#May your soul rest in Magdala

[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

Music For the Soul by Alexander MacLaren

Memorials of Victory

"Ye are our glory and our joy" – 1 Thessalonians 2:20

Paul’s name was that of his first convert. He takes it, as I suppose, because it seemed to him such a blessed thing that at the very moment when he began to sow, God helped him to reap. He had gone out to his work, no doubt, with much trembling, with weakness and fear. And lo! here, at once, the fields were white already to the harvest.

Great conquerors have been named from their victories: Africanus, Germanicus, Nelson of the Nile, Napier of Magdala, and the like. Paul names himself from the first victory that God gave him to win; and so, as it were, carries ever at his breast a memorial of the wonder that through him it had been given to preach, and that not without success, amongst the Gentiles " the unsearchable riches of Christ."

That is to say, this man Paul thought of it as his highest honour, and the thing best worthy to be remembered about his life, that God had helped him to help his brethren to know the common Master. Is that your idea of the best thing about a life? What would you like to have for an epitaph on your grave, professing Christian? "He was rich; he made a big business." "He was famous; he wrote books." "He was happy and fortunate." Or, "He turned many to righteousness"? "This man flung away his literary tastes, his home joys, and his personal ambition, and chose as that for which he would live, and by which he would fain be remembered, that he should bring dark hearts to the light in which he and they together walked"?

His name, in its commemoration of his first success, would act as a stimulus to service and to hope. No doubt the Apostle, like the rest of us, had his times of indolence and languor, and his times of despondency when he seemed to have laboured in vain and spent his strength for nought. He had but to name himself to find the antidote to both the one and the other, and in the remembrance of the past to find a stimulus for service for the future, and a stimulus for hope for the time to come. His first convert was to him the first drop that predicts the shower, the first primrose that prophesies the wealth of yellow blossoms and downy green leaves that will fill the woods in a day or two. The first convert "bears in his hand a glass which showed many more." Look at the workmen in the streets trying to get up a piece of the roadway. How difficult it is to lever out the first paving-stone from the compacted mass! But when once it has been withdrawn, the rest is comparatively easy. We can understand Paul’s triumph and joy over this first stone which he had worked out of the strongly cemented wall and barrier of heathenism; and his conviction that having thus made a breach, if it were but big enough to get the end of his lever in, the fall of the whole was only a question of time. I suppose that if the old alchemists had only turned one grain of base metal into gold they might have turned tons, if only they had had the retorts and the appliances with which to do it. And so, what has brought one man’s soul into harmony with God, and given one man the true life, can do the same for all men. In the first fruits we may see the fields whitening to the harvest. Let us rejoice, then, in any little work that God helps us to do, and be sure that if so great be the joy of the first fruits, great beyond speech will be the joy of the ingathering.

[ximogeeeenx]

Tenth day

Going to Tagaytay, I enjoyed looking at your art of sleeping, and caring.

7/11/2024 12:08am

In a room full of art, i'd still stare at you. Gaano man karami ang klase ng sining, bahay at arkitektura na nadadaanan natin, ikaw pa rin ang paborito kong inilikha. You're the only art that captured my soul, the only art that captivated my heart.

Captions that I would definitely put you every art of yours:

I saw you for the first time sleeping while having a short snoring. I silently laughed at you but it was cute to see you in that way. 7/6/2024 3pm

Sorry for always giving you a hard time bringing my bag and paper bags. 🥹 Acts of service is always on point! 😭 3:30pm

I saw you for the first time genuinely smiling. 4:30pm

Ken, I felt the care when you let me hold your upper arm while holding the umbrella amidst the heavy rain. I just need to control my feelings inside. 6:45pm

After the month of May, thank you so much again for letting me rest on your shoulder. That was the longest rest I've had on your shoulder. Thank you so much 🥺 7:00pm

Thank you so much for always waiting for me to arrive at my home safe and house. Thank you so much 🥺 10:35pm

Sa loob ng silid na puno ng dibuhong ipininta, ay natatangi kang obra maestra. Marahil ay buong araw akong nakatitig at sumusuri sa lahat ng detalye na mayroon ka kesa unikot at tumingin sa iba. Tila isa kang dibuho na masusing ipininta gamit ang mga kulay na kakaiba at bago sa aking mga mata. Sa loob ng silid na puno ng libo-libong larawan ay sa'yo lamang ako mahahalina.

Sa kahit anong bagay ay hindi ko nanaising ipagpalit ka. Iharap man ako sa iba't-ibang tao sa mundo ay hahanapin lang kita sa kanila, dahil nag-iisa ka. Walang sawa kitang ipagmamalaki sa iba, at walang sawa ko ring bibigkasin sa iyo na natatangi ka, dahil tinatangi kita.

Palagi akong magpapasalamat sa'yo, Sir Ken.

Ang tagahirap sa'yo magdala ng bag,

Atty. IR Imogen.

[roman-catholic-mass-readings]

2nd April >> Mass Readings (Except USA)

Easter Tuesday 

(Liturgical Colour: White. Year: B(II))

First Reading Acts of the Apostle 2:36-41 You must repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus.

On the day of Pentecost, Peter spoke to the Jews: ‘The whole House of Israel can be certain that God has made this Jesus whom you crucified both Lord and Christ.’

Hearing this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the apostles, ‘What must we do, brothers?’ ‘You must repent,’ Peter answered ‘and every one of you must be baptised in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise that was made is for you and your children, and for all those who are far away, for all those whom the Lord our God will call to himself.’ He spoke to them for a long time using many arguments, and he urged them, ‘Save yourselves from this perverse generation.’ They were convinced by his arguments, and they accepted what he said and were baptised. That very day about three thousand were added to their number.

The Word of the Lord

R/ Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm Psalm 32(33):4-5,18-20,22

R/ The Lord fills the earth with his love. or R/ Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!

The word of the Lord is faithful and all his works to be trusted. The Lord loves justice and right and fills the earth with his love.

R/ The Lord fills the earth with his love. or R/ Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!

The Lord looks on those who revere him, on those who hope in his love, to rescue their souls from death, to keep them alive in famine.

R/ The Lord fills the earth with his love. or R/ Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!

Our soul is waiting for the Lord. The Lord is our help and our shield. May your love be upon us, O Lord, as we place all our hope in you.

R/ The Lord fills the earth with his love. or R/ Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!

Sequence Victimae Paschali Laudes

Christians, to the Paschal Victim offer sacrifice and praise. The sheep are ransomed by the Lamb; and Christ, the undefiled, hath sinners to his Father reconciled. Death with life contended: combat strangely ended! Life’s own Champion, slain, yet lives to reign. Tell us, Mary: say what thou didst see upon the way. The tomb the Living did enclose;

I saw Christ’s glory as he rose! The angels there attesting; shroud with grave-clothes resting. Christ, my hope, has risen: he goes before you into Galilee. That Christ is truly risen from the dead we know. Victorious king, thy mercy show!

Gospel Acclamation Psalm 117:24

Alleluia, alleluia! This day was made by the Lord: we rejoice and are glad. Alleluia!

Gospel John 20:11-18 'I have seen the Lord and he has spoken to me'.

