The Archdiocesan Shrine of Jesus, the Way, the Truth and the Life is located just beside the infamous Mall of Asia (MOA) in Pasay City. It is under the jurisdiction of the Archdiocese of Manila.
Sunday, December 20, 2015
PARISH OF OUR LADY OF THE ABANDONED, Brgy. Hulo, Mandaluyong City, Philippines
The Parish Church of Our Lady of the Abandoned is located in Barangay Hulo, Mandaluyong City. It is under the administration of the Mission Society of the Philippines (MSP) which, according to its official website, is "the official and chief missionary arm of the Catholic Church of the Philippines."
Sunday, October 11, 2015
National Shrine of Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage of Antipolo, Philippines
The National Shrine of Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage of Antipolo is also the seat or the cathedral-church of the Bishop of Antipolo. Hence, it is also known as the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception.
Tuesday, August 25, 2015
OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE CHAPEL, BDO Corporate Center, Makati City, Philippines
The Chapel of Our Lady of Guadalupe is located at the basement area of one of the Corporate Towers of BDO or Banco De Oro in H.V. Dela Costa Street (cor. Makati Avenue), Makati City. It provides spiritual refuge not just for the employees of the Bank, but for all passers-by who wishes to seek and thank the Lord.
Friday, August 21, 2015
SAINT JOSEPH, THE HUSBAND OF MARY, QUASI-PARISH, Legazpi City, Albay, Philippines
The Quasi-Parish of Saint Joseph, the Husband of Mary, is located at Barangay Rawis in Legazpi City, Albay. It is under the jurisdiction of the Diocese of Legazpi.
According to the Code of Canon (516), "...a quasi-parish is equivalent to a parish; a
quasi-parish is a definite community of the Christian faithful in a particular
church, entrusted to a priest as its proper pastor but not yet erected as a
parish because of particular circumstances." These particular circumstances, unfortunately, were not identified in the Code of Canon.
Tuesday, August 11, 2015
OUR LADY OF THE GATE PARISH CHURCH (DARAGA CHURCH), Albay, Philippines
One
of the most significant places to visit when you are in Albay is the
historical and beautiful Catholic Church of DARAGA. It is otherwise known as the
Nuestra Señora de la Porteria (Our Lady of the Gate) Parish Church and
is under the jurisdiction of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Legazpi. It
was built on top of a hill in 1773 by Franciscan Missionaries.
From the Church, one can also have a good view of the Mayon Volcano and nearby towns.
OUR LADY OF THE MOST HOLY ROSARY PARISH CHURCH, Rodriguez, Rizal, Philippines
Few months ago, I went to Rodriguez (formerly Montalban) in the province of
Rizal to witness my friend's civil wedding ceremony which was held in
the municipality's gymnasium. Right across the gymnasium was the
historical and beautiful Church of Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary.
Sunday, August 9, 2015
HOLY FACE OF JESUS CHAPEL, Quiapo, Manila, Philippines
The Holy Face of Jesus Chapel is located in Quaipo, Manila. It is run by the Sisters of the Holy Face of Jesus; and is under the jurisdiction of the Archdiocese of Manila.
Saturday, May 9, 2015
THE GLASS CHAPEL OF SAINT THERESE OF THE CHILD JESUS, Pico de Loro, Nasugbu, Batangas, Philippines
The Glass Chapel of Saint Therese of the Child Jesus is located inside the vicinity of PICO DE LORO Beach and Country Club. It is situated on top of a hill, overlooking the beautiful Hamilo Coast. The Chapel is under the jurisdiction of the Archdiocese of Lipa. Holy Mass is celebrated every Sunday at 10:00 AM.
Friday, May 8, 2015
Prayer to JESUS, the Black Nazarene
Lord Jesus of Nazareth, teach us to pray always. Guard our thoughts and senses, so that all that we do may be pleasing to You. Through Your suffering and death, You brought us everlasting life. Give us the strength of the Holy Spirit, so that we may never grow tired of serving You and our neighbors. By Your suffering and prayer at Gethsemane, teach us obedience to God’s will I spite of hardships and trials in life. Help us to honestly and faithfully pray; and not to do good only to be seen by people.
[Pause for Personal Intention]
Lord God, come and strengthen the hope and faith that You have given us, so that we may truly experience Your presence in our lives.
Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Wednesday, May 6, 2015
Prayer to SAINT JUDE THADDEUS, patron of hopeless cases
Oh glorious apostle St. Jude, faithful servant and friend of Jesus,
the name of the traitor who delivered thy beloved Master into the hands
of His enemies has caused thee to be forgotten by many, but the Church
honors and invokes thee universally as the patron of hopeless cases--of
things despaired of. Pray for me who am so miserable; make use, I
implore thee, of that particular privilege accorded thee of bringing
visible and speedy help where help is almost despaired of. Come to my
assistance in this great need, that I may receive the consolations and
succor of heaven in all my necessities, tribulations and sufferings,
particularly (mention your request), and that I may bless God with thee
and all the elect throughout eternity. I promise thee, O blessed St.
Jude, to be ever mindful of this great favor, and I will never cease to
honor thee as my special and powerful patron, and to do all in my power
to encourage devotion to thee. Amen
Tuesday, May 5, 2015
A PRAYER TO OUR MOTHER OF PERPETUAL HELP
O Mother of Perpetual
Help, grant that I may ever invoke thy most powerful
name, which is the safeguard of the living and the
salvation of the dying. O Purest Mary, O Sweetest Mary,
let thy name henceforth be ever on my lips. Delay not, O
Blessed Lady, to help me whenever I call on thee, for, in
all my needs, in all my temptations I shall never cease
to call on thee, ever repeating thy sacred name, Mary,
Mary.
