Dear Cherished Readers, Tomorrow begins the sacred Triduum when the Church enters the high, holy days in which we dramatically celebrate, through ritual and sacrament, the mystery of our salvation. True, we celebrate that mystery every time we participate in Eucharist, but during Holy Week we do so in a more intentional way, highlighting each stage and giving it special time and emphasis. It’s as though time stops, and we slowly and deliberately experience each aspect of Jesus’ death and resurrection, looking deeply into his saving action and plumbing its depths for meaning and grace. There’s still time to enhance your Lenten observance through a gift to Franciscan Media. This ministry is supported by donors like you. Your gift goes to work creating the rich resources you’ve come to depend on. Please consider making a donation today. |
Christopher Meyer
Director of Development |
Saint of the Day for March 27: Gregory of Narek (c. 945-1003)
Saint Gregory of Narek’s Story Gregor was born in a village on the shores of Lake Van between 945 and 950. When his parents died, Gregor and his older brother were raised by a scholarly uncle who had them educated at the Narek monastery where he was a monk. The monastery was a prominent center of learning located in what is now Turkey. Gregor too entered the monastery and was ordained in 977. A professor of theology, Gregor wrote a mystical interpretation of the Song of Songs, and a long mystical poem called the Book of Prayer or the Book of Lamentations. He described his poem as “an encyclopedia of prayer for all nations.” This classic of Armenian literature has been translated into 30 languages. The Russian text of the Book of Lamentations was set to music in 1985. Little else is known about Gregor, other than he died in the early 11th century and was buried within the walls of the Narek monastery where he had spent his life. In 2015 as the world observed the 100th anniversary of the Armenian genocide in the Ottoman Empire, Pope Francis concelebrated a Mass at the Vatican with Patriarch Nerses Bedros XIX Tarmouni and declared the monk, poet, and saint of the Armenian Apostolic Church, Gregory of Narek, a Doctor of the Church. His liturgical feast is celebrated on February 27. Reflection As opposed to the Armenian Catholic Church that began in the 17th century, the earlier Armenian Apostolic Church did not accept the Council of Chalcedon’s 451 teaching that Christ was fully divine and fully human. In 1996, St. John Paul II and Apostolic Catholicos Karekin I signed a declaration confirming the common faith of their two Churches. Prayer often unites groups of people who have seen themselves as very distinct—even enemies. |
Find a deeper understanding of pain and healing from Ronald Rolheiser, OMI. Ronald Rolheiser, one of the most influential spiritual writers of our day, offers profound reflections on the central mystery of our Christian faith. His meditations on the passion and the cross invites you to a new understanding of redemption and offers insight into the meaning of your own suffering. |
Parable of the Two Criminals The kingdom of God is made present in the experience of those who seek God’s will above all else in this life. Consider the two being executed with Jesus. The second criminal, facing the end of his earthly existence recognized Jesus as the son of God and, having admitted his wrongdoing, proclaims this truth. And Jesus responds: Amen. Paradise, or the kingdom, is also a reality that is not off in some distant future, but is, as Jesus says, here “with me today.” It is easy, with the quickly impending death of the three being executed, to mistake Jesus’ words as simply referring to the next life—which, he also surely meant. However, what Jesus is also affirming in his response of “Amen,” is the truth that we are called not just to say the prayer Jesus taught us to the Father, but to live it in our daily lives. Thy will be done! It seems to me that our focus on the Passion of the Lord, especially his death on the cross, has distracted many of us from the last parable the Gospels show us: the parable, as I call it, of the two criminals. It is the parable of how to pray, which is reflected in how we live. So which criminal are you? How is it that you pray? —from the book The Last Words of Jesus: A Meditation on Love and Sufferingby Daniel P. Horan, OFM |
Take an unforgettable tour of the most important sites in the Holy Land through guided meditations and prayerful reflections. Eighteen original watercolor drawings by Alessandro Alghisi capture the beauty and sacredness of these places. |
The Hard and Lonely Places Reflect Often the hard and lonely places frighten us. We avoid them because they look barren and deserted, even frightening. But the prophet Isaiah reminds us that God has placed “water in the desert, rivers in the wasteland…” that even there, we will find drink. God assures us that even there he has placed flowing streams that we might find drink, that we might be refreshed, even made new. Is there some connection between becoming vulnerable, going into the desert, and being nourished by God? Pray Heavenly Father,
I fear the loneliness and the hardness of the wastelands and deserts in my life.
But I trust that your love has placed there a stream of living water
to quench my thirst and nourish my spirit. Act
When I feel afraid, give me the courage to stay with you in the desert,
and eyes of faith to recognize even there the stream
of your ever-flowing love. Today's Pause+Pray was written by Herman Sutter. Learn more here! |
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