The Great Vigil of Easter ~ Vigilia Pascual

I can't say it often enough -- the Easter Triduum contains my favorite liturgies of the year. They're so beautiful, and so full of amazing symbolism. Not to say that the other Masses of the year aren't, but that these are even more so. I had to miss the Good Friday liturgy because of work (those dang feral cats never wake up on time when I have somewhere important to be!), and I was really bummed out about it. *sigh* I'll just have to wait until next year for the Veneration of the Cross (but I definitely had "Behold, The Wood of the Cross" stuck in my head all day and kept singing bits to myself!)

Tonight's Mass more than made up for it.

The Easter Vigil Mass always begins in darkness with the Service of Light. Father processes in carrying the Easter candle, followed by  the altar servers and the Elect, carrying little candles lit from the Easter Candle.


From the candles in the procession, the candles held by the congregation near the procession are lit. They, in turn, light the candles of their neighbors, and so on down the rows until everyone's candle is burning brightly.


After the opening prayers, came the Liturgy of the Word; we listened to a series of 4 (long!) readings from the Old Testament, with Responsorial Psalms and prayers in between.






Then, as we sang the Gloria, the lights came on, revealing the unveiled statue of Jesus and the altar laden with beautiful flowers. The Lector then read the Epistle.


Fr Wayne read the Gospel selection (Mt 28:1-10) and gave his homily, after which the Baptismal Candidates were presented and prayed over, and we chanted the Litany of the Saints. Father then began the Liturgy of Baptism by blessing the Holy Water.

I just wanted to apologize for the really bad pics of this part; I was behind tall people and there were no trees convenient :P

The Sacrament of Baptism was conferred on those Candidates who had never been baptized before. All of the folks this year were kids, and the older ones (about 9 years old or so) were just beaming! SO adorable!


Then the people who were converting to Catholicism from another Christian denomination were called forward to come into full communion with the Catholic Church (our church only recognizes one Baptism -- doesn't matter what denomination, so long as you were Baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, you're considered part of the Christian family). Father Wayne reminisced about how he was welcomed into the Catholic Church at the same liturgy years ago.
Last, but not least, came the folks who were Baptized into the Catholic Church, but never received First Communion or Confirmation.



And together as a community we renewed our Baptismal promises, and Father sprinkled us with the newly-blessed Holy Water.



After Baptism, all the adults were Confirmed. Here's where I got all misty-eyed, remembering my own Confirmation and Grammy Tarrant, who was my Sponsor.

The rest of the service was pretty much like any other Mass, with the Eucharistic Liturgy and Communion (*sigh* I <3 the Eucharist!). Fr Wayne sang the Dismissal, and we sang the final response back, and then he, the altar servers, and the new Church members processed out to the lobby while we sang "This is the Day."

Happy surprise! The Council of Women had set up a wonderful reception to welcome our new members! :D And I had my first soda in 40 days lol (I'm ashamed to admit, I didn't make it for any of my other Lenten commitments, besides weekly Reconciliation...). It was a great little party ^_^

The boy in the white suit was one of the newly initiated members of our church


Pretty Easter lilies


Alma: *puts Randy's glasses on* I can't see a thing in these! *squints with one eye* Is this what y'all have to do?
Alma's cousin: I don't know her...


I don't remember what this was about, but Randy sure looks guilty about something lol


This is the perfect saying for our diverse Church, and btw, I wish every Mass would be as packed as this!


Naughty little boys playing with fire. To be honest, I hadn't even noticed them until Paulita started over to scold them, but they're in the background of a few of my other pics -- along with a naughty little girl who scooted before she got in trouble! lol Also proof that I am NOT responsible enough to be in charge of anyone not legally old enough to fend for themselves!


The lovely Council of Women ladies serving up the soda. MmmMmmm!

Since I came alone (*sad*) I ate with Dan and Marion's family (*happy*)

Dan, Marion, and I used to be in the choir together, and I <3 them so! ^_^ They're so nice, and it was great to finally meet their family. I didn't realize they're now great-grandparents! There's 4 generations of Catholic Christians all in this one pic!

I bid my friends adios and snapped a few more pics before heading out...



And now for bed, because I have to be up in time for the early Mass tomorrow with my family! :D

Holy Thursday ~ Jueves Santo

I absolutely love the Easter Triduum. I feel they're the most beautiful liturgies of the year, and I took pictures tonight to share with y'all ^_^

During Lent, all the statues are veiled in our church.





You can also see the empty Tabernacle in this pic.

