Sooner Catholic soonercatholic.org April 5, 2015 www.archokc.org Go Make Disciples Celebrate full season of Easter By Ted King The second Sunday of the Easter For the Sooner Catholic Season, April 12, is Divine Mercy In the Catholic high school I attended, my Sunday, which was instituted by Saint religion class during one of those years was John Paul II in 2000 because a Polish taught by an assistant football coach. He sister Faustina Kowalska (1905-1938), said something in class to the effect of while whom he canonized, had a vision in Christmas is nice, it would be meaningless 1931 of Jesus wearing a white robe without Easter. He was telling us that if Jesus with red and white rays radiating from had not risen from the dead, as He said he His heart, and He told her, “Paint an would, He was not what he claimed to be: image according to the pattern you God. see, with the signature ‘Jesus, I trust The Easter Vigil is the “Mother of All Vig- in you.’” ils.” Easter Sunday, then, is the greatest of all Jesus also told her He desired the Sundays, and Easter Time is the most import- image to be venerated throughout the ant of all liturgical times. Easter is the cele- world, and “I promise that the soul that will venerate this image shall bration of the Lord’s not perish.” She resurrection from obeyed, and three the dead, culminat- The center of our faith, the years later she ing in his Ascension had an artist paint to the Father and center on which all Chris- the Divine Mer- sending of the Holy tians agree, is the kerygma cy image that is Spirit upon the that Jesus is risen; Jesus now famous. The Church. Chaplet of Divine There are 50 is Lord: “We venerate Your Mercy was creat- days of Easter from Cross, O Christ and we ed, and Catholics the fi rst Sunday praise and glorify Your Holy are given an indul- to Pentecost. It is Resurrection. You are our gence under the characterized, above usual conditions all, by the joy of God. We know no other than You, and we call upon Your of confession and glorifi ed life and the communion. “The Resurrection of Christ” is portrayed in a painting by French artist Noel Coypel. CNS/Bridgeman Art Library. victory over death, Name.” -- Matins of the The Sunday after expressed most Resurrection Divine Mercy Sun- May 1 is the feast day of Saint Joseph the fully in the great re- day, April 19, is known as Worker, instituted by Pope Pius XII in 1956 as sounding cry of the Emmaus Sunday because a Catholic response to communism’s May Day. Christian: Alleluia! the Gospel of that day The Feast of the Ascension on May 14, All faith fl ows from faith in the resurrection: (Luke 24:13-35) tells the story of two disciples celebrates our Lord’s ascent into heaven after “If Christ has not been raised, then empty is of Jesus walking to Emmaus, a village near 40 days on earth following His resurrection at our preaching; empty, too, is your faith.” (1 Jerusalem, and “talking with each other about Easter. Cor 15:14) all the things that had happened” to Jesus Pentecost Sunday, May 24, celebrates the The glossary of the Catechism of the Catho- and “Jesus himself drew near and went with Holy Spirit’s descending upon the Apostles lic Church tells us that Easter is “the feast of them.” commanding them to go throughout all the feasts” and “the Great Sunday.” Easter Sun- They didn’t recognize Jesus until later when nations and preach the gospel. Pentecost Sun- day this year is April 5, the fi rst Sunday of the they had dinner with Him. In other words, He day is the birthday of our Catholic Church. Easter Season known as Eastertide. It ends proved to them He had, indeed, risen from Ted King is a freelance writer for the Sooner with Pentecost Sunday on May 24. death. Catholic. Liturgical readings for the Easter season April 5 - Easter Sunday of the Resurrection of the Lord. 10:25-26, 34-35, 44-48; Ps 98; 1 Jn 4:7-10; Jn 15:9-17 Acts 10:34a, 37-43; Ps 118; Col 3: 1-4; John 20: 1-9 May 17 - Solemnity of the Ascension of the April 12 - Sunday of Divine Mercy. Acts 4: 32-35; Ps 118; 1 John 5:1-6; John Lord. Acts 1:1-11; Ps 47; Eph 1:17-23; 20:19-31 April 19 - Jesus meets his disciples on the road to Emmaus. Acts 3:13- Mk 16:15-20 15, 17-19; Ps 4; 1 John 2:1-5a; Luke 24:35-48 May 24 - Pentecost Sunday. Acts April 26 - “I am the Good Shepherd.” Acts 4:8-12; Ps 118; 1 John 3:1-2; 2:1-11; Ps 104; 1 Cor 12:3b-7, 12-13; John 10:11-18. May 