Introibo Ad Altare Dei

O sweet Jesus, Whose overflowing charity for me is requited by so much forgetfulness, negligence and contempt, behold us prostrate before Your presence, eager to repair by a special act of homage the cruel indifference and injuries, to which Your loving Heart is everywhere subject.

Jesus said his Church would be “the light of the world.” He then noted that “a city set on a hill cannot be hid” (Matt. 5:14)

Jesus promised, “I will build my Church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it” (Matt. 16:18). This means that his Church will never be destroyed and will never fall away from him. His Church will survive until his return.

The Church Is One (Rom. 12:5, 1 Cor. 10:17, 12:13)

The Church Is Holy (Eph. 5:25–27, Rev. 19:7–8)

The Church Is Catholic (Matt. 28:19–20, Rev. 5:9–10)

The Church Is Apostolic (Eph. 2:19–20)

Behold the Lamb of God.

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Il Santo, “the Saint” loved by the multitudes. The Doctor of the Church, the miracle-worker, from Lisbon to Padua, the humble man of God entirely dedicated to Christ and His Church, a beacon of holiness for all ages.

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A good few years ago, I heard a distinguished American scholar of ancient history commenting on the proclamation of the resurrection as it would have been heard in the classical world. “If an educated Greek or Roman had been told that someone had been raised from the dead,” he said, “his first question would have been, ‘how do you get him back into his grave again?’.”

The point was that most of those who first heard the Easter gospel would have found it grotesque or even frightening. Resurrection was not a joyful sign of hope but an alarming oddity, something potentially very dangerous.

We forget so readily what Christianity brought into the world; we are so used to it that we think it is obvious. In the ancient world there was absolutely no assumption that every life was precious. Fathers had the right to kill their children in certain circumstances, masters their slaves; crowds flocked to see criminals or prisoners of war killing each other in the theatres; massacre was a normal tool of war. Some philosophers defended a theory of abstract human equality, but they were untroubled by the political facts of life in which lives were expendable in these familiar ways. It is a shock to realise just how deeply rooted such an attitude was. And when all is said and done about how Christianity has so often failed in its own vision, the bare fact is that it brought an irreversible shift in human culture. Human value could not be extinguished by violence or death; no one could be forgotten.

— Rowan Williams, Easter sermon 2004 (via richardhall)

(Source: independent.co.uk)

He is not here, for he is risen, as he said. Come, and see the place where the Lord was laid.
Matthew 28:6

He is not here, for he is risen, as he said. Come, and see the place where the Lord was laid.

Matthew 28:6

And in the end of the sabbath, when it began to dawn towards the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalen and the other Mary, to see the sepulchre. 2 And behold there was a great earthquake. For an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and coming rolled back the stone and sat upon it. 3 And his countenance was as lightning and his raiment as snow. 4 And for fear of him, the guards were struck with terror and became as dead men. 5 And the angel answering, said to the women: Fear not you: for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. 6 He is not here. For he is risen, as he said. Come, and see the place where the Lord was laid. 7 And going quickly, tell his disciples that he is risen. And behold he will go before you into Galilee. There you shall see him. Lo, I have foretold it to you. 8 And they went out quickly from thesepulchre with fear and great joy, running to tell his disciples. 9 And behold, Jesus met them, saying: All hail. But they came up and took hold of his feet and adored him. 10 Then Jesus said to them: Fear not. Go, tell my brethren that they go into Galilee. There they shall see me.

11 Who when they were departed, behold, some of the guards came into the city and told the chiefpriests all things that had been done. 12 And they being assembled together with the ancients, taking counsel, gave a great sum of money to the soldiers,13 saying: Say you, His disciples came by night and stole him away when we were asleep. 14 And if the governor shall hear of this, we will persuade him and secure you. 15 So they taking the money, did as they were taught: and this word was spread abroad among the Jews even unto this day. 16 And the eleven disciples went into Galilee, unto the mountain where Jesus had appointed them.

17 And seeing him they adored: but some doubted.18 And Jesus coming, spoke to them, saying: All power is given to me in heaven and in earth.19 Going therefore, teach all nations: baptizingthem in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. 20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you. And behold I am with you all days, even to theconsummation of the world.

Matthew 28

This is the night
when Jesus Christ broke the chains of death
and rose triumphant from the grave.

What good would life have been to us,
had Christ not come as our Redeemer?
Father, how wonderful your care for us!
How boundless your merciful love!
To ransom a slave you gave away your Son.