The Church Militant: March 2015

http://luke2-14.blogspot.ca/2014/04/passiontide-and-my-lenten-moment.html

Passiontide -

Two weeks to consider suffering, both Christ's suffering and our own.

Wikipedia has a good summary:

Passiontide (in the Christian liturgical year) is a name for the last two weeks of Lent, beginning on the Fifth Sunday of Lent, long celebrated as Passion Sunday, and ending on Holy Saturday.

In the Roman Catholic Church, and in Anglo-Catholic churches, all crucifixes and images may be covered in veils (usually violet, the color of vestments in Lent) starting on Passion Sunday: "The practice of covering crosses and images in the church may be observed, if the episcopal conference decides. The crosses are to be covered until the end of the celebration of the Lord's passion on Good Friday. Statues and images are to remain covered until the beginning of the Easter Vigil."^[1] (Specifically, those veils are removed during the singing of the Gloria.) The veiling was associated with Passion Sunday's Gospel (John 8:46-59), in which Jesus "hid himself" from the people.^[2]

From Gloria in Excelsis Deo

This veiling of the statues and icons stems from the Gospel reading of Passion Sunday (John 8:46-59), at the end of which the accusers take up stones to cast at Jesus, Who hides Himself away. The veiling also symbolizes the fact that Christ's Divinity was hidden at the time of His Passion and death, the very essence of Passiontide.

I usually follow the traditional calendar even though my local parish follows the modern calendar and celebrates the "Novus Ordo"/ "Ordinary Form" Mass only. When possible I make the trek the the city to assist in a Tridentine Mass.
Since 1969 Passion Sunday and Palm Sunday have been combined into one, making Holy Week also Passiontide.

Mass readings beginning on the fifth Sunday of Lent concentrate on the idea of suffering, particularly Christ's suffering for us.

How do we suffer?
We have to willingly accept ALL THE LITTLE things that cause us any irritation or suffering, be it physical, mental, or spiritual.

We are not animals. An animal does not possess an immortal soul nor the ability to reflect on life. When an animal suffers it is living in the moment. Humans however can reflect back on how things used to be or how we though things were going to be. We can also be afraid of how our suffering may change our future.

Think of Our Lord's suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane. He struggled but willingly accepted the Father's will for Him:

He accepted the physical suffering to come.
He accepted the horrifying idea that He was to take our sins upon His sinless Self.
He accepted being abandoned by his friends and followers ... even to being abandoned by God the Father as he suffered and died a tortuous death on the cross.
He did all this with the full knowledge that people would mock his sacrifice then and down through the centuries.

http://www.zazzle.ca/jesus_christ_agony_in_the_garden_of_gethsemane_photosculpture-153335356698085618

How can we refuse to willingly accept this cold spring?
The toe we just stubbed?
Our inability to meet a deadline?
Our headaches? Our occasional moodiness? Monotony? Fatigue?
I know I have trouble accepting these and more. I much prefer to grumble rather than quietly and willingly accept these small sufferings.

But that is what we are called to do, especially in the coming two weeks.
Suffer with Our Lord. Offer up a prayer that your suffering may be combined with Jesus' for the salvation of souls.

Dear Lord, I offer you (whatever your concern or problem here) For the conversion of sinners For the forgiveness of sins In reparation for sins and For the salvation of souls. Amen.

From http://christhecomrade.blogspot.ca/2012/08/first-friday-of-august-pope-benedict.html

This Lent I find music to be of help.
The Way of the Cross is a wonderful meditation, along with the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Most Holy Rosary.

O SACRED HEAD(By St. Bernard Of Clairvaux)

O Sacred Head surrounded
By crown of piercing thorn!
O bleeding Head, so wounded, 
Reviled and put to scorn! 
Death's pallid hue comes o'er Thee, 
The glow of life decays, 
Yet angel hosts adore Thee 
And tremble as they gaze. 

I see Thy strength and vigor 
All fading in the strife, 
And death, with cruel vigor, 
Bereaving Thee of life; 
O agony and dying! 
O love to sinners free! 
Jesus, all grace supplying, 
O turn Thy face on me! 

In this Thy bitter Passion, 
Good Shepherd, think. of me, 
With Thy most sweet compassion, 
Unworthy though I be; 
Beneath Thy Cross abiding,
'Forever would I rest, 
In Thy dear love confiding, 
And wilth Thy presence blest.

THE WAY OF THE CROSS

The Church Militant

Pages

For Holy Week: THE ROSARY CHANTED IN LATIN.

PASSIONTIDE ~ REFLECTIONS OF SUFFERING

MARCH 19th, THE FEAST of SAINT JOSEPH ought not be overshadowed by St. Patrick's Day ... for most.

Lenten meditations

O SACRED HEAD(By St. Bernard Of Clairvaux)