When we are hungry, we find something to eat. When we are thirsty, we look for something to slake our thirst. When we feel lonely, we seek out some companionship. Our human nature spurs us to satisfy our desires; it is part of who we are. Food and drink do satisfy as do any of the other things that we crave or desire. However, we will be hungry, thirsty and lonely again at some time in the...
The Church's liturgy is full of symbolic representations of the mystery that is represented by the actions of the presider and the congregation. The liturgies of Holy and Easter Week are particularly full of such symbols which, if not understood correctly, can cause some confusion.
In the liturgy of Holy Saturday, the liturgy begins in total darkness. Liturgical guidelines ask that...
The action of the reading from the Acts of the Apostles for this Easter Thursday takes place in Solomon's Portico, sometimes called Solomon's Porch. St. John's Gospel mentions this place as one in which Jesus taught during his lifetime. This area of the Temple formed the eastern wall of the Courtyard of the Gentiles and consisted of a roof supported by two rows of columns evenly spaced...
It is the evening of that first day of the week. Two disciples are walking to Emmaus, a town that lies east of Jerusalem. They are, therefore, quite literally walking into the darkness.
They meet a stranger along the way and enter into a conversation with him. He seems to be oblivious of what has happened in Jerusalem over the past three days. The one upon whom these two disciples...
Jesus said to her, "Mary!" She turned and said to him in Hebrew, "Rabbouni," which means Teacher (John 20:16).
On Easter Sunday, the community here in Cicero went out to dinner. Although we like to cook our own holiday dinners at Thanksgiving and Christmas, none of us is physically up to the task after Holy Week which involves the most arduous liturgical action in the calendar. So...