Thursday, April 9
This post was provided by Father Desmond Drummer
As we approach the evening of Holy Thursday, a time when we would normally be preparing for the Evening Mass of the Lord's Supper, the words of Pope Francis on the meaning of the Easter Triduum during these unprecedented times resonate with our own experience. The excerpts below are from reports summarizing the comments made by Pope Francis at this week's live-streamed general audience held on Wednesday.
excerpts from
Pope Francis: General Audience on April 8, 2020
Source: The Holy See & Vatican Media
"Dear Brothers and Sisters: At this time of anxiety and suffering caused by the current pandemic, we all face uncertainty and may ask where God is to be found in this situation. During these days of Holy Week we can find solace in the account of the Passion of Jesus. Our Lord also faced questions, with many wondering whether he really was the promised Messiah. It was only after his death that a centurion confirmed that Jesus truly was the Son of God. He did this after seeing Christ suffer silently on the cross, which teaches us that God’s power is revealed in humble and self-sacrificial love. We, like the disciples, may have preferred the Lord to manifest his strength by resolving our problems according to our own measure of what is right. Yet the death and resurrection of Jesus show that while earthly power passes away, only love endures forever. Dear brothers and sisters, let us draw courage from our crucified and risen Lord, who embraces our fragility, heals our sins, and draws us close to him, transforming our doubts into faith and our fears into hope."
“In these days of quarantine when we are secluded at home, let’s take these two things in our hands: the Crucified One – let’s look at Him – and the Gospel. It will be for us like a great domestic liturgy because we cannot go to church.”
"I greet the English-speaking faithful joining us through the media. May this Holy Week lead us to celebrate the resurrection of the Lord Jesus with hearts purified and renewed by the grace of the Holy Spirit. May God bless you!"