23 MARCH – SATURDAY IN PASSION WEEK

Dom Prosper Guéranger:

Today we begin, as does the holy Gospel, to number the days which precede the Death, the Sacrifice, of the Lamb of God. Saint John, in the Twelfth Chapter of his Gospel, tells us that this is the Sixth day before the Pasch. Jesus is in Bethany, where a feast is being given in His honour. Lazarus, he whom Jesus has restored to life, was present at this repast which was given in the house of Simon the Leper. Martha is busy looking after the various arrangements. Her sister Mary Magdalene has a heavenly presentiment that the death and burial of her beloved Master are soon to be, and she has poured on Him a precious perfume. The Holy Gospel which ever observes such a mysterious reserve with regard to the Mother of Jesus, does not tell us that Mary was at Bethany on this occasion, but there can be no doubt of her being present. The Apostles were also there and partook of the repast. While the friends of our Saviour were thus grouped around Him in this village which was about two thousand paces from Jerusalem, the aspect of the faithless city becomes more and more threatening, and yet, though His disciples are not aware of it, Jesus is to enter the city tomorrow, and in a most public manner. The heart of Mary is a prey to sadness. Magdalene is absorbed in grief. Everything announces that the fatal day is near.

The Church has reserved for Monday next the Gospel which relates the history of this Saturday. The reason is, that formerly, and up to the twelfth century, there was no Station held on this day in Rome: it was left free in order that the Pope might rest before the great fatigues of Holy Week, whose long and solemn services were to begin on the morrow. But, although he did not preside over the assembly of the faithful, he, on this day, had to observe two usages which had been handed down by tradition and which had almost become of liturgical importance in the Church at Rome. During the whole year, the Pope used, every Sunday, to send a portion of the sacred species consecrated by him to each of the priests of the presbyterial Titles, or parochial churches, of the city. But it was today that this distribution was made for the whole of Holy Week, perhaps on account of tomorrow’s long service. We know from the ancient liturgical books of Rome that it was in the Lateran Consistory that today’s sacred distribution was made, and it is probable (as the Blessed Cardinal Tommasi and Benedict XIV tell us) that the Bishops of the suburbicarian churches were of the number of those who received it. We have several instances proving that formerly bishops occasionally sent to one another the Blessed Sacrament as a sign of the union that existed between them. With regard to the priests of the city parochial churches to whom a particle was sent by the Pope, they put a portion of it in the chalice before receiving the Precious Blood. The other custom peculiar to this day consisted in giving alms to all the poor. The Pope presided at this distribution, which was no doubt made ample enough to last the whole of the coming week when, on account of the long ceremonies, it would scarcely be possible to attend to individual cases of poverty. The Liturgists of the Middle Ages allude to the beautiful appropriateness of the Roman Pontiff’s distributing alms with his own hand to the poor on this day, the same on which Mary Magdalene embalmed, with her perfumes, the feet of Jesus.

Lesson – Jeremias xviii. 18‒23

In those days the wicked Jews said to one another: “Come, and let us invent devices against the Just: for the Law will not perish from the priest, nor counsel from the wise, nor the word from the prophet. Come, and let us strike him with the tongue, and let us give no heed to all his words.” Give heed to me, Lord, and hear the voice of my adversaries. Will evil be rendered for good, because they have dug a pit for my soul? Remember that I have stood in your sight, to speak good for them, and to turn away your indignation from them. Therefore deliver up their children to famine, and bring them into the hands of the sword. Let their wives be bereaved of children and widows, and let the husbands be slain by death. Let their young men be stabbed with the sword in battle. Let a cry be heard out of their houses, for you will bring the robber upon them suddenly, because they have dug a pit to take me, and have hid snares for my feet. But you, O Lord, know all their counsel against me unto death. Forgive not their iniquity, and let not their sin be blotted out from your sight. Let them be overthrown before your eyes, in the time of your wrath destroy them, Lord our God.

Thanks be to God.

Dom Prosper Guéranger:

Alas, the sinner who knows Jesus and the worth of His Blood, yet who again sheds this Precious Blood, does not he expose himself to the severity of that same Justice which fell so heavily on the Jews? Let us tremble and pray. Let us implore the divine mercy in favour of those many obstinately blind and hardened sinners who are hastening to destruction. Oh that by the fervour of our supplications addressed to the merciful Heart of our common Redeemer, we could obtain a reversion of their sentence, and secure them pardon.

