The Last Supper Before the Last Supper

This Monday of Holy Week we heard St. John's account of the first Last Supper. Christ prepared us then for today, Holy Thursday, THE Last Supper, and now is urging us: "Remember Lazarus".

In every town Jesus travels through he encounters sinners and the sick. Bethany is no exception. Simon the Leper lives in Bethany. Mary the sinner is forgiven in Bethany. Lazarus is raised from the dead in Bethany.

On Monday Jesus passes back through Bethany, the "House of Misery", to dine with old friends. He is on his way to Jerusalem - on his way to death.

For Bethany, this meal with Jesus is a last supper.

"They gave a dinner for him there, and Martha served, while Lazarus was one of those reclining at table with him." John 12:2

John's Gospel uniquely points Lazarus out at the table with Jesus. Lazarus was raised from the dead during Jesus' previous visit to Bethany (in John 11) and the town is still electric with the story of Jesus' miraculous defeat of Lazarus' death. It was a last straw for the Chief Priests and Pharisees.

"So from that day on they planned to kill him." John 11:53

The Jews travel to Jerusalem to prepare for Passover, and there prepare to arrest Jesus and put him to death once He arrives.

What did Lazarus and Jesus talk about?

Death, I'm sure of it.

No doubt the story of Lazarus, his tomb, his burial clothes, and Jesus calling him from the grave was told again. It is a story that should end in smiling and laughing. But you could imagine this room filled with a soberness as Jerusalem and what could happen there looms, only two miles away. Many could guess the intentions of those who were looking to arrest Jesus. A strange mutual understanding exists between Lazarus and Jesus.

The night of this dinner in Bethany, death is a guest.

Lazarus is a dead man, walking away from death. Jesus is a "dead man", walking towards death. The disciples have a clue at this point, they must have heard the rumors, and Jesus had already begun to speak more often of His death.

Death sits at table with the dying. Death retells his story. His memories, his last thoughts from the cusp of death, and then - what? What happened before awaking wrapped and bound in a tomb?

"I died."

His soul wretched from his body.

Suddenly Jerusalem seems too close.

Jesus will die. Could the Apostles be put to death as well? Could He raise himself from the dead? But there Lazarus sits. Eating and laughing and moving. He is ALIVE. There is no getting around it. Lazarus was dead but now he is alive.

And in the middle of this strange dinner of the dead, the dying, the sick, and sinners, a fragrance like sweet flowers fills the room. Mary anoints the feet of Christ and wipes those sacred feet with her hair.

Mary, Martha's sister, pours out all she has onto Jesus' feet. Three hundred day's wages would have been needed to buy that much perfume. Where did Mary get that kind of money? Could it be the spoils from a past life of sin? Could Mary have, in one act, poured out and died to all that was left of her attachment to the world and her past life onto the feet of Christ? These feet carried this gift and burden to the Cross where they were pierced for Mary. For you and me.

At THE Last Supper, did the Apostles remember Lazarus?

This time, they are without a walking witness to Jesus' power over death. Memory of their time with Jesus is all they have left. Memory and faith. They are on the eve of their Shepard being struck down and them being scattered. What would happen to Jesus? What might happen to them?

Tonight, at the Last Supper before Easter, place yourself at THE Last Supper. Your heart would have been pounding; the fear of death sneaking into the room, assaulting your faith. Jesus speaks of His death. Breaks His bread and shares it with you. Jesus washes your feet. And as the fear of death, yours and that of the Lord who lovingly washes your feet, slips into your mind, you try to repeat to yourself...

Remember Lazarus.

Remember Lazarus.

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Ambrose Redmoon

Happy Palm Sunday, #CaptureEaster Begins!

[youtube=http://youtu.be/Qqhe4yRCGIE] And Holy Week begins! Help Catholics everywhere #CaptureEaster in order to share the beauty of God during Holy Week with the world! We've even thrown in some sweet Catholic books you could win.

Step 1) Take a sweet picture of your experience of God during Holy Week. Step 2) Upload it to instagram or Twitter with the hashtag #CaptureEaster Step 3) Checkout the site CaptureEaster.com to see other pictures of the world expereincing Holy Week, as its happening. Step 4) Get your friends in on the action! Step 5) Photo with the most (legitimate) comments gets 4 free Catholic books delivered to their door!

The Field

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Let's #CaptureEaster !!!

[youtube=http://youtu.be/Qqhe4yRCGIE] My friend Jon and I came up with a crazy idea: what if everyone around the world took pictures of Holy Week and the beauty of God, made a #hashtag (#CaptureEaster) and posted them all up on one website?

Starting this Palm Sunday, join us in our attempt to flood the internet with pics of the beauty and goodness of God and Holy Week.

Step 1) Take sweet pictures of your experience of God during Holy Week. Step 2) Upload them to instagram or Twitter with the hashtag #CaptureEaster Step 3) Checkout the site CaptureEaster.com to see other pictures of the world expereincing Holy Week, as its happening. We'll get your photo up as soon as possible. Step 4) Get your friends in on the action!

