Devotion for today: there is a great silence...

An Ancient Homily on Holy Saturday

Something strange is happening - there is a great silence on earth today, a great silence and stillness. The whole earth keeps silence because the King is asleep. The earth trembled and is still because God has fallen asleep in the flesh and he has raised up all who have slept ever since the world began. God has died in the flesh and hell trembles with fear.

He has gone to search for our first parents, as for a lost sheep. Greatly desiring to visit those who live in darkness and in the shadow of death, he has gone to free from sorrow the captives Adam and Eve, he who is both God and the son of Eve. The Lord approached them bearing the cross, the weapon that had won him the victory. At the sight of him Adam, the first man he had created, struck his breast in terror and cried out to everyone: “My Lord be with you all”. Christ answered him: “And with your spirit”. He took him by the hand and raised him up, saying: “Awake, O sleeper, and rise from the dead, and Christ will give you light”.

I am your God, who for your sake have become your son. Out of love for you and for your descendants I now by my own authority command all who are held in bondage to come forth, all who are in darkness to be enlightened, all who are sleeping to arise. I order you, O sleeper, to awake. I did not create you to be held a prisoner in hell. Rise from the dead, for I am the life of the dead. Rise up, work of my hands, you who were created in my image. Rise, let us leave this place, for you are in me and I am in you; together we form only one person and we cannot be separated. For your sake I, your God, became your son; I, the Lord, took the form of a slave; I, whose home is above the heavens, descended to the earth and beneath the earth. For your sake, for the sake of man, I became like a man without help, free among the dead. For the sake of you, who left a garden, I was betrayed to the Jews in a garden, and I was crucified in a garden.

See on my face the spittle I received in order to restore to you the life I once breathed into you. See there the marks of the blows I received in order to refashion your warped nature in my image. On my back see the marks of the scourging I endured to remove the burden of sin that weighs upon your back. See my hands, nailed firmly to a tree, for you who once wickedly stretched out your hand to a tree.

I slept on the cross and a sword pierced my side for you who slept in paradise and brought forth Eve from your side. My side has healed the pain in yours. My sleep will rouse you from your sleep in hell. The sword that pierced me has sheathed the sword that was turned against you.

Rise, let us leave this place. The enemy led you out of the earthly paradise. I will not restore you to that paradise, but I will enthrone you in heaven. I forbade you the tree that was only a symbol of life, but see, I who am life itself am now one with you. I appointed cherubim to guard you as slaves are guarded, but now I make them worship you as God. The throne formed by cherubim awaits you, its bearers swift and eager. The bridal chamber is adorned, the banquet is ready, the eternal dwelling places are prepared, the treasure houses of all good things lie open. The kingdom of heaven has been prepared for you from all eternity. (Christian Prayer, Liturgy of the Hours)

Second Day:The Divine Mercy Novena

Today bring to Me THE SOULS OF PRIESTS AND RELIGIOUS, and immerse them in My unfathomable mercy. It was they who gave Me strength to endure My bitter Passion. Through them as through channels My mercy flows out upon mankind.

Most Merciful Jesus, from whom comes all that is good, increase Your grace in men and women consecrated to Your service, that they may perform worthy works of mercy; and that all who see them may glorify the Father of Mercy who is in heaven.

Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon the company of chosen ones in Your vineyard—upon the souls of priests and religious; and endow them with the strength of Your blessing. For the love of the Heart of Your Son in which they are enfolded, impart to them Your power and light, that they may be able to guide others in the way of salvation and with one voice sing praise to Your boundless mercy for ages without end. Amen. Now say the Chaplet of Divine Mercy ( www.marian.org).

Devotion for today: we travel with Christ to His death

It is said that after Christ’s death, His mother Mary went back along the route where He carried His cross, the Via Dolorosa, and prayed at various points where she remembered His agony. Today we do the same, in our parish churches, traditionally at three o’clock. Since this is not possible for everyone, I offer a short way of the Cross as used by the Franciscan Fathers on their missions. (The Pieta Prayer Book, Miraculous Lady of Roses, LLC, 2006)

First Station: Jesus is Condemned to Death
O Jesus! So meek and uncomplaining, teach me resignation in trials.

