Eucharistic Celebration

On one fine day after a stock investment seminar event, I did my friend a favor and fetch her friend (a total stranger) to drop to a nearby location on the way home. 

So this stranger saw my catholic catechism books (I seldom fetch people in my car, lol. So there is a lot of empty space behind and I tend to forget alot to bring my books if i bring out from my car) at the back of my car at the passenger car seat as he was sitting behind and another friend was sitting at the front passenger side. 

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Jesus is Risen!! Alleluia Alleluia!

Easter Sunday celebrates the empty tomb, where it signifies that Jesus has risen from the dead. It signifies that Jesus Christ has defeated both sin and death.

Easter celebration at most churches starts at Easter Vigil aka Saturday night, where the mass will commerce until midnight. Easter vigil is the time new converts to Christians or Catchecumen are baptized. New converts usually need to go thru a class called RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults) classes for around ~6 months before they can be baptized into the church. So the RCIA classes teaches about the history of salvation, bible studies and catholic teachings. I kinda forget what are the syllabuses are though.

Of course, anyway during that period, he/she can decided not to be baptized by Easter. It is still a matter of personal choice. :)

So nevertheless, what happens on Easter Vigil are:

1. The blessing of the Paschal Candle or the Easter Candle, signifying Christ as the light of the world. Hence, every parishioners will have a candle to be lit from this candle's fire. So all the church's light will be turned-off, and will be filled with candlelight at the beginning of the celebration.

2. Baptism for new converts and also renewal of baptism vows.

3. Eucharistic celebration.

P.S Easter celebration has nothing to do with rabbits and finding chocolate eggs hidden somewhere.

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Good Friday

This is a belated post. Good Friday commemorate the crucifixion and death of Jesus Christ on the Cross on Golgotha (The place of the Skulls).

So service usually starts with the Station of The Cross, where it highlights Jesus's journey to his death.

I Jesus Is Condemned to Die

II Jesus Carries His Cross

III Jesus Falls the First Time

IV Jesus Meets His Sorrowful Mother

V Simon Helps Jesus Carry His Cross

VI Veronica Wipes the Face of Jesus

VII Jesus Falls the Second Time

VIII Jesus Meets the Women of Jerusalem

IX Jesus Falls the Third Time

X Jesus Is Stripped of His Garments

XI Jesus Is Nailed to the Cross

XII Jesus Dies on the Cross

XIII Jesus Is Taken Down from the Cross

XIV Jesus Is Placed in the Sepulchre

On this day, the crucifix will be draped with purple clothes. This is true also for all statues, and holy images in the church. The tabernacle which holds the body of Christ will be left open/empty.

Next, the veneration of the cross will occur by the faithful by kneeling & kissing the cross.

When the Priest celebrates the Eucharist, I noticed (after a decade of being a Christian..sorry) that only the body(bread) is broken and consumed, where as there is no blood (wine) being celebrated unlike Holy Thursday or any other Eucharistic celebration. I believe this is the only time in the whole year, that the blood is not being consumed. (Let me check next year :D). Even after so many years of being a Catholic (more than a decade now), I do forget or don't even notice at all the small details on these Holy Triduum celebrations.

Then I remember that the following verse is spoken by Jesus during the Last Supper. 

Matthew 26:29

I tell you, I will not drink from this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom.

Again the celebration is in a sombre mood; there is no Hossanna being sung like the usual mass celebrations. There is no music band playing, only hymms. 

Let's wait for Easter then!! Now I to go & prepare for Easter Vigil.

If you are interested in the flow of the mass. Just use this useful app. LAUDATE. (available in Itune & Android). Just google.

P.S Catholic Mass celebrations AROUND the world follow a very standard & structured flow. For e.g, the mass readings, the liturgical flows, are the same around the world. 

I have participate in Eucharistic celebration in other parts of the world, and the flows are the same. So the LAUDATE app is very useful :D

Laudate app

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The Last Supper By Leonardo Da Vinci

Today, Holy Thursday marks the start of the Holy Triduum, a series of days of very important events of Jesus's life that is part of God's ultimate plan to save mankind.

Most non-christians would not know what Holy Thursday represents; But i bet you seen (the famous painting by Leonardo Da Vinci) or heard before about the 'Last Supper'. Hence, Holy Thursday is the day the Last Supper event occurs.

Here, the Last Supper is really the last supper Jesus partake before he was crucified. The Last Supper has 2 very important event because:

1. Jesus Christ instituted the sacrament of Holy Eucharist or Holy Communion, where the bread turn into his body & the wine turned into his blood. Catholics believe that at every Eucharistic celebrations (every mass celebration), the priest, representing Christ on earth is able to turn the ordinary bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ to be received by baptized & practicing Catholics. Non-Catholics Christians (with certain exception to certain orthodox churches) are not allowed to receive this communion because they do not believe on this body & blood transformation that occurs during the Eucharist. (that is why you will see this soft reminder during Catholic mass services)

2. Jesus washed the feet of his 12 disciples including the man (Judas, seen in the picture as the man who holds the money purse) that will betray him later on. So today is the day , you will see the priest going down on his knees to wash the feet of 12 selected people during the mass service. This is to remind that although Jesus is Lord & Master, he comes to serve mankind humbly and not to be served although he deserved so. And this shows how much he loves us so much that he humbled himself to wash his disciples' feet which traditionally at that time is a task reserved for a servant.

