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1:04

presents That

1:07

All May Be One, a

1:09

Holy Week Retreat with Monsignor

1:11

John Essoff and Sister Cora

1:13

Immaculatum Heffernan. Monsignor

1:15

Essoff is a Roman Catholic priest in

1:18

the Diocese of Scranton, Pennsylvania. He's lived

1:20

in areas around the world serving the

1:22

Pontifical Missions, a Catholic organization

1:24

established by Saint Pope John Paul II

1:27

to bring the good news to the

1:29

world, especially to the poor. He

1:32

is a founding member of the

1:34

Pope Leo XIII Institute, which trains

1:36

priests in the areas of exorcism,

1:38

deliverance, and healing. He

1:40

has served as a retreat director and

1:42

confessor to Saint Teresa of Calcutta. He

1:45

continues to offer direction and retreats for

1:47

the Sisters of the Missionaries of Charity.

1:50

Often he leads those retreats with Sister

1:53

Cora Immaculatum Heffernan, who is a member

1:55

of the Sisters' Servants of the Immaculate

1:57

Heart of Mary. She

1:59

holds several degrees from Marywood,

2:01

Notre Dame, and Syracuse Universities.

2:04

She's an accomplished musician and artist,

2:06

as well as a counselor and

2:08

spiritual director. We

2:11

now offer this special presentation, That

2:13

All May Be One, a

2:15

Holy Week Retreat with Monsignor

2:17

John Nusseff and Sister Cora Immaculatum

2:20

Heffernan. You know,

2:22

we have these last

2:24

three days that

2:26

we're going to be having of

2:28

Holy Thursday. Good

2:31

Friday, and Holy Saturday.

2:35

And we're gonna put them all together. And

2:39

it seems like, how

2:41

do they all go together? Well,

2:43

they all do. Because

2:45

every time we

2:47

go to the celebration of mass,

2:51

we celebrate the

2:53

Paschal Mystery. We

2:55

celebrate the mystery, and that's a

2:57

meal. And

2:59

so the meal, or the

3:03

Last Supper, which this is

3:06

a recalling of, the

3:08

Last Supper, we

3:13

are God's children.

3:16

And every time we go to

3:18

mass, we celebrate

3:21

the suffering, the

3:23

dying, and the rising of

3:26

Jesus Christ every time. And

3:29

so our

3:31

Paschal Mystery is

3:34

celebrated not

3:36

only by the priest, but

3:38

by every Christian that

3:42

celebrates their baptism, their

3:45

confirmation, and

3:48

their Holy Eucharist. And

3:50

whether they be in the state of matrimony

3:53

or coordination as

3:56

Catholics, they celebrate

3:59

the last day. of God that

4:01

comes to us through

4:04

these sacraments. And

4:07

the sacraments are the celebration of

4:10

these mysteries. The

4:12

mystery of the suffering,

4:15

the death, and the resurrection of

4:18

Christ. And so

4:20

sister, the Jews

4:23

had a celebration,

4:26

which this celebration is,

4:29

that is the meal. They

4:32

had celebration also, which

4:35

this is a new celebration

4:37

of that. And

4:39

so we have this

4:42

particular celebration, which

4:44

is the Old

4:47

Testament, and this

4:49

is the New Testament. It

4:52

was the Old Covenant. I

4:55

can't possibly imagine a

4:58

Jew showing up at

5:01

the supper in

5:03

which they commemorated their

5:05

delivery from Egypt and

5:08

not recognize that it was a

5:10

meal. And so the

5:12

Paschal meal was

5:14

celebrated and from biblical

5:16

times, and the story

5:19

of it is being told in the

5:21

book of Exodus. Could you

5:23

read that for us? And it

5:26

was commemorated every year by

5:28

all the Jews all over

5:31

the world, even up till today.

