Voici quelques photos du Chemin de la Croix d'hier; here are some photos from yesterday's Way of the Cross (thanks to Heri Riesbeck).
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ANCIENNE HOMELIE POUR LE SAMEDI-SAINT
Mais que se passe-t-il donc ? Un grand silence règne aujourd’hui sur la terre, un grand silence et une grande solitude ; un grand silence parce que le Roi dort. La terre a tremblé puis s’est calmée parce que Dieu s’est endormi dans la chair, et il a réveillé ceux qui dormaient depuis des siècles.
Dieu est mort dans la chair et il a ébranlé les enfers. Il s’en va bien sûr chercher le premier père, comme la brebis perdue. Il veut aller visiter ceux qui sont assis dans les ténèbres et dans l’ombre de la mort : Adam le captif, Ève la captive, à qui il va pour les délivrer de leurs douleurs, lui leur Dieu et leur fils. Le Seigneur a pénétré jusqu’à eux brandissant l’arme de sa victoire : la Croix.
Dès qu’il l’a vu, Adam le premier père, saisi de stupeur, s’est écrié en se frappant la poitrine : « Mon Seigneur soit avec tous ». Et le Christ a répondu à Adam : « Et avec ton esprit ». Et lui prenant la main, il a dit : « Réveille-toi, toi qui dors, lève-toi d’entre les morts, et tu seras illuminé par le Christ ».
Je suis ton Dieu, qui pour toi s’est fait ton fils, pour toi et ceux qui naîtraient de toi. Et voici que maintenant, à ceux qui se trouvaient dans les liens, j’ordonne avec puissance : « sortez ».
À ceux qui étaient plongés dans les ténèbres je déclare : « à vous la lumière» ; et à ceux qui s’étaient assoupis je dis : « debout ». Je te le commande : Éveille-toi ; toi qui dors : je ne t’ai pas créé pour les liens de l’enfer. Lève-toi d’entre les morts ; moi, je suis la Vie des morts. Debout, toi qui es l’œuvre de mes mains. Debout, ton visage est le mien ; tu as été créé à mon image. Lève-toi, sortons d’ici ; car tu es en moi et je suis en toi. Nous sommes une seule personne ; on ne peut nous séparer.
À cause de toi, moi ton Dieu, je me suis fait ton fils. À cause de toi, moi, ton Maître, je me suis présenté comme ton esclave ; moi qui habite au dessus des cieux, je suis venu sur la terre et sous la terre. À cause de toi, ô homme, je me suis fait homme ; j’ai renoncé à tout secours, ne trouvant plus de liberté que chez les morts. Pour toi qui sortis jadis du jardin, j’ai été livré aux Juifs dans un jardin et crucifié dans un autre.
Vois sur mon visage, les crachats que j’ai reçus pour te rendre ton visage, celui du souffle originel. Vois les traces des gifles sur mes joues : il me fallait refaire à l’image de la mienne ta face corrompue. Regarde sur mon dos les marques de la flagellation que j’ai endurée pour te décharger du poids de tes péchés. Vois mes mains percées de ces clous qui m’ont fixé au bois, parce que tu avais tendu la main vers le bois pour le mal.
Je me suis endormi sur la croix, et la lance a percé mon côté parce que tu t’es endormi au Paradis ; Ève était alors sortie de ton flanc. Mon sommeil t’arrachera à celui de l’enfer. Mon glaive détournera celui qui te menaçait.
Debout, sortons d’ici. L’ennemi t’a arraché du Paradis. Moi, je te donne place, non plus au Paradis, mais sur un trône céleste. Lui t’a fermé l’accès à l’arbre de vie. Mais moi qui suis la Vie dont l’arbre était le type, je ne fais plus qu’un avec toi. J’avais établi les chérubins pour ton service. Désormais, ils te comprendront dans le culte qu’ils doivent à Dieu.
Le trône a donc été dressé au dessus d’eux. Les porteurs sont là, disponibles. On a installé le lit. Les mets ont été apprêtés. Les tabernacles et les demeures de l’Éternité ont été ornés, les trésors qui contiennent tous les biens sont ouverts et le Royaume des Cieux qui fut préparé avant les siècles est devant toi.
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NEW ENGLISH EXSULTET FOR EASTER VIGIL
RESTORES REFERENCES TO BEES
A interesting notice from the New Liturgical Movement website:
Recently one of our priests sent in some photos with a brief note about a Paschal candle that he, himself, undertook to design for his parish. He commented to me that "in honor of the return of the bees to the Exsultet" he incorporated them into the design.
