Christ is truly risen...He is truly risen!

Today's Gospel (Mk 16:1-7): When the Sabbath was over, Mary of Magdala, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go and anoint the body.

And very early in the morning on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they came to the tomb. They were saying to one another, «Who will roll back the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?».

But as they looked up, they noticed that the stone had already been rolled away. It was a very big stone.

As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man in a white robe seated on the right, and they were amazed. But he said to them, «Don’t be alarmed; you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth who was crucified; he has been raised and is not here. This is, however, the place where they laid him.
Now go and tell his disciples and Peter: ‘Jesus is going ahead of you to Galilee; you will see him there just as he told you’».

Today’s Gospel emphasizes that the young man -the angel- that speaks to the women, joins the two concepts of pain and glory: He who has risen is the same one that was crucified.

St. Leo de Great says: «… (The power of the Cross) the believers receive strength for weakness, glory for shame, life for death»; our everyday Cross is, therefore, the path of Resurrection.

Above and beyond the bliss consequence of Christ’s Resurrection, this occurrence also brings us the happiness of being able to rely upon a clear cut and joyful answer to man’s queries: what is awaiting us at the end of life?

What is the point of the suffering on earth? We cannot doubt that, after death, a new eternal life awaits us: «you will see Him there just as He told you» (Mk 16:7).

St. Paul avows with great conviction: «Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over Him» (Rm 6:8-9).

To the question about the end of life, the Christian logically answers with a happy expectation.

Today, the Church celebrates with joy the main festivity: the triumph of its Head, Jesus Christ. The Resurrection of Jesus Christ is a reality of which we cannot have any doubt.

It is not infrequent, and it is understandable, that a heavenly event, like a resurrected body, cannot be assimilated by our earthly means. Soon enough, though, Mary of Magdala and St. James’ mother would receive straightforward evidence, later authenticated with many appearances, and carried out in such a way that excluded any suspicion of eventual hallucinations: «Don’t be alarmed; you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth who was crucified; he has been raised and is not here. This is, however, the place where they laid him» (Mk 16:6).

Have a blessed Easter to all...

celebrating Easter Sunday with the monks of Saint Meinrad

This is, so far, one of the highlights of Sunday Easter celebration in the monastic community of Saint Meinrad ArchAbbey.

A reception after the 12:00PM midday prayers followed. At 12:15PM, the banquet in Talking-meal mode, was held at the community's refectory.

The following images will show you how Easter Sunday reception and banquet are conducted in a huge community of monks like Saint Meinrad.

The Resurrection…

At Eastertime, we ponder together on the message of the empty tomb. The empty tomb is the silent witness to the Resurrection of Jesus. There are no recorded eye witness accounts of how the Resurrection of Jesus happened. The women and the close friends of Jesus saw the empty tomb and they believed. The women who saw the empty tomb were overjoyed. For them it meant that the Lord had indeed risen, according to His promise.

But not all who saw the empty tomb were overjoyed. The soldiers also saw the same spot where Jesus was laid and they became frightened. They were frightened by the consequences of their actions three days ago. They were fearful that Jesus might get back at them and exact vengeance.
The resurrection of Jesus is the proof that He is indeed the Anointed One of God. They had killed God. What a disaster this meant for them! The soldiers saw the empty tomb and saw a threat. Here is a great reason to be afraid. Here is one reality. Here are two opposite reactions to the same empty tomb.

These two opposite reactions to the empty tomb are typical of the reactions of mankind to the reality that God is alive and lives with us. If a reliable source would tell you that the end of the world would be two hours from now, what would you do? Some might go into a spiritual cramming like going to confession, being in church and reconciling with enemies. All these will be done as a sort of protection against the wrath of an angry God.

The second coming of Christ evokes fear in many. They see it as the time of judgment, the moment of wrath. Run for your lives.

The first Christians looked forward to the second coming of Jesus, not in fear and in trembling but with thrill and excitement. It was to be the moment of irrevocable reunion, a time of ecstasy, the perfect hour of joy and happiness.

