yourself to Jesus through Mary, you will be giving all of the graces and works you earn to Our Mother. Because Mary’s will and the Father’s Will are in perfect harmony and being she is the Mediatrix of all Graces, you will be able to assist better the souls to which Our Lady determines are in need of those graces. If Mary is the mold, then we should allow ourselves to be placed in her, so that we can become little saints.

Consider embarking on this noble journey to not only help the souls in Purgatory as well as souls here on Earth but in becoming the Saint that God has called you to be. As St. Louis de Montfort says, “there is no surer or easier way than Mary in uniting all men to Christ.”

Jeff January 13, 2016 1 Comment Permalink

Christ is Risen!

Happy Easter! Christ is Risen! Hallelujah!

Today we celebrate the Resurrection of Christ. How thrilling. Not only did Christ die for our sins, but He conquered death and is now glorified.

As I mentioned yesterday, Jesus was not given the proper burial according to Jewish law. So, since today the Sabbath would be over for the Jews, Mary the mother of James and St. Mary Magdalene went to the tomb. Each account is slightly different but here is Mark’s account.

When the sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary, the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go and anoint him. Very early when the sun had risen, on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb. They were saying to one another, “Who will roll back the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?” When they looked up, they saw that the stone had been rolled back; it was very large. On entering the tomb they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed in a white robe, and they were utterly amazed. He said to them, “Do not be amazed! You seek Jesus of Nazareth, the crucified. He has been raised; he is not here. Behold the place where they laid him. But go and tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him, as he told you.'” (Mark 16:1-7)

How awesome! This is the reading that took place at the Vigil Masses for this year. Now, first off, we see in Mark’s version, it was St. Mary Magdalene, James’ mother and Salome who went to the tomb. In Matthew’s account it is only St. Mary Magdalene and James’ mother. Luke says St. Mary Magdalene, Joanna and Jame’s mother were there.  Finally, John only makes mention of St. Mary Magdalene. I believe I mentioned yesterday that Our Lady, was there, but I believe I was confusing her with Mary the mother of James. However, we know that Mary Magdalene was there.

Now, the first of the week would be Sunday, as the day AFTER the Sabbath is the first day. God worked on days 1-6 to create the Earth and all the creatures and everything on it, and rested on the 7th. The 7th day being Saturday as Saturday was the Sabbath. The women worried about removing the stone as well, the stone was a huge circular disc placed in front of the tomb to make sure no one could get in. What we don’t see in this reading is how when the women tell Peter and the other disciples that Jesus is no longer in the tomb, they don’t believe them. But, Peter after a few moments runs out to the tomb to see for himself and then believes. I always find this funny because there is so much emotion going on that it is such a misunderstanding and who knows what is going on in everybody’s heads at the time.

Jesus, now raised, has fulfilled what He said in Luke 9:22 He said, “The Son of Man must suffer greatly and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed and on the third day be raised.” Having a glorified body, Jesus is no longer bound by simple walls and the like. In the glorified state, we can walk through anything! How cool is that?

Jesus, now present on this Earth again, brings hope and joy for all of us. How blessed we are to have such a loving God. Go forth this Easter season with a renewed sense of wonder and happiness. Lent is over. This doesn’t mean you can go back to your old ways, but you must now begin life as a new creature, a new creation.

Allow the spiritual growth that you ended with at the end of Lent, be the beginning to the spiritual growth that you will endure the rest of the year. Don’t sink back into the hole that you have came from, but continue on your spiritual and faith journey walking farther and farther away from that hole.

Christ is Risen!  Hallelujah!  Hallelujah!

Jeff April 8, 2012 Leave A Comment Permalink

Holy Week

This is it folks. We are in the thick of it. Holy Week 2012. Yesterday, we laid out the palms for the arrival of Our Lord and Savior, Jesus. Thursday we will celebrate the Last Supper or as I like to call it, the First Mass. After Mass on Thursday evening, we will then enter Jesus’ Passion. I for one, am not looking forward to this.

Good Friday for me, is quite possibly, the worst day of the year for me. I feel like everyone is out to get me. This is one reason why I try to take the day off or at least half the day off. But, I know that all the suffering that I endure, is good. At 3pm, the hour that Jesus died on the Cross, I can feel God’s presence leave Earth. Its a very odd phenomenon, and if you haven’t ever noticed this, take a moment to think about it this Friday. Do you feel anything different about Friday and Saturday that is different from any other day of the year?
On Holy Saturday, we await for Jesus’ Resurrection. We look forward to celebrating Easter. Whether you go to the Vigil Mass (which is always beautiful seeing converts join the Church (and reminds me of my conversion)) or Sunday Mass, the joy of the Risen Christ is there. Christ conquered death and is now RISEN! This is such an incredible mystery that we should reflect upon it far more often than we do.
I will admit, that Lent this year has not been as terrible as years past. This is good! It’s nice having Lent not be painful and frustrating on a day to day basis. I really feel that I have grown into a better person this year and I’ve made changes that I hope I can carry out with me for the rest of my life.
I hope that you have had a good Lent as well. If Lent hasn’t been great for you, don’t give up. Easter is only 5 more days away.

Jeff April 2, 2012 Leave A Comment Permalink

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