BIG C CATHOLICS

Easter Sunday - April 12, 2020 The Resurrection of Jesus "Why do you seek the living one among the dead? He is not here, but he has been raised."   At daybreak on the first day of the week they took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb; but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were puzzling over this, behold, two men in dazzling garments appeared to them. They were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground. They said to them, “Why do you seek the living one among the dead? He is not here, but he has been raised. Remember what he said to you while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be handed over to sinners and be crucified, and rise on the third day.” And they remembered his words. Then they returned from the tomb and announced all these things to the eleven and to all the others. — Luke 24: 1-9 ________________________________________

Easter Sunday - April 21, 2019 The Resurrection of Jesus "Why do you seek the living one among the dead? He is not here, but he has been raised."   At daybreak on the first day of the week they took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb; but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were puzzling over this, behold, two men in dazzling garments appeared to them. They were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground. They said to them, “Why do you seek the living one among the dead? He is not here, but he has been raised. Remember what he said to you while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be handed over to sinners and be crucified, and rise on the third day.” And they remembered his words. Then they returned from the tomb and announced all these things to the eleven and to all the others. — Luke 24: 1-9 ________________________________________

Christ instituted this sacrament [that is His Most Holy Body and Blood] as the perpetual memorial of his Passion..., the greatest of all his miracles; and he left this sacrament to those whom his absence filled with grief, as an incomparable consolation" (St. Thomas Aquinas, Office of Corpus Christi, 57, 4). Every time we celebrate the Eucharist in the Church, we recall the death of the Saviour, we proclaim his Resurrection as we await his return. Thus no sacrament is greater or more precious than that of the Eucharist; and when we receive Communion, we are incorporated into Christ. Our life is transformed and taken up by the Lord. — St. John Paul II from his letter to Bishop Albert Houssiau of Liege, Belgium, entitled "Eucharist: Sacrament to be Adored" ______________________________________________________ Almighty ever-living God, who have called us to participate in this most sacred Supper, in which your Only Begotten Son, when about to hand himself over

Echoing the words of his predecessor, Blessed Pope Paul VI , about the nature of Christ and the Church He founded: "it comes as no surprise to the Church that she, no less than her divine Founder, is destined to be a 'sign of contradiction,'" Pope Francis said Wednesday that Jesus "was not one to adapt to the world," but came rather to transform it. Breitbart News has more on Pope Francis' remarks: "The gospel of Jesus Christ is an ongoing challenge to the world rather than a mirror of society, Francis suggested in his weekly General Audience before a crowd of tens of thousands gathered in Saint Peter’s Square. 'Jesus is not one to adapt to the world, tolerating that death, sadness, hatred and the moral destruction of the person should endure in it... Our God is not inert, but dreams of the transformation of the world, and He brought it about in the mystery of the Resurrection,' he said. [ ... ] As the 'world' embraces sam

Easter Sunday - April 16, 2017 The Resurrection of Jesus "Why do you seek the living one among the dead? He is not here, but he has been raised."   At daybreak on the first day of the week they took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb; but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were puzzling over this, behold, two men in dazzling garments appeared to them. They were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground. They said to them, “Why do you seek the living one among the dead? He is not here, but he has been raised. Remember what he said to you while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be handed over to sinners and be crucified, and rise on the third day.” And they remembered his words. Then they returned from the tomb and announced all these things to the eleven and to all the others. — Luke 24: 1-9 ___________________________________________

Attention Big C Catholics readers. We recently received from Pray More Novenas, the following announcement which we submit for your consideration.  *********************************** The Pray More Lenten Retreat is coming up (Lent starts in one week!), and we wanted to let you know more about it... The Pray More Lenten Retreat is an online retreat to help you spend more time in prayer this Lent to prepare to commemorate our Lord's Passion, His Death and Resurrection at Easter. If you sign up for the retreat, you will receive: + 20 Video & Audio Presentations with Transcripts, and + 20 Reflective Study Guides - one for each talk We know how busy you are :) That's why the retreat is self-paced; that means you can watch, listen or read the presentations whenever you have the time to do it. We hope the Pray More Lenten Retreat will help you intentionally work on your prayer life this Lent — wherever you are, and whenever you have the time. The talks a

The following commentary is excerpted from The Fifty-Eighth Treatise of Saint Peter Damian entitled: Concerning True Happiness and Wisdom, Chapter 6. "And so, beloved, if you cannot yet be content with the life of the spirit alone as your only bride, but are held bound by the evil caresses and allurements of life in the world, at least let the love of everlasting life hold first place in the household of your heart, as befits the first-born; and let concern for earthly things be in a place of subjection, as an inferior to be kept in check. In the Song of Songs [Chapter 2:6] it is said: 'His left hand is under my head, and his right hand doth embrace me.' Now the left hand is said to be under the head when this life is scorned and despised by the mind, which is the head and source of our thoughts. He is held in the embrace of the right hand who at all times takes pleasure in longing for eternal life alone. And because Solomon also says: 'Give a portion to seven a

July 22nd is the Feast of Saint Mary Magdalene. At a time when women were forbidden from testifying in legal proceedings, Mary Magdalene was first to bear witness to Christ's Resurrection. Sacred Scripture records her telling the Apostles what she had seen and heard, hence her title coined by Saint Thomas Aquinas, "the Apostle to the Apostles". Western Christianity has traditionally identified her with three women in the New Testament: the sinful woman who anoints Jesus’ feet with oils and washes them with her tears; Mary of Magdala; and Mary, the sister of Lazarus and Martha of Bethany. All three women exhibit penitence, faith and humility in response to Christ. Whatever her true identity, Mary Magdalene's life demonstrates Jesus' power to redeem, heal and transform. In Mark 16:9 it is written: "When (Christ) had risen, early on the first day of the week, (Easter morning) he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had driven seven demons."

Risen , a new movie, premiering in theaters this Friday [Feb. 19th] depicts Clavius, a veteran, Roman Centurion, who is instructed by Pontius Pilate to investigate the rumors of Jesus having risen from the dead. Clavius is told to find the body of Yeshua [Jesus of Nazareth] in order to disprove and silence rampant speculation about the crucified rabbi. From the movies' promotional YouTube account: This February, witness one of the most important events in human history through the eyes of a nonbeliever. Risen is a depiction of events surrounding Christ's missing body after his crucifixion. Typically, Hollywood has little to offer Christians beyond mockery and derision. Risen appears to be an exception. Here is the movies' website . Below is a trailer.