5:35

In chapter 12 of Exodus,

5:37

the Passover ritual was

5:40

prescribed. It's

5:43

explained very beautifully. The Lord said to

5:45

Moses and Aaron in the land of

5:47

Egypt, this month will stand

5:49

at the head of your calendar. You

5:51

will reckon it the first month of

5:54

the year. Tell the whole community of

5:56

Israel on the 10th of

5:58

this month, every family must cure for

6:00

itself a lamb, one apiece

6:02

for each household. If

6:05

a household is too small for a lamb, it

6:07

along with its nearest neighbor shall

6:10

procure one, and apportion

6:12

the lamb's cost in proportion to

6:14

the number of persons, according

6:17

to what each household consumes.

6:20

Your lamb must be a one-year-old

6:22

male without blemish. You

6:25

may take it from either the sheep or the

6:27

goats. You will keep it

6:29

until the fourteenth day of this month, and

6:32

then with the whole community of Israel

6:34

assembled, it will be slaughtered during

6:36

the evening twilight. They

6:39

will take some of its blood and

6:41

apply it to the two doorposts

6:43

and the lintel of the houses in

6:46

which they eat it. They

6:48

will consume its meat that same

6:50

night, eating it roasted

6:52

with unleavened bread and bitter

6:54

herbs. Do not

6:56

eat any of it raw or even boiled

6:59

in water but roasted with its

7:01

head and shanks and inner organs.

7:04

You must not keep any of it

7:06

beyond the morning. Whatever is left over

7:08

in the morning must be burned up.

7:12

This is how you are to eat it. With

7:14

your loins gers, sandals on your feet,

7:16

and your staff in hand, you

7:19

will eat it in a hurry. It

7:21

is the Lord's Passover. For

7:24

on this same night I will go

7:26

through Egypt, striking down

7:28

every first-born in the land,

7:30

human being and beast alike,

7:33

and executing judgment on all

7:35

the gods of Egypt. I the

7:38

Lord. But for you the

7:40

blood will mark the houses where you are. Seeing

7:43

the blood I will pass over

7:45

you. Thereby, when I strike the

7:47

land of Egypt, no destructive

7:49

blow will come upon you.

7:53

This day will be a day of remembrance for

7:55

you, which your future generations

7:57

will celebrate with pilgrimage to the

7:59

Lord. You will celebrate

8:01

it as a statute forever. For

8:04

seven days you must eat unleavened

8:06

bread. From the very first

8:09

day you will have your

8:11

houses clear of all leaven, for

8:13

whoever eats leavened bread from the first

8:15

day to the seventh will be cut

8:18

off from Israel. On

8:20

the first day you will hold a

8:22

sacred assembly, and likewise on the seventh.

8:25

On these days no sort of work shall be

8:28

done, except to prepare

8:30

the food that everyone needs. Keep

8:33

them the custom of the unleavened bread,

8:36

for it was on this very day that

8:38

I brought your armies out of the land of

8:40

Egypt. You must observe

8:43

this day throughout your generations as

8:45

a statute forever. From

8:48

the evening of the 14th day of the first

8:50

month until the evening of the 21st day of

8:53

this month you will eat unleavened

8:56

bread. For seven days

8:58

no leaven may be found in

9:00

your houses. For anyone

9:02

a resident alien or a native who

9:04

eats leavened food will be cut off

9:06

from the community of Israel. You

9:09

shall eat nothing leavened. Wherever

9:13

you dwell you may eat only unleavened

9:15

bread. Moses

9:17

summoned all the elders of Israel and

9:19

said to them, go

9:21

and procure lambs for your families and

9:24

slaughter the Passover victims. Then

9:27

take a bunch of hyssop and

9:29

dipping it in the blood that is in the basin.

9:32

Apply some of this blood to the

9:34

lintel and the two doorposts, and

9:37

none of you shall go outdoors until morning.

9:40

For when the Lord goes by to strike

9:42

down the Egyptians, seeing the blood

9:44

on the lintel and the two doorposts, the

9:47

Lord will pass over that door and

9:49

not let the destroyer come into your houses

9:52

to strike you down. You

9:54

will keep this practice forever

9:57

As a statute for yourselves and your Deus.

