Monday of Holy Week
HOLI
The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom should, I fear? The LORD is my life’s refuge; of whom should I be afraid?
This verse is and should be our declaration of faith. Let us commit it to memorization and repeat it to ourselves daily or when fear and doubt rears its ugly head within our depths. Doing this will help us trust the Lord and develop a true relationship of love with the Trinity through prayer. God will become our sanctuary and we will be able to put away our fears and rest in the arms of God.
We will no longer have to pretend that we are not afraid for we will trust the Lord with our whole being offering our lives, families, time and treasure with total peace. We will be able to sleep and awaken easily. The old Navajo adage will no longer apply to us; you cannot wake a person who is pretending to be asleep; due to our faith in God.
Through our reliance in Him we will be able to
say with King David, “I believe that I shall see the bounty of the LORD in the
land of the living. Wait for the LORD with courage; be stouthearted, and wait
for the LORD.” (Psalm 27:13-14).
Monday of Holy Week
Prayer.
GRANT, we beseech Thee, Almighty God, that we, who fail through our infirmity,
in so many adversities may be relieved by the passion of Thy Son, making
intercession for us.
EPISTLE.
Isaias 1. 5-10.
In those days Isaias said: The Lord
God hath opened my ear, and I do not resist I have not gone back. I have given
my body to the strikers, and my cheeks to them that plucked them: I have not
turned away my face from them that rebuked me, and spit upon me. The Lord God
is my helper, therefore am I not confounded: therefore, have I set my face as a
most hard rock, and I know that I shall not be confounded. He is near that
justifieth me, who will contend with me? let us stand together, who is my
adversary? let him come near to me. Behold the Lord God is my helper: who is he
that shall condemn me?
Lo,
they shall all be destroyed as a garment, the moth shall eat them up. Who is
there among you that feareth the Lord, that heareth the voice of His servant,
that hath walked in darkness, and hath no light? let him hope in the name of
the Lord, and lean upon his God.
GOSPEL.
John xii. 1-9.
Six
days before the Pasch Jesus came to Bethania, where Lazarus had been dead, whom
Jesus raised to life. And they made Him -a supper there: and Martha served, but
Lazarus was one of them that were at table with Him. Mary therefore took a
pound of ointment of right spikenard, of great price, and anointed the feet of
Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odor
of the ointment. Then one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot, he that was about
to betray Him, said: Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence and
given to the poor?
Now
he said this, not because he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief,
and having the purse, carried the things that were put therein. Jesus therefore
said: Let her alone, that she may keep it against the day of My burial. For the
poor you have always with you: but Me you have not always. A great multitude
therefore of the Jews knew that He was there: and they came, not for Jesus’s
sake only, but that they might see Lazarus, whom He had raised from the dead.
Monday of
Holy Week[1]
The Gospel for the Mass gives an
account of Judas' character, foreshadowing his act of betrayal.
Spring Cleaning
Just as the Hebrews cleaned and swept the whole house
in preparation for the Pasch (Passover), so too is there an ancient custom in
Christianity that the first three weekdays of Holy Week be a time for the
year's most thorough cleaning. Everything is to be scrubbed and polished, and
all work is to be completed by Wednesday evening (in time for Tenebrae).
Tenebrae consists
of the divine office of Matins and Lauds for Maundy Thursday. It is generally
held on the night of "Spy Wednesday" of Holy Week, so-called because
it is believed to be the night on which Judas Iscariot betrayed our Lord.
Timeline of Holy Week[2]
·
Jesus
curses the fig tree. (Mt 21:18-19; Mk 11:12-14)
·
Jesus
cleanses the temple. (Mt 21:10-17; Mk 11:11; Lk 19:45-46; Jn 2:13-25)
·
Parable
of the wicked tenants (Mt 21:33-46; Mk 12:1-12; Lk 20:9-19)
· Returns to Bethany at night.
On
Monday[3],
Jesus returned with his disciples to Jerusalem. Along the way, He cursed a
fig tree because it had failed to bear fruit. Some scholars believe this
cursing of the fig tree represented God's judgment on the spiritually dead
religious leaders of Israel. Others believe the symbolism extended to all
believers, demonstrating that genuine faith
is more than just outward religiosity. True, living faith must bear spiritual
fruit in a person's life. When Jesus arrived at the Temple he found the courts
full of corrupt money changers.
He began overturning their tables and clearing the Temple, saying, "The
Scriptures declare, 'My Temple will be a house of prayer,' but you have turned
it into a den of thieves." (Luke 19:46) On Monday evening Jesus stayed in
Bethany again, probably in the home of his friends, Mary, Martha, and Lazarus.
Holi-Another Pagan
Fest[4]
Holi is the ancient Hindu Festival
of Love and also known as the Festival of Colors. The origins of Holi lie
in ancient Hindu traditions where Holi was celebrated to mark the arrival of spring.
Holi is also related to the legend of Holika, the evil sister of demon
king Hiranyakashipu, who tried to burn Hiranyakashipu's son Prahlada.
Prahlada had maintained faith in god (Vishnu), while Hiranyakashipu
contended that he was god. Wearing a cloak that guarded her from fire,
Holika lured Prahlada into a fire but the cloak that was guarding Holika flew
and protected Prahlada instead. Because of this Holi also celebrates the
triumph of good over evil, knowledge over ignorance, and love over hate.
Holi
Facts & Quotes
·
The
name Holi stems from Holiya, who was the evil sister of a demon god that tried
to burn her nephew. According to ancient Sanskrit scriptures, Holiya died
in the fire while her nephew was unharmed. Since then, on the eve of Holi,
a bonfire named Holiya is lit to signify the triumph of good over evil.