Second Station: Jesus Carries His Cross
My Jesus! This Cross should be mine, not Yours! My sins crucified you.

Third Station: Our Lord Falls the First Time
O Jesus, by this first fall, never let me fall into mortal sin.

Fourth Station: Jesus Meets His Mother
O Jesus! May no human tie, however dear, keep me from following the road of the Cross.

Fifth Station: Simon, the Cyrenean, Helps Jesus Carry His Cross
Simon unwillingly assisted You; may I, with patience, suffer all for You.

Sixth Station: Veronica Wipes the Face of Jesus
O Jesus You did imprint Your sacred features upon Veronica’s veil; stamp them also indelibly upon my heart.

Seventh Station: The Second Fall of Jesus
By Your second fall, preserve me, dear Lord, from relapse into sin.

Eighth Station: Jesus Consoles the Women of Jerusalem

My greatest consolation would be to hear You say: “Many sins are forgiven you, because you have loved much.”

Ninth Station: The Third Fall of Jesus
O Jesus! When I am weary upon life’s long journey, be my strength and my perseverance.

Tenth Station: Jesus is Stripped of His Garments
My soul has been robbed of its robe of innocence. Clothe me, dear Jesus, with the garb of penance and contrition.

Eleventh Station: Jesus is Nailed to the Cross
You forgave Your enemies: my God, teach me to forgive injuries and forget them.

Twelfth Station: Jesus Dies on the Cross (pause a moment for personal reflection)
You are dying, my Jesus, but Your Sacred Heart still throbs with love for Your sinful children

Thirteenth Station: Jesus is Taken Down from the Cross
Receive me into Your arms, O Sorrowful Mother, and obtain for me perfect contrition for my sins.

Fourteenth Station: Jesus is Laid in the Sepulcher
When I receive You into my heart in Holy Communion, O Jesus, make it a fit abiding place for Your adorable Body. Amen.

The Divine Mercy Novena

Today we also begin the Divine Mercy Novena. This culminates on Divine Mercy Sunday, the Sunday after Easter. On Good Friday, 1937, Jesus dictated the intentions for a Novena that He wanted Saint Faustina, a young polish nun, to say before the Feast of Mercy. “I desire that during these nine days you bring souls to the fountain of My mercy, that they may draw from there strength and refreshment and whatever grace they need in the hardships of life, and especially, at the hour of death….On each day you will beg My Father, on the strength of My bitter Passion, for graces for these souls” (Diary, 1209).

First Day: Today bring to Me all mankind, especially all sinners, and immerse them in the ocean of My mercy. In this way you will console Me in the bitter grief into which the loss of souls plunges Me.”
Most merciful Jesus, whose very nature it is to have compassion on us and to forgive us, do not look upon our sins, but upon the trust which we place in Your infinite goodness. Receive us all into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart, and never let us escape from It. We beg this of You by Your love which unites You to the Father and the Holy Spirit. Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon all mankind and especially upon poor sinners, all enfolded in the Most Compassionate Heart of Jesus. For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, show us Your mercy, that we may praise the omnipotence of Your mercy forever and ever. Amen (Now say a Chaplet of Mercy. http://thedivinemercy.org)

The Chaplet of The Divine Mercy

How to Recite the Chaplet

The Chaplet of Mercy is recited using ordinary rosary beads of five decades. The Chaplet is preceded by two opening prayers from the Diary of Saint Faustina and followed by a closing prayer.

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1. Make the Sign of the Cross:

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

2. Optional Opening Prayers

You expired, Jesus, but the source of life gushed forth for souls, and the ocean of mercy opened up for the whole world. O Fount of Life, unfathomable Divine Mercy, envelop the whole world and empty Yourself out upon us.

O Blood and Water, which gushed forth from the Heart of Jesus as a fountain of Mercy for us, I trust in You!

3. Our Father

Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name; Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, Amen.

4. Hail Mary

Hail Mary, full of grace. The Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death, Amen.