10:00

The sentence. Thus,

10:02

When. You have entered the land which

10:04

the Lord will give you as he

10:06

promised. You must observe this right. When.

10:09

Your children ask what does is

10:11

right of yours mean You will

10:13

reply it is the Passover sacrifice

10:16

for the Lord who passed over

10:18

the houses of the interior lights

10:20

in Egypt. When he struck

10:22

down the Egyptians, he delivered our

10:24

houses. Then the people

10:27

note and bow down and

10:29

the Israelites went and did

10:31

exactly as the Lord had

10:33

commanded: Moses and Aaron. Swartz

10:36

exactly the middle. Jesus

10:39

would say. That.

10:42

Fairy type. This is the

10:44

visual. He presented. With.

10:46

His apostles, On.

10:49

That night. But. We have.

10:51

It's called of Last Supper.

10:55

A D S just before

10:57

himself out. In.

11:00

Structure. In the Gospel

11:02

of John, And. Now

11:05

we're gonna read. From. All

11:07

the costs. How.

11:10

Draft Night. That

11:12

he. Was. Celebrating

11:14

this. Will close

11:17

was. In in

11:19

the Gospel of Luke. He's

11:21

going to refer back. To

11:24

open text as well as Matthew.

11:27

Mark. Are. Going to refer.

11:30

To less practice that we

11:32

took swift. Of Moses

11:34

to the people to celebrate.

11:39

In. The Gospel of Luke after

11:41

Twenty two. There

11:44

is a beautiful description. Of.

11:47

The conspiracy against Jesus and the

11:49

preparations for the Passover. And.

11:51

Then the last supper. Now

11:55

deceased of and eleven bread called

11:57

the Passover was drawing near. and

11:59

the chief priests and the scribes were seeking a

12:01

way to put him to death, for

12:03

they were afraid of the people. Then

12:06

Satan entered Judas, the one surname

12:08

the Scariot, who was counted among

12:10

the twelve, and he

12:12

went to the chief priests and temple guards

12:15

to discuss a plan for handing him over

12:17

to them. They were pleased

12:20

and agreed to pay him money. He

12:23

accepted their offer and sought a

12:25

favorable opportunity to hand him over

12:27

to them in the absence

12:29

of a crowd. When

12:31

the day of the Feast of Unleavened

12:33

Bread arrived, the day for

12:35

sacrificing the Passover lamb, he sent

12:38

out Peter and John, instructing

12:41

them go and make preparations for

12:43

us to eat the Passover. They

12:46

asked him, where do you want

12:48

us to make the preparations? And he

12:50

answered them, when you go into

12:52

the city a man will meet you carrying a

12:54

jar of water. Follow him

12:56

into the house that he enters and

12:58

say to the master of the house, the

13:01

teacher says to you, where is

13:03

the guest room where I may eat

13:05

the Passover with my disciples? He

13:08

will show you a large upper room that

13:10

is furnished. Make the

13:12

preparations there. Then

13:14

they went off and found everything exactly as

13:16

he had told them, and

13:18

there they prepared the Passover. When

13:22

the hour came, he took

13:24

his place at table with the apostles. He said

13:26

to them, I have eagerly

13:28

desired to eat this Passover with

13:30

you before I suffer, for

13:33

I tell you, I shall not

13:35

eat it again until there is fulfillment

13:37

in the kingdom of God. Then

13:40

he took a cup, gave thanks, and

13:42

said, take this and

13:44

share it among yourselves, for

13:47

I tell you that from this time on

13:50

I shall not drink of the fruit of the

13:52

vine until the kingdom of

13:54

God comes. Then

13:56

he took the bread, said the

13:58

blessing, broke it. and

14:00

gave it to them saying, This

14:02

is my body which will be given for

14:04

you. Do this in memory

14:06

of me. And

14:09

likewise the cup after them they

14:11

had eaten saying, This cup

14:13

is the new covenant in my

14:15

blood which will be

14:17

shed for you. Clearly

14:22

what Jesus is telling them is,

14:26

I am that

14:28

lamp that

14:30

is going to shed His blood

14:34

and I am going to lay

14:36

down my life for

14:38

my sheep. And

14:41

that blood is going to

14:43

be here at this meal.

