Kevin Muico

WHAT DID JESUS DO ON HOLY SATURDAY (Lessons from an ancient homily)

The Lord's descent to hell are not just words we utter every Sunday. It is part of the creed — a core belief. It is a fulfillment of God's promise to our forebears.

Hence, Jesus' first order of business was to proclaim the good news of salvation and extend the invitation to those who had longed for him ages ago. This is what the Apostle meant when he said, "Death has lost its sting"(1 Cor 15:55). Death no longer has a claim on God's people, including those who had been claimed before the Incarnation.

Love was not shackled by death. Love has overcome.

JESUS, I TRUST IN YOU

One of the hardest prayers to pray is one of putting our full trust in God. When things go awry, our tendency is to take control of many things as much as we can. Trying to have some semblance of being on top of things.

The reality is, we do not have control of everything. We do not know what the future holds. We do not know if we might have an accident on our way home. We do not know if we are going to lose our jobs. We have no say in the market conditions. Only God knows what he is doing.

How beautiful, then, is this Sunday's celebration of God's Divine Mercy! In Jesus, we can and should place our full trust. His love for us is on full display on the cross. Death, he conquers out of love for us.

Jesus, I trust in You.

THE EASTER OCTAVE

Did you know that we celebrate these next few days as if it's still Easter Sunday? That's how seriously the Church takes its feast days - especially the great solemnity and season of Easter!

You know how seriously the Church takes feasting when one of the options for today's entrance antiphons goes hard with the feast imagery: "The Lord has led you into a land flowing with milk and honey, that the law of the Lord may always be on your lips, alleluia."

Note that the specific imagery is taken from Mosaic prophecy (cf. Ex 3:8), "a land flowing with milk and honey." Not just any land, but one that flows with both milk and honey. Honey is not something meant to be offered as a sacrifice to the Lord (cf. Lev 2:11); it is meant to be partaken and enjoyed. Milk in biblical imagery is also pregnant with deep meaning, one that projects prosperity. Thus, the Church wants us to enjoy this feast/solemnity out of God's abundant generosity.

So, what are you waiting for? Eat that cake! The Lord is truly risen after all!

PS. This post was meant to go out yesterday for Easter Monday. But given the news of the Pope's passing, I thought it best to postpone it. Though our hearts are filled with sadness, it is also, at the same time, filled with great hope, for the pontiff is now with the One whom he has given his whole life to.

Eternal rest, grant unto him O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him. May he rest in peace. Amen.

POPE FRANCIS ON MISSION

Allow me to share an excerpt from Dilexit Nos, which, in my opinion, was Pope Francis' best work. This was his encyclical on the Human and Divine Love of the Heart of Jesus Christ released October of 2024.

"In your own way, you too must be a missionary, like the apostles and the first disciples of Jesus, who went forth to proclaim the love of God, to tell others that Christ is alive and worth knowing. Saint Therese experienced this as an essential part of her oblation to merciful Love: “I wanted to give my Beloved to drink and I felt myself consumed with a thirst for souls”. That is your mission as well. Each of us must carry it out in his or her own way; you will come to see how you can be a missionary. Jesus deserves no less. If you accept the challenge, he will enlighten you, accompany you and strengthen you, and you will have an enriching experience that will bring you much happiness. It is not important whether you see immediate results; leave that to the Lord who works in the secret of our hearts. Keep experiencing the joy born of our efforts to share the love of Christ with others."

Eternal rest, grant unto your servant, Francis, O Lord. Let perpetual light shine upon him. May he rest in peace. Amen.