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Reflection for the 15th/24th Sunday in Ordinary Time 2025

Christian Witness

Reflection for the 15th/24th Sunday in Ordinary Time 2025

Christian Witness

Reflection for the 15th/24th Sunday in Ordinary Time 2025

Poetry

April 12 – Come Rejoice, Our Lord Is Risen

Come, rejoice, our Lord is risen,
Come sing out the proclamation.
Come sing of His Resurrection.
Alleluia, Alleluia!

Lo, our Heav’nly King comes to us,
As a flow’r, arrayed so beauteous,
Over death He reigns victorious.
Alleluia, Alleluia!

All the pow’rs of hell are broken,
All the foes of God are fallen,
Yet us, He has not forsaken.
Alleluia, Alleluia!

Three days in the tomb He lay there,
The fate of mankind He would bear,
That His life all mankind might share.
Alleluia, Alleluia!

O Lord, through Thy Resurrection,
May we find from sin redemption,
And at last know Thy Salvation.
Alleluia, Alleluia!

Translation by the English Hymnal Commission of the Polish National Catholic Church — 1959.

[audio:https://www.konicki.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/wesoly_nam_dzien.mp3]

Wesoły nam dzień dziś nastał,
Którego z nas każdy żądał:
Tego dnia Chrystus zmartwychwstał,
Alleluja, Alleluja!

Król niebieski k`nam zawitał,
Jako śliczny kwiat. zakwitał:
Po śmierci się nam pokazał.
Alleluja, Alleluja!

Piekielne moce zwojował,
Nieprzyjaciele podeptał,
Nad nędznymi się zmiłował.
Alleluja, Alleluja!

Do trzeciego dnia tam mieszkał,
Ojce święte tam pocieszał.
Potem iść za sobą kazał.
Alleluja, Alleluja!

Którzy v otchłaniach mieszkali,
Płaczliwie tam zawołali.
Gdy Zbawiciela. ujrzeli.
Alleluja, Alleluja!

“Zawitaj, przybywający –
Boży Synu wszechmogący,
Wybaw nas z piekie1nej mocy”.
Alleluja, Alleluja!

Wielkie tam wesele mieli
Gdy Zbawiciela ujrzel1.
Którego z dawna żądal1.
Alleluja, Alleluja!

Potem swą mocą zmartwychwstał,
Pieczęci z grobu nie ruszał.
Na stróżach wielki strach powstał.
Alleluja, Alleluja!

A gdy Chrystus Pan zmartwychwstał,
Miłośnikom się pokazał,
Anioły do Matki posłał.
Alleluja! Alleluja!

‘O Anieli najmilejsi,
idźcież do Panny Najświętszej,
do Matki mej najmilejszej!’
Alleluja, alleluja!

‘Ode mnie Ją pozdrawiajcie
i wesoło zaśpiewajcie:
Królowo rajska wesel się!’
Alleluja, alleluja!

Potem z wielką swą światłością
do Matki swej przystąpiwszy,
pocieszył Ją pozdrowiwszy.
Alleluja, alleluja!

‘Napełniona bądź słodkości,
Matko moja i radości
po onej wielkiej żałości.’
Alleluja, alleluja!

‘Witajże, Jezu najsłodszy,
Synaczku mój najmilejszy,
pocieszenie wszelkiej duszy.’
Alleluja, alleluja!

‘Jestem już bardzo wesoła,
gdym Cię Żywego ujrzała,
jakobym się narodziła.’
Alleluja, alleluja!

Radośnie z Nim rozmawiała,
usta Jego całowała,
w radości się z Nim rozstała.
Alleluja, alleluja!

Przez Twe święte Zmartwychwstanie,
daj nam grzechów odpuszczenie,
a potem wieczne zbawienie!
Alleluja, alleluja!

