Holy Saturday - At the Easter Vigil in the Holy Night of Easter (April 15, 2017): Why Do You Condemn Yourself?

Thứ Sáu, 14-04-2017 | 15:57:48

A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Matthew (Mt 28:1-10)

After the sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning,
Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb.
And behold, there was a great earthquake;
for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven,
approached, rolled back the stone, and sat upon it.
His appearance was like lightning
and his clothing was white as snow.
The guards were shaken with fear of him
and became like dead men.
Then the angel said to the women in reply,
“Do not be afraid!
I know that you are seeking Jesus the crucified.
He is not here, for he has been raised just as he said.
Come and see the place where he lay.
Then go quickly and tell his disciples,
‘He has been raised from the dead,
and he is going before you to Galilee;
there you will see him.’
Behold, I have told you.”
Then they went away quickly from the tomb,
fearful yet overjoyed,
and ran to announce this to his disciples.
And behold, Jesus met them on their way and greeted them.
They approached, embraced his feet, and did him homage.
Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid.
Go tell my brothers to go to Galilee,
and there they will see me.”


Reflection for Saturday:

By long-time GNM member Nancy Gardner Viola

When Jesus suffered and died on the cross, He took with Him our sins so that they could be nailed to the cross and die with Him. We all know this. It’s basic catechism. So why are we so quick to put ourselves down and beat ourselves up for what we don’t like in us? When Jesus died, so did the Father’s condemnation of those who want to live with Him in heaven eternally.

Think about it.

Jesus died for youIf Jesus took all our judgment upon Himself, then who can condemn us any further? Jesus died long before we came along. And Jesus rose from the dead long before we came into this world. Once we have been baptized in the Lord, condemnation is a thing of our past — our long ago past.

How then, can we condemn? How can we condemn anyone whom Jesus loves? There is no one He does not love. Including and especially ourselves! Jesus went to court for us. He stood in front of the Father and heard all of the judgments against us — Jesus knew long before we were born all the sins we would commit. As He watched the hammer drop, He knew: “You are being crucified for this.” ….

For the rest of this reflection and a music video that helps take the message to your heart, please go to our website.

How the Good News Cross of St. Benedict: can protect your family

In a collaboration between Good News Ministries and the Cross of St. Benedict Society, the Good News Cross of St. Benedict is now available to protect your home and family.

This is the image Jesus gave me a few months ago while I was meditating during Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.

It is shaped like a simple monstrance, the cross pieces representing rays of the Light of Christ. The St. Benedict medal is positioned where the Host is held in the monstrance, representing Jesus conquering the devil through the medal, just like he does through the Host.

Above the medal is hand-carved dove, representing the Holy Spirit, to remind us of our call to embrace the gifts of the Holy Spirit in our life’s vocation. The Holy Spirit is descending on those who possess the Good News Cross. With the corpus of Christ below it, together they remind us that we need a personal relationship with Christ, who conquers personal sin and death, and a personal relationship with the Holy Spirit, who sends us out to conquer sin and death in the world.

Blessed salt is sealed into the top of the cross. (See the meaning of the woods used to make this cross, in the full story.)

After the Good News Cross of St. Benedict has been blessed by a priest with the official exorcism prayer of St. Benedict, it becomes a powerful spiritual warfare weapon for the home.

The St. Benedict medal is known for its power to ward off the devil and his influences. Many years ago, St. Benedict became a patron saint for Good News Ministries because we were suffering an unending series of technical equipment problems that interfered with our work. We’d fix one problem and another would pop up. As soon as that was fixed, another piece of equipment broke down. After we obtained a cross of St. Benedict and asked for his intervention, the problems immediately stopped.

Anyone who purchases the Good News Cross of St. Benedict will bring its victorious power into their homes while supporting Patrick’s family and their ministry. (Who is the artist? See the full story of this cross.) And Patrick will tithe back to Good News Ministries 10% of the income from this cross. Moreover, since Good News Ministries has many members in poor countries who need the victory of Christ and the empowerment of the Holy Spirit as much as anyone else, Patrick and his wife, Joy, are providing an opportunity for kind benefactors to buy crosses for them. They will even put some of their own money into it.

All for the sake of sharing in Christ’s victory and the Holy Spirit’s power!

To see prices and size options, and to place your order, visit the online store of the Cross of St. Benedict.

God bless you with a very happy Easter season!

© 2017 by Terry A. Modica

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