 
To many Jesus is missing in action! That's too many to not ask questions as Mary Magdalene did in seeking where they have taken Him.
With the war satan is waging on Christ's Holy Church over the past century, and intensified over the past 40 years, the devil's brigade has taken many prisoners. But the saddest fact that the troops fail to realize is that in so many - too many - Masses today Jesus is no longer there, no longer placed on the pedestal of the Transubstantiation, no longer looked upon as the Immolated Lamb offered to the Father through the Alter Christus. No, today He is merely a symbol for the politically correct mindsets of those who seek a Faith that does not demand sacrifice.
In her inspirational column today, Cyndi Cain shares those moments when Mary Magdalene discovered Jesus was not in the tomb. She immediately assumed someone had taken Him away and feared the worst. Today loyal Catholics, those few voices shouting in the wilderness of a stifling modern progressivism, can identify with how she felt for they have taken Him away today as well. Once He was solemnly and regally always on the Altar, on [in] His throne - His tabernacle - revered as the Ark of the New Covenant. Today He is missing in action, either hidden from eyes and hearts to the side or in an "unauthorized" chapel. In His place: man's seat. Yes, man has replaced God. Like the loyal Magdalene, we, too, should ask the question "Where is my Lord?" For her column Where have they taken my Lord? see SYMPHONY OF SUFFERING
Why our churches have become such lonely places for the soul
" As subsequent articles will explore in great depth, the problem faced in the Novus Ordo is not merely a matter of having the right set of instructions. Indeed, the new set of instructions actually feed into and reinforce the very concept of the liturgy which has emptied our churches and robbed Catholics of their belief in the Real Presence and of the nature of the Mass itself."
In today's issue Thomas A. Droleskey, Ph.D. brings us the second part of his fascinating, logical, factual treatise on ferreting out the doublespeak and contradictions contained in the General Instruction to the Roman Missal (GIRM) which has confused so many and, instead of clearing up abuses, only is a license to experiment some more, all contributing to the continuing deconstruction of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass that sustained the Church and her faithful for some 1,500 years. For his column, WYSIWYG or Improvising, see CHRIST or chaos
Urbi et Orbi: Peace is Possible!
"Men and women of the third millennium, the Easter gift of light that scatters the darkness of fear and sadness is meant for everyone.
This world of ours can change:
peace is possible even where for too long
there has been fighting and death, as in the Holy Land and Jerusalem;
it is possible in the Balkans, no longer condemned
to a worrying uncertainty that risks
causing the failure of all proposals for agreement."
That was the heart of the Holy Father's annual Urbi et Orbi Message for Easter Sunday 2001. Pope John Paul II urged all lands to seek the Risen Savior Who will "sustain us in our dedication to building a more human world,
a world soothed by the balm of Your Love.
Paschal Victim offered for the salvation of the world,
grant that this commitment of ours will not falter,
even when weariness slows our steps." In an unusually chilly Sunday 100,000 huddled together to keep warm in fending off the unusual cold weather and brisk breeze blowing through St. Peter's Square. After his address, the Pope retired to Castel Gandolfo where he remains through today before returning tomorrow morning for his regular Wednesday general audience. Even in his hillside retreat the weather doesn't promise to get much warmer.
For his Urbi et Orbi Easter message, see THE VICAR OF CHRIST SPEAKS
Bishop Armando Ochoa: We implore you to call Texas Congressman Silvestre Reyes to task for his sorrowful pro-abortion stance.
 
Today's "Herod's Hero" is the Democratic Representative in the United States House from Texas' 16th District, the Honorable Silvestre Reyes. There's nothing honorable about how he, as a 'Catholic,' has promoted the culture of death. We call on him to repent and for his shepherd in El Paso Bishop Armando X. Ochoa along with Reyes' shepherd in Washington D.C. Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, to issue the ultimatum of the "Bell, Book, and Candle" if he will not hear even the Church. We beg of the Bishops, to stand up for the Roman Catholic Church, to exact the discipline all Catholics are expected to follow. By Reyes' 79% pro-abortion record during his three terms in the House, he has turned away from God by showing a disdain for Catholic doctrine and being a willing accomplice to satan. We implore him to amend his ways, to turn away from embracing the pro-abort stance with no mercy for the lives of millions of unborn. For another betrayer who seeks to perpetuate the culture of death and slay the innocents, see HEROD'S HEROES
Easter Tuesday
Today we continue the Octave of Easter throughout this week which symbolizes the spiritual feast of Baptism for the newly baptized keep their white baptismal garments and their souls white and pure in Sanctifying Grace. The Masses of the Octave allude, like that of Pentecost, sometimes to the Resurrection, sometimes to Baptism. Both ways it reminds us to proclaim our faith in the risen Christ Jesus. Each day you will find the liturgy for both the Novus Ordo and the daily liturgy of the Tridentine Traditional Latin Mass - the Tridentine Rite per Ecclesia Dei. For today and tomorrow's liturgies, see DAILY LITURGY
"Now while they were talking of these things, Jesus stood in their midst, and said to them, 'Peace to you! It is I, do not be afraid.'" Luke 24: 36
Original painting used with permission copyrite 1995-2000 Matthew Brooks
"Today bring Me the souls of those who have separated themselves from My Church."
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 fifth day of the Novena and Chaplet of Divine Mercy, see FIFTH DAY OF DIVINE MERCY NOVENA
Candles keep hearts and hands warm during Vatican services as unusual cold front hits Rome
It was a far cry from the publicity garnered during last year's Jubilee Triduum and Easter ceremonies, but the crowds still came despite the unusual cold weather in Rome. Many huddled close together to stay warm during Holy Week and the fact some liturgies were moved inside St. Peter's because of the wet and wind, deprived some of being able to get in. With all the pomp and circumstance the Holy Father stayed with it, albeit his gait much slower. This was especially notable on Good Friday when, for the first time in his pontificate, he only joined at the end to carry the cross near the Colosseum. For more, we refer you to the headlines below from Rome:
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Day of the death of a Pope and the election of another 747 years later
On this day one Pontiff died and another was elected 747 years later. In 858 the 104th successor of Peter passed away. That was Pope Benedict III whose pontificate lasted three years and is best remembered for his efforts to unite East and West against the Saracen threat. It was he who first introduced the possibility of a Crusade, which would come a few centuries later. Also on this date 395 years ago in 1605, the College of Cardinals chose Cardinal Alessandro Ottaviano de' Medici who chose the name Pope Leo XI. Unfortunately his papacy lasted only ten days, falling deathly ill during a procession to St. John Lateran, the 232nd in the line of Peter died on April 27th. He was esteemed and loved by the people for his piety and generosity.
For other Time Capsule events that happened Today in Church history, see TIME CAPSULES
Belief and expectancy were clouded by the empty tomb
"When Mary Magdalene found the grave empty, the Resurrection did not enter her mind. She ran to some of the disciples, saying, 'They've taken the body from the tomb and we don't know where they've put Him' (John 20: 2). Then she heard the rustling of someone in the bushes, she did not look up - so little was she anticipating seeing the Savior; she assumed that it was a gardener. Belief and expectancy are two factors that are absolutely essential for the production of psychological visions or imaginings, but both were lacking in the case of the disciples and the followers."
Monthly Medjugorje Message for March 2001
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April 17, 2001 volume 12, no. 107
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