Today, Jesus enters into hand-to-hand combat with old scratch. It is not going to end well…for the father of lies that is.

Paradise Lost

The mystics of the Church typically speak of five gardens: Eden, Gethsemane, the secret garden of the Beloved, the soul and the Holy Mass. All of the gardens are meant to be sacred and set aside for the consummation of marriage. As we continue our meditation, only two will concern us today on Good Friday.

Adam consummated his marriage in Eden and then let the nahash defile that garden with the entrance of Original Sin. Together Adam and Eve fell and ruptured their relationship with the Father while at the same time seriously wounded their relationship with each other. They suddenly were alone. This did not go beyond notice of the Father – He looked for them in the garden to keep Him company. But they hid. And so, from this time forth in Sacred Scripture, the personal name of the Father is no longer uttered and we are expelled from Paradise. But that is not the end of the story!

The Lord is picking a fight tonight…are you ready to join the Captain of your Salvation? It all begins with Chrism.

This morning the Priests, Deacons, Seminarians, religious and the lay faithful will gather around their Bishop in their cathedral Church. All will participate in a very ancient rite common to the universal Church since the fifth-sixth centuries. During this liturgy, “the bishop consecrates the three oils needed for the administration of the sacraments: the holy chrism, the oil of the catechumens and the oil of the sick.”[1]

…We should also recall the connection between the Chrism Mass and the Mass of our Lord’s Supper. Even for our Lord, He was anointed at Bethany before he journeyed to Jerusalem to share the Passover with His disciples. It is no mistake that the Church connects the biblical events with today’s liturgical events of Holy Thursday. Who else is anointed? Those preparing for battle…and Scripture proclaims that He is a Might Man of War (Isaiah 42:13)!

So many people want low-impact exercise. I think they should just go to Mass more. More gestures for the Catholic athlete.

Last week we briefly discussed standing and kneeling. This week we want to consider those gestures that focus on attentiveness to the Word of God and reverence to a King.

Sitting

If I say sitting, what is the first image from Sacred Scripture that comes to mind? Is is Mary at the feet of our Lord as he taught her (Luke 10:38-41). Maybe it is when the Lord said said he saw Nathaniel sitting under the fig tree (John 1:43-50). In both cases, Mary and Nathaniel were waiting upon the Word of God.

Do you know why standing and kneeling are interdependent upon each other? Read on to see how they both are the Church’s expression of reverence before the Lord.
Continuing our discussing on gestures within the liturgy (Mass Body Parts), it is fitting that we start with the two most familiar: standing and kneeling. Standing and kneeling are two of the most common gestures in the liturgy. They are also the two sides of reverence. Standing is the sign of

vigilance and action…revealing the respect of the servant in attendance, that of the soldier on duty. (Sacred Signs)

Kneeling on the other hand, is

the side of worship in rest and quietness. (Sacred Signs)

Gestures and Posture are important acts of love during Mass. Did you know they are central to our Liturgical Unity?
As we prepare for the implementation of the English Third Typical Edition of the Revised Roman Missal, one of the greatest challenges will be learning the language of the liturgy. We speak two languages. One spoken with the tongue and the other with the body. To that end, Mother Church teaches us gestures in order to help us express that love.

Dads, are you teaching your families how to fast and protecting them from excesses? Need a little guidance? Read on…

Sacred Scripture provides a number of reasons for fasting. They include: an expression of mourning (2 Samuel 1:12), an expression of contrition (1 Kings 21:27), an expression of solidarity with the poor and the hungering for justice (Isaiah 58:6-7), a preparation for a spiritual mission (Matthew 4:1-11), a way to awaken a spiritual hunger for the Lord (Matthew 9:14-15), a way to mortify one’s appetites and achieve greater self-mastery, and as a way to participate in the passion of Christ (Colossians 1:24).

Some have remarked that due to his emphasis on the goodness of the body, Venerable John Paul II’s Theology of the Body would be against many traditional Lenten practices such as fasting, abstinence, bodily penance, etc. That would be untrue.

Dads, you need to be able to answer your families questions about the liturgy and the upcoming changes. Are you ready?
Our Lord Jesus came to save us. But the salvation he won for us is not just to save our soul, but the whole person, including language. Jesus, the Word of God – Himself speech, has restored the dialogue of love that was broken through Original Sin. We also understand that John Paul II taught us that the body has a language all its own. So, too, does the Mystical Body of Christ. The language of the Mystical Body is the language of the liturgy.

In just a few months, English-speaking Catholics will be using the Third Typical Edition of the Roman Missal. [...]

Understanding gender in a confused culture.
Over the past eighteen years, I have had the privilege of catechizing young people and adults. As a catechist, you notice societal trends that require you to adjust your teaching style and content to make necessary corrections in cultural thinking. We are always forming students and informing our peers from a Catholic worldview.

None of us would find it surprising if I said that over the past 5 years or so, I have had to make a concerted effort to define for my students that marriage is a union between one man and one woman. Traditional marriage has been under attack for decades, but the battle has heated up over the past ten years. In fact, in the news today, DOMA (Defense of Marriage Act) is under a passive attack by the Executive Branch of the government. The current administration has announced that it disagrees with DOMA and, thus, will no longer defend it in court. What an utter tragedy!

Anyway, two months ago I had to refine my definition of marriage for my students.[...]

Practical advice on dealing with desires from a Catholic perspective.
A common question from teens after they have heard a chastity talk is, “Fine! If we have to be chaste, why do we have sexual desires anyway?” An honest question. One which also betrays the fact that the talk just heard was probably more Buddhist than Catholic. I know it sounds like a rash generalization, but follow me for a minute.[...]

A critique of Newsweek’s poor understanding of the Bible, love and sexuality.
>This past Monday, February 6, 2011, Newsweek published an article entitled, What the Bible Really Says About Sex. Now, I realize that Newsweek is not the bastion of Biblical authority or even exegesis. That being said, I felt I should address a few concerns because it directly relates to a proper Christian anthropology or, as it pertains to us, a Theology of the Body. I am also painfully aware that this article desecrates the beauty and nobility of the Song of Songs and other biblical texts.[...]