02 April 2026
01 April 2026
Bishop Challoner's Meditations - Holy Thursday
ON OUR SAVIOUR’S PREACHING FROM THE CROSS
Consider first, that the whole life and doctrine of Christ was a continual lesson to his followers to renounce self-love, with its three wretched branches, viz., the lust of the flesh, that is, the love of sensual pleasures; the lust of the eyes, that is, the love of the perishable goods of this world; and the pride of life. These are the unhappy sources of all our evils, which withdraw us from our allegiance to God, and make us exchange the fountain of life for poisonous puddles, that can never satisfy our thirst. These are the foundations of a worldly and sinful life, and the broad road to death and hell. Alas! we love ourselves and our own will more than God; we are ever full of ourselves, sensual, covetous, presumptuous, as if we were some thing, and we can bear with nothing that opposes or contradicts us. But mark in particular, my soul, the sermon which the Son of God preaches from the cross, and see how loudly he there condemns from that pulpit all the illusions of our self-love, with all the maxims and practices of the world, and the unhappy attachments of worldlings to their carnal and sensual affections. O! remember that what he suffers is all by his own choice, and this not only to the end that he may expiate our sins, but also in order to undeceive us in the preposterous judgment we make of things, and to teach us to embrace what he embraces, to despise what he despises, and to condemn what he condemns. Learn then, my soul, at the foot of the cross, to overcome thy pride, by the great example of the voluntary humiliations of the Son of God; thy love of the world, by his voluntary poverty, and by his being stript of all things, and abandoned by all; and thy love of pleasures, by his voluntary sufferings and inexpressible torments.
Consider 2ndly, that Jesus Christ, in offering himself upon the cross a sacrifice to his Father, without any manner of reserve, and in dying in pure obedience to his heavenly will, preaches another excellent sermon to us, containing the whole perfection of a spiritual life; which consists in giving our whole selves to God, and in being obedient unto death. Yes, Christians, if you desire to be perfect, you must learn of your dying Saviour to make this offering of yourselves without reserve, to his Father and to your Father; you must join your offering with his, and make it by his hands, that it may be acceptable. You must make it every day and oftentimes in the day. O! give him then daily your soul and body; give him your understanding, your memory, and your will; give him your whole being, with all that belongs to it, both for time and eternity: and he will give his whole self to you. O happy exchange! Offer yourself then daily to do for him whatsoever he pleases; to suffer for him whatsoever he pleases; dedicate yourselves eternally to his love, and resolve to die a thousand deaths rather than to forfeit in any thing the obedience you owe to this your Father, Maker, King, and God.
Consider 3rdly, the particular lessons that our Lord also gives in his seven last dying words upon the cross. 1. Of perfect charity to our enemies, by his praying for them and excusing them to his Father: ‘Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.’ 2. Of mercy and compassion for sinners, by the plenary indulgence he imparts to the penitent thief: ‘Amen, I say to thee, this day thou shalt be with me in Paradise.’ 3. Of duty to our parents, in his recommending his Virgin Mother to the care of his beloved disciple, and of a filial devotion to her, as recommended for a mother to us all: ‘Woman, behold thy son. - Behold thy mother.’ 4. Of an earnest thirst for the conversion and salvation of all men, by that which he expresses in this word, ‘I thirst.’ 5. Of fervent prayer to God under anguish and desolation, by the fervour of his prayer, ‘My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?’ 6. Of perseverance to the end, till we have consummated, (that is, completely finished) the work for which he came into the world, by that word of his, ‘It is consummated.’ 7. Of committing ourselves both in life and death, by a perfect resignation, into the hands of God, by his great example: ‘Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit.’ O let us learn these last lessons of our dying Lord!
Conclude to frequent daily this school of the cross, if thou would learn to be wise indeed. But more especially take care to study well at the foot of the cross those two most essential lessons, the renouncing thy own will and embracing the will of God, by a resolute conformity and obedience, even unto death.