Homilies

Solemnity of the Resurrection

First reading: Acts 10:34,37-43
Psalm: Ps 118:1-2,16-17,22-23
Epistle: Colossians 3:1-4
Sequence: Praises to the Paschal Victim
Gospel: John 20:1-9

Christ is risen! Alleluia!
He is truly risen! Alleluia!

he went into the tomb and saw the burial cloths there,
and the cloth that had covered his head,
not with the burial cloths but rolled up in a separate place

As I stand here this morning I feel as if I am still living in the midst of Lent. Perhaps it is our inability to adjust quickly, to realize what is happening, to see what has happened in an instant. We may feel like Mary, or Peter, or the other Apostles, facing this new thing as we stand fixed in our recent past.

Our recent past has much to do with being bound. We walked with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, and at every stop He was bound. It begins in the garden:

So the band of soldiers and their captain and the officers of the Jews seized Jesus and bound him. (John 18:12)

Then in the court of Annas:

Now the men who were holding Jesus mocked him and beat him;
they also blindfolded him and asked him, “Prophesy! Who is it that struck you?” (Luke 22:63-64)

From Annas to Caiaphas:

Annas then sent him bound to Ca’iaphas the high priest. (John 18:24)

From the prison of the Sanhedrin to the court of Pilate:

When morning came, all the chief priests and the elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put him to death;
and they bound him and led him away and delivered him to Pilate the governor. (Matthew 27:1-2)

From the judge’s bench to the court of the Tribune:

Then Pilate took Jesus and scourged him.
And the soldiers plaited a crown of thorns, and put it on his head (John 19:1-2)

To Golgotha:

There they crucified him (John 19:18)

Bound, tied, blindfolded, lashed to a pillar, nailed to a cross. This walk with Jesus has been marked by the world’s attempt at binding Him, and silencing Him, and ending God’s role in the world. Finally to the tomb:

They took the body of Jesus, and bound it in linen cloths with the spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews. (John 19:40).

The body of Jesus is bound in finality, and placed away in the tomb. The door is shut, the giant stone is rolled into place. The guard stands by.

My brothers and sisters,

St. Peter advises us:

Always be prepared to make a defense to any one who calls you to account for the hope that is in you (1 Peter 3:15)

Today, this Holy and glorious day, this Easter morning, the bonds, chains, fetters, lashes, ties, and nails are no more. Christ is risen! The door has been opened and the giant stone has been rolled back. The soldiers have run away. He is truly risen! Alleluia!

What has changed for us is that the world can no longer bind us. There is no trap, no sin, no wrong that cannot be washed away. No ties bind us to darkness, to hopelessness. The world holds no secret promise for us because we know where our hope lies. The reason for our hope is our choice for Jesus Christ, for faith in His resurrection, for adherence to the testimony of many witnesses.

Our hope lies in eternal life, everlasting life, life which death cannot end. Because of this day not even death can bind us. Looking into the tomb we see the cloths rolled up, set aside. The binding cloths are no more; they have been set aside.

Rejoice today! Rejoice my friends because we have been freed and remain free. No one can take freedom from us because we have it in the resurrected Christ Jesus. Alleluia! Amen.

LifeStream

Daily Digest for April 11th

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New blog post: Daily Digest for April 10th http://tinyurl.com/cj59by [#] 5:00pm | via Twitter
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New blog post: The Soul’s Lament – Part III http://tinyurl.com/cuhl45 [#] 9:55am | via Twitter
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New blog post: April 9 – A Dialog of the Soul with the Mother, Part III http://tinyurl.com/dznv8s [#] 10:11am | via Twitter
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New blog post: Goodnight my dear Jesus http://tinyurl.com/ctu5wd [#] 10:21am | via Twitter
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New blog post: April 11 – Judgment Day by Józef Bartłomiej Zimorowic http://tinyurl.com/cn2psv [#] 11:43am | via Twitter
Poetry

