Reflections from Msgr. Lavalley: Holy Saturday
Holy Saturday reflections from my good friend Msgr. Richard Lavalley. He reflects on Jesus as the firstborn of the dead.
Holy Saturday reflections from my good friend Msgr. Richard Lavalley. He reflects on Jesus as the firstborn of the dead.
Reflections on the final three words of Jesus from the Cross by my good friend Msgr. Richard Lavalley.
I find today the strangest day of all. We have celebrated Good Friday, and so the Church is silent, since we have not yet begun the Easter Vigil. But this year the period of time between the Celebration of the Lord’s Passion and the Easter Vigil has united the world.
Today we pray for those people who work in government. We pray for all those people who must make difficult decisions during this time of pandemic.
Christ redeemed us by loving us with a reckless and suffering extravagance which is beyond our human understanding. We are redeemed through and by God’s persistent and abiding presence in our own suffering.
The Lord has given me a disciple’s tongue. Do you have a disciple’s tongue? And what is a disciple’s tongue anyway?
We live in troubling times. It is easy for us to panic, to become anxious or worried and to lose perspective. Fr. Kevin Stephens, O.P., reminds us that even Jesus was “deeply troubled.” Christ has taken on our flesh, carried our sins, and he can take our worries and anxieties as well. We may be troubled, but we must trust in the Lord. For like it says in Isaiah, if we are like a polished arrow in the hands of God, we know that we shall find our mark.
Judas Iscariot remains forever one of the great villains of history. But more than a villain, he is a tragedy. In turning his back on Christ, in refusing to seek mercy and forgiveness for his betrayal, Judas betrayed not only Jesus and the disciples. He betrayed himself. That’s what sin does. It takes what is great within us and it twists it beyond all recognition.
What difference does it make? Have you ever felt this way? Wondering if what you are doing is making any difference at all? We are currently in such a time right now. We are “social distancing” against a virus we cannot see. Does it make any difference?
Today we pray for those workers who still must work during this Coronavirus pandemic, often in ways that put them at risk. We pray for those in service professions and other jobs we often take for granted.