2 April, Antonio, Cardinal Bacci, Meditations for Each Day
The Entry of Jesus into Jerusalem and the Last Supper
1. Imagine the joyful and triumphant entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. The cheering crowds line the street along which He approaches, riding upon the foal of an ass. Palm and olive branches are waved aloft, while groups of children cry out: “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” (Cf. Mt. 21:9) In the midst of all this exultation Jesus appears to be absorbed and detached. In his representation of this scene a famous artist painted a large cross in the distance, far beyond the cheering crowd. The divine vision of Jesus certainly saw this cross. He knew that in a few days He would be arrested as a malefactor and crucified between two thieves. The ingratitude of men towards the divine Redeemer was to go even to this length. We also shall have our moments of happiness and of victory in life. But, like Jesus, we must not trust too much in the joys and conquests of this world. The warning of the Holy Spirit that “the end of joy may be sorrow” (Prov. 14:13) is, unfortunately, only too true. Earthly happiness lasts for a short time and ends in grief. So we must seek the true and lasting happiness which comes from divine grace and from constant conformity with the will of God. This happiness will never pass away, but will become everlasting in Heaven.
2. The evening before Our Lord was arrested and put to death, Judas was negotiating His betrayal for a handful of money. Peter was about to deny Him in public and the Apostles would abandon Him in the hour of trial. Jesus knew all this. He saw, moreover, how men would be forgetful of Him throughout the ages, and how they would insult Him and hate Him. Nevertheless, He resolved to remain amongst us forever under the Eucharistic species. “I have greatly desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer.” (Luke 22:15) Why did He say this? Because He was about to work the most amazing miracle of His infinite love, the institution of the Blessed Eucharist. He took bread, blessed and broke it and gave it to His Apostles, saying: “This is my body, which is being given for you.” Then He took the cup of wine, gave thanks to His heavenly Father and said: “This is the chalice of my blood, the mystery of faith, which shall be shed for you. Do this in remembrance of Me,” He said. There was nothing left for the infinite power and goodness of Jesus to give. He had given Himself, not only to His Apostles, but to all men throughout the ages. If we meditated deeply on this mystery of infinite love, we should certainly love Jesus very much. We should joyfully accept the nourishment of His immaculate body and should live with the supernatural life which comes from Him.
3. We may often experience the desire to be good and holy... But soon the trials of life, the impulses of passion, and the distractions of our daily business disperse these noble thoughts. We are caught up in the roundabout of life, immersed in mediocrity and, perhaps, in sin. Why should this happen? Because virtue is difficult, a prolonged martyrdom, in fact. We cannot find the strength to make this lofty ascent towards perfection.
It is necessary that Jesus, the divine food of the soul, should enter our poor, fallen nature. Then we shall be transformed and shall be capable of anything. We shall say with St. Paul: “It is now no longer I that live, but Christ lives in me.” (Cf. Gal. 2:20)
Eastern Rite ~ Feasts of 2 April AM 7534
Today is Great and Holy Thursday & the Feast of Our Venerable Father Titus the Wonderworker and the Commemoration of the Passing into Eternal Life (1959) of Blessed Hieromartyr Mykola (Nicholas) Charnetsky, Exarch of Volhynia.
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Saint Titus the Wonderworker displayed zeal for the monastic life from his youth. He pursued asceticism in the ninth century at the Studion monastery near Constantinople. By his deeds of fasting, purity of life and mild disposition, Saint Titus gained the love of the brethren, and at their request, he was ordained priest.
Fervent of faith, the saint stood up for the Catholic veneration of icons during the Iconoclast persecution. Because of his virtuous life, God granted him the gift of wonderworking. The saint was translated to the Lord in his old age.
Troparion — Tone 4
Dedicated to the Lord from childhood, / you lived in the world like an angel; / you received grace from God to work miracles; / you were a guide of monks and a wise steward, O Titus. / Fervently pray to Christ our God for the world.
Troparion — Tone 4
You forsook the tumult of life; / you lived your life in tranquillity, O wise one. / You have passed over to God, / venerable wonderworker, Titus our father.
Kontakion — Tone 8
You purified yourself through prayer and abstinence. / You were radiant with grace and virtue. / You bring joy to us who sing: / Rejoice, O Titus, / Adornment of the fathers!
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Blessed Mykola (Nicholas) Charnetsky was born to a large and pious peasant family on the 14th of December 1884 in the Western Ukrainian village of Semakivka. Mykola was the eldest of nine children. He received his primary education in the village of Tovmach and then entered St. Nicolas gymnasium (grammar school) in Stanislaviv (now Ivano-Frankivsk).