What he is referring to, of course, is the absence of the references to the bees in the former English translation of the Exsultet in the previous English edition of the OF Missal. They are back -- though they never left the Latin text itself of course. Here are the relevant parts of the newly revised and corrected English translation:
This is the night of which it is written:
The night shall be as bright as day, dazzling is the night for me,
and full of gladness.
The sanctifying power of this night dispels all wickedness,
washes faults away, restores innocence to the fallen, and joy to mourners,
drives out hatred, fosters concord, and brings down the mighty.
On this, your night of grace, O holy Father,
accept this candle, a solemn offering,
the work of bees and of your servants’ hands,
an evening sacrifice of praise, this gift from your most holy Church.
But now we know the praises of this pillar,
which glowing fire ignites for God’s honour,
a fire into many flames divided,
yet never dimmed by sharing of its light,
for it is fed by melting wax,
drawn out by mother bees to build a torch so precious.
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The Solemnity of Easter (Year "B") - April 8, 2012
THE RISEN JESUS MISSIONS MARY MAGDALENE
[Texts: Acts 10.34a, 36-43 [Psalm 118]; Colossians 3.1-4 or 1 Corinthians 5.6b-8; Mark 16.1-8, John 20.1-18 or 1-9]
The Easter celebration begins at the Vigil when the gospel reading is Mark's account of the discovery of the empty tomb. This text may also be proclaimed at day-time Masses.
Mark says the faithful women who went to anoint Jesus' body “fled from the tomb, for terror and amazement had seized them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid”. If, as I believe, this is how Mark's gospel ended—without resurrection appearances—it leaves readers wondering how the gospel message of Jesus' resurrection became known.
Mark's abrupt ending challenges people to make a personal decision regarding the truth implied by the discovery of the empty tomb. Other explanations for the empty tomb--the disciples stole the body and perpetrated a hoax in proclaiming the resurrection or someone else took the body of Jesus away--must yield to the Christian conviction that Jesus has risen from the dead.
Christian readers believe the Good News that Jesus rose from the dead “on the third day”. They have heard, too, that the apostles proclaimed the gospel and some were martyred for the faith. They understand that what Jesus had promised the night before he died had truly come to pass (“after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee” [14:28]). Jesus reunited his followers in Galilee and sent them on mission.
As Peter says in the reading from Acts, “God raised [Jesus] on the third day and allowed Him to appear, not to all the people but to us who were chosen by God as witnesses, and who ate and drank with Him after He rose from the dead”.
Perhaps the open-ended conclusion to Mark's gospel should be seen, then, as an invitation to readers to believe the message of the resurrection. During Eastertide, Christians contemplate the disciples' meetings with Jesus and His commissions. They must imagine themselves being called by Christ today to put into action in their lives their belief in a Lord who is simultaneously the crucified (“you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified”) and risen Lord (“he has been raised”).
At Masses on Easter morning, the gospel reading is generally taken from John's gospel. In its shorter form, Mary Magdalene informs Peter and the Beloved Disciple (“the other disciple”) her suspicion that someone has stolen the body of Jesus (“they have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him”).
After running to the tomb and reaching it first, the Beloved Disciple hesitated before entering. In keeping with his headstrong personality, Peter entered immediately and—we must imagine—remained wondering at “the linen wrappings lying there” and the cloth “that had been on Jesus' head, not lying with the linen wrappings but rolled up in a place by itself”. Unlike Lazarus, who had to be helped with his linen wrappings (cf. John 11.44), Jesus simply left the trappings of death behind at his resurrection.
This shorter version concludes with the Beloved Disciple coming to faith in the resurrection of Jesus, even though “as yet they did not understand the scripture that he must rise from the dead”. The other disciple “saw and believed” that Jesus had triumphed over death and the ruler of this world (cf. John 12.31; 14.30; 16.33). The rest would come that evening when Jesus would breathe the Holy Spirit upon the apostles (20.19-23).
In the longer form of the gospel story, the appearance of the Risen Lord to Mary—during which he calls her by name—is narrated. Staying behind after Peter and the other disciple had left the tomb, Mary received personal knowledge of her risen Lord (“Mary”... “Rabbouni”). In his address as the Good Shepherd, Jesus claimed to know his own and that they knew him (John 10.14). Told now not to cling to him, because his glorification was as yet incomplete, Mary received the commission that remains her glory as the ‘apostle to the apostles’.
Jesus charged her, “Go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God’”. The evangelist tells us that, unlike what we know of the frightened women in Mark's gospel, Mary did as she was told by Jesus.
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