Mary stayed outside near the tomb, weeping. Then, still weeping, she stooped to look inside, and saw two angels in white sitting where the body of Jesus had been, one at the head, the other at the feet. They said, ‘Woman, why are you weeping?’ ‘They have taken my Lord away’ she replied ‘and I don’t know where they have put him.’ As she said this she turned round and saw Jesus standing there, though she did not recognise him. Jesus said, ‘Woman, why are you weeping? Who are you looking for?’ Supposing him to be the gardener, she said, ‘Sir, if you have taken him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will go and remove him.’ Jesus said, ‘Mary!’ She knew him then and said to him in Hebrew, ‘Rabbuni!’ – which means Master. Jesus said to her, ‘Do not cling to me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go and find the brothers, and tell them: I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’ So Mary of Magdala went and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord and that he had said these things to her.

The Gospel of the Lord

R/ Praise to you. Lord Jesus Christ.

[shazzeaslightnovels]

Shoujo wa Shoka no Umi de Nemuru

Official English Title: A girl sleeps in the ocean of magdala

Author: Isuna Hasekura

Illustrator: Suiren Matsukaze

Label: Dengeki Bunko

Release Date: 10 February 2015

Art Notes: Matsukaze’s art is very different from Nabeshima’s. In particular, it’s a lot more expressive and comedic and, while this could just be a reflection of the characters themselves, I also think that it’s probably a result of Matsukaze’s experience as a mangaka. As well as being the illustrator of the manga version of this one-shot, they provided the art for the manga adaptations of Wagaya no Oinari-sama, Kokurase and, more recently, Shinigami ni Sodarterareta Shoujo wa Shokkoku no Ken wo Mune ni Idaku. I liked their art, in any case and I think that it suited the volume and I wouldn’t reading the manga to see more of their art.

This is a spin-off of Magdala de Nemure but it has loose connections to Magdala and you do not need to read the series to understand this one-shot. It focuses on Phil, a character from the original series, who’s on his journey to achieve his dream of becoming a bookseller. The one-shot is fine and I feel like I would have liked it more if I wasn’t reading it so soon after Magdala because my negative feelings about the series ended up ruining parts of this book for me. I also felt that the ending was really sudden and it felt a bit incomplete. Still, it was an enjoyable enough read and I may reread it in a few years, once I’ve gotten over my disappointment about the main series. I especially liked the tone and the main characters were likeable enough. I’d recommend it to fans of Hasekura and to people who enjoy reading books about people who love books.

I definitely won’t be wanting to read another Hasekura book for a while but I did have plans to read Spice & Wolf. I think I’ll rewatch the anime and see if I still like it and read the light novels if I do.

[cchmissions]

Passages Israel Trip 1/7/20

"Consider the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?" -Matthew 6:26 

 This morning, some of us chose to wake up early and watch the sunrise over the Sea of Galilee. As I watched a night sky that's not terribly different than what we see in America give way to a new day, I couldn't help watching the birds flitting about their business and thinking about Matthew 6:26, especially with the knowledge that I'd soon be on the mountain where Jesus taught the core of His message, including this charge to consider the birds. Right now, if you asked me to tell you about this trip, I'd only have a single word: contrast. Contrast between the grimy streets of Bethlehem and the raw beauty of the Mediterranean sunset., between the kindergarten/bomb shelter near Gaza that has no south-facing windows to protect the children against snipers and the peaceful snowy peak of Mount Hermon that beckoned us from the Golan Heights, and between the widow of terrorism who spoke to us about her husband's life and the simple placard outside the Garden Tomb in Jerusalem: "He is not here. He is Risen!"

The contrast between the kingdoms we've built and the one God is establishing for eternity and between our work and the work of God. 

 We have the privilege on this trip to see many of the locations where Jesus' life and ministry played out and where God intervened to supersede our work with His. After the sunrise, we went directly to the church of the Beatitudes, near where Jesus gave the sermon on the mount. This was many people's favorite church we've seen. It was relatively simple, and the focus of the area didn't seem to be the church as much as the mountain itself--the Church has an expansive balcony and garden overlooking the Sea of Galilee several hundred feet below us. Here, we had the opportunity to hear a short devotional on the paradigm shift Jesus laid out on this mountain, from a life defined by output to a life defined by heart. We then took some time to journal, pray, and reflect on both the sermon and the trip.

 From there, we went to the Tabgha (Church of the Primacy of Peter)--purportedly where Jesus asked Simon Peter three times if he loved Jesus. This church was directly on the shore of the sea of Galilee, so many of us merely poked our heads into the building and immediately went down to dip our toes into the water where Jesus walked. Lance then gave a tremendous word on this exchange between Jesus and Peter: Jesus meets us where we are, and regardless of our material abilities, we are needed.

 From Tabgha, we left to see the ruins of the city of Capernaum. This was a fishing village that was demolished by an earthquake in the 8th century, and has a spot that is now venerated as Simon Peter's house. Unfortunately, as Lance pointed out, Peter took his mailbox with him when he moved out, so we can't know for certain. This place offered another stunning view of the Sea of Galilee, and here Jody described a Biblical event that happened in Capernaum--the four men lowering their crippled friend through the roof to Jesus. He challenged us to lay our spiritual life at the center of our lives in front of Jesus, and see what healing comes from that act of obedience. 

 Next, we had lunch--authentic "St. Peter's fish," Tilapia. Our next stop was one of my favorites: a brief cruise on the sea of Galilee. Here, Jody challenged us to greater faith as our boat was rocked by the same waves that swamped Peter. This was particularly impactful for me; having seen these places with my own eyes, faith will be easy for the immediate future, but the action piece won't be as easy. Jody's challenge was simple: if you have greater faith, what's next? What happens after God works powerfully, and you find yourself back in the boat, having trod upon the waves? After this challenge, we sang. The lyrics came alive as a storm blew in and the sea changed within minutes from flat and calm to whitecaps blowing sea spray: "So I will call upon your name // and keep my eyes above the waves // when oceans rise, my soul will rest in your embrace // for I am yours, and you are mine"

 From here, we got to see Magdala, an archeological discovery that was only made in 2009: a first century city, including synagogue, on the shores of Galilee. Mary Magdalene would have called this place home. Scripture speaks often of Jesus moving around the area of Galilee and teaching in the synagogues. The ruins we saw would have been a prime location for Jesus to teach and further His ministry. The modern addition was a beautiful series of chapels, all dedicated to women of the faith. I particularly appreciated this spot and that decision: even our Jewish tour guide expressed her appallment with the Church's ignorance and treatment of women, especially with the powerful ways women act and are shown in Scripture. This area presents a powerful push back to the original beauty of Scripture. 

 Our last stop today was Yardenit, a place along the Jordan River where Jesus' baptism may have taken place. I expected to be disgusted by the touristy nature of this place and how it makes a declaration of faith into a bus stop, but I was very surprised at what I saw instead: groups from east Asia, Ghana, and other nations singing, dancing, and praising God as they were all baptized. I will never know their hearts, but I know what I saw: the name of the Lord being proclaimed with glad hearts. The river Jordan in this spot is nothing like I had ever pictured it--it's not a desert. It's actually quite lush, and not too different from some oversized creeks in Missouri.