O what consolation, what sweetness, what confidence,
what emotion fill my soul when I pronounce thy sacred
name, or even only think of thee. I thank God for having
given thee, for my good, so sweet, so powerful, so lovely
a name. But I will not be content with merely pronouncing
thy name: let my love for thee prompt me ever to hail
thee, Mother of Perpetual Help.
Saturday, May 2, 2015
PRAYER FOR PREPARATION FOR THE HOLY MASS by Saint Ambrose
Lord, Jesus Christ, I approach your banquet table in fear
and trembling, for I am a sinner, and dare not rely on my own worth but only on
your goodness and mercy. I am defiled by many sins in body and soul, and by my
unguarded thoughts and words. Gracious God of majesty and awe, I seek your
protection, I look for your healing, poor troubled sinner that I am, I appeal
to you, the fountain of all mercy. I cannot bear your judgment, but I trust in
your salvation. Lord, I show my wounds to you and uncover my shame before you.
I know my sins are many and great, and they fill me with fear, but I hope in
your mercies, for they cannot be numbered.
Thursday, April 23, 2015
IMMACULATE CONCEPTION PARISH CHURCH, Marikina City, Philippines
Located in Concepcion Uno in Markina City, this Church is one of the most popular places of devotion in the area. It is under the jurisdiction of the Diocese of Antipolo.
Wednesday, April 15, 2015
Minor Basilica of St. Lorenzo Ruiz and Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary Parish (BINONDO CHURCH), Manila, Philippines
The Minor Basilica of St. Lorenzo Ruiz and Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary Parish is most commonly known as Binondo Church. It is under the jurisdiction of the Archdiocese of Manila.
Thursday, March 26, 2015
ARCHDIOCESAN SHRINE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT (Espiritu Santo Parish Church), Santa Cruz, Manila, Philippines
The Espiritu Santo Parish Church is located at Santa Cruz, Manila. It is under the jurisdiction of the Archdiocese of Manila. Last June 2014, it was elevated to the status of Archdiocesan Shrine.
Tuesday, March 17, 2015
THE CHAPEL OF THE EUCHARISTIC LORD (Megamall Chapel), Mandaluyong City, Philippines
The Chapel of the Eucharistic Lord is located at 5/F SM Megamall, EDSA corner Julia Vargas Ave., Mandaluyong City. It is under the jurisdiction of the Archdiocese of Manila.
Sunday, March 15, 2015
VISITA IGLESIA: The Stations of the Cross
+In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit
ACT OF CONTRITION
O, my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended you. I detest all my sins because of your just punishment, but most of all because they offend you, my God, who are all-good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve, with the help of Your grace, to sin no more and to avoid the near occasion of sin. Amen
THE FIRST STATION: The Last Supper
V/. We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you.
R/. Because by your holy Cross you have redeemed the world.
READING: Luke 22:14-20
When the hour came, he took his place at table with the apostles. He said to them, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer, for, I tell you, I shall not eat it [again] until there is fulfillment in the kingdom of God.”
Then he took a cup, gave thanks, and said, “Take this and share it among yourselves; for I tell you [that] from this time on I shall not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.”
Then he took the bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which will be given for you; do this in memory of me.” And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which will be shed for you.
REFLECTION: "What, then, is the heart of this Supper? The actions of the breaking of bread, of distributing it to those who are His own, and of sharing the chalice of wine -- with the words that accompany them and within the context of prayer in which they occur: It is the institution of the Eucharist; it is the great prayer of Jesus and the Church." (Pope Benedict XVI)
*Moment of Silence
Our Father... Hail Mary... Glory be...
NEXT: THE SECOND STATION: The Agony in the Garden
R/. Because by your holy Cross you have redeemed the world.
When the hour came, he took his place at table with the apostles. He said to them, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer, for, I tell you, I shall not eat it [again] until there is fulfillment in the kingdom of God.”
Then he took a cup, gave thanks, and said, “Take this and share it among yourselves; for I tell you [that] from this time on I shall not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.”
Then he took the bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which will be given for you; do this in memory of me.” And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which will be shed for you.
REFLECTION: "What, then, is the heart of this Supper? The actions of the breaking of bread, of distributing it to those who are His own, and of sharing the chalice of wine -- with the words that accompany them and within the context of prayer in which they occur: It is the institution of the Eucharist; it is the great prayer of Jesus and the Church." (Pope Benedict XVI)
*Moment of Silence
Our Father... Hail Mary... Glory be...
NEXT: THE SECOND STATION: The Agony in the Garden
THE SECOND STATION: The Agony in the Garden
V/. We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you.
R/. Because by your holy Cross you have redeemed the world.
READING: Luke 22:39-46
Then going out he went, as was his custom, to the Mount of Olives, and the disciples followed him. When he arrived at the place he said to them, “Pray that you may not undergo the test.”
After withdrawing about a stone’s throw from them and kneeling, he prayed, saying, “Father, if you are willing, take this cup away from me; still, not my will but yours be done.”
And to strengthen him an angel from heaven appeared to him. He was in such agony and he prayed so fervently that his sweat became like drops of blood falling on the ground.
When he rose from prayer and returned to his disciples, he found them sleeping from grief. He said to them, “Why are you sleeping? Get up and pray that you may not undergo the test.”
