Harvesting The Fruits of Contemplation

Thank you Father Darr Schoenhofen: Palm Sunday without Palms This day, the beginning of an extraordinary Holy Week of unprecedented imposed penitential deprivation, open your hands, palms up toward heaven, and pray: Jesus, our King, ridiculed, rejected, and crucified for our sins, have mercy on us, for we have sinned; have mercy on us, Lord, for we have sinned .

Jesus wanted His Apostles to spend time with Him before He died. Instead they slept. He awaits our visits to Him as He remains imprisoned in the tabernacles of His Churches, but we don’t come. How harsh we are on Judas. Yes, he betrayed our Lord. But have not we done so repeatedly as well? How critical we are of Pontius Pilate. Yes, he did exactly what he knew he should not have done. How are we any different from him? How often have we either done what we knew we should not have done or failed to do that which we knew we should? Do we really think we are much different from those who threw stones at Him, cursed Him, spit at and slapped Him? Come on. Be real. Every time we fail to do what He has asked us to do or fail to stand up to defend Him or His Church, or remain silent when the Truth is being misrepresented, or fail to teach or lovingly correct for fear of being ridiculed or causing tension or stress in our relationships with others, we am one with them. When was the...