  This day, like all on this trip, has been packed full of stops, things to see, and information to digest. Today, though, was much more personal. Our goal wasn't to learn, but to experience. I'll never read scripture the same way after seeing the things we saw today.

Thank you all for your prayers and support on this trip. As incredible as Israel is, we're growing more excited to be home in America.

 In Christ Alone,

 Adam Brooks

[frmartinshomiliesandreflections]

2nd November >> Fr. Martin's Gospel Reflections / Homilies on Matthew 11:25-30/Mark 15:33-39,16:1-6 for All Souls Day: Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed: ‘He has risen, he is not here’.

All Souls Day: Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed.

Gospel (Europe, Africa, New Zealand, Australia & Canada)

Mark 15:33-39,16:1-6

Jesus gave a loud cry and breathed his last

When the sixth hour came there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, ‘Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?’ which means, ‘My God, my God, why have you deserted me?’ When some of those who stood by heard this, they said, ‘Listen, he is calling on Elijah.’ Someone ran and soaked a sponge in vinegar and, putting it on a reed, gave it him to drink saying; ‘Wait and see if Elijah will come to take him down.’ But Jesus gave a loud cry and breathed his last. And the veil of the Temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The centurion, who was standing in front of him, had seen how he had died, and he said, ‘In truth this man was a son of God.’    When the sabbath was over, Mary of Magdala, Mary the mother of James, and Salome, bought spices with which to go and anoint him. And very early in the morning on the first day of the week they went to the tomb, just as the sun was rising.    They had been saying to one another, ‘Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?’ But when they looked they could see that the stone – which was very big – had already been rolled back. On entering the tomb they saw a young man in a white robe seated on the right-hand side, and they were struck with amazement. But he said to them, ‘There is no need for alarm. You are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified: he has risen, he is not here. See, here is the place where they laid him.’

Gospel (USA)

Matthew 11:25-30

Come to me ... and I will give you rest.

At that time Jesus exclaimed: “I give praise to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to little ones. Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him.    “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.”

Reflections (5)

(i) All Souls Day: The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed

I always find November a somewhat sombre and difficult month. The golden colours of Autumn are quickly giving way to the barrenness of winter. As the month progresses, the days will get gradually shorter and darkness increasingly makes its presence felt. We lose the colours of nature and the life-giving quality of our light. It is a month I associate with loss. It is perhaps fitting then that November is the month when we reflect upon more personal experiences of loss, the loss of significant people in our lives, people who have journeyed with us, who gave us love and whom we loved in return. November 2nd, the Commemoration of All Souls is a day when we do that in a special way.

On this day, we feel a sense of communion with our faithful departed. As followers of a risen Lord, we believe that our faithful have not just departed from us but have also returned to God, from whom they came. We understand death as a door through which we pass back to the source of our being, the Creator of all life. We also believe that our loved ones, in passing over into God, do not break their communion with us. Even though they have departed from us, they remain in communion with us and we remain in communion with them. A vital stream of life continues to flow between our deceased loved ones and ourselves. The faith and love that bound us together in this life still binds us to them when they pass over into the next life. One of the ways we expressed our love for our loved ones in this life was by praying for them. Our loved ones who have died can still be touched by the love that finds its voice in prayer. Prayerful remembrance is one of the ways we continue to give expression to our loving communion with them. Such prayer helps them and can also help us. None of us will have had a perfect relationship even with those we have loved the most. When someone close to us dies, there is always some unfinished business. Praying for our loved ones can help to heal whatever may need healing in our relationship with them. We give expression to our love for them in our prayer. As a result our communion with them can deepen after their death until it comes to fullness at the moment when we too pass over from this life and are united with them in God’s love at that great banquet of life portrayed in today’s first reading.

Although nothing is more painful than the loss of a loved one in death, our faith gives us this hope-filled vision in the face of death. In today’s second reading, Paul says that ‘hope is not deceptive, because the love of God has been poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit which has been given to us’. Our hope is grounded in God’s love for us now, a very personal love that is poured into the hearts of each one of us through the Holy Spirit. In his first letter to the Corinthians, Paul says that ‘love never ends’ and that is supremely true of God’s love. God’s love, revealed in Jesus and poured into our hearts through the Spirit, continues to hold onto us when we pass through the door of death. As all authentic human love is always life-giving for the one loved, God’s love is supremely life-giving for us even in the face of our bodily death. What God’s love has already done for us through his Son and the Spirit in this life is the assurance of what God’s love will do for us in eternity. As Paul says in that our second reading, ‘Now that we have been reconciled (to God), surely we may count on being saved by the life of his Son’

What Paul says confirms what Jesus himself says to us in one of the gospel readings for today’s commemoration. There, Jesus reflects upon his deep communion with God his Father, ‘No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son’. The knowledge he speaks about is the fruit of the love that flows between him and God his Father. Jesus also declares that he wants to draw us all into that deep loving communion he has with God, ‘No one knows the Father except the Son, and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him’. That is why Jesus can then go on to say, ‘Come to me all you who labour and are overburdened and I will give you rest’. The ‘rest’ he speaks about is not just the absence of activity. It is that fullness of life which flows from our being in communion with God, from our sharing in Jesus’ own communion with God. It is similar to the rest, the peace, we feel when we know ourselves to be unconditionally loved by someone. Through faith, we can experience in this life something of that rest the Lord speaks about, but we will only know it fully when we finally allow ourselves to be grasped completely by God’s love in eternity. This day we pray that our departed loved ones would know this rest in all its fullness.

And/Or

(ii) All Souls Day: Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed

The feast of all souls is a day when we remember all our loved ones who have died. We all have people we want to remember and pray for today. Our praying for the dead is one of the ways that we give expression to our continuing communion with our loved ones who have died. We believe in the communion of saints, that deep spiritual bond between those who have reached the end of their earthly pilgrimage and those, like ourselves, who are still on that pilgrimage. Our deceased loved ones continue to relate to us and we continue to them, in a new and different way. Because of Jesus’ death and resurrection, we believe that beyond death, our loved ones are being drawn into the risen life of Jesus. In the language of today’s gospel reading, the Son who knows the Father intimately is now fully revealing the Father to them, and in coming to share in Jesus’ own intimate relationship with God his Father, they are finding rest from all that burdened them in this life. For them, life has changed not ended, and our relationship with them has changed not ended. Their closer relationship with the Lord brings them closer to us in the Lord. Every year, the church gives us this day, the 2nd of November, to express our relationship with those we were close to in this life who have died. We pause this day to give thanks for their lives, to pray for them, and to ask them to pray for us.