REFLECTION: "In Jesus’ prayer to the Father on that terrible and marvellous night in Gethsemane, the “earth” became “heaven”; the “earth” of his human will, shaken by fear and anguish, was taken up by his divine will in such a way that God’s will was done on earth. And this is also important in our own prayers: we must learn to entrust ourselves more to divine Providence, to ask God for the strength to come out of ourselves to renew our “yes” to him, to say to him “thy will be done”, so as to conform our will to his. It is a prayer we must pray every day because it is not always easy to entrust ourselves to God’s will, repeating the “yes” of Jesus, the “yes” of Mary." (Pope Benedict XVI)
*Moment of Silence
Our Father... Hail Mary... Glory be...
NEXT: THE THIRD STATION: Jesus before the Sanhedrin
R/. Because by your holy Cross you have redeemed the world.
Then going out he went, as was his custom, to the Mount of Olives, and the disciples followed him. When he arrived at the place he said to them, “Pray that you may not undergo the test.”
After withdrawing about a stone’s throw from them and kneeling, he prayed, saying, “Father, if you are willing, take this cup away from me; still, not my will but yours be done.”
And to strengthen him an angel from heaven appeared to him. He was in such agony and he prayed so fervently that his sweat became like drops of blood falling on the ground.
When he rose from prayer and returned to his disciples, he found them sleeping from grief. He said to them, “Why are you sleeping? Get up and pray that you may not undergo the test.”
REFLECTION: "In Jesus’ prayer to the Father on that terrible and marvellous night in Gethsemane, the “earth” became “heaven”; the “earth” of his human will, shaken by fear and anguish, was taken up by his divine will in such a way that God’s will was done on earth. And this is also important in our own prayers: we must learn to entrust ourselves more to divine Providence, to ask God for the strength to come out of ourselves to renew our “yes” to him, to say to him “thy will be done”, so as to conform our will to his. It is a prayer we must pray every day because it is not always easy to entrust ourselves to God’s will, repeating the “yes” of Jesus, the “yes” of Mary." (Pope Benedict XVI)
*Moment of Silence
Our Father... Hail Mary... Glory be...
NEXT: THE THIRD STATION: Jesus before the Sanhedrin
Saturday, March 14, 2015
THE THIRD STATION: Jesus before the Sanhedrin
V/. We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you.
R/. Because by your holy Cross you have redeemed the world.
READING: Matthew 26:57-68
Those who had arrested Jesus led him away to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders were assembled. Peter was following him at a distance as far as the high priest’s courtyard, and going inside he sat down with the servants to see the outcome. The chief priests and the entire Sanhedrin kept trying to obtain false testimony against Jesus in order to put him to death, but they found none, though many false witnesses came forward. Finally two came forward who stated, “This man said, ‘I can destroy the temple of God and within three days rebuild it.’ The high priest rose and addressed him, “Have you no answer? What are these men testifying against you?” But Jesus was silent. Then the high priest said to him, “I order you to tell us under oath before the living God whether you are the Messiah, the Son of God.” Jesus said to him in reply, “You have said so. But I tell you:
*Moment of Silence
Our Father... Hail Mary... Glory be...
NEXT: THE FOURTH STATION: The Scourging and Crowning with thorns
R/. Because by your holy Cross you have redeemed the world.
Those who had arrested Jesus led him away to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders were assembled. Peter was following him at a distance as far as the high priest’s courtyard, and going inside he sat down with the servants to see the outcome. The chief priests and the entire Sanhedrin kept trying to obtain false testimony against Jesus in order to put him to death, but they found none, though many false witnesses came forward. Finally two came forward who stated, “This man said, ‘I can destroy the temple of God and within three days rebuild it.’ The high priest rose and addressed him, “Have you no answer? What are these men testifying against you?” But Jesus was silent. Then the high priest said to him, “I order you to tell us under oath before the living God whether you are the Messiah, the Son of God.” Jesus said to him in reply, “You have said so. But I tell you:
"From now on you will see ‘the Son of Man
seated at the right hand of the Power’
and ‘coming on the clouds of heaven.’”
Then the high priest tore his robes and said, “He has blasphemed! What further need have we of witnesses? You have now heard the blasphemy; what is your opinion?” They said in reply, “He deserves to die!” Then they spat in his face and struck him, while some slapped him, saying, “Prophesy for us, Messiah: who is it that struck you?”
REFLECTION: "It’s so rotten, gossip. At the beginning, it seems to be something
enjoyable and fun, like a piece of candy. But at the end, it fills the
heart with bitterness and also poisons us. I tell you the truth: I am convinced that if each one of us would purposely avoid
gossip, at the end, we would become a saint! It’s a beautiful path!" (Pope Francis)
Our Father... Hail Mary... Glory be...
NEXT: THE FOURTH STATION: The Scourging and Crowning with thorns
THE FOURTH STATION: The Scourging and Crowning with thorns
V/. We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you.
R/. Because by your holy Cross you have redeemed the world.
READINGS: John 19:1-3
Then Pilate took Jesus and had him scourged.
And the soldiers wove a crown out of thorns and placed it on his head, and clothed him in a purple cloak, and they came to him and said, “Hail, King of the Jews!”
And they struck him repeatedly.
REFLECTIONS: "The Lord calls you. The Lord seeks you out, the Lord awaits you. The Lord does not proselytize. He gives love, and that love seek you out. It waits for you, who doesn't believe, or who feels distant at the moment. And that is the God's love.” (Pope Francis)
*Moment of Silence
Our Father... Hail Mary... Glory be...
NEXT: THE FIFTH STATION: Jesus receives the Cross
R/. Because by your holy Cross you have redeemed the world.
