The Great Week of Love

Yes, Holy Week and the Easter Triduum is a journey into the heart of God’s forgiveness and compassion – the greatest Love Story ever told. 


 God so loved the world that He gave His only Son that whoever believes in Him may not be lost but may have eternal life. (Jn. 3) 

 Pope Francis in his wonderful letter Misericordiae Vultus says: “Jesus Christ is the face of the Father’s Mercy.” Then he makes up a new word “mercifying.” God’s gaze has mercified us he tells us, blessing us with kindness, empathy, mercy and love. Isn’t it wonderful that through the loving gaze of Jesus God has revealed to you and to me that we are his loving children. Pope Francis says, “God is always first, first to wait for us, first to love us, first to help us.” 

Let us hold that wonderful news in our hearts this Holy Week .Through God’s gentleness and compassion, we have been mercified. We in turn can be merciful to each other. We can change the way we receive people into our lives and share with them. We can build a new world. 

 Fr. Kieran O’ Mahony has pointers for Prayer in his book on Holy Week, Hearers of the Word. He says: "the injustice and brutality of the Passion of Jesus makes it a difficult story to read as good news. Yet in the midst of that cruelty, the courageous , faithful and self -sacrificing love that Jesus shows for us shines through. 
 Human love can also be painful. When have you experienced the courage, fidelity and self-sacrifice of others in their love for you? When have you shown that kind of love to others as a parent, a spouse or a friend or in some other relationship? 
 We read the Passion story in the light of the Resurrection. What seemed a humiliating and shameful failure for Jesus was not the end of the story. Perhaps with hindsight you can look back at something that seemed like a tragedy at the time but where out of that tragedy new life and new possibilities followed for you?"

So, this Holy Week, let us cry out in gladness “Blessings on Him who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest Heavens.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Mary the Sunflower...

Image
  This year we’ve had many sunflowers throughout our garden; wherever I looked, whatever corner I turned, there was another majestic golden head rising to greet me and fill my heart with something of the sunshine it had imbibed...and how grateful we are for the long sunny summer we’ve been blessed with this year.... Somehow the sunflowers were there, everywhere...a real presence...   I was reminded of the beautiful phrase in our Carmelite Constitutions describing the important role of Mary in our lives... It says:   ‘ Mary’s presence among her daughters and sisters pervades the entire Carmelite vocation.   It imparts a special Marian tone to their contemplation, sisterhood’ etc... Her presence PERVADES...   Doesn’t that give a real sense of her closeness to us, her inspiration and protection?     Yes, the history of Carmel overflows with the presence of the Virgin Mary.      I’d like to share with you the beautiful reflection on Mary by our recently canonised Carmelite Saint, Tit
Read more

Humans and Dogs!

Image
All Creatures Bless the Lord I never cease to marvel at how God created the whole universe with such variety and diversity,     earth, oceans, sky and all living beings from the tiniest insect to the complexities of the human person. What is God trying to teach us? There is a lovely canticle we recite on Sunday which begins with ‘O all you works of the Lord, O bless the Lord. To him be highest glory and praise for ever. ’ And the canticle continues to praise God in sun, moon, stars, night day, mountains, plants, earth, fish, birds, beasts wild and tame, all creatures, humans and angels. Everything from heaven to earth, ‘bless the Lord’. Our photo shows Sr. Teresa (Roebuck Carmel) with Shula the community dog. When you visit Roebuck monastery Shula will not run to meet you she charges out the door and shows how excited she is to see you. She lifts the heart. She accepts you whoever you are and whatever way you are. St. Th é r è se before she entered had a dog called Tom. One day Th
Read more

An Unexpected Visitor - Mr Heron

Image
  On a wet Monday afternoon we had an unexpected surprise visitor to our monastery pond - a large grey heron! He stood so still and we too stood still. Just watching! Then one of the sisters very quietly went for the camera and was lucky to get a photo before this great bird spread his wings and flew off. He won’t return because we have no fish in our pond. Isn’t it amazing how we can be surprised with delight by such encounters? It lifted our hearts on a wet dreary Monday. Our visitor reminded us of nature and our world as we continue to celebrate the Season of Creation (1 st September to Feast of St Francis 4 th October) which is now an annual Christian event. It is a time to pray for the care of our common home and reflect on our actions personally and as a community. The theme for this year is ‘listen to our Common home’. The cry of the earth also echoes the cry of the poor. Because we can see very clearly the care of the earth or lack of it affects all our lives but especia
Read more