Among the tombs and stones...

Changing his heart, he said in strong rebuke:

"Nay, thou and I have well deserved to die,

Not so this Man, no evil hath He done."

Then turning to the silent Sufferer

Beside him, humbly prayed: "When Thou shalt come

Unto Thy Kingdom, Lord, remember me."

No more than this! Ah, Dismas little knew

The height and depth and breadth of that great Heart

To which he thus appealed... from A Legend of St. Dismas by A. H.

Sparkling new stone with such old dates... a cemetery anomaly said the caretakers.

This marker is 80 years past due... our story of finding Vivian's gravesite can be read here and here.

 A Good Friday spent among tombs and stones, honoring the memory of an innocent one hammers into the heart the hope of the Resurrection to come. Thank you to all who prayed for us to find this lost little one.

Jesus Meets His Mother

From the archives 2007...

... According to Father, this visiting priest spoke about the fourth station, Jesus Meets His Mother, with such tenderness and insight. I think, just about every mother would say that this station is the one they feel the most. It is the one point in the movie, The Passion, that is sure to have me bawling just knowing it is coming up. It is the station that brought about the "reversion" of a dear friend of mine who was struggling with the Church's teaching on Mary. Why do we love her so much? As she discovered on the island of Capri one Holy Week... because He loved her so much!

But this priest asked a question that I had never heard before, maybe you have... what was Mary thinking when she met Jesus? As a mom, we can imagine some of the pain she was going through. We know for a fact it was as though a sword was piercing her own heart. But what was she thinking? Father posited an answer.


She said a prayer. Please, help Him.


She said this quiet prayer. And it was answered. How do we know? Because the next station is Simon Helps Jesus Carry His Cross. Can't you just hear Mary begging God for this? Please help Him! She knew who He was and what He had to do, but she was still His mother and He was her son. Please, help Him!

And then the next station, Veronica Wipes the Face of Jesus. As a mom, it can be heart breaking to see your child's face altered due to a simple accident, even a childhood mishap that will naturally be corrected over time. This was her son's precious face, all covered with blood and sweat and dirt. Can't you hear the Blessed Mother crying inside... Let me see His beautiful face again!

This was the first time I had ever heard this interpretation and while I know that we can't know for sure, it really made sense to me. I have always been perplexed by the fifth station. Why did he need help? Who was Simon of Cyrene? Why was he chosen and what are we supposed to learn from this station? Yes, I've read the different interpretations and I think there are many scholarly people with plenty to say about the significance and importance of this station and the next, but I still. didn't. get it.

And St. Veronica? How did she make it through the crowds? Why would the guards have allowed this kindness after they had already inflicted so much pain? Were they distracted? Why?

This answer makes sense. All questions fade away.  

Please, help him.

God couldn't refuse the prayer of the Blessed Mother. He knows the tortures of a mother's heart and he hears her prayers.

Preparing

So much to do, so little time. Plans hampered even further by feverish child lying limp on the couch. No errands. No quick trips. Just still. This is the Holy Week God has planned for us. Yours might be different. For those feeling up to it, here is a glimpse into our celebrations of the past with lots of opportunity for togetherness. 

All inspiration comes from the Divine Inspirer. Thanks be to Him for the gift of sharing.

~ Triduum ~

Clothespin Apostles 2009

A Happy and Holy Thursday 2007

Holy Week Traditions 2008

Holy Thursday Menu Traditions 2009  

Good Friday 2008

Good Friday Reflections 2007

While PAAS certainly has it's place in our house, natural dyed eggs are our favorite. I think we might have exhausted just about every known vegetable and every known pun. You can choose your favorites to try if you'd like:

 Veggie Eggs-travaganza 2010

Eggs. Naturally! and Final Thoughts on Eggs 2009

Eggsellent Creativitea 2008

Egg-cellent Fun! 2007

Don't for the entire Easter Season, don't forget the Good Shepherd Garden Parties Jessica and I put together last year. Jessica has kindly provided some updated plans at all the old links. You can still order a calendar via Amazon (whoops, those are gone now), Aquinas and More or LTP (fyi: they used to charge a lot for shipping). If you can't get a hold of one, you can use the printables I made last year.

A blessed Holy Week to you all!

Gloria, laus et honor!

Christ's Entry into Jerusalem by Jean-Hippolyte Flandin (1842)

As the Lord entered the holy city, the children of the Hebrews proclaimed the resurrection of life. They carried olive branches and exclaimed: Hosanna in the highest.

