Monday, April 18, 2011

Holy Week Factual Studies

THURSDAY: The Last Supper
 
 
 
 
 
The Lamb’s Supper by Dr. Scott Hahn
Buy The Lamb's Supper on Amazon.com
 
 
FRIDAY: The Passion of Jesus Christ

 
 
 
Movie: The Passion of the Christ
 
 

SATURDAY: A Test of Faith
 
Real Discoveries’ The Garden Tomb of Jesus
 
Discovery Channel’s The Lost Tomb of Jesus (You Tube)
 
 
SUNDAY: Where did He go? He rose, but didn’t leave right away…
 

 

 
[Most Likely] The Holy Face of Jesus
 
 
My dad, a Deacon in the Catholic Church, sings this every Easter Vigil. It is the Exsultet. I have fond memories practicing it with him, as well as assisting with the Stations of the Cross during Lent.
Christ be our light!

Rejoice, heavenly powers! Sing, choirs of angels!
Exult, all creation around God's throne!
Jesus Christ, our King, is risen!
Sound the trumpet of salvation!
Rejoice, O earth, in shining splendor,
radiant in the brightness of your King!
Christ has conquered! Glory fills you!
Darkness vanishes for ever!
Rejoice, O Mother Church! Exult in glory!
The risen Savior shines upon you!
Let this place resound with joy,
echoing the mighty song of all God's people!
[My dearest friends, standing with me in this holy light,
join me in asking God for mercy,
that he may give his unworthy minister
grace to sing his Easter praises.]
[V. The Lord be with you.
R. And also with you.]
V. Lift up your hearts.
R. We lift them up to the Lord.
V. Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
R. It is right to give him thanks and praise.
It is truly right
that with full hearts and minds and voices
we should praise the unseen God, the all-powerful Father,
and his only Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.
For Christ has ransomed us with his blood,
and paid for us the price of Adam's sin
to our eternal Father!
This is our passover feast,
when Christ, the true Lamb, is slain,
whose blood consecrates the homes of all believers.
This is the night when first you saved our fathers:
you freed the people of Israel from their slavery
and led them dry-shod through the sea.
This is the night when the pillar of fire
destroyed the darkness of sin!
This is the night when Christians everywhere,
washed clean of sin
and freed from all defilement,
are restored to grace and grow together in holiness.
This is the night when Jesus Christ
broke the chains of death
and rose triumphant from the grave.
What good would life have been to us,
had Christ not come as our Redeemer?
Father, how wonderful your care for us!
How boundless your merciful love!
To ransom a slave
you gave away your Son.
O happy fault, O necessary sin of Adam,
which gained for us so great a Redeemer!
Most blessed of all nights, chosen by God
to see Christ rising from the dead!
Of this night scripture says:
"The night will be as clear as day:
it will become my light, my joy."
The power of this holy night
dispels all evil, washes guilt away,
restores lost innocence, brings mourners joy;
it casts out hatred, brings us peace, and humbles earthly pride.
Night truly blessed when heaven is wedded to earth
and man is reconciled with God!
Therefore, heavenly Father, in the joy of this night,
receive our evening sacrifice of praise,
your Church's solemn offering.
Accept this Easter candle,
a flame divided but undimmed,
a pillar of fire that glows to the honor of God.
Let it mingle with the lights of heaven
and continue bravely burning
to dispel the darkness of this night!
May the morning Star which never sets find this flame
still burning:
Christ, that Morning Star, who came back from the dead,
and shed his peaceful light on all mankind,
your Son who lives and reigns for ever and ever.
R. Amen.

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Christian Movies on the Rise?

I think we are seeing a trend of Christian Movies coming to DVD and theatres!

This is a Christian teen movie coming to DVD April 5th. Today! I’d love to hear any reviews.

 

Also consider seeing the following Inspirational and Family Friendly movies (*=I’ve seen it):

*The Passion of the Christ

*Fireproof

*Secrets of Jonathan Sperry

*Chronicles of Narnia

*The Ultimate Gift

*Letters to God

*Bella

Facing the Giants

*Amazing Grace

*The Veggie Tales series

*The Blind Side

To Save a Life

*Bridge to Terabithia

Legendary

The Book of Eli

Secretariat

Thou Shalt Laugh

*Kit Kitteridge (An American Girl)

*The Nativity Story

*The Last Song

*Adventures from the Book of Virtues

*It’s a Wonderful Life

*Faith Like Potatoes

*Nicholas Nickleby

*Listen to your Heart

Untold Stories of Columbine

 

 

Or visit ChristianCinema.com for more suggestions!

Monday, April 4, 2011

Why go to church

Received this email I wanted to share. It applies to those who attend a Catholic Mass or those protestants/christians who attend worship services.

>Worship Services which are merited for a rightful praise to God and sermons which help them find God’s will.

>The Mass which also teaches God’s will for us, but more importantly merits innumerable graces from God through the sacraments and traditions.

 

If  you're spiritually  alive,  you're going to love this!
If  you're spiritually  dead,  you won't want to read it.
If  you're spiritually  curious,  there is still hope!


Why Go To Church? 


Someone wrote a letter to the editor of a  newspaper and complained that it made no sense to go to church every Sunday.  "I've gone for 30 years now," he wrote, "and in  that time I have heard something like 3,000 sermons.  But for the life of me, I can't  remember a single one of them..  So, I think I'm wasting my time and the pastors are wasting theirs by giving sermons at all." 


This  started a real controversy in the "Letters to  the Editor" column, much to the delight of the editor.  It went on for weeks until someone wrote this clincher:  
"I've been married for 30 years now.  In that time my wife has cooked some 32,000 meals.   But, for the life of me, I cannot recall the entire menu for a single one of those meals.  But I do know this: They all nourished me and gave me the strength I needed to do my work.  If my wife had not given me these meals, I would be physically dead today.  Likewise, if I had not gone to church for nourishment, I would be spiritually dead today!" 

When you are DOWN to nothing..... God is UP to something!  Faith sees the invisible, believes the incredible and receives the impossible!  Thank God for our physical AND our spiritual nourishment!

 

"When  Satan is knocking at your door,

simply say, "Jesus, could you get that for me?"