Charnetsky discovered his vocation to the priesthood at a young age and soon declared his intention of becoming a priest. In 1903 bishop Hryhoriy Khomyshyn sent him to Rome for studies. During Charnetsky’s short visit to Ukraine, Bishop Hryhoriy Khomyshyn ordained him a priest on the 2nd of October 1909. Fr. Mykolay then returned to Rome to continue his studies and received the degree of Doctor of theology.
From the autumn of 1910 Fr. Charnetsky was the Professor of Philosophy and Dogmatic theology at the Stanislaviv seminary. He was also the Spiritual Director in the same seminary. Deep in his heart, however, Fr. Mykolay longed for the monastic life. Hence, in October 1919 he joined the Redemptorist novitiate in Zboiska near Lviv, and one year later, on the 16th of October 1920, he professed his vows as a Redemptorist.
Filled with eagerness to work for the reconciliation of Christians and to convert the spiritually abandoned people, in 1926 the Redemptorists of the Lviv Province founded a missionary centre at Kovel in the Volyn region. Fr. Charnetsky, being an ardent missionary, was sent there. Very soon he gained the utmost respect of the local people and even that of the Orthodox clergy. Having opened a monastery and a church in Kovel, Fr. Mykolay did his best to preserve the purity of the Eastern Liturgical rite. In 1931, taking into account Fr. Charnetsky’s devoted work, Pope Pius XI appointed him titular bishop of Lebed and an Apostolic Visitor for the Ukrainian Catholics in the Volyn and Pidliashsha regions. These regions became the field of Charnetsky’s activity – first as a missionary, then as a bishop – for almost 14 years.
As the first Ukrainian Redemptorist Bishop, he experienced persecution from the very outset of his activity. During the Soviet occupation of Western Ukraine in 1939 the Redemptorists were forced to leave the Volyn region, and bishop Charnetsky moved to Lviv, to a Redemptorist monastery in Zyblykevycha (now Ivana-Franka) Street.
After the revival of the Lviv Theological Academy in 1941, Bishop Mykolay Charnetsky joined the faculty of the Academy as a professor of Philosophy, Psychology, and Moral Theology. His calmness, based on a strong and unshakable faith, his spirit of obedience and prayer gave his students good reason to consider their professor a saint. Bishop Mykolay Charnetsky was for them an exemplary figure of both a monk and a virtuous person.
In 1944 the Soviet troops entered Galicia for the second time. This marked the beginning of bishop Charnetsky’s Via Dolorosa. He was arrested on 11 April 1945. He was held in the prison of the Soviet secret police in Lonskoho street. There, the bishop suffered many afflictions: interrogations in the middle of the night, cruel beating and torture. Later Bishop Charnetsky was transferred to Kyiv, where he spent another year of suffering – until his case was taken to court. Bishop Mykolay Charnetsky was sentenced to ten years of imprisonment for the crime of being a “Vatican agent”. He served this term together with the Metropolitan Josyf Slipyj first in the town of Mariinsk in the Kemeroc region (Siberia), then later at a number of other prison sites as well.
According to credible sources, during the period of his imprisonment (from his arrest in Lviv in April 1945 until his release in 1956), Bishop Charnetsky spent altogether 600 hours under torture and interrogation, and at different times was imprisoned in 30 prisons and prison camps. Despite all these sufferings, the bishop always managed to find a word of consolation for his fellow prisoners. He supported them morally and he knew all of them by name. It is no wonder that bishop Charnetsky was very popular among the prisoners, as he was the only source of consolation for them.
Bishop Mykolay Charnetsky spent the last years of his imprisonment in a prison hospital in Mordovia. In 1956 his health declined to the extent that the doctors did not have any hope as regards his survival. A special robe, in which the prisoners were buried, had already been sewn for bishop Charnetsky. Taking into account the hopeless condition of the bishop and that the Soviet regime could avoid the blame of causing the bishop’s death, the prison administration decided to release him and send him to Lviv. After his return to Lviv in 1956 and due to his contracting hepatitis and a number of other diseases, Bishop Mykolay Charnetsky was immediately hospitalized. Everybody was sure that Bishop Charnetsky would soon die. But, the Lord had a different plan: He decided to prolong the life of a man whose faith and work was so valued and needed by the Ukrainian Church. Soon the bishop recovered and moved to an apartment in number 7 Vechirnia Street together with Br. Klymentiy, C.Ss.R. There, Bishop Charnetsky continued his apostolate of endurance and prayer. He spent most of his time praying and reading. Those who visited the bishop in that period witnessed to have often found him in a state of ecstasy. During his stay in Lviv, Bishop Charnetsky remained faithful to his mission of a Good Shepherd: he supported his confreres spiritually, prepared candidates for the priesthood and ordained more than ten priests.
