Easter Monday

 

Jesus is here now and forever!
(Photo 13776442 © Astankino | Dreamstime.com)

What is that bright light?

I always hoped you would ask.

"I am" who loves you!

Easter Sunday

 

The empty tomb.  He is Risen!!
(Photo 213614411 © Yuliia Chyzhevska | Dreamstime.com)

"When the sabbath was over, Mary of Magdala, Mary the mother of James, and Salome, bought spices with which to go and anoint him. And very early in the morning on the first day of the week they went to the tomb, just as the sun was rising. They had been saying to one another, ‘Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?' But when they looked they could see that the stone, which was very big-had already been rolled back. On entering the tomb they saw a young man in a white robe seated on the right-hand side, and they were struck with amazement. But he said to them, ‘There is no need for alarm. You are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified: he has risen, he is not here. See, here is the place where they laid him. But you must go and tell his disciples and Peter, "He is going before you to Galilee; it is there you will see him, just as he told you”.’ And the women came out and ran away from the tomb because they were frightened out of their wits; and they said nothing to a soul for they were afraid. (Mark 16:1-8)

Note: Scripture passage is from the  Jerusalem Bible copyright 1966 by Darton, Longman & Todd Ltd and Doubleday & Company, Inc. Garden City, New York,

Good Friday 2024

 

Jesus dies on a cross for all humanity
(The Crucifixion painted by Jean Baptiste van Eycken (1809-1853) in Notre Dame
de la Chapelle Photo 43692875 © Jozef Sedmak | Dreamstime.com)

They then took charge of Jesus, and carrying his own cross he went out of the city to the place of the skull or, as it was called in Hebrew, Golgotha, where they crucified him with two others, one on either side with Jesus in the middle. Pilate wrote out a notice and had it fixed to the cross; it ran: ‘Jesus  the Nazarene, King of the Jews’. This notice was read by many of the Jews, because the place where Jesus was crucified was not far from the city, and the writing was in Hebrew, Latin and Greek. So the Jewish chief priests said to Pilate, ‘You should not write “King of the Jews”, but “This man said: I am King of the Jews”’. -Pilate answered, ‘What 1 have written, I have written’. (John 19:17:22)

Note: Scripture passage is from the Jerusalem Bible copyright 1966 by Darton, Longman & Todd Ltd and Doubleday & Company, Inc. Garden City, New York,

Holy Thursday 2024

 

Jesus Shares a Last Supper with His Disciples
(Vienna - Fresco of Last supper of Christ by Leopold Kupelwieser from 1889 in nave of Altlerchenfelder church. Photo 32628454 © Jozef Sedmak | Dreamstime.com)

"My little children, 
I shall not be with you much longer. 
You will look for me, 
and, as I told the Jews, 
where 1 am going, 
you cannot come. 
I give you a new commandment:
love one another; 
just as I have loved you, 
you also must love one another. 
By this love you have for one another, 
everyone will know that you are my disciples."

Simon Peter said, ‘Lord, where are you going?’ Jesus replied, "Where I am going you cannot follow me now; you will follow me later". Peter said to him, 'Why can’t 1 follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.’ "Lay down your life for me? answered Jesus. I tell you most solemnly, before the cock crows you will have disowned me three times."

"Do not let your hearts be troubled.  
Trust in God still, and trust in me. 
There are many rooms in my Father’s house; 
if there were not, I should have told you.
I am going now to prepare a place for you, 
and after I have gone and prepared you a place, 
I shall return to take you with me

so that where I am 
you may be too. 
You know the way to the place where I am going." 

( Beginning of Jesus' Farewell discourses at his Last Supper John 13:33-38 through 14:1-4)

Note: Scripture passage is from the  Jerusalem Bible copyright 1966 by Darton, Longman & Todd Ltd and Doubleday & Company, Inc. Garden City, New York,

Palm Sunday 2024

 

Jesus enters Jerusalem for the last time
(Painting in a Jerusalem church.  Photo 177126955 © Vojtech Vlk | Dreamstime.com)