And/Or

(iii) All Souls: Commemoration of all the faithful departed

Today we remember all our faithful departed. Most of us will be remembering those we have known and loved - family members and good friends. Indeed, the whole month of November is a time when we remember our dead in a special way. As Christians, our remembering of those who have died is always a prayerful remembering. We remember them before the Lord. Remembering our departed loved ones before the Lord, praying for them, is one of the ways we give expression to our ongoing communion with them in the Lord. We believe that they are with the Lord, and that the Lord is also with us in this life. It is that shared relationship with the Lord which keeps us in communion with our loved ones who have died. In praying for our loved one, we pray in petition for them, asking the Lord to bring them to the fullness of his life and peace, in keeping with his invitation to those who are burdened to come to him and to find rest, in today’s gospel reading. We ask that they would come to know God the Father as Jesus does, in keeping with his promise in the gospel reading to reveal the Father to us. We also pray in thanksgiving for them, thanking God for the gift of their lives and for all the ways the Lord blessed us through them. Today, we confidently entrust our loved ones who have died to God who so loved the world that he gave his only Son so that we may have life and have it to the full.

And/Or

(iv) All Souls Day: Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed

The feast of all souls is a day when we remember all our loved ones who have died. We all have people we want to remember and pray for today. Our praying for the dead is one of the ways that we give expression to our continuing communion with our loved ones who have died. We believe in the communion of saints, that deep spiritual bond between those who have reached the end of their earthly pilgrimage and those, like ourselves, who are still on that pilgrimage. The group of women who had followed Jesus in Galilee and had come up to Jerusalem from Galilee with him, were in communion with Jesus as he was dying. They were looking on from a distance as he was dying. Once he died, they must have thought that their communion with him was broken forever. Yet, when they went to the tomb to anoint his body on that first Easter morning, they heard the wonderful news that Jesus who had been crucified was now risen and that he would soon meet his followers again in Galilee. Their communion with Jesus and his with them had not been broken by death after all. He would continue to relate to them, and they could continue to relate to him, even if in a new and different way. Beyond death, our loved ones continue to relate to us and we to them, in a new and different way. Every year, the church gives us this day, the 2nd of November, to express our relationship with those we were close to in this life who have died. We pause this day to give thanks for their lives, to pray for them, and to ask them to pray for us.

And/Or

(v) All Souls Day: Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed

Today is a day when we remember all our loved ones who have died. We all have people we want to remember and pray for today. Our praying for the dead is one of the ways that we give expression to our communion with our loved ones who have died. We believe in the communion of saints, that deep spiritual bond between those who have reached the end of their earthly pilgrimage and ourselves who are still on that pilgrimage. In the gospel reading this morning, a group of women who had followed Jesus in Galilee and had come up to Jerusalem from Galilee with him, were in communion with Jesus as he was dying. They were looking on from a distance as he hung from the cross. Once he died, they must have thought that their communion with him was broken forever. Yet, when they went to the tomb to anoint his body on that first Easter morning, they heard the wonderful news that Jesus who had been crucified was now risen. Their communion with Jesus and his with them had not been broken by death after all. He would continue to relate to them, and they could continue to relate to him, in a new and different way. Because of Jesus’ death and resurrection we believe that beyond death, our loved ones are being drawn into the risen life of Jesus; for them, life has changed not ended, and our relationship with them has changed not ended. Because of our communion with the Lord in this life, and their new communion with the Lord in the next life, we and they remain in communion, in an even deeper communion, even though it is not visible. Every year, the church gives us this day, the 2nd of November, to express in a prayerful way our communion with those we were close to in this life who have died. We pause this day to give thanks for their lives, to pray for them, and to ask them to pray for us.

Fr. Martin Hogan, Saint John the Baptist Parish, Clontarf, Dublin, D03 AO62, Ireland.

Email: sjtbclontarf@eircom.net or  frmartinhogan@gmail.com

Parish Website: www.stjohnsclontarf.ie  Please join us via our webcam.

Twitter: @SJtBClontarfRC.

Facebook: St John the Baptist RC Parish, Clontarf.

Tumblr: Saint John the Baptist Parish, Clontarf, Dublin.

[romancatholicreflections]

16th April >> Sunday Homilies and Reflections for Roman Catholics on Easter Sunday-(1st Sun of Easter) -Year A

