Wish you all a Blessed Easter

God sent His son, they called Him Jesus

On Holy Saturday the Church waits at the Lord’s tomb, meditating on his suffering and death. The altar is left bare, and the sacrifice of the Mass is not celebrated. Only after the solemn vigil during the night, held in anticipation of the resurrection, does the Easter celebration begin, with a spirit of joy that overflows into the following period of fifty days.

Holy Saturday (from Sabbatum Sanctum, its official liturgical name) is sacred as the day of the Lord’s rest; it has been called the “Second Sabbath” after creation. The day is and should be the most calm and quiet day of the entire Church year, a day broken by no liturgical function. Christ lies in the grave, the Church sits near and mourns. After the great battle He is resting in peace, but upon Him we see the scars of intense suffering…The mortal wounds on His Body remain visible….Jesus’ enemies are still furious, attempting to obliterate the very memory of the Lord by lies and slander.

Mary and the disciples are grief-stricken, while the Church must mournfully admit that too many of her children return home from Calvary cold and hard of heart. When Mother Church reflects upon all of this, it seems as if the wounds of her dearly Beloved were again beginning to bleed.

“According to tradition, the entire body of the Church is represented in Mary: she is the “credentium collectio universa”. Thus, the Blessed Virgin Mary, as she waits near the Lord’s tomb, as she is represented in Christian tradition, is an icon of the Virgin Church keeping vigil at the tomb of her Spouse while awaiting the celebration of his resurrection.“The pious exercise of the Ora della Madre is inspired by this intuition of the relationship between the Virgin Mary and the Church: while the body of her Son lays in the tomb and his soul has descended to the dead to announce liberation from the shadow of darkness to his ancestors, the Blessed Virgin Mary, foreshadowing and representing the Church, awaits, in faith, the victorious triumph of her Son over death.” — Directory on Popular Piety and the Liturgy

Although we are still in mourning, there is much preparation during this day to prepare for Easter.

There are no liturgies celebrated this day, unless the local parish priest blesses the food baskets. When the feast of Easter brought the rigorous fast to an end, and these foods were again allowed at table, the people showed their joy and gratitude by first taking the food to church for a blessing. Moreover, they hoped that the Church’s blessing on such edibles would prove a remedy for whatever harmful effects the body might have suffered from the long period of self-denial. Today the Easter blessings of food are still held in many churches in the United States, especially in Slavic parishes.

It is during the night between Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday that the Easter Vigil is celebrated. The service begins around ten o’clock, in order that the solemn vigil Mass may start at midnight.

One major reason for the family problems is the power struggle between husband and wife.

In this article, we will discuss about the message Lord Jesus Christ is sharing with us. On the Maundy Thursday, Jesus, the King of Kings, became a servant and washed the feet of his disciples. On this day he broke himself into pieces so that we will live the enternal life.

Two thoughts: When he washed the feet, Jesus told his disciples, thats us, to do the same with each other. The message is for all of us, however, it has a special reflection in the family life. The husband should wash away the ego and “I am the big” attitude when he is with his Wife and the Wife is expected to do the same with her husband. Wash each others feet and have a great family.

When Jesus broke himself into pieces, he is telling each husband and wife to love each other. To loose anything willingly the only unconditional reason is love and hence loose our egos and any other hindrences for a happy family life so that a lovely family can be built.

For all you my brothers and sisters, let your love grow in Jesus Christ and strengthen it everyday

” God gives the lonely a home.” (Psalm 68:6)

When I came across this idea so beautifully expressed by the Psalmist, I stopped a while to ponder. Though superficially it seemed so simple, yet the line powerfully exhibited the loving-kindness, concern and mercy of God, who at the time of Creation knew that it was not good for Man to be alone and so created for him a ‘helpmate’, worthy to be his companion and thereby bring relief to his loneliness.

This same idea, even after the passage of time, can be rightly applied to the formation of the family today and its continued existence. Marriage which results in the creation of a family does indeed give ‘the lonely a home’- dispelling loneliness from the hearts of those who enter into the marriage contract.

How is this achieved? The union of two partners in marriage involves their coming together spiritually, mentally and physically. Each individual becomes part of the other. And as their relationship grows, it is up to the couples to cultivate a congenial atmosphere where happiness, responsibilities and ‘crosses’ are all shared. Sharing strengthens the bond between them and is a sure way of strengthening family ties. It serves to dispel the feeling of loneliness that is greatly detrimental to family life. If on the other hand, one partner tries to carry the burdens alone, then in due course a deep chasm is built into that relationship and instead of trying to build bridges he will find his life in shatters.

So do realize your responsibility into making this relationship a truly blessed one – where there are no fences or barriers between you and then happiness reigns supreme.