"When they were approaching Jerusalem, in sight of Bethphage and Bethany, close by the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples and said to them, ‘Go off to the village facing you, and as soon as you enter it you will find a tethered colt that no one has yet ridden. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone says to you , "What are you doing?" say, "The Master needs it and will send it back here directly”.’ They went off and found a colt tethered near a door in the open street. As they untied it, some men standing there said, ‘What are you doing, untying that colt?'  They gave the answer Jesus had told them, and the men let them go. Then they took the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks on its back, and he sat on it. Many people spread their cloaks on the road, others greenery which they had cut in the fields. And those who went in front and those who followed were all shouting, "Hosanna! Blessings on him who comes in the name of the Lord!  Blessings on the coming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in in the highest heavens!" He entered Jerusalem and went into the Temple. He looked all round him, but as it was now late, he went out to Bethany with the Twelve." (Mark 11:1-11)

Note: Scripture passage is from the  Jerusalem Bible copyright 1966 by Darton, Longman & Todd Ltd and Doubleday & Company, Inc. Garden City, New York,

Ash Wednesday 2024

Photo ID 268112663 © Vetre Antanaviciute-meskauskiene | Dreamstime.com

This year (2024) Ash Wednesday (a variable date) which is the beginning of Lent in western Catholic and other denominational churches happens to occur on Valentine's Day (always February 14) in the U.S.  This coinciding of days, results from a somewhat complex astronomical and liturgical formula for determining when Easter occurs. According to Wikipedia:

"Ash Wednesday occurs on a different date each year. It is always 46 days before Easter. Since Easter itself is a movable feast, the date of Ash Wednesday changes accordingly. The calculation is based on the Sunday following the first full moon that occurs on or after the March equinox, which is always March 21 in the Christian Church calendars. It can occur as early as February 4 or as late as March 10"

Valentine Day and Ash Wednesday rarely coincide.  According to my findings on-line, in the 20th Century this coincidence occurred in 1923, 1934 and 1945.  In the 21st century, these dates coincided on 2018, and will again this year in 2024 and will again in 2029.  Then not again for a whopping 141 years into the 22nd century in the year 2170 will Ash Wednesday be on Valentine's Day February 14!!  I confirmed these coinciding dates using a free calculator at "had2know.org" under the category "Society" on the Home Page  using the calculator "Ash Wednesday Date Calculator"

The copyrighted photo at the beginning of this post, (which I purchased from "dreamstime.com" for publication in this Blog), contains a a heart-shaped dish containing ashes, usually from the remains of burned palm branches from the Palm Sunday of the previous year.   The ashes show an inscribed cross and are used for tracing a cross on the foreheads of parishioners on "Ash Wednesday" at the beginning of Lent.  The heart-shaped dish reminds us of the unconditional love of Christ for all humanity but also of the many forms of love expressed on this Valentine's-Ash Wednesday.

The ashes symbolize "With sweat on your brow shall you eat your bread, until you return to the soil, as you were taken from it,. For dust you are and to dust you shall return." from Genesis 3:19*.   In the Catholic church, Ash Wednesday takes precedent over Valentine's Day and all the fasting and abstinence regulations of Lent are in effect.  

The United States Council of Catholic Bishops (usccb.org) recommends the following for Lenton Observation: 

"Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are obligatory days of fasting and abstinence for Catholics. In addition, Fridays during Lent are obligatory days of abstinence.

For members of the Latin Catholic Church, the norms on fasting are obligatory from age 18 until age 59. When fasting, a person is permitted to eat one full meal, as well as two smaller meals that together are not equal to a full meal. The norms concerning abstinence from meat are binding upon members of the Latin Catholic Church from age 14 onwards.

Members of the Eastern Catholic Churches are to observe the particular law of their own sui iuris Church."

If possible, the fast on Good Friday is continued until the Easter Vigil (on Holy Saturday night) as the "paschal fast" to honor the suffering and death of the Lord Jesus and to prepare ourselves to share more fully and to celebrate more readily his Resurrection."

Holy Week observances toward the end of Lent are:  

Palm Sunday, March 24, 2024

Holy Thursday, March 28, 2024

Good Friday, March 29, 2024 

Easter Sunday March 31, 2024.

*Note: Scripture passage is from the  Jerusalem Bible copyright 1966 by Darton, Longman & Todd Ltd and Doubleday & Company, Inc. Garden City, New York,

Christmas 2023

 

Humble Blogger and loving wife Rose pose with grandson Tristan as Santa

Silver Christmas tree by staircase and (LED) fireplace on top of piano