The lector reading Exodus 12:1-8,11-14 


Fr Wayne proclaiming the Gospel (Jn 13:1-15)


In his Homily, Fr Wayne talked about how the story of the Washing of the Feet is not only about humbling ourselves to serve others (which is HUGE in itself), but also Jesus' institution of the Sacrament of Reconciliation (we have been bathed by Baptism, but we are still sinners, so we're "clean, but not all") and Pope Benedict's recently published reflections on the subject. So, in the Catholic Church, Holy Thursday celebrates both the institution of the Eucharist and the institution of Reconciliation by Jesus; I did not know that. I <3 a homily where I learn something new! :D


Following the Homily, we had the Washing of the Feet, during which we sang "The Servant Song" and ""Pequé, Pequé." It's such a beautiful tradition!


At the end of Mass, we chanted the Tantum Ergo as the Eucharist was processed out to the altar of repose for Adoration. My camera battery died, so I didn't get any pictures of the procession or the altar. *sigh* It was so beautiful it brought tears to my eyes.

Walking to Mass

I'm blessed in that I live within a mile of my home parish, though I have to admit that quite often laziness wins out and I drive anyway. I almost did that yesterday, but I awoke to find that my relatives had borrowed our car! So I had to hoof it to Mass. While I was very tempted to be a grumble gus about it, the thought that this is the only way the vast majority of Catholics throughout the world can get to Mass -- and they often walk farther than I would ever dream -- quelched that temptation real quick.

The fact that it turned out to be a glorious spring day also played a big part in reversing my mood. Indeed, Lord, "be praised for all Your tenderness by these works of your hands [...] and be glad that You have made blue for the sky and the color green that fills these fields with praise!"

As I strolled along, I started thinking why walking is so much better than driving. Hint: It's not just because it's better for our physical health and Creation, though those are very good reasons. It connects us with our community. When I'm driving, the streets that I travel may as well just be lines on a map for all I really notice them. When I'm walking, I see every little flower and songbird, every bit of grit and trash. I sense that this neighborhood is where human lives are played out, where souls are lost and won in the mundane day-to-day business of life.

I see the humanity of the folks in my neighborhood. Those belligerant kids who refuse to stop their basketball game so I can drive by? They're out there mowing the grass and pulling weeds for their old Granny. I can get a glimpse of them as complete human beings, members of families, with good and bad sides, just like anyone else. That random guy I see driving the rusty blue pick-up to work every morning? I pass his house, and he says "hi" and asks how my day is going, we talk about how beautiful the weather is, and wish each other well. I hear women shouting to each other across the street as they tend their respective gardens. There's a real sense of community that you just don't get when you're zipping through in an automobile. And that's a darn shame, because how can you love your neighbors -- even if it's just through a simple "Hey!" and a smile -- or see Christ in them, if you never even see them?

Danos un corazón grande para amar; danos un corazón fuerte para luchar

I went to the Spanish Mass today, and it made me miss Honduras so much! *sigh* How I long to go back! Care to take a stroll down memory lane with me? Here's pics from my last trip there with the Missioners of Christ, which was in 2006:

Los montañas entre Tegucigalpa y Comayagua


Las cabras circa de la Casa Guadeloupe.


Vista de Casa Guadeloupe al Convento de San Sarafin


Lavando la ropa en la pila



Una iglesia pequeña en el campo


¡El mulo!


Noemi, una niña muy bonita

On Timidity

I am a painfully shy person. I have to muster all my courage to go to Confession, and I shake like a terrified little puppy the whole time. Same for many other routine situations in my life, like babysitting my cousins, giving talks at youth group, and training new employees.

I recently found out that Fr is saying daily Mass at my church on Thursdays, which I have off work. So this morning I set off on foot, enjoying the beautiful spring weather and looking forward to receiving the Eucharist.

Then a terrifying thought struck me - what if no one else showed up? After all, attendance at daily Masses can be quite sparse. What if it were just Fr and me there?? I got so scared I almost turned around right before the church and walked back home! But instead I prayed that I wouldn't be the only one, took a breath, and went in.

I was not disappointed. Not only was I not the only lay person there, but a good-sized group was standing in the lobby talking with Fr. I slinked up and was warmly welcomed by a nice old lady :) As we talked even more folks trickled in!

I realized long ago that fighting my timidity is a vain endevor. My personality is not going to change. But more and more I'm realizing that with God's grace I can just do what needs done regardless of my fear, and He will bless my meager efforts.

Thanks be to God!

Pics of Brian's Ordination

Totally random, but while I was scouring my diocese's website for youth ministry dates, I stumbled across pics from my friend Brian's Ordination to the transitional diaconate! :D

 








These were on the same page, and I think they're from the first time he Baptized someone.

Beautiful Bride -- Flyleaf