“May the balm of Mercy reach everyone”
Throughout his papacy so far, Pope Francis has consistently shown himself to be a messenger of mercy. This has been evident not only in the words he has spoken, but also in the deeds he has done – for example, in the strong rumour that he sometimes go out of the Vatican at night to give money to the poor; a rumour which, when directly asked about it in an interview, Archbishop Krajewski refused to deny.
It has been almost two decades since a Roman Catholic Pope has been on an official visit to Egypt. It was the year 2000 when Pope John Paul II said in Arabic “Peace be upon you”, making history as the first Pope to visit Egypt. The Catholic Pope has not visited since, until now. On April 28, Pope Francis will land in Cairo in a visit that has been billed as a historic moment.
The Easter season stretches from Easter Sunday to Pentecost, making up what is known as “The Great 50 Days.” This is a season in which the Church rejoices in and with the resurrected Christ. It is certainly the most festive season of the year as the Church proclaims the Easter Alleluia. Lilies abound in our churches and the baptismal font and the paschal candle are at the center of our Easter celebrations. The faithful renewed their baptismal vows on Easter Sunday and reflects upon them throughout the Easter season.
Holy Week Reminds Us of Devotion to the Holy Face of Jesus
When we think of the Passion of our Lord or make the Stations of the Cross, one image that should come into our mind’s eye is the Sixth Station — St. Veronica wiping the face of Jesus to comfort him. Because Jesus left an image of his face on her veil, surely Veronica — and who knows how many others with her — would venerate that image of his Holy Face countless times over the years.
With the approaching of Easter, the Maronite archbishop of Damascus, Samir Nassar, recounts the Sisters’ humble evangelical service that still gives hope to the people
Good Friday commemorates the Passion of the Lord, the day of the crucifixion and death of Jesus Christ the Son of God. Nowhere in the world is Mass offered on this day. Reception of the Most Holy Eucharist is possible because hosts were consecrated the evening before at the Mass of the Lord’s Supper. The veneration of the cross, the instrument of Christ’s death that brought about our redemption, is a powerful reminder that each of us were the authors and the ministers of all the sufferings that the divine Redeemer endured (Council of Trent, I, 5, 11).
After Jesus died and his body was placed in the tomb, he could have ascended to heaven without appearing to anyone. But Jesus rose and he appeared to his disciples, and he did so for a number of very important reasons.
Triumph and Victory. The Resurrection was emphatic proof that Jesus had decisively and convincingly conquered sin and death.
“Like the prophets before him Jesus expressed the deepest respect for the Temple in Jerusalem.” (CCC 583)
Dave Armstrong
The “holy place” is a thoroughly biblical notion. Jerusalem was and is a holy city:
Matthew 4:5 Then the devil took him to the holy city, and set him on the pinnacle of the temple, (cf. Neh 11:1, 18; Is 48:2)
Matthew 27:53 and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many.
The temple in Jerusalem (destroyed by the Romans in A.D. 70) was a particularly holy place:
They trace their founding to the voyage to Alexandria of St. Mark, the apostle of Jesus and New Testament author. Just a decade or two after the original Easter, which Christians celebrate around the world, tradition states that Mark founded their church, one of the earliest in the Middle East and the first in Africa. It was to become a pillar of early Christendom.
Some 2,000 years later, Egypt’s Coptic Christians have become the preferred target of the Islamic State group, an apocalyptic cult seeking religious war.
Promoters of the “Prosperity Gospel” often have less to say during Holy Week. The Theology of the Cross is not their strong suit, especially when applied not simply to the God-man Jesus Christ, but to us mere human beings who are called to follow in the Savior’s footsteps. What to tell a Christian when profound suffering comes unexpectedly in their lives and/or lasts much longer than expected? How do such experiences square with hopes of prosperity?