Easter Sunday Gospel reading: John 20:1-9 Gospel text vs.1 It was very early on the first day of the week, and still dark, when Mary of Magdala came to the tomb. She saw that the stone had been moved away from the tomb vs.2 and came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved. “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb” she said “and we don’t know where they have put him.” vs.3 So Peter set out with the other disciple to go to the tomb. vs.4 They ran together, but the other disciple, running faster than Peter, reached the tomb first; vs.5 he bent down and saw the linen cloths lying on the ground, but did not go it. vs.6 Simon Peter who was following now came up, went right into the tomb, saw the linen cloths on the ground, vs.7 and also the cloth that had been over his head; this was not with the linen cloths but rolled up in a place by itself. vs.8 then the other disciple who had reached the tomb first also went in; he saw and he believed. vs.9 Till this moment they had failed to understand the teaching of scripture, that he must rise from the dead. ********************************** We have four sets of homily notes to choose from. Please scroll down the page for the desired one. Michel DeVerteuil : A Trinidadian Holy Ghost Priest, Specialist in Lectio Divina Thomas O’Loughlin: Professor of Historical Theology, University of Wales. Lampeter. John Littleton: Director of the Priory Institute Distant Learning, Tallaght Donal Neary SJ: Editor of The Sacred Heart Messenger ******************************************************* Michel de Verteuil Lectio Divina with the Sunday Gospels – Year A www.columba.ie Textual notes John’s account of the resurrection is in two stages: – verses 1-2 are about Mary of Magdala’s experience; – verses 3 to 10 tell us about the experience of the two disciples. In verses 1 and 2 you might like to focus on the symbolism of it being “still dark” and yet a “first day” of a new time. The large stone symbolizes all the forces, human and other, that keep God’s grace in the bondage of the tomb. Scripture reflection Your experience will help you interpret how Mary responded. Did she run in confusion? Or in fear? The story of Peter and the disciple whom Jesus loved can be read from various points of view. You can take them together as experiencing the resurrection, focusing on the details, especially the cloths lying on the ground, useless now since Jesus was alive, but also on the fact that until they saw the empty tomb they did not believe the teaching of the scriptures. St John makes a point of contrasting the two apostles. If you would like to meditate on this aspect of the story, see Peter as symbol of the Church leader, while “the other disciple” is the one who, while having no position of authority, is specially loved by Jesus and, perhaps as a result, is first in faith. Prayer reflection Lord, we thank you for moment of grace. We had been in a situation of death – a relationship that meant a lot to us seemed dead – an addiction held us in its grip – our country was locked in civil strife. Then the day came that would turn out to be the first of a new era. We were mourning as usual, Like Mary of Magdala making a routine visit to the tomb of Jesus, But saw that the stone had been moved away from the tomb. Naturally, we looked for some simple explanation, “they have taken the Lord our of the tomb and we don’t know where they have put him,” but it wasn’t anything like that, it was what the scriptures teach us, that your work must always rise again. “They can kill a bishop, but they cannot kill the Church which is the people.” …Archbishop Romero, some days before he was martyred. Lord, we thank you for people of faith. They believe the teaching of the scriptures That your work may lie in the tomb for some days But it must rise again. “When the underprivileged unite and struggle for justice, is that not a sign of the presence and action of God in our time?” Musumi Kanyaro, Committee of Women in Church and Society, Lutheran World Federation Empty tomb 2Lord, as we look around the world today we see what Peter and the disciple whom Jesus loved saw as they entered his tomb. Cloths are lying on the ground that we can recognise for what they are – attitudes of passivity that look like fine linen but in fact kept your chosen ones in the tomb. Whereas you have once more fulfilled what you taught us in all the scriptures and we had not really believed until this moment: that you will always raise up your chosen ones when the world imprisons them in a tomb. Lord, we pray today for those who were baptised last night, Today they have enthusiasm, for them you are alive and present; But there will certainly come a time when they will experience you absent, When prayer will be like Mary of Magdala going in the gloom of early morning To visit the tomb of Jesus. In fact they will be like people who mourn for a spouse or a child Without even having the comfort of the dead body to look at. This is the way they will have to pass because until they have had experiences like this they will not really believe the teaching of the scriptures that your grace cannot be overpowered by evil and that your presence within us must always, like Jesus, rise again from the tomb. Something new has happened here- a new era has begun. Lord, we like to feel that we have you within our grasp: – that our prayers are always answered; – that we are living in a way that is pleasing to you; – that the times, gestures and words of our prayers are just right. Teach us that we must be prepared to lose that security and experience being abandoned, until we live in trust only and see all those things that we considered important like the cloths in the empty tomb of Jesus – fine linen cloths, but they were keeping him in the tomb. Now we see them on the ground and also the cloth that had been over his head not with the linen cloths but rolled up in a place by itself. ******************************************* Thomas O’Loughlin Liturgical Resources for the Year of Luke www.Columba.ie Introduction to the Celebration Every Sunday we gather to recall that Christ rose from the dead and has given us new life, but today is special as it recalls the original Sunday. This is our great annual feast proclaiming that death has been conquered and our sins forgiven. This is the great day of Christian joy: Christ is risen. Homily notes Jeus Resurrection is his promise for the rest of us. 1. The resurrection is the source of Christian hope: our lives are lot circumscribed by life as we know it now, but can open onto a new life in the presence of God. This is the mystery beyond words, yet somehow today it has to be the subject of our preaching. However, there are two widely held misconceptions which prevent people hearing what the liturgy says about the resurrection today in its symbols, prayers, and readings. A useful task in the homily is to draw attention to these mistaken ideas. The first is that it was some sort of resuscitation, a trick to prove that Jesus was right, an event which you either believe happened or did not happen back then. This misconception distracts from a hope in a resurrection in the future. The resurrection is not about resuscitation, but our future transformation. The second, and far more widespread notion, is that resurrection is just a fancy terms for a belief in an afterlife of some sort or other – the number of practising Christians who think that reincarn­ation can be squared with Christian faith is an indication of this confusion’s prevalence. Our faith is not about some kind of post mortem survival, but in God’s gift of the fullness of life. 2. So, the first point is to avoid ‘explaining’ the mystery as if it were a series of ‘facts’ that can just be acknowledged as having happened so-and-so many years ago. In earlier times each item in the resurrection accounts was studied like the clues in a detective story with the aim of building an apologetic that would explain the ‘how’ of the resurrection and the ‘what’ of the risen body of Jesus. But the kerygma of the resurrection lies not in the details of ‘the first Easter,’ but in the reality that those who join their lives with the Christ shall share a fuller, glorious, transformed life as the gift of the Father. We can inherit the Father’s gift of glory as the final fulfilment of human life. It is worth pointing out that the disciple today must not be distracted by the ‘how’ and ‘what’ questions of ‘the first Easter’ from remembering that Christian faith strains onward to the future: the cost of discipleship now and tomorrow is worth it for the path of right­eousness does not end with a grave. Many wonder whether or not they ‘can believe’ in the empty tomb, but this misses the point. Belief in the resurrection is seen when someone, even in the face of still follows the of love with 3. Second, belief in the resurrection is not some christianised version of a belief in the immortality of the soul. A belief in immortality is a human sense that a bit, some sort of spiritual residue, can survive without a body. The belief in the resurrection is that we are each creatures willed by God, in whose histories God is interested as the loving Father, and into whose history he has sent his Son sharing our humanity, and therefore whose whole existence’ spirit, soul, and body’ can be transformed to become part of his Son’s glorious body. Easter is not a celebration of a ‘survival factor’ in humanity, but of the Father’s love so that nothing good shall perish, but be given even fuller life. 4. To believe in the message of Easter is not a matter of tombs long ago in Palestine, but having the conviction that it is worthwhile to seek to bring light in darkness, to oppose lies with truth, to work for justice in the face of human corruption, and to say that death does not have the last word. Jesus rises5. When we profess our faith in the resurrection of Jesus we are not setting out something with the intention that our understandings should grasp it and comprehend it. Jesus has been transformed to a new kind of existence by the Father beyond our understanding and we can only express it in symbols such as that of the empty tomb – tombs, after all, are designed to hold their remains indefinitely. By contrast, the proclamation ‘Jesus is Risen’ is an invitation to share in a new way of seeing God and the universe, and it is only from within this new vision (faith) that it makes sense. Hence, the ancient theological dictum, based in Isaiah 7:9, ‘unless you believe, you will not understand.’ The message of Acts and the gospel is that we are invited to live, to live in a new way, to live in Christ – and that in living in this way we discover in that the Father will raise us 6. If we join with those who accept the invitation Christ, which is what we say we are doing in accepting baptism and renewing our baptismal promises, we become part of a new people. The Christian ‘thing’ is about being part of a people, not about individualist survival or a privately-defined relationship with ‘the Wholly Other’, and as such it commits us to a way of living. The early followers were referred to as being on ‘The Way’ (see Acts 9:2; 18:26; 19:9 and 23; 22:4,14 and 22) and our oldest extant teaching manual (The Didache) begins by contrasting ‘The Way of Life’ (to be followed by disciples) with ‘The Way of Death.’ 7. The thought of resurrection may fill us with joy, but the life­demands that accepting it makes on us can be great: we must do as we would be done to (cf Didache 1:2; Mt 7:12; Lk 6:31), we must practice the forgiveness we desire from the Father (cf the ‘Our Father), and we must act with gentleness. Only in constant effort to live life in this way can we glimpse the truth of the empty tomb. 8. To live this life demands patience, a waiting for the good things to be revealed – the practice of the virtue of hope: we must always be of good courage … for we walk by faith, not by sight (cf 2 Cor 5:6f). Today is our day for rejoicing in the risen Christ, for thanking the Father for his love, and for reminding ourselves of that to which we have committed ourselves: The Way. Death has contended with Life, yet despite tombs and symbols of death all around us, we proceed to commit ourselves to life, confident that as the Father transformed the existence of Jesus, so he will transform the whole creation. ********************************************************** John Litteton Journeying through the Year of Matthew www.Columba.ie Gospel Reflection _Jesus_appears_to_the_disciples_The resurrection of Jesus from the dead was a clear wake-up call to his disciples and all the other people who had ‘failed to understand the teaching of scripture, that he must rise from the dead’ (In 20:9). His resurrection challenged them to wake from the sleep of their disbelief and indifference. By going into hiding and even denying all knowledge of Jesus when he was arrested, they had obviously missed the central message of his preaching and teaching. But when the reality of Jesus’ rising from the dead impacted on them, they began to understand that it was quite consistent with all that he had said and done before his death on the cross. So they must have asked themselves why they had not listened to him and recognised him for who he is: the Son of God and the Saviour of the world. As they thought back on the sayings, parables and miracles of Jesus’ ministry, they gradually understood the truth of his claim to be ‘the Way, the Truth and the Life’ (In 14:6). The realisation that the risen Lord was in their midst changed their lives radically. His several post-resurrection appearances gave them a renewed sense of hope and they became witnesses to his teaching. The same joy and enthusiasm are meant to apply to us. However, there is also an important difference. Unlike the first disciples, we have the advantage of two millennia of Christian tradition and reflection. We have many opportunities for faith formation that did not exist in the early Church. Yet, even with the benefit of hindsight, we are equally or sometimes even more hesitant than the first-century disciples to make the necessary leap of faith in Jesus who is risen from the dead. The significance of what happened at Easter is well summarised in the first Preface of Easter which states that ‘by dying he [Jesus] destroyed our death; by rising he restored our life’. This was what Simon Peter and John realised when they arrived at the empty tomb. Effectively, they saw and they believed. empty tombIn contrast, we did not see the empty tomb. So our Christian faith invites us to reverse the order by believing first and then, through our belief, seeing. Saint Thomas Aquinas taught that this is real faith: not to go looking for the evidence and then, when we satisfy ourselves that the necessary proof exists, to embrace the faith. Instead, it is the other way round: embracing God in faith and then seeking to deepen our knowledge and understanding. Our belief in the risen Lord originates in the witness of those who accompanied him. We journey with him, but in a different way from those who met him and walked with him and ate with him and touched him after his resurrection from the dead. Jesus’ resurrection from the dead is the definitive proof that physical death is not the end. There is life after death. And God invites all of us to use this earthly life to prepare for the next life. With renewed faith and hope this day, let the words of the opening prayer for the Mass of Easter Sunday become our prayer: Let us pray that the risen Christ will raise us up and renew our lives. God our Father, by raising Christ your Son you conquered the power of death and opened for us the way to eternal life. Let our celebration today raise us up and renew our lives by the Spirit that is within us. For meditation Till this moment they had failed to understand the teaching of scripture, that he must rise from the dead. (Jn 20:9) ************************************************ Fr Donal Neary, S.J Gospel Reflections for the Year of Matthew www.messenger.ie Alleluia – for singing, not for humming! The reason for the joy of Easter is that Christ is risen – the women who came to the tomb found their joy in this. They may have found joy also in a beautiful dawn in the garden, or in their friendships, but the joy of Easter is a joy of faith, which nothing need take away. The joy of the resurrection is a joy in giving the life we have received from God: ‘Life grows by being given away, and it weakens in isolation and comfort. Indeed, those who enjoy life most are those who leave security on the shore and become excited by the mission of communicating life to others’ (Pope Francis). The Alleluia is for singing, not for humming; it is to be heard from the voice of the heart, and should lift the hearts of those who hear: ‘Jesus Christ is risen. He is risen indeed. Alleluia!’ We often see great joy in the middle of huge poverty: often the poor can live for the present moment and enjoy it to the full. Sometimes in the middle of illness we find a peace we don’t know from where it comes. The grace of the risen Jesus can touch our lives at any time. Let’s not be like Christians ‘whose lives seem like Lent without Easter’ (Pope Francis). Having lived through the joyful season of Lent, our hearts are wholly lifted now in joy received and joy given. Breathe in and out: on the inbreath echo the word ‘joy’; on the outbreath echo the word ‘thanks’. Risen Christ, raise our lives in joy. ****************************************************** Alleluia, May all the joys of Easter be yours! Praise the Lord and pass round the Eggs Alleluia ! *************************************************

