under the light of the full moon of spring
Today we start the holy week, the highest and holiest of weeks in the year, the week wherein we will commemorate the anniversary of the paschal mystery, the anniversary of the passion, death and resurrection of our Lord. Tomorrow April 18 is the day of the full moon. This is the moon that marks this anniversary, the first full moon of spring, the moon that also marks the Passover which the Jews celebrate to mark their freedom, their crossing over from the land of slavery to the land of the free, from the slavery of Egypt to the promised land of the free. This too is our anniversary, the anniversary of our crossing over from the slavery and bondage of sin to the freedom of the sons and daughters of God, and we are freed because of the blood of the lamb who took away the sins of the world, the blood whose shedding is celebrated yearly in an anniversary which coincides with the full moon of spring. Tomorrow I want you to go out of your houses, make an abstinence of not watching your favorite tele-novelas and look at the moon, gaze at the moon and let its light touch your skin for that is exactly the moon, that is exactly the face of the moon, that is exactly the light of the moon that they saw when they ate the last supper, the moon that they saw with Jesus on the garden of Gethsemane, the same moon on the day when they had Jesus crucified for our salvation, the same moon that rose on the day that they buried him on a borrowed tomb.
I think it would be an insult if the same moon will find us in Boracay frolicking and enjoying the beach when two thousand years ago the same light from the same moon made the blood scattered on the ground of Calvary flicker and glimmer into the night. I think it would be an insult not to take notice of the moon beginning tonight, not to take notice because we are busy singing with the videoke and drinking beer under the same moon whose borrowed light lighted up their way to the tomb to bury our Lord. I believe it would be a belittling of what Jesus has done for us. I believe it would be a belittling of what our mother Mary suffered when she held the dead body of the son she bore in her womb under the light of the full moon of spring.
The week beginning today will be lighted by the light of the full moon of spring, the same light which made witnesses to the great act of God in revealing to you and to me the very depth of his love.
Please make the holy week holy. This is a holy week, go to mass daily if this is possible. Go to a recollection, to a retreat and find a quiet time for yourself. Go to confession. Make the way of the cross with your family and it would be meaningful to do so under the light of the moon, the full moon of spring.
Today we proclaimed to you in the gospel the great act of Christ, this long gospel which narrates the passion and death of our Lord so that you can bring its thoughts home with you to guide you in your reflection throughout the week. Please give your souls a break during this week most especially from the afternoon of Holy Thursday to the evening of black Saturday. It is true that you have no obligation to come to church but it would be a useless enterprise when after 40 days of lent you will not attend the very feast for which lent prepares us for. The afternoon mass on Holy Thursday, the celebration of the cross at 4:00 oçlock on Good Friday, and the easter vigil at 10:00 in the evening of Black Saturday or more appropriately sabado de gloria, are celebrations in the parish which you should not miss. I said give your souls a break. Indi ini tion sa pagdagyang. Look at the church today. We even have to cover our ostentatious decorations and our vanity to keep us focused on Jesus on the altar and the blessed sacrament. Bisan gani sa aton mismo simbahan ginapatabunan sa aton ang kalingawan sang aton mga mata, tapos kita iya magadyang sa kon diin diin. Mahimunong kita, magpangamuyo, magpamalandong - and do something good for your souls.
Ini nga semana tion para sa hipos nga pagpamalandong kay ini nga semana balaan, ang silak nga nagahalin sa bulan sa sini nga semana balaan kay ini nga silak magatuytuy sa aton sa pag-apreciar liwat sang mga ginbuhat ni Kristo para sa tagsa-tagsa sa aton tungod sang iya labing daku nga paghigugma sa isa kag isa sa aton. May you profit from this holy week, may you be made holy by this holiest of weeks.
I think it would be an insult if the same moon will find us in Boracay frolicking and enjoying the beach when two thousand years ago the same light from the same moon made the blood scattered on the ground of Calvary flicker and glimmer into the night. I think it would be an insult not to take notice of the moon beginning tonight, not to take notice because we are busy singing with the videoke and drinking beer under the same moon whose borrowed light lighted up their way to the tomb to bury our Lord. I believe it would be a belittling of what Jesus has done for us. I believe it would be a belittling of what our mother Mary suffered when she held the dead body of the son she bore in her womb under the light of the full moon of spring.
The week beginning today will be lighted by the light of the full moon of spring, the same light which made witnesses to the great act of God in revealing to you and to me the very depth of his love.
Please make the holy week holy. This is a holy week, go to mass daily if this is possible. Go to a recollection, to a retreat and find a quiet time for yourself. Go to confession. Make the way of the cross with your family and it would be meaningful to do so under the light of the moon, the full moon of spring.
Today we proclaimed to you in the gospel the great act of Christ, this long gospel which narrates the passion and death of our Lord so that you can bring its thoughts home with you to guide you in your reflection throughout the week. Please give your souls a break during this week most especially from the afternoon of Holy Thursday to the evening of black Saturday. It is true that you have no obligation to come to church but it would be a useless enterprise when after 40 days of lent you will not attend the very feast for which lent prepares us for. The afternoon mass on Holy Thursday, the celebration of the cross at 4:00 oçlock on Good Friday, and the easter vigil at 10:00 in the evening of Black Saturday or more appropriately sabado de gloria, are celebrations in the parish which you should not miss. I said give your souls a break. Indi ini tion sa pagdagyang. Look at the church today. We even have to cover our ostentatious decorations and our vanity to keep us focused on Jesus on the altar and the blessed sacrament. Bisan gani sa aton mismo simbahan ginapatabunan sa aton ang kalingawan sang aton mga mata, tapos kita iya magadyang sa kon diin diin. Mahimunong kita, magpangamuyo, magpamalandong - and do something good for your souls.
Ini nga semana tion para sa hipos nga pagpamalandong kay ini nga semana balaan, ang silak nga nagahalin sa bulan sa sini nga semana balaan kay ini nga silak magatuytuy sa aton sa pag-apreciar liwat sang mga ginbuhat ni Kristo para sa tagsa-tagsa sa aton tungod sang iya labing daku nga paghigugma sa isa kag isa sa aton. May you profit from this holy week, may you be made holy by this holiest of weeks.
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