5. The Apostle's Creed

I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of Heaven and earth; and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, Our Lord, Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified; died, and was buried. He descended into Hell; the third day He arose again from the dead; He ascended into Heaven, sitteth at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty; from thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

6. The Eternal Father

Eternal Father, I offer you the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Your Dearly Beloved Son, Our Lord, Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world.

7. On the Ten Small Beads of Each Decade

For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.

8. Repeat for the remaining decades

Saying the "Eternal Father" (6) on the "Our Father" bead and then 10 "For the sake of His sorrowful Passion" (7) on the following "Hail Mary" beads.

9. Conclude with Holy God (Repeat three times)

Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us and on the whole world.

10. Optional Closing Prayer

Eternal God, in whom mercy is endless and the treasury of compassion — inexhaustible, look kindly upon us and increase Your mercy in us, that in difficult moments we might not despair nor become despondent, but with great confidence submit ourselves to Your holy will, which is Love and Mercy itself.

Devotion for today: the dignity of the priesthood

Scripture for meditation: Genesis 14:18
And Melchizedek, king of Salem brought out bread and wine; now he was a priest of God Most High.

Scriptures for reflection: Psalm 110:4

The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind: "You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek."

Hebrews 7:1-3:  This Melchizedek, king of Salem and priest of God Most High, “met Abraham as he returned from his defeat of the kings” and “blessed Him….” His name first means righteous king, and he was also “king of Salem,” that is, king of peace. Without father, mother, or ancestry, without beginning of days or end of life, thus made to resemble the Son of God, he remains a priest forever.

Eucharistic Prayer 1 of the Catholic Mass:

Be pleased to look upon these offerings
with a serene and kindly countenance,
and to accept them,
as once you were pleased to accept
the gifts of your servant Abel the just,
the sacrifice of Abraham, our father in faith,
and the offering of your high priest Melchizedek,
a holy sacrifice, a spotless victim.                   

The bishop, acting in the person of Christ~ ordains a man a deacon, priest, or bishop through the imposition of hands on the head of the candidate and by the recitation of a prayer. For example, the prayer for the ordination of priests reads:  "Almighty Father, grant to these servants of Yours the dignity of the priesthood. Renew within them the Spirit of holiness. As co-workers with the order of bishops may they be faithful to the ministry that they receive from You, Lord God, and be to others a model of rightconduct." (http://www.straphaelcrystal.org/sacraments

/57-holy-orders.html)

HOLY ORDERS

Chapter Five of "Holy Thursday: An Intimate Remembrance" by Francois Mauriac.

The Eucharist must not prevent us from considering the other sacrament which was instituted on Holy Thursday: Holy Orders. "Do this in remembrance of me." "Do this, as often as you drink [the cup], in remembrance of me."The grace of Holy Thursday will be transmitted unto the end of time, unto the last of the priests who will celebrate the last Mass in a shattered universe. Holy Thursday created these men; a mark was stamped on them; a sign was given to them. They are like us and yet so different-a fact never more surprising than in this pagan age. People say that there is a scarcity of priests. In truth, what an adorable mystery it is that there still are any priests. They no longer have any human advantage. Celibacy, solitude, hatred very often, derision and, above all, the indifference of a world in which there seems to be no longer room for them-such is the portion they have chosen. They have no apparent power; their task sometimes seems to be centered about material things, identifying them, in the eyes of the masses, with the staffs of town halls and of funeral parlors. A pagan atmosphere prevails all around them. The people would laugh at their virtue if they believed in it, but they do not.  They are spied upon. A thousand voices accuse those who fall. As for the others, the greater number, no one is surprised to see them toiling without any sort of recognition, without appreciable salary, bending over the bodies of the dying or ambling about the parish schoolyards. Who can describe the solitude of the priest in the country, in the midst of peasants so often indifferent, if not hostile, to the spirit of Christ? We enter a village church; we find only an old priest kneeling in the sanctuary, keeping a solitary watch with his Master. The words of Christ concerning priests are proven every day: "I am sending you forth like sheep in the midst of wolves.... You will be hated by all for my name's sake." For centuries, since the first Holy Thursday, some men have chosen to become objects of hatred, without expecting any human consolation. They have chosen to lose their lives because once Someone made them the seemingly foolish promise: "He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for my sake will find it." And elsewhere: "Everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge him before my Father in Heaven…." For every Christian who tries to live according to his belief, inevitable scandals count for little when one considers the holiness of the Catholic priesthood as a whole. Let the heretics boast of not needing anyone to reach God. Do they believe that worthy Catholics do not enjoy the delight of solitude in contemplation and union with the Father? But it is because of its conformity with our fallen nature, with our wounded nature, that Catholicism shows itself to be the true Church. Only in her bosom is kept the promise that Christ made to His disciples, on that Thursday: "I will not leave you orphans." From the very beginning of His public life, He had testified to the power given to the Son of Man to forgive sins. And this power was transmitted to His priests: "Whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven them…."