April 11 – Judgment Day by Józef Bartłomiej Zimorowic

He will be heard no more: his song
Won’t speak to friends he’s left behind
Until the trumpet can unwind,
And that trump’s reverberation
Penetrates through all creation,
Opens the graves of all the dead,
Wakens us who long since bled
Present for judgment in the form
Perished in ashes, now grown warm.
Death will grieve to understand
And finish itself with its own hand
And those who deal us doles of time
Will bang the earth with their useless chime.
The sun will faint from sudden fear.
The face of the moon will be covered with gore.
Thrown from heaven by foul disease
Terrified stars will fall and freeze.
The earth’s foundations will jerk, and rocks
Like sea waves, give each other knocks.
All human craft, all human deeds
Will be burnt up like moorland weeds.
Haughty castles and cities will fall
And worldly pomp find a dusty pall.
Vain things, extravagance, delights
Will disappear under the thickest of nights.
The world will shudder then and wear,
For its own self, its mourning gear.

Translated by Jerzy Peterkiewicz and Burns Singer

Poetry,

April 10 – Goodnight my dear Jesus

This beautiful hymn, typically sung after the evening’s final devotion on Good Friday, is nearly impossible to translate. The hymn recounts the Blessed Virgin holding the lifeless body of her son, our Lord Jesus Christ. As she holds him she whispers sweet goodnights to the injured parts of His body, His head, His blood covered hair, His neck, hands, and feet, His heart, His legs, and finally the cross and grave.

Lord for us Your wounds were suffered.
Oh, Christ Jesus, have mercy on us!

Dobranoc, Głowo święta Jezusa mojego,
Któraś była zraniona do mózgu samego.
Dobranoc Kwiecie różany,
Dobranoc Jezu kochany, dobranoc!

Dobranoc, włosy święte, mocno potarganę,
Które były najświętszą Krwią zafarbowane.
Dobranoc…

Dobranoc, szyjo święta, w łańcuch uzbrajana,
Bądź po wszystkie wieczności mile pochwalona.
Dobranoc…

Dobranoc ręce święte, na krzyż wyciągnione,
Jako struny na lutni, gdy są wystrojone.
Dobranoc…

Dobranoc, boku święty, z którego płynęła
Krew najświętsza, by grzechy człowieka obmyła.
Dobranoc… .

Dobranoc, Serce święte, włócznią otworzone,
Bądź po wszystkie wieczności mile pozdrowione.
Dobranoc…

Dobranoc, nogi święte, na wylot przeszyte,
I tępymi gwoździami do krzyża przybite.
Dobranoc…

Dobranoc, Krzyżu święty, z którego złożony,
Jezus; w prześcieradło białe uwiniony.
Dobranoc…

Dobranoc, grobie święty, najświętszego Ciała,
Który Matka Bolesna łzami oblewała.
Niech Ci będzie cześć w wieczności,
Za Twe męki, zelżywości,
Mój Jezu!
Niech Ci będzie cześć i chwała
Za Twą boleść którąś miała, Maryjo.

Poetry

April 9 – A Dialog of the Soul with the Mother, Part III

I, His mother, sad and grieving,
Standing ‘neath the cross and weeping,
Feel dread sorrow grip my heart;
feel dread sorrow grip my heart.”
 
Mother, let us join your sorrow,
Grant that we may stand beside you,
Gazing at the wretched cross;
gazing at the wretched cross.
   
“All too soon my Son, beloved,
Will prepare for His departing,
And I also die with Him;
and I also die with Him.” 

Mother, I desire most truly
That I share with you more fully
Your Son’s passing from this life;
your Son’s passing from this life.   

Jesus now departs from Mary
As His sacred head falls downward;
That sweet voice no longer speaks;
that sweet voice no longer speaks.

Mary, may I know the meaning
Of His death, His cross, His suffering,
In my deepest thoughts and prayers;
in my deepest thoughts and prayers.

Translation by the National United Choirs of the Polish National Catholic Church, Music Commission.