Gospel – John xii. 10‒36

At that time the chief priests thought to kill Lazarus also, because many of the Jews by reason of him went away, and believed in Jesus. And on the next day a great multitude that was come to the festival day when they had heard that Jesus was coining to Jerusalem, took branches of palm trees and went forth to meet him, and cried: “Hosanna, blessed is he that comes in the name of the Lord, the King of Israel!” And Jesus found a young ass and sat upon it, as it is written: “Fear not, daughter of Sion; behold your king comes sitting on an ass’s colt. These things His disciples did not know at first, but when Jesus was glorified they then remembered that these things were written of Him, and that they had done these things to Him.

The multitude therefore gave testimony, which was with Him, when he called Lazarus out of the grave, and raised him from the dead. For which reason also the people came to meet Him, because they heard He had done this miracle. The Pharisees therefore said among themselves: “Do you see that we prevail nothing? Behold, the whole world is gone after him.” Now there were certain Gentiles among them that came up to adore on the festival day. These therefore came to Philip, who was of Bethsaida of Galilee, and desired him saying: “Sir, we would see Jesus.” Philip came and told Andrew. Again Andrew and Philip told Jesus. But Jesus answered them, saying: “The hour is come that the Son of man will be glorified. Amen, amen, I say to you, unless the grain of wheat falling into the ground dies, itself remains alone. But if it dies, it brings forth much fruit. He that loves his life will lose it, and he that hates his life in this world keeps it unto life eternal. If any man ministers to me, let him follow me, and where I am, there also will my minister be. If any man ministers to me, him will my Father honour. Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour. But for this cause I came unto this hour. Father, glorify your name.” A voice therefore came from heaven: “I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.” The multitude therefore that stood and heard said that it thundered. Others said: “An Angel spoke to him.” Jesus answered and said: “This voice came not because of me, but for your sakes. Now is the judgement of the world. Now will the prince of this world be cast out. And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all things to myself. (Now this He said, signifying what death He should die.) The multitude answered Him: “We have heard out of the law that Christ abides forever, and now you say: The Son of Man must be lifted up? Who is this Son of Man?” Jesus therefore said to them: “Yet a little while, the light is among you. Walk while you have the light, that the darkness overtake you not. And he that walks in darkness, knows not where he goes. While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may be the children of light.” These things Jesus spoke, and H went away and hid Himself from them.

Praise be to you, O Christ.

Dom Prosper Guéranger:

The enemies of Jesus have come to that pitch or hatred which robs a man or his senses. Lazarus who has been restored from death to life, is here standing before them, and instead or his resuscitation convincing them of Jesus being the Messiah, it sets them thinking how best to make away with this irresistible witness. O senseless men that Jesus who raised him to life when dead, can again bring him to life if you murder him. Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem, which we are solemnly to commemorate to morrow, adds to their jealousy and hatred. Behold, say they, we prevail nothing: the whole world goes after him. Alas, this ovation is to be soon followed by one or those reverses to which a populace is so subject. Meanwhile, however, we have certain Gentiles who desire to see Jesus. It is the beginning or the fulfilment of Jesus’ prophecy: The kingdom of God will be taken from you, and will be given to a nation yielding the fruits thereof (Matthew xxi. 43). Then will the Son of man be glorified. Then will all nations, by their humble homage to the crucified, protest against the sinful blindness of the Jews. But, before this comes to pass, it is requisite that the Divine Wheat be cast into the ground and die. Then, the glorious harvest, and the beautiful seed will yield a hundredfold. And yet, Jesus feels in his human nature a momentary fear at the thought of this death He is to undergo. It is not the agony in the Garden. It is a trouble of soul. Let us listen to his words: “Father! Save me from this hour.” It is our God who foresees all that He is about to suffer for our sakes, and it fills Him with fear: He asks to he freed from it, though His will has decreed and accepted it. He immediately adds: “But for this cause I came to this hour: Father! Glorify your name.” His soul is now calm. He once more accepts the hard conditions of our salvation. After this, His words bespeak a triumph. By virtue of the sacrifice about to be offered, Satan will be dethroned: The Prince of this world will be cast out. But the defeat of Satan is not the only fruit of our Saviour’s immolation: man, earthly and depraved creature as he is, is to be raised from this earth to heaven. The Son of God is to be the heavenly lodestone, attracting man to Himself: “And, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all things to myself.” He forgets His sufferings and the terrible death which just now troubled Him. He thinks but of the defeat of our implacable enemy, and of our being saved and glorified by His Cross. These few words reveal the whole Heart of our Redeemer: if we attentively weigh them, they will suffice to inflame us with devotion as we celebrate the ineffable Mysteries of Holy Week.