·
Central
to most Holi festivals are bright colors that are often thrown, sprayed or
painted on. For this reason, Holi is often refered to as the Festival of
Colors.
·
Traditionally
colors were achieved through dyes that were made from turmeric, sandalwood,
flower and leaf extracts, and beetroots. In recent times Synthetic Color
dyes are often used during Holi festivals. These dyes are often toxic or
cause allergic reactions. It's a good idea to rub coconut oil into your
skin beforehand, to prevent toxic color dyes from absorbing.
·
Bhang,
tea made from cannabis leaves, is frequently served at some Holi celebrations
in India and Nepal. Bhang also contains milk, butter and spices (cinnamon or
nutmeg).
·
Holi
is the day to express love with colors. It is a time to show affection. All the
colors that are on you are of love. – Anonymous
Catholics and Holi[5]
With
Indians and Hindus celebrating Holi, a spring festival of colors, today, Bishop
Thomas Dabre of Poona has encouraged the faithful to participate in the
celebration, which is meant to promote spiritual and social harmony. Holi is
celebrated with everyone throwing brightly dyed powders on each other. It marks
the setting aside of differences and grudges in a spirit of reconciliation.
Observing the collective celebratory spirit of Holi which integrates joy,
enthusiasm and freedom, Bishop Dabre said the day “gives a message of joy and
happiness.”
Nevertheless,
Bishop Dabre cautioned that “Holi must live the holy joy, and the joy a
religion should spread is not without norms or principles but must be coupled with
the observance of commandments.” The true joy that emanates from religion must
respect the freedom of others; not impose our likes and dislikes on others,” he
reflected. Hindus begin the celebration with a Holika bonfire the evening prior
to Holi, which relates to the myth upon which the festival is based. However,
the throwing of color and water which all Indians participate in is a
manifestation of joy and friendship across religious lines. Bishop Dabre also noted that “religion must
be experienced as a liberating experience of freedom, and this is very
significant in the context of religious terrorism and extremism in different
parts of the world, and in India.”
He
lamented the rise of such groups as the Taliban, Boko Haram, and Islamic State,
saying that in these cases, “religion has become a cause of fear, terror,
injustice and oppression.” In the light of recent persecution and
discrimination against Christians in India, Bishop Dabre lamented that “even in
our country, in the name of religion unreasonable restriction are imposed on
the people; force and pressure is employed to reconvert people and to ban
the adoption of a religion of one’s choice … also gruesome crimes are committed
against women and people of the so-called low caste. Thus, religion has become
a matter of grievous concern. “However, “in such a situation Holi gives an
important lesson that religion must spread true joy and freedom,” he added.
May the Lord help
us conquer our fear[6]
“In
these days there's so much suffering. There's a lot of fear.” Pope Francis’ …
“The
fear of the elderly who are alone in nursing homes, or hospitals, or in their
own homes, and don't know what will happen. The fear of those who don’t have
regular jobs and are thinking about how to feed their children. They foresee
they may go hungry. The fear of many civil servants. At this moment they're
working to keep society functioning and they might get sick. There’s also the
fear, the fears, of each one of us. Each one knows what their own fears are. We
pray to the Lord that He might help us to trust, and to tolerate and conquer
these fears.”
He
based his thoughts on the first reading from Exodus 32:7-14.
From the Living God to idols
Pope
Francis explained how the chosen people turned into idolaters. They lose patience
waiting for Moses to return from the mountain. They “get bored”, the Pope said.
A “nostalgia for idolatry” overtakes them.
“It
was a true apostasy. From the Living God to idolatry not knowing how to wait
for the Living God. This nostalgia is an illness, which is ours. We begin to
walk enthusiastically toward freedom, but then the complaining begins: ‘This is
really difficult. It's a desert. I’m thirsty. I want water. I want meat… In
Egypt we ate good things. There's nothing here’.
Idolatry is selective
The
Pope then described how idolatry is “selective”. “It makes you think of
the good things that it gives you. But it doesn't allow you to see the bad
things”, he said. The chosen people remembered all the good things that were on
their tables when they were in Egypt. “But they forgot that it was the table of
slavery”, Pope Francis pointed out.
Idolatry takes everything
Idolaters
lose everything, the Pope continued. The chosen people handed over all of their
gold and silver to make the golden calf. They constructed the golden calf with
gifts God had given to them. It was He who had to ask the Egyptians for their
gold before they took flight.
“This
mechanism also happens to us. When we do things that lead us to idolatry, we
become attached to things that distance us from God. We make another god with
the gifts that the Lord has given us: with our intelligence, our will, our
love, our heart. We use God’s very gifts to make idols.”
Idols in our hearts
The
crucifixes or images of Our Lady that we have in our houses are not our idols.
“They are in our hearts”, the Pope said. Each of us should ask ourselves what
idols we have hidden in our hearts. Idolatry can even affect our prayer. After
all, the chosen people wanted to worship the idol they made. One way we do this
is by changing “the celebration of a sacrament into a secular celebration”, the
Pope suggested.
The question today
“What
are my idols?” “Where do I hide them?” These are the questions to ask we today,
the Pope said, concluding his homily.
“May
the Lord not find us at the end of our lives and say to us: ‘You apostatized.
You deviated from the way that I marked out. You prostrated yourself before an
idol’. We ask the Lord for the grace of recognizing our own idols.”
Daily
Devotions/Activities
·
Eat waffles and Pray for the assistance of the Angels
·
Manhood of
the Master-week 6 day 6
·
Monday: Litany of
Humility
·
Rosary
[2]https://www.catholicconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/Timeline-of-Holy-Week.pdf
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