[hatsumishinogu]

Magdala de Nemure Vol.8 (light novel)

[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

Music For the Soul

by Alexander MacLaren

Memorials of Victory (1 Thessalonians 2:20)

Paul’s name was that of his first convert. He takes it, as I suppose, because it seemed to him such a blessed thing that at the very moment when he began to sow, God helped him to reap. He had gone out to his work, no doubt, with much trembling, with weakness and fear. And lo! here, at once, the fields were white already to the harvest.

Great conquerors have been named from their victories: Africanus, Germanicus, Nelson of the Nile, Napier of Magdala, and the like. Paul names himself from the first victory that God gave him to win; and so, as it were, carries ever at his breast a memorial of the wonder that through him it had been given to preach, and that not without success, amongst the Gentiles " the unsearchable riches of Christ."

That is to say, this man Paul thought of it as his highest honour, and the thing best worthy to be remembered about his life, that God had helped him to help his brethren to know the common Master. Is that your idea of the best thing about a life? What would you like to have for an epitaph on your grave, professing Christian? "He was rich; he made a big business." " He was famous; he wrote books." " He was happy and fortunate." Or, "He turned many to righteousness"? "This man flung away his literary tastes, his home joys, and his personal ambition, and chose as that for which he would live, and by which he would fain be remembered, that he should bring dark hearts to the light in which he and they together walked "?

His name, in its commemoration of his first success, would act as a stimulus to service and to hope. No doubt the Apostle, like the rest of us, had his times of indolence and languor, and his times of despondency when he seemed to have laboured in vain and spent his strength for nought. He had but to name himself to find the antidote to both the one and the other, and in the remembrance of the past to find a stimulus for service for the future, and a stimulus for hope for the time to come. His first convert was to him the first drop that predicts the shower, the first primrose that prophesies the wealth of yellow blossoms and downy green leaves that will fill the woods in a day or two. The first convert "bears in his hand a glass which showed many more." Look at the workmen in the streets trying to get up a piece of the roadway. How difficult it is to lever out the first paving-stone from the compacted mass! But when once it has been withdrawn, the rest is comparatively easy. We can understand Paul’s triumph and joy over this first stone which he had worked out of the strongly cemented wall and barrier of heathenism; and his conviction that having thus made a breach, if it were but big enough to get the end of his lever in, the fall of the whole was only a question of time. I suppose that if the old alchemists had only turned one grain of base metal into gold they might have turned tons, if only they had had the retorts and the appliances with which to do it. And so, what has brought one man’s soul into harmony with God, and given one man the true life, can do the same for all men. In the first fruits we may see the fields whitening to the harvest. Let us rejoice, then, in any little work that God helps us to do, and be sure that if so great be the joy of the first fruits, great beyond speech will be the joy of the ingathering.

[roman-catholic-mass-readings]

11th April >> Mass Readings (Except USA)

Easter Tuesday 

(Liturgical Colour: White: A(1))

First Reading Acts of the Apostles 2:36-41 You must repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus.

On the day of Pentecost, Peter spoke to the Jews: ‘The whole House of Israel can be certain that God has made this Jesus whom you crucified both Lord and Christ.’

