Holy Week

it is Holy week here in Rome. we celebrated Palm Sunday Mass this morning and in the homily the priest reminded us to stay close to the foot of the Cross this week, there will be many distractions, opportunites to do social activites, many things that clamour for our attention. hold firm and stay at the foot of the Cross, this is the climax of all our faith. it is this week, right now be with Jesus.

in moral theology class this week (my teacher is the Pope's personal theologian) pointed out something very interesting: in the Gospels Jesus calls men (vocation). they are looking to hear a call, wanting to know what God is asking of them. the women follow Him naturally, they didn't need to have Jesus come tell them to follow Him, somehow they just knew to do it (look who stayed at the Cross). its beautiful the way God made men and women differently. today at the end of Palm Sunday Mass in St. Peter's square the Pope said to all the english pilgrims: be a witness of charity to your friends.



a couple of my buddies are coming over here for Easter week and i am excited to spend some time with them here. it will be a refresher for me from home. but i'd like to leave you with this reflection i found in the Magnificat from Benedict XVI for your Holy Week reflection:

"Only when someone values love more hightly than life, that is, only where someone is ready to put life second to love, for the sake of love, can nlove be stronger and more than death. If it is to be more than death it must first be more than mere life. Jesus' total love for men, which leads Him to the cross, is perfected in total stepping-over to the Father and therein becomes stronger than death, because in this it is at the same time total 'being held' by Him"



please pray for deep conversion, i will do the same.

pictures:
1 - a pic of JP2 i had on my computer
2 - crucifix from the salt mines
3 - St. Maximilian Kolbe who died in at Auschwitz taking the place so that another might live
4 - the 11th station outside Jasna Gora
5 - see 1 above