Such is the immense stream of grace which has its source in the first priestly ordination of this sacred Thursday (The entire book may be purchased from Sophia Institute Press, Box 5284, Manchester, NH 03108, 1-800-888-9344 for $16.95 in hardback). (www.ewtn.com)

Prayer for priests: Keep them, I pray Thee, dearest Lord, Keep them, for they are Thine –

Thy priests whose lives burn out before Thy consecrated shrine. Keep them, for they are in the world, Though from the world apart; when earthly pleasures tempt, allure – shelter them in Thy heart. Keep them, and comfort them in hours of loneliness and pain, when all their life of sacrifice for souls seems but in vain. Keep them, and O remember, Lord, they have no one but Thee, yet they have only human hearts, with human frailty. Keep them as spotless as the Host that daily they caress; their every thought and word and deed, deign, dearest Lord, to bless. Amen.  Say one Our Father, Hail Mary, Mary, Queen of Clergy, pray for them (The Pieta Prayer Book, Miraculous Lady of Roses, LLC, 2005).

      

Devotion for today: as you give your life away: Sing!

Scripture for meditation: Mark 14:22-26
While they were eating, he took bread, said the blessing, broke it and gave it to them, and said, “Take it, this is my body.” Then he took a cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, and they all drank from it. He said to them, “This is my blood of the covenant, which will be shed for many. Amen, I say to you, I shall not drink again the fruit of the vine until the day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.” Then, after singing a hymn, they went out to Mount of Olives.

Scripture for reflection: Exodus 24:7-8

Taking the book of the covenant, he read it aloud to the people, who answered, “All that the Lord has said, we will heed and do.” Then he took the blood and sprinkled it on the people, saying, “This is the blood of the covenant which the Lord has made with you in accordance with all these words of his.”

Fr. Robert Barron tells us: A…peculiar detail in Mark’s account concerns the Last Supper and its immediate aftermath. Jesus has gathered with his intimate friends on the night before his death. He knows that the next day he shall be tortured and publicly executed. In the course of the supper, Jesus identifies himself so radically with the Passover bread and wine that they are now properly called his body and his blood. Like broken bread, the Lord says, his body will be given away in love; and like spilled wine, his blood will be poured out on behalf of many. The sadness and portentousness in that room must have been unbearable, much like the mood in the prison cell where a condemned man sits with his family while he awaits his execution. How does this terrible gathering come to a close? They sing!.... Can you imagine a condemned criminal blithely singing on the eve of his execution? Wouldn’t there be something odd, even macabre, about such a display? But Jesus knows – and his church knows with him – that this joyful outburst, precisely at that awful time, is altogether appropriate. This is not to deny for a moment the terror of that night nor the seriousness of what will follow the next day; but it is to acknowledge that an act of total love is the passage to fullness of life. Therefore, as you give your life away, Sing! Every Mass is a remembrance of that somber night: during the Eucharistic prayer, we explicitly recall what Jesus did “the night before he died.” But immediately after the consecration, as Christ in his sacrificial death becomes really present to us, we sing an acclamation of praise. The strange juxtaposition of terror and exuberant joy mimics the dynamics of the Last Supper (Word on Fire, Fr. Robert Barron, Crossroad Publishing Co., 2008).