Hearing this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the apostles, ‘What must we do, brothers?’ ‘You must repent,’ Peter answered ‘and every one of you must be baptised in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise that was made is for you and your children, and for all those who are far away, for all those whom the Lord our God will call to himself.’ He spoke to them for a long time using many arguments, and he urged them, ‘Save yourselves from this perverse generation.’ They were convinced by his arguments, and they accepted what he said and were baptised. That very day about three thousand were added to their number.

The Word of the Lord

R/ Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm Psalm 32(33):4-5,18-20,22

R/ The Lord fills the earth with his love. or R/ Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!

The word of the Lord is faithful and all his works to be trusted. The Lord loves justice and right and fills the earth with his love.

R/ The Lord fills the earth with his love. or R/ Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!

The Lord looks on those who revere him, on those who hope in his love, to rescue their souls from death, to keep them alive in famine.

R/ The Lord fills the earth with his love. or R/ Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!

Our soul is waiting for the Lord. The Lord is our help and our shield. May your love be upon us, O Lord, as we place all our hope in you.

R/ The Lord fills the earth with his love. or R/ Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!

Sequence Victimae Paschali Laudes

Christians, to the Paschal Victim offer sacrifice and praise. The sheep are ransomed by the Lamb; and Christ, the undefiled, hath sinners to his Father reconciled.

Death with life contended: combat strangely ended!

Life’s own Champion, slain, yet lives to reign.

Tell us, Mary: say what thou didst see upon the way.

The tomb the Living did enclose; I saw Christ’s glory as he rose!

The angels there attesting; shroud with grave-clothes resting.

Christ, my hope, has risen: he goes before you into Galilee.

That Christ is truly risen from the dead we know. Victorious king, thy mercy show!

Gospel Acclamation Psalm 117:24

Alleluia, alleluia! This day was made by the Lord: we rejoice and are glad. Alleluia!

Gospel John 20:11-18 'I have seen the Lord and he has spoken to me'.

Mary stayed outside near the tomb, weeping. Then, still weeping, she stooped to look inside, and saw two angels in white sitting where the body of Jesus had been, one at the head, the other at the feet. They said, ‘Woman, why are you weeping?’ ‘They have taken my Lord away’ she replied ‘and I don’t know where they have put him.’ As she said this she turned round and saw Jesus standing there, though she did not recognise him. Jesus said, ‘Woman, why are you weeping? Who are you looking for?’ Supposing him to be the gardener, she said, ‘Sir, if you have taken him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will go and remove him.’ Jesus said, ‘Mary!’ She knew him then and said to him in Hebrew, ‘Rabbuni!’ – which means Master. Jesus said to her, ‘Do not cling to me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go and find the brothers, and tell them: I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’ So Mary of Magdala went and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord and that he had said these things to her.

The Gospel of the Lord

R/ Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

[shazzeaslightnovels]

Magdala de Nemure 8 + Overall series impressions

Author: Isuna Hasekura

Illustrator: Tetsuhiro Nabeshima

Label: Dengeki Bunko

Release Date: 10 February 2016

Art Notes: This is one of my absolute favorite light novel covers. It’s so pretty! Nabeshima really did improve a lot during this series, if you compare the first volume cover to this one.

Didn’t review volume 5-7 because I had nothing to say about them but I did want to review the “final” volume. I put it in quotes because there are some plot threads left unaddressed and the afterword states that it is not the final volume but a new volume hasn’t been released in years, Dengeki Bunko released a “complete edition” set on BookWalker which they usually don’t do if a series is ongoing and the author has gone on to other things (namely, the Spice & Wolf sequels) so it’s probably going to be left unfinished.

I remember reading the first volume and being so excited about this series because I have some fond memories of the Spice & Wolf anime and I heard that the series had some amazing developments and got better but I couldn’t shake this feeling of being underwhelmed throughout the entirety of the series. It’s not bad, really, but it’s painfully slow and the only characters that are particularly memorable and get development are the two leads. And I do like Fenesis and Kusla and enjoyed their development but I didn’t think that they worked as a romantic couple. All of the side characters are unmemorable and then there’s Weyland, who doesn’t ever stop saying inappropriate things to the female characters around him despite them clearly expressing their discomfort at his words. There were actually a lot of moments where characters would say something that about gender that would feel really out-dated and would take me out of the world instantly. There was some potential here but I don’t think it lived up to it. Someone who’s more into slow-paced stories would probably enjoy it more than I was able to.

I still have the spin-off volume, Shoujo wa Shoka no Umi de Nemuru before I can be truly done with this series.

[roman-catholic-mass-readings]

6th April >> Mass Readings (Except USA)

Easter Tuesday

(Liturgical Colour: White)

First Reading

Acts of the Apostles 2:36-41

You must repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus

On the day of Pentecost, Peter spoke to the Jews: ‘The whole House of Israel can be certain that God has made this Jesus whom you crucified both Lord and Christ.’

   Hearing this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the apostles, ‘What must we do, brothers?’ ‘You must repent,’ Peter answered ‘and every one of you must be baptised in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise that was made is for you and your children, and for all those who are far away, for all those whom the Lord our God will call to himself.’ He spoke to them for a long time using many arguments, and he urged them, ‘Save yourselves from this perverse generation.’ They were convinced by his arguments, and they accepted what he said and were baptised. That very day about three thousand were added to their number.

The Word of the Lord

R/ Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 32(33):4-5,18-20,22

R/ The Lord fills the earth with his love. or R/ Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!

The word of the Lord is faithful    and all his works to be trusted. The Lord loves justice and right    and fills the earth with his love.

R/ The Lord fills the earth with his love. or R/ Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!

The Lord looks on those who revere him,    on those who hope in his love, to rescue their souls from death,    to keep them alive in famine.

R/ The Lord fills the earth with his love. or R/ Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!

Our soul is waiting for the Lord.    The Lord is our help and our shield. May your love be upon us, O Lord,    as we place all our hope in you.

R/ The Lord fills the earth with his love. or R/ Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!

Sequence

Victimae Paschali Laudes

Christians, to the Paschal Victim    offer sacrifice and praise. The sheep are ransomed by the Lamb; and Christ, the undefiled, hath sinners to his Father reconciled.

Death with life contended:    combat strangely ended!

Life’s own Champion, slain,    yet lives to reign.

Tell us, Mary:    say what thou didst see    upon the way.

The tomb the Living did enclose; I saw Christ’s glory as he rose!

The angels there attesting; shroud with grave-clothes resting.

Christ, my hope, has risen: he goes before you into Galilee.

That Christ is truly risen    from the dead we know. Victorious king, thy mercy show!

Gospel Acclamation

Psalm 117:24

Alleluia, alleluia! This day was made by the Lord: we rejoice and are glad. Alleluia!

Gospel

John 20:11-18

'I have seen the Lord and he has spoken to me'

Mary stayed outside near the tomb, weeping. Then, still weeping, she stooped to look inside, and saw two angels in white sitting where the body of Jesus had been, one at the head, the other at the feet. They said, ‘Woman, why are you weeping?’ ‘They have taken my Lord away’ she replied ‘and I don’t know where they have put him.’ As she said this she turned round and saw Jesus standing there, though she did not recognise him. Jesus said, ‘Woman, why are you weeping? Who are you looking for?’ Supposing him to be the gardener, she said, ‘Sir, if you have taken him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will go and remove him.’ Jesus said, ‘Mary!’ She knew him then and said to him in Hebrew, ‘Rabbuni!’ – which means Master. Jesus said to her, ‘Do not cling to me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go and find the brothers, and tell them: I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’ So Mary of Magdala went and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord and that he had said these things to her.

