MASS READINGS
April 05, 2004 (Readings on USCCB website)
COLLECT PRAYER
All-powerful God, by the suffering and death of your Son, strengthen and protect us in our weakness. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen.
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"The Lord is my light and my help; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strong hold of my life; before whom shall I shrink?"
The Station in Rome is in the church of St. Praxedes, dedicated to a virgin who devoted herself wholly to acts of charity toward her neighbors and to caring for martyrs: "Some she hid in her house, some she exhorted to profess the faith courageously, others she buried. To all who languished in prison she brought whatever they needed. When she no longer could witness the cruel oppression of the Christians, she besought the Lord, if it were His will, to take her from this valley of tribulation. This was granted. On July 21 God summoned her to receive a heavenly reward in return for her love of neighbor and holiness of life."
Meditation—Mary and Judas
Today the liturgy presents two noteworthy characters who play dissimilar roles in the Lord's passion. One fills us with solace and comfort; the other with uneasiness and wholesome fear. Their juxtaposition produces a powerful effect by way of contrast. The two characters are Mary of Bethany and Judas.
Jesus is in the house of Lazarus, at dinner. Mary approaches, anoints the feet of her Savior for His burial and dries them with her hair. Judas resents her action and resolves upon his evil course. These two persons typify man's relation to Christ. He gives His Body to two types of individuals: to Magdalenes to be anointed, to Judases to be kissed; to good persons who repay Him with love and service, to foes who crucify Him. How movingly this is expressed in the Lesson: "I gave My body to those who beat Me, and My cheeks to those who plucked them. I did not turn away My face from those who cursed and spit upon Me."
The same must hold true of His mystical Body. Down through the ages Christ is enduring an endless round of suffering, giving His body to other Marys for anointing and to other Judases to be kissed, beaten, and mistreated. Augustine explains how we can anoint Christ's body:
Anoint Jesus' feet by a life pleasing to God. Follow in His footsteps; if you have an abundance, give it to the poor. In this way you can wipe the feet of the Lord.
The poor are, as it were, the feet of the mystical Christ. By aiding them we can comfort our Lord in His mystical life, where He receives Judas' kisses on all sides-the sins of Christians.
The Gospel account may be understood in a very personal way. In everyone's heart, in my own too, there dwell two souls: a Judas-soul and a Mary-soul. The former is the cause of Jesus' suffering, it is always ready to apostatize, always ready to give the traitor's kiss. Are you full master over this Judas-soul within you? Your Magdalen-soul is a source of comfort to Christ in His sufferings. May the holy season of Lent, which with God's help we are about to bring to a successful conclusion, bring victory over the Judas-soul and strengthen the Magdalen-soul within our breasts.
—Excerpted from The Church's Year of Grace, Pius Parsch
St. Dismas, the Good Thief
Saint Dismas (sometimes spelled Dysmas or only Dimas, or even Dumas), also known as the Good Thief or the Penitent Thief, is the apocryphal name given to one of the thieves who was crucified alongside Christ according to the Gospel of Luke 23:39-43:
And one of the malefactors which were hanged railed on him, saying, "If thou be Christ, save thyself and us."
But the other answering rebuked him, saying, "Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss."
And he said unto Jesus, "Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom."
And Jesus said unto him, "Verily I say unto thee, today shalt thou be with me in paradise."
Patronage: Those condemned to death; Funeral directors, prisoners and repentant thieves; antique dealers; condemned prisoners; death row prisoners; dying people; penitent criminals; prison chaplains; prisoners; prisoners on death row; prisons; reformed thieves; undertakers; archdiocese of Przemysl, Poland; Merizo, Guam; San Dimas, Mexico
Symbols and Representation: man carrying his cross immediately behind Christ; man crucified at Christ’s right hand; naked man, holding his cross, often with his hand on his heart to signify penitence; tall cross; wearing a loincloth and either holding his cross or being crucified; sometimes depicted in Paradise.
Highlights and Things to Do:
- Read more St. Dismas:
- Read about the St. Dismas Guild Prison inspired by Mother Teresa.
- Purchase and read a copy of The Life of the Good Thief.
Monday of Holy Week
Station with Santa Prassede all'Esquilino (St. Praxedes):
The Station today is at the church of St. Praxedes which was built over St. Praxedes' home. It was one of the twenty-five original parishes in Rome. It is easily one of the most beautiful churches in the Eternal City and is bedecked with incredibly beautiful mosaics. The present church is the one built by Pope Adrian I c. 780, completed and altered by Pope St. Paschal I c. 822. It was enlarged at that time mainly to serve as a repository for relics from the catacombs.
For more on Santa Prassede all'Esquilino, see:
For further information on the Station Churches, see The Stational Church.