Then Pilate took Jesus and had him scourged.
And the soldiers wove a crown out of thorns and placed it on his head, and clothed him in a purple cloak, and they came to him and said, “Hail, King of the Jews!”
And they struck him repeatedly.
REFLECTIONS: "The Lord calls you. The Lord seeks you out, the Lord awaits you. The Lord does not proselytize. He gives love, and that love seek you out. It waits for you, who doesn't believe, or who feels distant at the moment. And that is the God's love.” (Pope Francis)
*Moment of Silence
Our Father... Hail Mary... Glory be...
NEXT: THE FIFTH STATION: Jesus receives the Cross
THE FIFTH STATION: Jesus receives the Cross
V/. We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you.
R/. Because by your holy Cross you have redeemed the world.
READINGS: Mark 15:20
After they had mocked him, they stripped him of the purple cloak, and put his own clothes on him. And they led him out to crucify him.
REFLECTION: "The execution, the implementation of the sentence, is beginning. Christ, condemned to death, must be burdened with the Cross just like the two other men who have received the same punishment: "he was numbered with the transgressors" (Is 53:12). Christ draws near to the Cross, his body atrociously bruised and lacerated, blood running down his face from his head crowned with thorns. Ecce Homo! (Jn 19:5). In him we see all the truth foretold by the Prophets about the Son of man, the truth proclaimed by Isaiah about the servant of Yahweh: "He was wounded for our transgressions... and by his stripes we are healed" (Is 53:5).
In him we see also the amazing consequence of what man has done to his God. Pilate says: "Ecce Homo" (Jn 19:5): "Look what you have done to this man!" But there seems to be another voice speaking as well, a voice that seems to be saying: "Look what you have done, in this man, to your God!"
It is very moving to hear this voice from centuries ago, as it blends with the voice coming to us from what we know in faith. Ecce Homo!
Jesus "who is called the Messiah" (Mt 27:17) takes the Cross upon his shoulders (Jn 19:17). The execution has begun." (Pope John Paul II)
*Moment of Silence
Our Father... Hail Mary... Glory be...
NEXT: THE SIXTH STATION: Jesus falls under the weight of the Cross
R/. Because by your holy Cross you have redeemed the world.
After they had mocked him, they stripped him of the purple cloak, and put his own clothes on him. And they led him out to crucify him.
REFLECTION: "The execution, the implementation of the sentence, is beginning. Christ, condemned to death, must be burdened with the Cross just like the two other men who have received the same punishment: "he was numbered with the transgressors" (Is 53:12). Christ draws near to the Cross, his body atrociously bruised and lacerated, blood running down his face from his head crowned with thorns. Ecce Homo! (Jn 19:5). In him we see all the truth foretold by the Prophets about the Son of man, the truth proclaimed by Isaiah about the servant of Yahweh: "He was wounded for our transgressions... and by his stripes we are healed" (Is 53:5).
In him we see also the amazing consequence of what man has done to his God. Pilate says: "Ecce Homo" (Jn 19:5): "Look what you have done to this man!" But there seems to be another voice speaking as well, a voice that seems to be saying: "Look what you have done, in this man, to your God!"
It is very moving to hear this voice from centuries ago, as it blends with the voice coming to us from what we know in faith. Ecce Homo!
Jesus "who is called the Messiah" (Mt 27:17) takes the Cross upon his shoulders (Jn 19:17). The execution has begun." (Pope John Paul II)
*Moment of Silence
Our Father... Hail Mary... Glory be...
NEXT: THE SIXTH STATION: Jesus falls under the weight of the Cross
THE SIXTH STATION: Jesus falls under the weight of the Cross
V/. We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you.
R/. Because by your holy Cross you have redeemed the world.
READING: Isaiah. 53:4-6
Surely he has borne our griefs
and carried our sorrows;
yet we esteemed him stricken
smitten by God, and afflicted.
But he was wounded for our transgressions,
he was bruised for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that
made us whole,
and with his bruises we are healed.
All we like sheep have gone astray;
we have turned every one to his own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.
REFLECTION: "Jesus falls under the weight of the Cross. He falls to the ground. He does not resort to his superhuman powers, he does not resort to the power of the angels. "Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels?" (Mt 26:53). He does not ask for that. Having accepted the cup from the Father's hands (Mk 14:36) he is resolved to drink it to the end. This is as he wills it. And so he has no thoughts of any superhuman force, although such force is at his disposal. Those who saw him when he showed his power over human infirmities, crippling diseases and even death itself, may well, in their grief, have wondered: "What now?" "Is he repudiating all that?" In a few days the disciples on the road to Emmaus would say: "We had hoped" (cf. Lk 24:21). "If you are the Son of God...." (Mt 27:40), the members of the Sanhedrin were to fling at him. And the crowd would yell: "He saved others but he cannot save himself" (Mk 15:31: Mt 27:42).
He accepts these provocations, which seem to undermine the whole meaning of his mission, his teaching, his miracles. He accepts them all, for he is determined not to combat them. To be insulted is what he wills. To stagger and fall under the weight of Cross is what he wills. He wills it all. To the end, down to the bitter end, he is faithful to what he had said: "Not my will, but yours be done" (cf. Mk 14:36, etc.).
God will bring forth the salvation of humanity from Christ's falling beneath the weight of the Cross." (Pope John Paul II)
*Moment of Silence
Our Father... Hail Mary... Glory be...
NEXT: THE SEVENTH STATION: Simon of Cyrene carries the Cross of Jesus
R/. Because by your holy Cross you have redeemed the world.