Does the second coming of Christ make you afraid or does it excite you? Does the reality of the empty tomb, meaning that Christ lives forever, excite you or threaten you?

More than two thousand years ago, at the sight of the empty tomb, some became afraid while some were overjoyed.

Today, at the sight of an empty tomb, many respond by saying: “So what?” They see the empty tomb and they are not affected by it anymore. Christ does not bother them anymore. Christ is dead and morality is passe. The absence of God does not affect us positively or negatively. Who cares about the empty tomb? What the heck is it all about? I do not mind even if God is not here. In fact, it sounds so much better that God is absent. Let us have our holiday.

Is God alive in the way we conduct public service? Is God in politics? In family life? In the economy? Is God in business and in the entertainment? We cannot just say, “It is part of my job.” We cannot just hide behind our shallow pious rituals, behind popular religiosity. We inflict pains on our bodies and we flagellate once a year on Good Friday but for the rest of the year, we inflict pain on the bodies around us. We play dumb and blind to the anguish of the poor and the homeless, the scavengers and the street children!

Does Christ still affect us? Does His absence still prick our hearts? The Gospel of the Resurrection is a double-edged sword! It will bring comfort to the afflicted. It can also afflict those who are too comfortable.

On behalf of the monks of Christ in the Desert, I wish you all a very joyous and peace-filled Easter Season! May God bless us all!

on Wednesday of the Octave of Easter.....

after three days of respite from the celebrations the monks had at the monastery, (i still sustain a little of muscle pains in my legs and my back due to two days of cooking and the day's preparation of foods on the banquet table) i finally was able to sneak myself from my daily work schedule and took a silent step to the church for some souvenir pixels and images of this year's Easter ambience inside our sanctuary (i thought of really not making this event passes by without me catching at least some images and pixels of it-... the camwhore in me ,of course, has overpowered me again)....
images were almost the same from the previous years, no difference- (images were not subjected for any photshop or editing whatsoever)...but more rays from the scorching sun penetrating inside coming from the crystalled glass walls of the church...

Christ is risen, He is truly risen Alleluia

it's Easter Sunday- a day of triumph for  the  Christendom because truly Christ is risen from the dead...

in our  monastery- we started the day by  our Easter Vigils at 4:00o'clock in the freezing morning( but without snow huh!-for we prayed hard last night not to have snow since we will go to the  cemetery for the Easter Fires-and so indeed, God  listened to us and so we were able to push thru with the  3-hour  ceremony that  began in the cemetery at 4Am and ended in the abbey church for the Easter Mass...)

thanks God that i was able to capture a good view of this image:you can  see the  beam of  light from the rays of the sun- so you can imagine how beautiful we will spend our easter at the canyons with the blessing of this warm sunny day ...

this image  was actually taken after the Easter Mass- and  to my family who's reading  this post- i wish you all a happy triumphant Easter... to may, my sister-   keep going!...to janet-the first born of  may, continue to lead a good life so that your siblings may witnesss and emulate you, to jason, keep going with your savings so you can have  a grand wedding, to joyce-stay as sweet as you are and you will find a much better guy, and to james- study harder so  you may reap the fruits of your labor-- and to  all my LJ  and Bloger frends here...( henry and randy, kalikyutboy, feline, bench, gigi litratista and my utols aris and ding, have a  happy Easter to all of  you and to your family and loved ones....

front view of our  altar in  Church with flowers and adornments...and showing the statue of St. John The Baptist -our patron Saint at the left,  and the  Tabernacle of the Blessed Sacrament  situated at the middle back.

i was delighted to be able to catch in my frame the light coming from the rays of the sun- quite a chance--a  blessed chance!...not all of  images i took outdoor  in the past would show the visible rays of the sun---only now! at Easter Sunday...

this is the  image of the baptismal font  used during the Mass where holy water for the renewal of baptismal vows and the sprinkling  of it to the whole assembly inside the church was used...