[audio:https://www.konicki.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/15-gorzkie-c2afale-iii-rozmowa-duszy-z-matk_-bolesn_.mp3]

Ach, Ja Matka boleściwa,
Pod krzyżem stoję smutliwa,
Serce żałość przejmuje.
Serce żałość przejmuje.

O Matko, niechaj prawdziwie,
Patrząc na krzyż żałośliwie,
Płaczę z Tobą rzewliwie.
Płaczę z Tobą rzewliwie.

Jużci, już moje Kochanie
Gotuje się na skonanie!
Toć i ja z Nim umieram!
Toć i ja z Nim umieram!

Pragnę, Matko, zostać z Tobą,
Dzielić się Twoją żałobą
Śmierci Syna Twojego.
Śmierci Syna Twojego.

Zamknął słodką Jezus mowę,
Już ku ziemi skłania głowę,
Żegna już Matkę swoją!
Żegna już Matkę swoją!

O Maryjo, Ciebie proszę,
Niech Jezusa rany noszę
I serdecznie rozważam.
I serdecznie rozważam.

Poetry

April 8 – The Soul’s Lament, Part III

Jesus, You were treated like a thief,
man’s lack of faith caused this false judgment.
Jesus, my beloved.

Jesus, wrongfully condemned by Pilate’s court,
You are sentenced to die like a criminal.
Jesus, my beloved.

Jesus, by the burden of the cross weakened,
yet force on to Calvary.
Jesus, my beloved.

Jesus, on the shameful wooden cross
Your limbs were pierced by the blunted nails.
Jesus, my beloved.

Jesus, You were placed between two thieves,
viciously treated and publicly crucified.
Jesus, my beloved.

Jesus, by surrounding multitudes
mocked and insulted, treated with derision.
Jesus, my beloved.

Jesus, by a thief upon the cross
blasphemed and heedlessly taunted.
Jesus, my beloved.

Jesus, as You faintly called, “I thirst,”
vinegar and gall were offered for You to drink.
Jesus, my beloved.

Jesus, in the racking pains of death,
into the hands of the Father You commended Your soul.
Jesus, my beloved.

Jesus, You were taken from the cross,
and by Nicodemus and Joseph Your body was laid to rest.
Jesus, my beloved.

We hail You, Jesus!
All honor to You:
For man degraded,
humniliated.
To You all glory,
praises and honor,
Lord God everlasting.

Translation by the National United Choirs of the Polish National Catholic Church, Music Commission.

[audio:https://www.konicki.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/13-gorzkie-c2afale-iii-lament-duszy-nad-cierpi_cym-jezusem.mp3]

Jezu, od pospólstwa niezbożnie
Jako złoczyńca z łotry porównany,
Jezu mój kochany!

Jezu, przez Piłata niesłusznie
Na śmierć krzyżową za ludzi skazany,
Jezu mój kochany!

Jezu, srogim krzyża ciężarem
Na kalwaryjskiej drodze zmordowany,
Jezu mój kochany!

Jezu, do sromotnego drzewa
Przytępionymi gwoźdźmi przykowany,
Jezu mój kochany!

Jezu, jawnie pośród dwu łotrów
Na drzewie hańby ukrzyżowany,
Jezu mój kochany!

Jezu, od stojących wokoło
I przechodzących szyderczo wyśmiany,
Jezu mój kochany!

Jezu, bluźnierstwami od złego,
Współwiszącego łotra wyszydzany,
Jezu mój kochany!

Jezu, gorzką żółcią i octem
W wielkim pragnieniu swoim napawany,
Jezu mój kochany!

Jezu, w swej miłości niezmiernej
Jeszcze po śmierci włócznią przeorany,
Jezu mój kochany!

Jezu, od Józefa uczciwie
I Nikodema w grobie pochowany,
Jezu mój kochany!

Bądź pozdrowiony,
bądź pochwalony,
Dla nas zelżony,
wszystek wykrwawiony.
Bądź uwielbiony!
Bądź wysławiony!
Boże nieskończony!

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