Surely he has borne our griefs
and carried our sorrows;
yet we esteemed him stricken
smitten by God, and afflicted.
But he was wounded for our transgressions,
he was bruised for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that
made us whole,
and with his bruises we are healed.
All we like sheep have gone astray;
we have turned every one to his own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.
REFLECTION: "Jesus falls under the weight of the Cross. He falls to the ground. He does not resort to his superhuman powers, he does not resort to the power of the angels. "Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels?" (Mt 26:53). He does not ask for that. Having accepted the cup from the Father's hands (Mk 14:36) he is resolved to drink it to the end. This is as he wills it. And so he has no thoughts of any superhuman force, although such force is at his disposal. Those who saw him when he showed his power over human infirmities, crippling diseases and even death itself, may well, in their grief, have wondered: "What now?" "Is he repudiating all that?" In a few days the disciples on the road to Emmaus would say: "We had hoped" (cf. Lk 24:21). "If you are the Son of God...." (Mt 27:40), the members of the Sanhedrin were to fling at him. And the crowd would yell: "He saved others but he cannot save himself" (Mk 15:31: Mt 27:42).
He accepts these provocations, which seem to undermine the whole meaning of his mission, his teaching, his miracles. He accepts them all, for he is determined not to combat them. To be insulted is what he wills. To stagger and fall under the weight of Cross is what he wills. He wills it all. To the end, down to the bitter end, he is faithful to what he had said: "Not my will, but yours be done" (cf. Mk 14:36, etc.).
God will bring forth the salvation of humanity from Christ's falling beneath the weight of the Cross." (Pope John Paul II)
*Moment of Silence
Our Father... Hail Mary... Glory be...
NEXT: THE SEVENTH STATION: Simon of Cyrene carries the Cross of Jesus
THE SEVENTH STATION: Simon of Cyrene carries the Cross of Jesus
V/. We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you.
R/. Because by your holy Cross you have redeemed the world.
READING: Mark. 15:21-22
They compelled a passer-by, Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to carry his Cross. And they brought him to the place called Golgotha, which means the place of the skull.
REFLECTION: "Simon of Cyrene, called upon to carry the Cross (cf. Mk 15:21; Lk 23:26), doubtless had no wish to do so. He was forced to. He walked beside Christ, bearing the same burden. When the condemned man's shoulders became too weak, he lent him his. He was very close to Jesus, closer than Mary, closer than John who - though he too was a man - was not called upon to help. They called on him, Simon of Cyrene, the father of Alexander and Rufus, as we learn from the Gospel of Mark (Mk 15:21). They summoned him, they compelled him.
How long did he continue to resent being forced into this? How long did he continue to walk beside this condemned man, all the while making it clear that he had nothing in common with him, nothing to do with his crime, nothing to do with his punishment? How long did he go on like that, torn within himself, a barrier of indifference standing between him and the Man who was suffering? "I was naked, I was thirsty, I was in prison" (cf. Mt 25:35-36), I carried the Cross. "Did you carry it with me?" "Did you really carry it with me to the very end?"
We do not know. Saint Mark simply records the names of the Cyrenian's sons, and tradition has it that they were members of the Christian community close to Saint Peter (cf. Rom 16:13)." (Pope John Paul II)
*Moment of Silence
Our Father... Hail Mary... Glory be...
NEXT: THE EIGHT STATION: Jesus meets the pious women of Jerusalem
R/. Because by your holy Cross you have redeemed the world.
They compelled a passer-by, Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to carry his Cross. And they brought him to the place called Golgotha, which means the place of the skull.
REFLECTION: "Simon of Cyrene, called upon to carry the Cross (cf. Mk 15:21; Lk 23:26), doubtless had no wish to do so. He was forced to. He walked beside Christ, bearing the same burden. When the condemned man's shoulders became too weak, he lent him his. He was very close to Jesus, closer than Mary, closer than John who - though he too was a man - was not called upon to help. They called on him, Simon of Cyrene, the father of Alexander and Rufus, as we learn from the Gospel of Mark (Mk 15:21). They summoned him, they compelled him.
How long did he continue to resent being forced into this? How long did he continue to walk beside this condemned man, all the while making it clear that he had nothing in common with him, nothing to do with his crime, nothing to do with his punishment? How long did he go on like that, torn within himself, a barrier of indifference standing between him and the Man who was suffering? "I was naked, I was thirsty, I was in prison" (cf. Mt 25:35-36), I carried the Cross. "Did you carry it with me?" "Did you really carry it with me to the very end?"
We do not know. Saint Mark simply records the names of the Cyrenian's sons, and tradition has it that they were members of the Christian community close to Saint Peter (cf. Rom 16:13)." (Pope John Paul II)
*Moment of Silence
Our Father... Hail Mary... Glory be...
NEXT: THE EIGHT STATION: Jesus meets the pious women of Jerusalem
THE EIGHT STATION: Jesus meets the pious women of Jerusalem
V/. We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you.
R/. Because by your holy Cross you have redeemed the world.
READING: Luke. 23:28-31
But Jesus turning to them said, "Daughters of Jerusalem do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. For behold the days are coming when they will say, blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never gave suck. Then they will begin to say to the mountains, 'Fall on us'; and to the hills, 'Cover us.' For if they do this when the wood is green, what will happen when it is dry?"
REFLECTION: "Here is a call to repentance, true repentance, and sorrow at the reality of the evil that has been committed. Jesus says to the daughters of Jerusalem who are weeping at the sight of him: "Do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children" (Lk 23:28). One cannot merely scrape away at the surface of evil; one has to get down to its roots, its causes, the inner truth of conscience.