3 - “I am the vine, you are the branches.” Acts 9: 26-31; Ps 22; 1 John 3:18- Jn 20:19-23 24; John 15:1-8 May 10 - “This I command you: love one another.” Acts Image of the Good Shepherd, Boise City, Okla. 2 April 5, 2015 Sooner Catholic Sooner Catholic Local April 5, 2015 3 Put Out Into the Deep Luke 5:4 Find more Catholic Advocacy Day at Oklahoma Capitol Opening our eyes to the sin of racism news on the website At the climactic moment of the Risen Lord’s appear- immigration crisis that ance to his downcast disciples on the road to Em- seems so intractable in By Sooner Catholic Staff maus, Saint Luke writes, “With that, their eyes were our nation today. opened and they recognized him” (Luke 24:31). We recently have Additional coverage of The gift of faith, so intimately linked with Bap- witnessed latent racial Church and archdiocesan tism, enables us to see with new eyes. As the Church tensions erupting into news and events, only on celebrates Baptism at Easter, welcoming the newly massive demonstra- www.soonercatholic.org: baptized and inviting all Christians to renew their tions and even violence baptismal promises, we acknowledge that Baptism around the country. Two sisters that served brings us only to the threshold of new life in Christ. It We were surprised and Archbishop Paul S. Coakley in the archdiocese are cel- sets us fi rmly on the path. The process of conversion, embarrassed by the ebrating their jubilees. See sanctifi cation and transformation continues through- ugly racist slurs chanted by some fraternity members out a lifetime of discipleship in the Church. at our own University of Oklahoma. Many of us are our briefs section. Sin blinds us. Faith enlightens. Our honest re- shocked when we see these scenes of racial intol- fl ection reminds us that even though we have been erance, bigotry and violence, which we naively had Visit our picture gallery enlightened by the gift of faith, the effects of sin have consigned to the past. for slideshows of photos left us with certain blind spots and weaknesses. from the Chrism Mass and Archbishop Coakley and Bishop Slattery meet with Oklahoma Speaker of the House Jeff Hickman during Catholic Advocacy Day at the State Capitol. Participants We live in an era in which it is hard to keep up with in Catholic Advocacy Day learn about the legislative process during a visit with Dr. Ervin Yen, a state senator from Oklahoma City and parishioner at Christ the One of the blind spots that the Holy Spirit seems the rapid pace of scientifi c, technological and digital the Easter Triduum. King. Photos Diane Clay. to be calling to our attention today is racism. Rac- advances. We have bought into an evolutionary worl- ism is not merely a social ill. It also is a sin against dview and assume that material progress is the inev- Check our online calen- Reverend MacAulay honored with Rother award God and the human family. It is a sin that lodges in itable trajectory of human history. But, there is really dar and jobs box for com- human hearts and corrupts cultures and societies. It no such parallel to progress in the moral universe. plete listings. By Sooner Catholic Staff is a sin that blinds us to the fundamental equality of Human nature has not changed or evolved in any all human beings and the God-given dignity of each Archbishop Paul Coakley on fundamental way. We still struggle with the effects of Download the archdi- and every person created in the image and likeness of Tuesday presented Rev. Gerard sin, among them a darkened intellect and a weakened ocesan app for daily Mass God. MacAulay with the 2015 Father will. We are not as wise or as strong as we think we readings, meditations from Racism is what led to the horrors of the Holocaust Stanley Rother Faithful Shepherd are. We still fall prey all too easily to spiritual pride. Pope Francis and more! in Nazi Germany. It was institutionalized in Jim Crow Award on behalf of the priest’s Human nature, though fundamentally good, is fallen. Available in the App Store laws following the abolition of slavery. Racist atti- council. We are all still sinners. Our faith professes that we and Google Play. tudes and blind spots continue to create intolerable The Father Rother award is have been redeemed by the blood of Christ who died situations around the world, especially where migra- named in honor of the late Servant and rose for all of us.