Palm Sunday is "a great and holy day as it commemorates the last triumph of Our Lord Jesus Christ on earth and opens Holy Week. On this day, the Church celebrates the triumphant entry of Our Lord into Jerusalem; when the multitude, going before and following after Him, cut off branches from the trees and strewed then in His way, shouting, "Hosanna (glory and praise) to the Son of David. Blessed is He that cometh in the Name of the Lord." It is the commemoration of this triumph that palms are blessed and borne in solemn procession."
"The Church draws her life from the Eucharist. This truth does not simply express a daily experience of faith, but recapitulates the heart of the mystery of the Church. In a variety of ways she joyfully experiences the constant fulfillment of the promise: “Lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age” (Mt 28:20), but in the Holy Eucharist, through the changing of bread and wine into the body and blood of the Lord, she rejoices in this presence with unique intensity. " - Ecclesia de Eucharistia (Pope St. John Paul II)
Septuagesima is now but nine days away, and so in the month of February, the Church turns our attention toward the Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ - that we may begin to prepare our hearts for the holy season of Lent.
"At that time, after eight days were accomplished,
that the child should be circumcised, his name was called JESUS, which was called by the angel before he was conceived in the womb." - Luke 2:21 "The royalty of Christ rests upon a twofold basis. He is our King by right of birth and by right of conquest. The first refers us to the personality of the Son of God, whereby, in His divine nature as God and by virtue of the hypostatic union, He is the sovereign Lord and Master. The second places before us the God-Man coming down on earth to rescue fallen man from the slavery of Satan, and by the labors and sufferings of His life, and passion, and death, to win a glorious victory for us over sin and hell." - 1962 Roman Missal
"God forbid that I should glory, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ: by whom the world is crucified to me, and I to the world." - Galatians 6:14
These words of St. Paul are the words we heard in the Introit of the Mass on September 14 for the Exultation of the Holy Cross, and also today for the Commemoration of the Imprinting of the Holy Stigmata on the Body of St. Francis. In the spring, Sister Gardener launched into a fun endeavor: growing sunflowers! A basic rule of gardening is to plant a few more seeds than desired in the case that not all of them sprout. Much to Sister's surprise (and our enjoyment), all the seeds decided to sprout and blossom this summer!
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