This is precisely what Jesus means to say as he carries his Cross: he always "knew what was in man" (cf. Jn 2:25) and he continues to know it. That is why he must always be for us the closest onlooker, the one who sees all our actions and is aware of all the verdicts which our consciences pass on them.
Perhaps he even makes us understand that these verdicts have to be carefully thought out, reasonable and objective (for he says: "Do not weep"), while at the same time bound up with all that this reality contains: he warns us of this because he is the one who carries the Cross.
Lord, let me know how to live and walk in the truth." (Pope John Paul II)
*Moment of Silence
Our Father... Hail Mary... Glory be...
NEXT: THE NINTH STATION: Jesus nailed to the cross
R/. Because by your holy Cross you have redeemed the world.
But Jesus turning to them said, "Daughters of Jerusalem do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. For behold the days are coming when they will say, blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never gave suck. Then they will begin to say to the mountains, 'Fall on us'; and to the hills, 'Cover us.' For if they do this when the wood is green, what will happen when it is dry?"
REFLECTION: "Here is a call to repentance, true repentance, and sorrow at the reality of the evil that has been committed. Jesus says to the daughters of Jerusalem who are weeping at the sight of him: "Do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children" (Lk 23:28). One cannot merely scrape away at the surface of evil; one has to get down to its roots, its causes, the inner truth of conscience.
This is precisely what Jesus means to say as he carries his Cross: he always "knew what was in man" (cf. Jn 2:25) and he continues to know it. That is why he must always be for us the closest onlooker, the one who sees all our actions and is aware of all the verdicts which our consciences pass on them.
Perhaps he even makes us understand that these verdicts have to be carefully thought out, reasonable and objective (for he says: "Do not weep"), while at the same time bound up with all that this reality contains: he warns us of this because he is the one who carries the Cross.
Lord, let me know how to live and walk in the truth." (Pope John Paul II)
*Moment of Silence
Our Father... Hail Mary... Glory be...
NEXT: THE NINTH STATION: Jesus nailed to the cross
THE NINTH STATION: Jesus nailed to the cross
V/. We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you.
R/. Because by your holy Cross you have redeemed the world.
READING: Mark. 15:25-27
And it was the third hour, when they crucified him. And the inscription of the charge against him read: "The King of the Jews."
And with him they crucified two robbers one on his right and one on his left.
REFLECTION: "...Jesus there, nailed to the cross, and from there, He does not let us down. He was consecrated as Lord, on that throne. And there he experienced all calamities that we experience. Jesus is Lord. And the Lord from the cross is there for you." (Pope Francis)
*Moment of Silence
Our Father... Hail Mary... Glory be...
NEXT: THE TENTH STATION: The Repentant Thief
R/. Because by your holy Cross you have redeemed the world.
And it was the third hour, when they crucified him. And the inscription of the charge against him read: "The King of the Jews."
And with him they crucified two robbers one on his right and one on his left.
REFLECTION: "...Jesus there, nailed to the cross, and from there, He does not let us down. He was consecrated as Lord, on that throne. And there he experienced all calamities that we experience. Jesus is Lord. And the Lord from the cross is there for you." (Pope Francis)
*Moment of Silence
Our Father... Hail Mary... Glory be...
NEXT: THE TENTH STATION: The Repentant Thief
THE TENTH STATION: The Repentant Thief
V/. We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you.
R/. Because by your holy Cross you have redeemed the world.
READING: Luke 23:39-43
Now one of the criminals hanging there reviled Jesus, saying, “Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and us.” The other, however, rebuking him, said in reply, “Have you no fear of God, for you are subject to the same condemnation? And indeed, we have been condemned justly, for the sentence we received corresponds to our crimes, but this man has done nothing criminal.” Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” He replied to him, “Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”
REFLECTION: "The second word spoken by Jesus on the Cross recorded by St Luke is a word of hope, it is his answer to the prayer of one of the two men crucified with him. The good thief comes to his senses before Jesus and repents, he realizes he is facing the Son of God who makes the very Face of God visible, and begs him; “Jesus, remember me when you come in your kingly power” (v. 42). The Lord’s answer to this prayer goes far beyond the request: in fact he says: “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise” (v. 43). Jesus knows that he is entering into direct communion with the Father and reopening to man the way to God’s paradise. Thus, with this response, he gives the firm hope that God’s goodness can also touch us, even at the very last moment of life, and that sincere prayer, even after a wrong life, encounters the open arms of the good Father who awaits the return of his son." (Pope Benedict XVI)
*Moment of Silence
Our Father... Hail Mary... Glory be...
NEXT: THE ELEVENTH STATION: Mary and John at the foot of the cross
R/. Because by your holy Cross you have redeemed the world.
Now one of the criminals hanging there reviled Jesus, saying, “Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and us.” The other, however, rebuking him, said in reply, “Have you no fear of God, for you are subject to the same condemnation? And indeed, we have been condemned justly, for the sentence we received corresponds to our crimes, but this man has done nothing criminal.” Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” He replied to him, “Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”
REFLECTION: "The second word spoken by Jesus on the Cross recorded by St Luke is a word of hope, it is his answer to the prayer of one of the two men crucified with him. The good thief comes to his senses before Jesus and repents, he realizes he is facing the Son of God who makes the very Face of God visible, and begs him; “Jesus, remember me when you come in your kingly power” (v. 42). The Lord’s answer to this prayer goes far beyond the request: in fact he says: “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise” (v. 43). Jesus knows that he is entering into direct communion with the Father and reopening to man the way to God’s paradise. Thus, with this response, he gives the firm hope that God’s goodness can also touch us, even at the very last moment of life, and that sincere prayer, even after a wrong life, encounters the open arms of the good Father who awaits the return of his son." (Pope Benedict XVI)
*Moment of Silence
Our Father... Hail Mary... Glory be...