Good Friday Reflection

From the archives...

... According to Father, this visiting priest spoke about the fourth station, Jesus Meets His Mother, with such tenderness and insight. I think, just about every mother would say that this station is the one they feel the most. It is the one point in the movie, The Passion, that is sure to have me bawling just knowing it is coming up. It is the station that brought about the "reversion" of a dear friend of mine who was struggling with the Church's teaching on Mary. Why do we love her so much? As she discovered on the island of Capri one Holy Week... because He loved her so much!

But this priest asked a question that I had never heard before, maybe you have... what was Mary thinking when she met Jesus? As a mom, we can imagine some of the pain she was going through. We know for a fact it was as though a sword was piercing her own heart. But what was she thinking? Father posited an answer.


She said a prayer. Please, help Him.


She said this quiet prayer. And it was answered. How do we know? Because the next station is Simon Helps Jesus Carry His Cross. Can't you just hear Mary begging God for this? Please help Him! She knew who He was and what He had to do, but she was still His mother and He was her son. Please, help Him!

And then the next station, Veronica Wipes the Face of Jesus. As a mom, it can be heart breaking to see your child's face altered due to a simple accident, even a childhood mishap that will naturally be corrected over time. This was her son's precious face, all covered with blood and sweat and dirt. Can't you hear the Blessed Mother crying inside... Let me see His beautiful face again!

This was the first time I had ever heard this interpretation and while I know that we can't know for sure, it really made sense to me. I have always been perplexed by the fifth station. Why did he need help? Who was Simon of Cyrene? Why was he chosen and what are we supposed to learn from this station? Yes, I've read the different interpretations and I think there are many scholarly people with plenty to say about the significance and importance of this station and the next, but I still. didn't. get it.

And St. Veronica? How did she make it through the crowds? Why would the guards have allowed this kindness after they had already inflicted so much pain? Were they distracted? Why?

This answer makes sense. All questions fade away.  

Please, help him.

God couldn't refuse the prayer of the Blessed Mother. He knows the tortures of a mother's heart and he hears her prayers.

It begins...

Jesus Meets His Mother

~from Good Friday 2007

The visiting priest apparently spoke about the fourth station, Jesus Meets His Mother, with such tenderness and insight. How could you not? I think, just about every mother would say that this station is the one they feel the most. It is the one point in The Passion that is sure to have me bawling just knowing it is coming up. It is the station that brought about the "reversion" of a dear friend of mine who was struggling with the Church's teaching on Mary. Why do we love her so much? As she discovered on the island of Capri one Holy Week... because He loved her so much!

But this priest asked a question that I had never heard before, maybe you have... what was Mary thinking when she met Jesus? As a mom, we can imagine some of the pain she was going through. We know for a fact it was as though a sword was piercing her own heart. But what was she thinking? Father posited an answer.

She prayed, "Please help Him!"

She said a quiet prayer. And it was answered. How do we know? Because the next station is Simon Helps Jesus Carry His Cross. Can't you just hear Mary begging God for this? Please help Him! She knew who He was and what He had to do, but she was still His mother and He was her son. Please, help Him!

And then the next station, Veronica Wipes the Face of Jesus. As a mom, it can be heart breaking to see your child's face altered due to a simple accident, even a childhood mishap that will naturally be corrected over time. This was her son's precious face, all covered with blood and sweat and dirt. Can't you hear the Blessed Mother crying inside... Let me see His beautiful face again!

This was the first time I had ever heard this interpretation and while I know that we can't know for sure, it really made sense to me. I have always been perplexed by the fifth station. Why did He need help? Who was Simon of Cyrene? Why was he chosen and what are we supposed to learn from this station? Yes, I've read the different interpretations and I think there are many scholarly people with plenty to say about the significance and importance of this station and the next, but I still. didn't. get it.

And St. Veronica? How did she make it through the crowds? Why would the guards have allowed this kindness after they had already inflicted so much pain? Were they distracted? Why?

It makes so much more sense now. God wouldn't refuse the prayer of the Blessed Mother. He knows the tortures of a mother's heart and he hears her prayers.

Clothespin Apostles

This week, we are going to be working on making the rest of the Apostles to go with our other clothespin figures. We only have Peter and John and the children decided they wanted to make the rest (I just had to stop myself from typing "collect the whole set"). Here are some of our scenes from the past: