Meditation on Easter

The Resurrection.....


        Jesus rose from the dead.  With it He conquered death,  defeated Satan,  sin,  and the world,  and gave new life to mankind.   The joy of the risen Christ is greater than pain.   The hope that comes from His resurrection is the victory over our own fear of dying.


 After the sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning, Mary Magdalene came with the other Mary to inspect the tomb. (Mt. 28:l)    


The angel came to the stone, rolled it back and sat on it.  (Mt. 28:2)   


Then the angel spoke, addressing the women:  Do not be frightened.  I know you are looking for Jesus the crucified, but He is not here.  He has been raised exactly as he promised.  (Mt. 28:5-6)   


He has been raised from the dead and now goes ahead of you to Galilee. (Mt. 28:7)  


On the evening of the first day of the week, even though the disciples had locked the doors of the place where they were... Jesus came and stood before them.  Peace be with you, He said. (Jn. 20:19)   


In their panic and fright they thought they were seeing a ghost.  (Lk. 24;370  


He said to them, Why are you disturbed:  Look at My hands and My feet; it is really I.  (Lk. 24:38-39)  


At the sight of the Lord, the disciples rejoiced.  (Jn. 20;21)  


Peace be with you, Jesus said again.  As the Father has sent Me, so I send you.  (Jn. 20-21)  


 I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in Me, though he should die, will come to life.  (Jn. 11:25-26)

         Let me pray in thanksgiving and in praise,  giving glory to the risen Lord.   Let me offer to the Triumphant Prince of Peace,  all those in despair,  those who have lost hope,  lost faith;  that in the Resurrection of Jesus will be their own future.   He is The Way and The Truth and The Life.    

From:  An Hour With Jesus

Prayer of St Francis

Meditation on Calvary

        The story of your passion and death has been with us for many centuries.  Still, it is difficult, Lord, to truly comprehend the awesome tragedy of that event.  How can we really grasp the meaning of it all?

        The Promised One, the Messiah, He who was to redeem mankind, was rejected by the people He came to save. The One who came to give all of us life to the fullest was deprived of His.  Perhaps, Lord, we wonder why the people of that age could not recognize who You really were.  How could they not perceive the signs?  Then again, perhaps we don't recognize who You really are today either.  We often deny Your presence simply because we can't physically see You.  And surely, evil could not be any greater then, than it is now.

        But the sequence of it all, Lord. It was not enough to condemn You or reject You, or even take Your life.  You had to also be subjected to ridicule, scorn, torture, scourging.  They had to make a mockery of Your kingship by pounding a crown of thorns into Your head.

        Could it have been that pleasurable for the people to watch You drag the instrument of Your death to the place of crucifixion?  What human need was fulfilled witnessing You stumbling, falling, scourged, as you labored to carry a heavy cross past crowds of jeering people?  Were some of them the same people you had earlier taught?  Or healed?

        How can someone truly grasp the agony of crucifixion?  The hours of pain?  Jesus, can You please help me to understand the reality of Your suffering and death as an act of redemption for me, and for all mankind?  Can You please help me to understand the power of Your act of forgiveness from your cross?  True God and True Man!  But the True Man suffered true human pain and death - for His people!

From: An Hour With Jesus

Meditation on Silence

        "What is true silence?  It means more than just the absence of sound .  You are silent, Lord.  Ever present, but without fanfare, without noise, nothing added to enhance Your presence, Your beauty, Your majesty.

         Lord Jesus, how do I find true silence, especially in Your presence?  Help me to become an empty vessel - a truly empty shell, void of all distractions, all thoughts, and in total quietness.  Then I think I could really hear and feel You speaking to me.  Then I could be silent and  You could talk.

        But I can't seem to reach that point all by myself, Lord.  I need Your help.  Send the Holy Spirit, as You promised, to create that empty vessel and then fill me with those gifts.  I need to hear Your words, seek Your will, accept Your love and forgiveness.  Show me how to find true silence.

        Is it in the heart and mind, Lord?  Is it a true mental and spiritual stillness, not based on any physical attributes?  Lord, that I might concentrate only on you; then my heart and mind might find that stillness."  


From: An Hour With Jesus 

You Are Mine - David Haas