NEXT: THE ELEVENTH STATION: Mary and John at the foot of the cross
THE ELEVENTH STATION: Mary and John at the foot of the cross
V/. We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you.
R/. Because by your holy Cross you have redeemed the world.
READING: John 19: 25-27
Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Cleopas, and Mary of Magdala.
When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple there whom he loved, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son.” Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother.” And from that hour the disciple took her into his home.
REFLECTION: "And now, standing at the foot of the Cross, Mary is the witness, humanly speaking, of the complete negation of these words. On that wood of the Cross her Son hangs in agony as one condemned. "He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows...he was despised, and we esteemed him not": as one destroyed (cf. Is. 53:3- 5). How great, how heroic then is the obedience of faith shown by Mary in the face of God's "unsearchable judgments"! How completely she "abandons herself to God" without reserve, offering the full assent of the intellect and the will" to him whose "ways are inscrutable" (cf. Rom. 11:33)! And how powerful too is the action of grace in her soul, how all-pervading is the influence of the Holy Spirit and of his light and power!" (Pope John Paul II)
*Moment of Silence
Our Father... Hail Mary... Glory be...
NEXT: THE TWELFTH STATION: Jesus dies on the cross
R/. Because by your holy Cross you have redeemed the world.
Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Cleopas, and Mary of Magdala.
When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple there whom he loved, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son.” Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother.” And from that hour the disciple took her into his home.
REFLECTION: "And now, standing at the foot of the Cross, Mary is the witness, humanly speaking, of the complete negation of these words. On that wood of the Cross her Son hangs in agony as one condemned. "He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows...he was despised, and we esteemed him not": as one destroyed (cf. Is. 53:3- 5). How great, how heroic then is the obedience of faith shown by Mary in the face of God's "unsearchable judgments"! How completely she "abandons herself to God" without reserve, offering the full assent of the intellect and the will" to him whose "ways are inscrutable" (cf. Rom. 11:33)! And how powerful too is the action of grace in her soul, how all-pervading is the influence of the Holy Spirit and of his light and power!" (Pope John Paul II)
*Moment of Silence
Our Father... Hail Mary... Glory be...
NEXT: THE TWELFTH STATION: Jesus dies on the cross
THE TWELFTH STATION: Jesus dies on the cross
V/. We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you.
R/. Because by your holy Cross you have redeemed the world.
READING: Mark. 15:33-34, 37, 39
And when the sixth hour had come there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour.
And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice: "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?", which means: "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?"
And Jesus uttered a loud cry and breathed his last. When the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that he thus breathed his last, he said: "Truly this man was the Son of God".
REFLECTION: "Here we have the greatest, the most sublime work of the Son in union with the Father. Yes: in union, in the most perfect union possible, precisely at the moment when he cries: "Eloi, Eloi lama sabachthani" - "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (Mk 15:34; Mt 27:46). This work finds expression in the verticality of his body stretched against the perpendicular beam of the Cross and in the horizontality of his arms stretched along the transverse beam. To gaze upon those arms one would think that in the effort they expend they embrace all humanity and all the world.
They do indeed embrace it.
Here is the man. Here is God himself. "In him we live and move and have our being" (Acts 17:28). In him: in those arms outstretched along the transverse beam of the Cross.
The mystery of the Redemption.
Nailed to the Cross, pinned in that terrible position, Jesus calls on the Father (cf. Mk 15:34; Mt 27:46; Lk 23:46). All his words bear witness that he is one with the Father. "I and the Father are one" (Jn 10:30); "Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father" (Jn 14:9); "My Father is working still, and I am working" (Jn 5:17)." (Pope John Paul II)
*Moment of Silence
Our Father... Hail Mary... Glory be...
NEXT: THE THIRTEENTH STATION: Jesus in laid in the tomb
R/. Because by your holy Cross you have redeemed the world.
And when the sixth hour had come there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour.
And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice: "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?", which means: "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?"
And Jesus uttered a loud cry and breathed his last. When the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that he thus breathed his last, he said: "Truly this man was the Son of God".
REFLECTION: "Here we have the greatest, the most sublime work of the Son in union with the Father. Yes: in union, in the most perfect union possible, precisely at the moment when he cries: "Eloi, Eloi lama sabachthani" - "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (Mk 15:34; Mt 27:46). This work finds expression in the verticality of his body stretched against the perpendicular beam of the Cross and in the horizontality of his arms stretched along the transverse beam. To gaze upon those arms one would think that in the effort they expend they embrace all humanity and all the world.
They do indeed embrace it.
Here is the man. Here is God himself. "In him we live and move and have our being" (Acts 17:28). In him: in those arms outstretched along the transverse beam of the Cross.
The mystery of the Redemption.
Nailed to the Cross, pinned in that terrible position, Jesus calls on the Father (cf. Mk 15:34; Mt 27:46; Lk 23:46). All his words bear witness that he is one with the Father. "I and the Father are one" (Jn 10:30); "Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father" (Jn 14:9); "My Father is working still, and I am working" (Jn 5:17)." (Pope John Paul II)
*Moment of Silence
Our Father... Hail Mary... Glory be...
NEXT: THE THIRTEENTH STATION: Jesus in laid in the tomb
THE THIRTEENTH STATION: Jesus in laid in the tomb
V/. We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you.