Prayer before Communion:

I come to You, O Lord, so that things may be well with me through Your gift, and that I may rejoice at the holy feast You have made ready for me through Your great goodness. In You is all that I may or should desire, for You are my salvation and my redemption, my hope, my strength, my honor and glory. Make me, Your servant, today merry and glad in You, for I have lifted my soul to You. Now I desire devoutly and reverently to receive You into my house…. My soul desires to receive Your Body, my heart desires to be made one with You. Come to me, Lord, and it is sufficient, for without You there is not comfort. Without You, I cannot be; without Your visitation, I cannot live (The Imitation of Christ, St. Thomas a Kempis, 1955).

My thoughts: Today we end the season of Lent, as tomorrow we enter the high holy days of the Triduum. We have studied people of the passion, we have entered into redemptive suffering and have meditated on the seven last words of Christ. We have increased our prayers, our fasting and our suffering or almsgiving. Today we take one last look at the joy of Christ, at His ability to sing in the face of great personal suffering and humiliation. To have such faith in His Father, to be so dedicated to the purpose of His mission, that He could sing when “His hour had come” is truly a great gift to us. Many times in our lives we will face persecution for doing the right thing, but we need not fear. Armed with the example of Christ, and the gifts He gave us of His body and blood, we have the strength and nourishment we need to face any adversity the world may hurl at us. Times are tough, but quite frankly, so are we. Let us receive Holy Communion often, with a pure and contrite heart, and let us sing!

Our prayer to God: How Great Thou Art, Lyrics ~ Carl Boberg, 1859 - 1940 English Translation ~ Stuart K. Hine, 1899 - 1989

Stanza 3:
And when I think,
That God, His Son not sparing;
Sent Him to die,
I scarce can take it in;
That on the Cross,
My burden gladly bearing,
He bled and died
To take away my sin.

Refrain:
Then sings my soul,

My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art!
How great Thou art!
Then sings my soul,
My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art!
How great Thou art!

Stanza 4:
When Christ shall come,
With shouts of acclamation,
And take me home,
What joy shall fill my heart!
Then I shall bow
In humble adoration
And there proclaim,
"My God, how great Thou art!"

Refrain:

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePPL0I2CyNk&feature=related

Devotion for today: Father, into Your hands I commend My Spirit

Today we come to the end of our study of Christ's last words . In His seventh “last statement" Jesus hands His spirit back to His Father, His task on earth complete.

Scripture for meditation: Luke 23:44
It was now around midday and darkness came over the whole land until midafternoon with an eclipse of the sun. The curtain in the sanctuary was torn in two. Jesus uttered a loud cry and said, “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.” After he said this, he expired.

Scripture for reflection: Psalm 31:5

Into thy hands I commend my spirit: thou hast redeemed me, O Lord, the God of truth.

Henri Nouwen tells us: One day, I was sitting with Rodleigh, the leader of the troupe, in his caravan, talking about flying. He said, "As a flyer, I must have complete trust in my catcher, The public might think that I am the greatest star of the trapeze, but the real star is Joe, my catcher. He has to be there for me with split-second precision and grab me out of the air as I come to him in the long jump."
"How does it work?" I asked.
"The secret," Rodleigh said, "is that the flyer does nothing and the catcher does everything: when I fly to Joe, I have simply to stretch out my arms and hands and wait for him to catch me and pull me safely over the apron behind the catchbar."
"You do nothing!" I said, surprised.
"Nothing," Rodleigh repeated. "A flyer must fly, and a catcher must catch, and the flyer must trust, with outstretched arms that his catcher will be there for him."
When Rodleigh said this with so much conviction, the words of Jesus flashed through my mind: "Father into your hands I commend my Spirit." Dying is trusting in the catcher. To care for the dying is to say, "Don't be afraid. Remember that you are the beloved child of God. He will be there when you make your long jump. Don't try to grab him; he will grab you. Just stretch out your arms and hands and trust, trust, trust." (Henri J. M. Nouwen A Roman Catholic Priest: Our Greatest Gift: A Meditation On Dying And Caring, Harper, 1994)

Prayer: Prayers of St. Bridget

O Jesus! I remember the simple and humble recommendation You made of Your Soul to Your Eternal Father, saying, "Father, into Your Hands I commend My Spirit," and when, Your Body all torn and Your Heart broken, You expired. By this precious death, I beg You to comfort me and give me help to resist the devil, the flesh and the world, so that, being dead to the world, I may live for You alone. I beg of You at the hour of my death to receive me. Amen.

