21st April 2025
Yesterday, I meant to write a new post for Easter Day but never got round to it. Now, in a manner of speaking, I never will, for within the last few minutes, the Vatican has announced the death of our Holy Father, Pope Francis. May the Lord forgive him his sins, and bring him into the peace of the heavenly kingdom.
Today, it was my intention to visit Tyburn Convent in London this morning to spend a little time in adoration before Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament. As soon as I have published this post, I am still going to do just that. Afterwards, however, instead of coming straight home, I will head off to Westminster Cathedral for Mass so that I can pray for Pope Francis as I receive the Lord in word, flesh and blood.
Easter Joy is now mingled with human sadness. Our Pope is dead. But why do we have Easter joy? Because He is risen! He is risen, indeed, and now He raises all those on this earth who loved Him, including I am sure, Pope Francis. And so, let our sadness at the Holy Father's departure from these earthly shores be mingled with joy at his rising out of the deep on the further shore, held by the hand of Jesus, embraced by mother Mary, and welcomed into the house of the Father.
With Prayers,
Malcolm
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19th April 2025
Holy Saturday
The drama of Good Friday is over and the world is quiet. I wonder what heaven was like back then. The host would have known what was about to happen but I somehow doubt it was business as normal!
The world is quiet but tomorrow Life will burst forth and death will be defeated. Over will be its reign of terror. From now on, it will be the defeated foe. I say 'from now on'; it has, of course, been like this for 2,000 years. At the Vigil tonight we step back in time to that moment which is for all time and re-present what happened outside Jerusalem at the beginning of the new age.
This week's work of art comes from The Illustrated Children's Bible (Hamlyn Publishing Group Ltd 1976). The photo was taken by me. It is my favourite picture of Jesus and Mary Magadalene in the garden. Along with St. John the Evangelist, Mary Magdalene is my favourite Saint from the Apostolic age. In this illustration, Jesus still looks like a bit of a westerner (although by no means as white as some pictures make Him out to be) but I appreciate that Mary has been given an appearance more appropriate to the the place where she was born. What I really connect to here, though, is Mary's downcast face, her grief; faith can be like this sometimes. But Jesus is there, waiting for us to see Him if only we will dare to look up. Here's to looking up this Easter!
