 
HOLY SATURDAY
Lumen Christi Deo Gratias
Lumen Christi Deo Gratias
Lumen Christi Deo Gratias
...Rising, He restored our life!
The anticipation of the Resurrection overflows with the most beautiful liturgies in the Church - the Easter Vigil Mass. Today we bring you "The Significance and Beauty of the Easter Vigil" for from the darkness the Light of Christ shines forth. After centuries of waiting and hoping, all expectations are fulfilled with the opening of Heaven's doors to all who had been in limbo since the time of Adam and Eve. For us it is a day of great joy and celebration, rejoicing at the new catechumens and a renewal of our Baptismal vows. For the moving liturgy, readings and meditation of Holy Saturday, see LITURGY FOR HOLY SATURDAY
 White vestments
Holy Saturday, April 14:
HOLY SATURDAY - THE EASTER VIGIL
First Reading: Genesis 1: 1-31; 2: 1-2
Psalms: Psalm 104: 1-2, 5-6, 10, 12-14, 24, 30, 35 or 33: 4-7, 12-13, 20, 22
Second Reading: Genesis 22: 1-18
Psalms: Psalm 16: 1, 5, 8-11
Third Reading: Exodus 14: 15-27; 15: 1
Psalms: Exodus 15: 1-6, 17-18
Fourth Reading: Isaiah 54: 5-14
Psalms: Psalm 30: 2, 4-6, 11-13
Fifth Reading: Isaiah 55: 1-11
Psalms: Isaiah 12: 2-6
Sixth Reading: Baruch 3: 9-15, 32-38; 4: 1-4
Psalms: Psalm 19: 8-11
Seventh Reading: Ezechiel 36: 16-28
Psalms: Psalm 42: 2-3, 5; 43: 3-4 or 51: 12-15, 18-19
Epistle: Romans 6: 3-11
Psalms: Psalm 118: 1-2, 16-17, 22-23
Gospel Reading: Matthew 28: 1-10
"Do not be afraid; go, take word to My brethren that they are to se out for Galilee; there they shall see Me." Matthew 28: 10
 "...He suffered, died and was buried. He descended into hell [Limbo] and on the third day..."
Today's prayer contains the Renewal of our Baptismal Vows which makes us children ofGod and safe from the clutches of hell if we remain in His grace. Just as Our Lord descended to the dead to free souls who had been in Limbo since the sin of Adam, so also we are freed through our obedience to Him. Below is the prayer. To print it out, see Prayer & Devotion
"Almighty and eternal God! Thou knowest all things: Thou seest the very bottom of my heart, and Thou knowest that, however sinful I have hitherto been, I am resolved, by the help of Thy grace, to love and serve Thee for the remainder of my life. And therefore, O my God, kneeling before the throne of Thy Mercy, I renew, with all the sincerity of my soul the promises and vows made for me in my baptism. I renounce satan with my whole heart, and will henceforth have no connection with him. I renounce all the pomps of satan, that is, all the vanities of the world, the false treasures of its riches, honors and pleasures, and all its corrupt teachings. I renounce all the works of satan, that is, all kinds of sins. To Thee alone, O my God, I desire to cling; Thy word will I hear and obey; for Thee alone I desire to live and to die. Amen."
   FOURTEENTH STATION OF THE CROSS
On Good Friday in 2000, the Holy Father led the Via Crucis meditations with his own words while leading the faithful on the traditional Papal Way of the Cross. His deep spirituality, renewed by a spontaneous visit to Mount Calvary within the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre during his "Jubilee Journey" to the Holy Land last year is an inspiration we want to share with our readers. Therefore we complete the Pontiff's personal meditations with the Final Station today. For this final one, see Papal Way of the Cross
Original painting used with permission copyrite 1995-2000 Matthew Brooks
"Today bring Me the Souls of Priests and Religious, and immerse them in My unfathomable Mercy. It was they who gave Me strength to endure My bitter Passion. Through them as through channels of My Mercy flows out upon mankind"
Today we continue with the Novena of Divine Mercy which will conclude with DIVINE MERCY SUNDAY next week. This Novena was imparted to Saint Faustina Kowalska, a Polish nun of the 1930's who is known as the "Apostle of Mercy" and was canonized last year on April 28th in Rome. For this second day of the Novena and Chaplet of Divine Mercy, see SECOND DAY OF DIVINE MERCY NOVENA
The Seeds of Schism are Sown!
On this date 530 years ago in 1471, the British nobleman known as Warwick the "kingmaker" was murdered on Easter Sunday. With the previous fall of the Plantagenets and other factions done away with, Warwick's death paved the way for the rise of King Henry VII whose son Henry VIII would rent the Church asunder in England sixty years later, and his illegitimate daughter Elizabeth would do further damage in greatly persecuting those loyal to the Papacy.
For other Time Capsule events that happened Today in Church history, see TIME CAPSULES
There's an energy shortage of grace today thanks to satan, but only temporarily - for the Light of Christ will shine brighter than ever at His appointed time!
"Easter is the Feast of the Resurrection of Our Divine Lord from the grave, three days after He was crucified. On many occasions He had foretold: 'No one takes My life from Me; on the contrary, I lay it down on My Own' (John 10: 18). On several occasions when there were attempted stonings, He told His enemies that it would do no good, for 'My hour was not yet come' (John 2: 4; 7: 30; 8: 20). It was not until Judas came into the Garden that He released the forces of evil and permitted them to do their worst: 'The hour has arrived and the Son of Man will be handed over to sinners' (Matthew 26: 45). God has His day, but evil has its hour, and all that it can do is to turn out the Light of the world."
NOTE: In deference to the Paschal Triduum, our regular series AT ONE WITH GOD - The Charism of Conjugal Love by Michael and Cyndi Cain will resume next Saturday in its normal rotation. Stay tuned.
Note: During this Paschal Triduum as well as Easter Sunday and Easter Monday we are suspending the Daily News in deference to this solemn, holy time of the year.. We will resume our up-to-date News on Tuesday, April 17th issue with a new format that will bring you even more news. For this week, we recommend sources we rely on. For these news agencies, see News Sources
Monthly Medjugorje Message for March 2001
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April 14, 2001 volume 12, no. 104
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