Unfortunately, Bishop Charnetsky’s “miraculous” recovery did not last long. On the 2nd of April 1959, the bishop died in a state of holiness. His last words were a cry calling on the aid of Our Mother of Perpetual Help. The funeral of Bishop Mykolay Charnetsky took place on the 4th of April 1959. The description of the funeral kept in the archive of Yorkton Province of CSsR (Canada) ends with the following words: “We all think that the day of his canonization will come – for he was indeed a saintly bishop”.
Everybody who knew Bishop Mykolay Charnetsky gave a unanimous testimony of his sainthood. It was no surprise then that immediately after his death many people started addressing their prayers to Bishop Charnetsky. One finds this impression of sainthood and of a powerful intercession before God during prayers at the bishop’s tomb in the Lychakiv cemetery. Numerous people visit the place of Bishop Charnetsky’s burial to obtain his intercession when praying to God for various favours. One woman, whose arm was about to be amputated, applied soil from the bishop’s grave to her arm, which resulted in complete healing. Since then, people have been taking soil from his grave to remedy various diseases.
Taking into account the testimonies of Bishop Mykolay Charnetsky’s virtuous life, and particularly his endurance, courage and faithfulness to Christ’s Church during the period of persecution, the beatification process was started in 1960. On 2 March 2001, the process was completed on the level of the eparchy, and the case was handed over to the Apostolic See. On 6 April 2001 the theological committee recognized the fact of Bishop Charnetsky’s martyrdom, on 23 April his martyrdom was verified by the Assembly of Cardinals, and on 24 April 2001 Most Holy Father John Paul II signed a decree of the beatification of Bishop Mykola Charnetsky, a blessed martyr of Christian faith.
Troparion
In life and death, Blessed Bishop Martyr Mykola, you exemplified the words of Our Lord, “A good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” Through your virtuous life and heroic death, you have attained the martyr’s crown of glory in the Heavenly Kingdom. O Healer of Souls, we beseech you, hear our prayers and intercede for our needs. Heal our physical and spiritual infirmities through your intercession with Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, the Supreme Physician of our bodies and souls.
IN LUMINE FIDEI: 1 APRIL – WEDNESDAY OF HOLY WEEK
IN LUMINE FIDEI: 1 APRIL – WEDNESDAY OF HOLY WEEK: Dom Prosper Guéranger: On this day in the Roman Church was held the sixth Scrutiny for the admission of catechumens to Baptism. Those ...
2 April, The Chesterton Calendar
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APRIL 2nd
Modesty has moved from the organ of ambition. Modesty has settled upon the organ of conviction—where it was never meant to be. A man was meant to be doubtful about himself, but undoubting about the truth; this has been exactly reversed. Nowadays the part of a man that a man does assert is exactly the part he ought not to assert—himself. The part he doubts is exactly the part he ought not to doubt—the Divine Reason. Huxley preached a humility content to learn from Nature. But the new sceptic is so humble that he doubts if he can even learn. Thus we should be wrong if we had said hastily that there is no humility typical of our time. The truth is that there is a real humility typical of our time; but it so happens that it is practically a more poisonous humility than the wildest prostrations of the ascetic. The old humility was a spur that prevented a man from stopping: not a nail in his boot that prevented him from going on. For the old humility made a man doubtful about his efforts, which might make him work harder. But the new humility makes a man doubtful about his aims, which will make him stop working altogether.
'Orthodoxy.'
Georges Lemaître: The Priest Who Discovered the Big Bang
With Jonathan Lunine, PhD, David C. Duncan Professor in the Physical Sciences and Chair of the Department of Astronomy at Cornell University.
The Filipino Tradition That Replaces the "Glory Be" During Holy Week
A beautiful custom, one in the sme vein as St Louis Marie de Montfort adding phrases to the Hail Mary to focus attention on the Mysteries.