My thoughts: When I was studying to be a grief counselor, we were taught that most people die the way they live. Lying in bed, waiting to “make their long jump” as Henri Nouwen calls it, some people were so agitated, angry, crying, terrified, and alone. Others were so peaceful, resting comfortably, praying or surrounded by praying family and friends. When the time came, they closed their eyes and slipped into God’s outstretched arms. Giving our spirits to God implies more than giving our hearts or minds or bodies. “Into your hands I commend my spirit” is giving God the only part of us that lives on. It is the only part of us that was ever heaven-bound from the beginning. We came from God, and we are meant to return to God. Live in the peace and love of God, follow His commands, love and serve His people, and commend your spirit to His trusting arms. Your will forever rest secure, here, and in the world to come.

Our prayer to God: Now I lay me down to sleep

 Now as I lay me down to sleep,
I pray the Lord my soul to keep.
Please, guard me, Jesus, through the night,
And keep me safe till morning's light.
But should I die before I wake,
I pray the Lord my soul to take.
And should I live for other days,
I pray that God will guide my ways.
Amen

Devotion for today: “It is finished.”

 Christ’s torment ends as it started: in total surrender to God’s will. Today’s reflection is not the intense concentration on the death of Christ, which will be Good Friday. Today, we spend one day before Holy Week begins in remembering the joy that follows death.

Scripture for meditation: John 19:30

When Jesus took the wine, he said, “Now it is finished.” Then he bowed his head, and delivered over his spirit.

We read in The Prophet: Then Almitra spoke, saying: We would ask now of death.

And he said: You would know the secret of death. But how shall you find it unless you seek it in the heath of life? The owl whose night-bound eyes are blind unto the day cannot unveil the mystery of light. If you would indeed behold the spirit of death, open your heart wide unto the body of life; for life and death are one, even as the river and sea are one.

In the depth of your hopes and desires lies your silent knowledge of the beyond; and like seeds dreaming beneath the snow your heart dreams of spring. Trust the dreams, for in them is hidden the gate to eternity.

Your fear of death is but the trembling of the shepherd when he stands before the king whose hand is to be laid upon him in honor. Is the shepherd not joyful beneath his trembling, that he shall wear the mark of the king? Yet is he not more mindful of his trembling?

For what is it to die but to stand naked in the wind and to melt into the sun? And what is it to cease breathing, but to free the breath from its restless tides that it may rise and expand and seek God unencumbered?

Only when you drink from the river of silence shall you indeed sing. And when you have reached the mountain top, then you shall begin to climb. And when the earth shall claim your limbs, then shall you truly dance. (The Prophet, Kahlil Gibran, Walker & Company, Phoenix Press, 1923)

Prayer:
 My Lord God,
I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think that I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so. But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you. And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing. I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road though I may know nothing about it. Therefore will I trust you always though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death. I will not fear, for you are ever with me, and you will never leave me to face my perils alone.
(Thomas Merton, Thoughts in Solitude, Abbey of Gethsemani)

 My thoughts: Christ surrenders to death, and eternal life is now ours. Christ died for us, and we now live for Him. When we complete a task, it feels so good to declare, “It is finished.” We have completed what was asked of us, and hopefully, we now find peace and satisfaction in a job well done. May we find that peace at the end of our lives, and may God smile on us when our sufferings and trials are finished. It is then that we will begin to dance.

Our prayer to God: The Lord of the Dance

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLGqavkDszU&feature=related

Devotion for today: Were You There?

Were You There

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNg-ROsQItE&feature=related

Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Oh, sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?

Were you there when they nailed him to the tree?
Were you there when they nailed him to the tree?
Oh, sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there when they nailed him to the tree?

Were you there when they laid him in the tomb?
Were you there when they laid him in the tomb?
Oh, sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there when they laid him in the tomb?

Were you there when God raised him from the tomb?
Were you there when God raised him from the tomb?
Oh, sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there when God raised him from the tomb?