The Gospel of the Lord

R/ Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

[roman-catholic-mass-readings]

14th April >> Mass Readings (Europe, Africa, New Zealand, Australia & Canada)

Easter Tuesday 

(Liturgical Colour: White)

First Reading

Acts of the Apostles 2:36-41

You must repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus

On the day of Pentecost, Peter spoke to the Jews: ‘The whole House of Israel can be certain that God has made this Jesus whom you crucified both Lord and Christ.’

Hearing this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the apostles, ‘What must we do, brothers?’ ‘You must repent,’ Peter answered ‘and every one of you must be baptised in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise that was made is for you and your children, and for all those who are far away, for all those whom the Lord our God will call to himself.’ He spoke to them for a long time using many arguments, and he urged them, ‘Save yourselves from this perverse generation.’ They were convinced by his arguments, and they accepted what he said and were baptised. That very day about three thousand were added to their number.

The Word of the Lord

R/ Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 32(33):4-5,18-20,22

R/ The Lord fills the earth with his love.

or

R/ Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!

The word of the Lord is faithful

and all his works to be trusted.

The Lord loves justice and right

and fills the earth with his love.

R/ The Lord fills the earth with his love.

or

R/ Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!

The Lord looks on those who revere him,

on those who hope in his love,

to rescue their souls from death,

to keep them alive in famine.

R/ The Lord fills the earth with his love.

or

R/ Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!

Our soul is waiting for the Lord.

The Lord is our help and our shield.

May your love be upon us, O Lord,

as we place all our hope in you.

R/ The Lord fills the earth with his love.

or

R/ Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!

Sequence

Victimae Paschali Laudes

Christians, to the Paschal Victim

offer sacrifice and praise.

The sheep are ransomed by the Lamb;

and Christ, the undefiled,

hath sinners to his Father reconciled.

Death with life contended:

combat strangely ended!

Life’s own Champion, slain,

yet lives to reign.

Tell us, Mary:

say what thou didst see

upon the way.

The tomb the Living did enclose;

I saw Christ’s glory as he rose!

The angels there attesting;

shroud with grave-clothes resting.

Christ, my hope, has risen:

he goes before you into Galilee.

That Christ is truly risen

from the dead we know.

Victorious king, thy mercy show!

Gospel Acclamation

Psalm 117:24

Alleluia, alleluia!

This day was made by the Lord:

we rejoice and are glad.

Alleluia!

Gospel

John 20:11-18

'I have seen the Lord and he has spoken to me'

Mary stayed outside near the tomb, weeping. Then, still weeping, she stooped to look inside, and saw two angels in white sitting where the body of Jesus had been, one at the head, the other at the feet. They said, ‘Woman, why are you weeping?’ ‘They have taken my Lord away’ she replied ‘and I don’t know where they have put him.’ As she said this she turned round and saw Jesus standing there, though she did not recognise him. Jesus said, ‘Woman, why are you weeping? Who are you looking for?’ Supposing him to be the gardener, she said, ‘Sir, if you have taken him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will go and remove him.’ Jesus said, ‘Mary!’ She knew him then and said to him in Hebrew, ‘Rabbuni!’ – which means Master. Jesus said to her, ‘Do not cling to me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go and find the brothers, and tell them: I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’ So Mary of Magdala went and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord and that he had said these things to her.

The Gospel of the Lord

R/ Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

[shazzeaslightnovels]

Magdala de Nemure 4

Author: Isuna Hasekura

Illustrator: Tetsuhiro Nabeshima

Label: Dengeki Bunko

Release Date: 10 September 2013

Art Notes: Nabeshima is a fairly plain artist but Fenesis’ character design is adorable and the covers are nice to look at and I enjoy some of the details put into the backgrounds on the images. There’s a colour illustration in this volume that I really like that has Fenesis with her hair pulled up and it’s really cute.

Seems like this series is finally starting to head where I want it to go as it starts to tell the reader a bit more about Fenesis’ past and develops her character more. I mean, I like Irene and Weyland but the past volumes have been quite boring and I do think that the series is at it’s best when it focuses on Kusla and Fenesis. I also appreciated the additions to the lore of the world in this volume. It was interesting.

I’m a half-way through this series but I still can’t say that I have much of an overall opinion of it. Sometimes it’s nice and sometimes it’s boring and it is much slower than I’m used to. Hopefully the series can fully win me over by the time it’s done. 

Again, I own every volume in this series so I kind of have to finish it but I don’t really have much to say about the volumes so, unless something changes next volume, I might end up giving up on individual volume reviews for this series and just give my overall opinions when I’m done. I’m not completely decided yet but that’s what I’m thinking I’ll do.

[shazzeaslightnovels]

Magdala no Nemure 3

Author: Isuna Hasekura

Illustrator: Tetsuhiro Nabeshima

Label: Dengeki Bunko

Release Date: 10 April 2013

This volume focuses on the group’s preperations before they leave for their journey to Kazan and it centers around Weyland. Unfortunately, I didn’t find this volume too interesting outside of a couple of scenes but I am enjoying seeing Kusla’s and Fenesis’ relationship develop. The slow pacing is kind of killing me. I do think that the slow pacing will end up helping with developing the characters but it is making me kind of bored while I read it. I actually felt suddenly felt sleepy every time I opened up this volume and that’s not good (I was reading Baccano and Otaria at the same time as this and didn’t have the same issue with them). I wonder if I need to slow down my reading of this series to give the volumes more room to breathe before I start the next one. Perhaps it’s just not a series that’s suited to my style of reading.

[shazzeaslightnovels]

Magdala de Nemure 2

Author: Isuna Hasekura

Illustrator: Tetsuhiro Nabeshima

Label: Dengeki Bunko

Release Date: 10 October 2012

This time, the story was focused on Irene, who was briefly introduced in the last volume but made a strong impression. Unfortunately, even though she had a lot of focus in this volume it didn’t feel like she showed up or interacted with the main characters much. It felt like we learnt about her more from what other people said rather than having the characters converse with her. It was a pretty good volume, overall and Kusla and Fenesis still have a strong dynamic, though I would like for Fenesis to gain some independence in the future, since the relationship feels somewhat unbalanced as-is. I mean, Fenesis definitely has her own personality and strengths that she brings to the table but this volume has a scene early on where Kusla tries to teach Fenesis to look after herself more and he definitely feels like the more experienced one in their relationship. It’d be nice to see this dynamic change a little as Fenesis grows, especially as Kusla isn’t great at looking after himself either.

I’ll be reading volume 3 soon-ish. My current plan is Sword Oratoria 7 > Mondaiji 5 > Bakarina 7 > Magdala 3 I might change things around a bit or end up reading something earlier than I was planning to but that’s the basic plan.