R/. Because by your holy Cross you have redeemed the world.
READING: Mark 15:46-47
Joseph of Arimathea, wrapped the body of Jesus in the linen shroud and laid him in a tomb which had been hewn out of the rock. And he rolled a stone against the door of the tomb.
Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joseph saw where he was laid.
REFLECTION: "From the moment when man, as a result of sin, was driven away from the Tree of Life (cf. Gen 3:23-24), the earth became a burial ground. With as many burial places as there are men. A great planet of tombs.
Close to Calvary there was a tomb belonging to Joseph of Arimathea (cf. Mt 27:60). In it, with Joseph's consent, the body of Jesus was placed after being taken down from the Cross (cf. Mk 15:42-46 ff.). They laid it there in haste, so that the burial might be completed before the feast of Passover (cf. Jn 19:31), which began at sunset.
In one of the countless tombs scattered all over the continents of this planet of ours the Son of God, the man Jesus Christ, conquered death with death. O mors! Ero mors tua! (First Antiphon of Morning Prayer for Holy Saturday). The Tree of Life from which man was banished as a result of sin is set before mankind anew in the body of Christ. "If anyone eats of this bread, he will live for ever, and the bread which I shall give for the life of the word is my flesh" (Jn 6:51).
Though our planet is constantly being filled with fresh tombs, though the cemetery in which man, who comes from dust and returns to dust (cf. Gen 3:19), is always growing, nonetheless all who gaze upon the tomb of Jesus Christ live in the hope of the Resurrection." (Pope John Paul II)
*Moment of Silence
Our Father... Hail Mary... Glory be...
NEXT: THE FOURTEENTH STATION: Jesus rises from death
R/. Because by your holy Cross you have redeemed the world.
Joseph of Arimathea, wrapped the body of Jesus in the linen shroud and laid him in a tomb which had been hewn out of the rock. And he rolled a stone against the door of the tomb.
Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joseph saw where he was laid.
REFLECTION: "From the moment when man, as a result of sin, was driven away from the Tree of Life (cf. Gen 3:23-24), the earth became a burial ground. With as many burial places as there are men. A great planet of tombs.
Close to Calvary there was a tomb belonging to Joseph of Arimathea (cf. Mt 27:60). In it, with Joseph's consent, the body of Jesus was placed after being taken down from the Cross (cf. Mk 15:42-46 ff.). They laid it there in haste, so that the burial might be completed before the feast of Passover (cf. Jn 19:31), which began at sunset.
In one of the countless tombs scattered all over the continents of this planet of ours the Son of God, the man Jesus Christ, conquered death with death. O mors! Ero mors tua! (First Antiphon of Morning Prayer for Holy Saturday). The Tree of Life from which man was banished as a result of sin is set before mankind anew in the body of Christ. "If anyone eats of this bread, he will live for ever, and the bread which I shall give for the life of the word is my flesh" (Jn 6:51).
Though our planet is constantly being filled with fresh tombs, though the cemetery in which man, who comes from dust and returns to dust (cf. Gen 3:19), is always growing, nonetheless all who gaze upon the tomb of Jesus Christ live in the hope of the Resurrection." (Pope John Paul II)
*Moment of Silence
Our Father... Hail Mary... Glory be...
NEXT: THE FOURTEENTH STATION: Jesus rises from death
THE FOURTEENTH STATION: Jesus rises from death
V/. We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you.
R/. Because by your holy Cross you have redeemed the world.
READING: Mark 16:1-6
When the Sabbath was over, Mary of Magdala, Mary the mother of James, and Salome, bought spices with which to go and anoint him. And very early in the morning on the first day of the week they went to the tomb when the sun had risen.
They had been saying to one another, 'Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?' But when they looked they saw that the stone -- which was very big -- had already been rolled back.
On entering the tomb they saw a young man in a white robe seated on the right-hand side, and they were struck with amazement. But he said to them, 'There is no need to be so amazed. You are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified: he has risen, he is not here. See, here is the place where they laid him.
REFLECTION: "Dear brothers and sisters, Christ died and rose once for all, and for everyone, but the power of the Resurrection, this passover from slavery to evil to the freedom of goodness, must be accomplished in every age, in our concrete existence, in our everyday lives." (Pope Francis)
*Moment of Silence
Our Father... Hail Mary... Glory be...
+IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER, AND OF THE SON, AND OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. AMEN
R/. Because by your holy Cross you have redeemed the world.
When the Sabbath was over, Mary of Magdala, Mary the mother of James, and Salome, bought spices with which to go and anoint him. And very early in the morning on the first day of the week they went to the tomb when the sun had risen.
They had been saying to one another, 'Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?' But when they looked they saw that the stone -- which was very big -- had already been rolled back.
On entering the tomb they saw a young man in a white robe seated on the right-hand side, and they were struck with amazement. But he said to them, 'There is no need to be so amazed. You are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified: he has risen, he is not here. See, here is the place where they laid him.
REFLECTION: "Dear brothers and sisters, Christ died and rose once for all, and for everyone, but the power of the Resurrection, this passover from slavery to evil to the freedom of goodness, must be accomplished in every age, in our concrete existence, in our everyday lives." (Pope Francis)
*Moment of Silence
Our Father... Hail Mary... Glory be...
+IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER, AND OF THE SON, AND OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. AMEN
SACRED HEART OF JESUS PARISH CHURCH, Mandaluyong City, Philippines
The Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish Church is located at Welfareville Compound, Mandaluyong City, Metro Manila. It is under the jurisdiction of the Archdiocese of Manila.
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