From Aleteia
By Philip Kosloski
This alternative prayer is used saying the Rosary, and focuses our minds on the somber reality of the Passion.It is a traditional custom, especially among many Filipino Catholics, to replace the "Glory Be" prayer during Holy Week with a more somber prayer.
The"Glory Be" prayer is usually said after praying each decade of the Rosary. This has been the custom for many centuries in most countries throughout the world and is the most common way to pray the Rosary.
It has not always been part of the Rosary, as originally there were a variety of prayers said. It took many years before the Rosary was formulated into what it is today.
Replacing the Glory Be
However, during Holy Week, and in some places starting from the 5th Sunday of Lent, the following prayer will be prayed in its place. The prayer highlights the Passion and death of Jesus and is meant to help Catholics meditate more on the suffering of Jesus.
V. Christ became obedient for us unto death.
R. Even to death on a cross.
These two verses are straight from St. Paul's letter to the Philippians, "he humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross" (Philippians 2:8).
This tradition is popular in the Philippines, and among Filipino Catholics spread throughout the world. It is a custom that they developed, and have been faithful to over the years.
While not a mandatory custom, it reflects the somber mood of Holy Week and is in line with similar practices in the Church, such as omitting the Gloria or Alleluia during Lent. It fit thematically, as Holy Week is not typically a week where we lift up our hearts in joyful jubilation. We tend to save that for Jesus' Resurrection on Easter Sunday.
For those looking for a new way to enter into Jesus' Passion, try replacing the Glory Be with this prayer this year.
How Medieval Peasants Built Muscle After 50 Eating Twice A Day
From Medieval Way
Right now, somewhere in the modern world, a fifty-three-year-old man is sipping a protein shake made from whey isolate, creatine monohydrate, and something called "anabolic matrix." He's following a meal plan with six small meals a day because his trainer told him that's how you fight muscle loss after fifty. He's spending four hundred dollars a month on supplements. And he's still losing about a pound of muscle every year.
Meanwhile, a medieval peasant at the same age — eating two meals a day, most of it bread and peas — was hauling timber, swinging a scythe through barley fields, and carrying sacks of grain that weighed over sixty pounds. And his skeleton tells us something that modern fitness culture doesn't want to hear. He was building functional muscle well into his fifties on a diet that most personal trainers today would call starvation.
What is “Spy Wednesday” During Holy Week?
Today is "Spy Wednesday", so known because it was today that Judas went to the chief priests to betray Christ. It is also called "Silent Wednesday," as the Gospels do not record any activities in the life of Jesus.
From Aleteia
By Philip Kosloski
Before Jesus celebrated the Passover, a "spy" went out to betray him. Spy Wednesday recalls the betrayal of Judas on the night before the Last Supper.
As the days of Holy Week move forward, specific events occur that directly lead to what will take place on Good Friday. Among these events was the fateful betrayal of Jesus by one of his own disciples.
Then one of the twelve, who was called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, “What will you give me if I deliver him to you?” And they paid him thirty pieces of silver. And from that moment he sought an opportunity to betray him.
The 30 pieces of silver recall the betrayal of another biblical figure, Joseph in the Old Testament:
Then Mid′ianite traders passed by; and they drew Joseph up and lifted him out of the pit, and sold him to the Ish′maelites for twenty shekels of silver; and they took Joseph to Egypt.
Genesis 37:28
Judas the Spy
This action by Judas earned him the title of "spy" by medieval Christians, in accord with the traditional definition of the English word, "one who keeps secret watch on a person or thing to obtain information."
From Wednesday onward, Judas secretly watched for a chance to turn Jesus over to the chief priests, and so many Christians in the English-speaking world labeled this day as "Spy Wednesday."
In the same vein various cultures reflected the somber mood of this day by calling it "Black Wednesday" or "Wednesday of Shadows," which also corresponds to the liturgical rite of Tenebrae that is celebrated on this day.
It is also called "Silent Wednesday," as the Gospels do not record any activities in the life of Jesus. The only event is the secret meeting of Judas with the chief priests.
Wednesday's events usher in the final days of Jesus' life on earth and directly lead to the sacrifice of Jesus on Good Friday.
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