Maunday Thursday

Dear Friends in Christ,

Christian greetings to you all on this Maundy Thursday , when Priests and people celebrate the institution of the Lord's Supper - the commoration of His Last Supper here on earth. Jesus left to us the Blessed Eucharist as a token of His love for us.

Over the years, in the role of Subdeacon, I had the privilege to take part in the Liturgical observance of Maundy Thursday and for instance assisted the Celebrant of the Mass with the feet washing ceremony. You recall how Jesus washed the feet of His Disciples and this is reinacted in the Mass.

What stands out clearly , is the theme of this ceremony, see Saint John 13:34 ' I have a new commandment to give you, that you are to love one another: that your love for one another is to be like the love I have borne you, says the Lord.

and rising from supper , after the Lord Jesus washed the feet of His disciples He said to them:' Do you understand what I, your Lord and Master, have done for you? I have set you the exemple that you may do likewise."

Some of the antphons , which are sung during this Ceremony all focus on Charity and Love and I close this evening with one of them :

'Where there is Charity and Love, God is present.

Response: We have been made one by the love of Christ.

Response: Let us be glad and rejoice in Him

Response: Let us reverence and love the living God.

Response: And love each other with pure hearts. "

May you and I in the course of our lives truly follow that direction.

Ed Bakker - Postulant TAC New Zealand

Tuesday in Holy Week

click on the midi logo to hear a hymn

Friends in Christ,

When you go into the cities and into the towns of your country, you would not even know that we as Catholic Christians are in almost in the middle of Holy Week, in which we focus our hears and our minds on the Passion of our dear Lord Jesus Christ.

But the world around us seems to be inmune to the message of our salvation, but how can one afford to neglect it. Listen to this from Galations 6:4 ' But it is for us to glory in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, in who is our salvation, life and resurrection, by whom we have been saved and set free.

May God be merciful to us and bless us, may He smile graciously on us, and shew us His Mercy. But it is for us. Can we make every effort to carry out this message of salvation to all those, who are in dire need to hear it.

May God bless you and keep you,

Ed Bakker

Postulant TAC New Zealand

Monday in Holy Week

Friends in Christ,

play the hymn

Yesterday, Palm Sunday was one of these days in my life when a number of things went badly wrong and where some things that happened were ok. I had some troubles with a personal relationship with a friend and some troubles with a customer, who I deal with in the webdesign business. I felt a bit down, had to pray about it for God to lift me up.

I realize that I fail so many times in the course of my life, I just read the Collect for this day :" Grant, we beseech Thee, O God almighty, that we, who fail in the midst of trials by reason of our weakness, may be assisted thrrough the merits of the Passion of Thine only-begotten Son Jesus Christ. I think that the Collect was definately written for me. If I think about what Jesus did for me, I have absolutely no reason to feel the way I did yesterday. The suffering of Jesus is very much highlighted in the Epistle for the day, which comes from Isaias 50:5-10. Jesus never turned away, when they reviled Him and spat on Him. Jesus went through the dark places without a glimmer of light. He trusted in the name of God, His Father and He leant upon God.

If you relate to this short reflection, and I am sure that on some days you can, may you find these words uplifting and may God bless you and strenghten you.

With every good wish in Christ,

Ed Bakker - Postulant TAC