After that, Jesus retreated to the garden to pray, knowing well that he will be betrayed later on by Judas and crucifixion & suffering will follow soon. Yet he is willing to accept God's salvation plan which involves him dying on the cross as a path for mankind's salvation.

Hence, Holy Thursday is a solemn celebration (there is no band playing music during the mass celebration) as Jesus progresses toward his crucifixion on Good Friday, which is tomorrow. The Blessed Sacrament is exposed for adoration, as we pray & reflect upon Jesus's last moments in prayer before his excruciating and humiliating suffering on the cross.

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Palm Sunday

Palm Sunday marks the start of the Holy Week as Jesus enters Jerusalem on a donkey with the people welcoming and rejoicing with palm leaves.

So my church today did a short play on todays' reading on how Jesus was betrayed by Judas and was crucified by the people of Jerusalem. It was very heart-moving play to remind us Christian, how much suffering & humiliation Jesus endures for us in order to save us thru his love sacrifice. It is a like a one way sided love story, where Jesus persistently & eternally loves us even though alot of times we stray or even ignore/blame him  for the life challenges that we face every day. 

It reminds me on why I could not bear to finish the "The Passion of  the Christ" 2004 movie by Mel Gibson when it first came out a decade ago. Too soul touching when it come to the part of crucifixion; In the movie, if i remember; there was a flashback on the miracles and good work that he performed while he was crucified on the cross; yet the people still reject him later on when they choose to release Barnabas a violent criminal instead of Jesus and have him crucified.

I do reflect that if I were there during the crucifixion as one of the 'spectator/disciple', how do i feel? fearful? despair? uncertainty; That the man you hold to be the messiah is going to die in such cruel & humiliating manner. 

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Happy Easter 2013!! 

Alleluia The Lord Has Risen!

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1 Corinthians 13:13

As it is, these remain: faith, hope and love, the three of them; and the greatest of them is love.

I am been thinking about these 3 words for a month time now, seeking to understand what it truly mean from a perspective of Christian living. Faith, Hope & Love are very simple English words that I believe everyone knows what it means, but for me , how to connect it to the Christian life, it is truly a hard nut to crack. Usually, things that are simple are the hardest thing to do. These 3 words summarizes what a meaningful life should consists of.

I first saw these 3 words painted on a church building.I thought it was cute at first. Pun intended, it solely means that a the house (building) is build upon the foundations of faith , hope and love as its pillar. It got me thinking!! Can our lives be built by these 3 simple words?!

Now, where did I find the answer to these questions?? It came from the most unexpected situation and timing.

My friend, a non-Christian invited me to a dinner by a local church nearby since she has an extra dinner ticket and does not want to "waste" it. I was hesitant to go since I wanted to go to the gym and did not know anyone from that church, and I was going to eat for free (very "paiseh") on some church occasion that I had no idea what they are celebrating. Christmas is still a few weeks to go, so cannot be Christmas celebration. And she also no idea what the event is all about. Lol.

After a few times/rounds of persuasions, I decided to go since people ask politely. When I arrived, I got to know that the church was celebrating its anniversary 30th years after its foundation. From the pamphlet, I know that the church started with just 5 people!! Now it has grown to like at least ~300 people (my rough estimation) & a few branches. Wow!!

So there was this sermon during the dinner that caught my attention: The theme was Faith, Hope & Love!! Wow, such timing even though they could have given a sermon on the history of how they grow the church , etc. I DON't believe in such coincidences to be the result of randomity. There is a lot of things that happened in my life that cannot be random but truly a nudging from GOD. (I say nudging because a lot of these events happened after I hesitantly do it after much persuasion. Example, I followed my friend to lunch at a far-far place even though I was not interested to travel long distance, because I was tired that day. And because of that I meet two VERY interesting new friends by accident. Maybe I will blog about this a few years down the road and see what has LORD has in store for me )  

The sermon by the Pastor, explain about the meaning of each word! Below is just my summary. I am just a layman, so below is my layman summary.

Faith - Faith in GOD, our Lord & Savior.

Hope - The believe in the expectation that the future would be good. GOD will always be there for us and provide good things for us.

Love - Love is the greatest of them all because GOD so love the world that he sent his only SON to die for our sins. And he will always love us even though we think we are un-worthy and sinful in our lifes.

John 3:16

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

And so, I got the answer I was looking for: at the place I most un-expected. As I got older, I think I am beginning to understand better the Christian doctrines an the expected way of life as compared when I was baptised when I was a teenager.  I am not sure why nowadays, I keep thinking about my faith, perhaps regarding my mortality (my cholesterol levels is not a so nice number) on earth?!

Or just because "coincidentally", my church kick-started off the Year of Faith this past few weeks ago.

Always Inquire of the LORD,

Kris

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