Author: purposejoyandpositives

This past Sunday we entered into the most Holy Week of the year, seven days leading up to the Resurrection on Easter Sunday. Let’s begin with Palm Sunday.

Palm Sunday is a happy joyful day when we relive Christ’s entry into Jerusalem. It is recorded in all four of the Gospels. On this day, Christ is hailed as King, riding on a donkey, cheered and hailed as the people lay down cloaks and palm branches shouting “Hosanna” Messiah as He enters Jerusalem. It is the first step on His journey to Calvary, where He will suffer, be crucified and die, all for us.

There are many ways to celebrate this Holy Week and one of the most important is to really take time to reflect on how the events of Palm Sunday, the rest of the events leading to Calvary and ultimately the crucifixion impact our lives today. Two thousand years later, how do we react to what the Son of God did for us? What do we believe this means in our life? What does it mean for our salvation?

We move on through the Week to Holy Thursday which commemorates the Last Supper, the washing of the apostle’s feet, the establishing of the Eucharist, and the institution of priesthood. This marks the first day of the Paschal Triduum. This is one of my favorite liturgies in that it is a reminder that we are all called to wash our brother’s feet, to be a humble servant, serving others as best we can. We are blessed to be given the sacrament of Holy Communion/Eucharist that we may have eternal life.

The next blog will be about Good Friday. Until then, may you have a quiet, reflective and prayerful week.

PJP

“Life has many seasons
Each with different purpose and reason.

Some are filled with renewal, growth and grace.
Others are shaped by expectations within the journey, yet have a strong foundational base.

Seasons filled with sunshine, warmth and God’s loving hand;
Questions, choices, nuances subtly written, hard to understand.

There also will be rain and surprise storms of which in the beginning one cannot know. Yet, trust in the journey; the Hand that leads only takes us where He wills for us to go.

Life’s seasons have a rhythm of their own, set in motion through our Creator’s perfect hand.
Only at the end will it be told so that we truly understand.

Until that day, we pray for the Grace that lights our path, so as not to go astray. Just letting it be with complete trust
and love for every gift of that day. “

PJP

As we move forward on our Lenten journey of 40 days, we are reminded that the first full week of Lent is about the desert, where Jesus spent 40 days in prayer, fasting and being tempted by the devil. It represents a place of renewal and strength, especially for our interior lives. A place to sort through our own personal desert; we all have experienced it at one time or another in our lives. Through prayer and fasting, we can re-order what is important in our lives, give a high priority to our spiritual being, and where we can do a better job in particular areas of our life. Spiritual growth in our desert happens when we do the work: deepening our conversations with Our Lord, being honest about our failings and making a concerted effort to do better in word and deed.

Week 2 is about the mountain. Jesus takes Peter, James and John with him up to the high mountain to pray (Matthew 17:1-9, Mark 9:2-10, Luke 9:28-36). While praying, Jesus is Transfigured by a blinding light and God the Father’s voice is heard to say “This is my Son, my Chosen One: listen to him.” Jesus wants his disciples to know WHO he really is in preparation for His death to come. The mountain is the symbol for where human meets God, the temporal and the eternal. What we can take away from this according to the Catholic Catechism is this: “The aim of the Transfiguration was to strengthen the apostles’ faith in anticipation of His Passion: the ascent onto the high mountain prepares for the ascent to Calvary. Christ, Head of the Church manifests what his body contains and radiates in the sacraments: ‘the hope of glory’ [CCC 568].

More to come for Week 3 coming up. Happy Lent.

PJP

”For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6).

Just as we have prepared our home and our family for this day, so too we have prepared our hearts in the waiting with prayer and doing small acts of kindness toward others. Our Savior is born. Now the day is here and the wait is over. The darkness of the night has been filled with the wonderful everlasting Light who will guide us through our journey and help us to make straight our path. We resolve to continue prayer, kindness toward others and peace where we can build it.

The picture is of our creche at my parish. I was filled with Joy as I was able to be as lay minister of the Eucharist at the Christmas morning Mass. That for me is Christmas.

Merry Christmas Blessings to all.

PJP

Sunday, December 17th, was the third week of Advent and we light the third candle, the rose/pink candle which is the often referred to as the Shepherd’s candle. It is also Gaudete (derived from the Latin word (gaudium) Sunday, which means JOY. We are nearing the end of Advent and we reflect this week on REJOICING because we are closing in on the day of the birth of Jesus.

Of course, we are all looking forward to our family and friend’s Christmas celebrations and all the traditions we hold dear. There is also great JOY in recalling the birth of Jesus on the first Christmas. We must be patient for the next few days in anticipation of this great day.

I recently listened to a podcast by Matthew Kelly, Dynamic Catholic, who defined being patient like this: “ It is the knowing what to do while we are waiting for God to answer our prayers”. I like this definition as it truly is about what we do while we wait. Do we become impatient and give up the cause or do we stay the course and wait with patience until God sends the answer our prayers? Patience indeed is not easy, especially in today’s culture which pushes for immediate gratification in all arenas of life. However, I submit to you that patience in continuing to pray is a better answer to the waiting. (I say this as a reminder to myself as well).

The next Sunday will be the fourth Sunday of Advent and it is also Christmas Eve. We will indeed Rejoice on this final day of our Advent season.

Blessings,

PJP

The second purple candle is lit on the second Sunday of Advent, December 10. This candle is symbolic for Peace: the Bethlehem Candle. This represents the “fulfillment of the Davidic Line of the House of David, in which the Messiah would be born and rule in Peace” (Fr. Ray Guthrie, St. Francis de Sales bulletin).

In the Gospel this week, we find the story of John the Baptist who comes to prepare the way of the Lord. He is the forerunner of Jesus, who is coming to us soon. This was John’s mission, to evangelize, call for repentance and to prepare us. His call is urgent to pay close attention and await prayerfully for His coming.

The angels declared “Peace on earth” at the time of Jesus birth. That peace can be with us every minute of everyday; we have only to pray and accept it. Take a moment each day to slow your thoughts and your doing and find ‘peace’. For this season is really about ‘being rather than doing’.

Peace to you,

PJP