We will be posting the images to CaptureEaster.com and are giving away some sweet books to whatever photo gets the most (legitimate) comments.

Get pumped for Holy Week!!!!!

Magna Quis

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Quisque at dolor venenatis justo fringilla dignissim ut id eros. Quisque non elit id purus feugiat vestibulum. Phasellus eget sodales neque. Morbi eget odio nec justo consequat gravida. Phasellus dolor nisl, venenatis eget euismod et, dapibus et purus. Maecenas interdum nisi a dolor facilisis eu laoreet mi facilisis. Mauris pharetra interdum lorem eu venenatis. Praesent est diam, fringilla in hendrerit vel, ullamcorper et mauris. Vivamus risus mi, lobortis ut congue vitae, vestibulum vitae augue. Maecenas nunc odio, pulvinar id vulputate nec, porttitor at quam. Suspendisse vulputate diam eu leo bibendum feugiat. Integer luctus orci a nunc consequat eleifend. Nam tempus quam sed felis tristique faucibus. Aliquam facilisis vehicula malesuada.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Enjoy some fine music from Sycthian, a band that plays "kicked-up Celtic and world music with hints of Gypsy and Klezmer, all infused with a touch of punk-rock sensibility." One of the band members is a Franciscan University Grad!

Dia is Muire dhuit! (God and Mary with you!)

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Experiencing God - Between the Pint and the Cross Ep. 4

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Where do you experience God? Chris has some interesting reflections. (Does anyone know if the band The Brilliance is Catholic?) It's an interactive podcast! Email us! betweenthepintandthecross@gmail.com

Checkout the website thepintandthecross.wordpress.com

The Catechism on the Pope

Some relevant reading from the Catechism of the Catholic Church about the Pope (from the Latin papa meaning Father), also know as the Supreme Pontiff, also known as Papa.  I've bolded some of the awesome.

869  The Church is apostolic. She is built on a lasting foundation: "the twelve apostles of the Lamb" (Rev 21:14). She is indestructible (cf. Mt 16:18). She is upheld infallibly in the truth: Christ governs her through Peter and the other apostles, who are present in their successors, the Pope and the college of bishops.

880 When Christ instituted the Twelve, "he constituted [them] in the form of a college or permanent assembly, at the head of which he placed Peter, chosen from among them."³⁹⁸ Just as "by the Lord's institution, St. Peter and the rest of the apostles constitute a single apostolic college, so in like fashion the Roman Pontiff, Peter's successor, and the bishops, the successors of the apostles, are related with and united to one another."³⁹⁹ 398. LG 19; cf. Lk 6:13; Jn 21:15-17. 399. LG 22; cf. CIC, can. 330.

881  The Lord made Simon alone, whom he named Peter, the "rock" of his Church. He gave him the keys of his Church and instituted him shepherd of the whole flock.⁴⁰⁰ "The office of binding and loosing which was given to Peter was also assigned to the college of apostles united to its head."⁴⁰¹ This pastoral office of Peter and the other apostles belongs to the Church's very foundation and is continued by the bishops under the primacy of the Pope. 400.Cf. Mt 16:18-19; Jn 21:15-17. 401.LG 22 § 2.

882  The Pope, Bishop of Rome and Peter's successor, "is the perpetual and visible source and foundation of the unity both of the bishops and of the whole company of the faithful."⁴⁰² "For the Roman Pontiff, by reason of his office as Vicar of Christ, and as pastor of the entire Church has full, supreme, and universal power over the whole Church, a power which he can always exercise unhindered."⁴⁰³ 402. LG 23. 403. LG 22; cf. CD 2,9.

1369  The whole Church is united with the offering and intercession of Christ. Since he has the ministry of Peter in the Church, the Pope is associated with every celebration of the Eucharist, wherein he is named as the sign and servant of the unity of the universal Church. The bishop of the place is always responsible for the Eucharist, even when a priest presides; the bishop's name is mentioned to signify his presidency over the particular Church, in the midst of his presbyterium and with the assistance of deacons. The community intercedes also for all ministers who, for it and with it, offer the Eucharistic sacrifice: Let only that Eucharist be regarded as legitimate, which is celebrated under [the presidency of] the bishop or him to whom he has entrusted it.¹⁹¹Through the ministry of priests the spiritual sacrifice of the faithful is completed in union with the sacrifice of Christ the only Mediator, which in the Eucharist is offered through the priests' hands in the name of the whole Church in an unbloody and sacramental manner until the Lord himself comes.¹⁹² 191. St. Ignatius of Antioch, Ad Smyrn. 8:1;SCh 10,138. 192. PO 2 § 4.

Let's pray for the Conclave and the prayerful election of a new Pope! Veni Sacti Spiritus!

AND check out what the Catholic Encyclopedia has to say about the Pope.

LIVE Inside the Conclave

Watch on Salt+Light TV live coverage of the Papal Conclave to determine the next pope, as the Cardinals process into the Sistine Chapel and swear an oath to preserve the secrecy of the proceedings.

LIVE coverage here.

Keep an eye on that smoke stack!