14:47

Take and eat this

14:49

flesh. Take

14:52

and drink this blood because

14:55

this is the flesh that's

14:58

going to be given up for

15:00

you. Take and

15:02

drink this blood because

15:05

this is the victory

15:07

of the Passover. You

15:10

have been through

15:12

this rite of

15:15

the baptism, the

15:18

confirmation. You

15:20

see we who attend the

15:24

supper of the Lord are

15:26

those who have been baptized into

15:30

His suffering, into

15:33

His death and

15:36

into His resurrection. The

15:39

meal that we take is

15:42

that last supper. Jesus

15:47

is the Lamb of God. Jesus

15:50

is the one who takes

15:52

away the sins of the

15:54

whole world by

15:56

His death on the cross. And

16:00

so when he is

16:02

laying down his life, this

16:05

meal that we

16:07

are eating, when we

16:09

eat his flesh, when

16:11

we eat this bread and

16:13

drink this cup, we

16:16

are proclaiming the

16:18

suffering, the death and

16:21

the resurrection of Christ. And

16:24

he, not only at

16:26

the Last Supper gave

16:28

us this ritual, but

16:30

he walked out the door and he

16:33

suffered death on the

16:35

cross on Friday. And

16:39

he laid in the tomb on

16:41

Saturday and

16:43

he rose from the dead on

16:45

Sunday. This is the

16:47

hour. And so for

16:50

all of us who are

16:52

celebrating this as

16:54

Christians, we recognize

16:56

that this meal is

16:59

the Paschal Mystery. What

17:01

does that mean? It means

17:04

that each of us who

17:06

is attending this meal, whether

17:09

you're Protestant, whether you're

17:11

Catholic or whether you're Orthodox, it

17:14

is the same. Your

17:16

baptism is your

17:18

introduction into the

17:21

suffering of Christ. You

17:23

are united with him by

17:26

the Holy Spirit. Your

17:28

union with Jesus has taken

17:30

place. If

17:32

you're a Catholic, you are

17:34

united with him by

17:37

baptism, by confirmation,

17:40

and by the Holy Eucharist. The

17:42

body and blood of Christ

17:45

is exploding in you to

17:48

transform you into him. You

17:52

and Jesus are one. If

17:54

you're Orthodox, it's exactly

17:57

the same truth about

17:59

each. and every member of the

18:01

body. We are

18:03

the body of Christ. In

18:07

the blood and the soul,

18:09

the divinity and

18:12

the life of Jesus Christ

18:14

flows through that body. We

18:17

belong to Him and

18:19

He belongs to us.

18:22

We are in Him and He is

18:24

in us. And so

18:26

this meal that we eat is

18:29

the meal of the family. We

18:32

are the family of God. This

18:35

flesh, this blood that

18:37

we eat and drink and

18:40

that we celebrate is a

18:42

sign of our unity. It's

18:45

a sign of our community.

18:48

It's a sign. And that's exactly

18:50

what Paul uses it

18:52

for when he writes

18:54

to the Corinthians, when

18:56

there was divisions among them. We

18:59

have divisions among us, but

19:02

they are whatever

19:05

separates us and

19:07

hopefully this

19:10

particular Easter

19:14

that there will be unity

19:17

and community in

19:20

the body of Christ more

19:22

than ever before. And

19:24

where does it begin? Let

19:28

there be peace on earth and

19:30

let it begin with me. If

19:33

each one of us who is making

19:36

this retreat wants

19:38

to enter more deeply

19:40

into the celebration of

19:43

Easter, this particular

19:47

Holy Thursday, this

19:50

particular Good Friday and

19:52

this particular Holy Saturday, we're

19:55

going to especially talk

19:58

about that today. We're going to

20:00

talk about the

20:03

suffering that Jesus

20:06

is going to go through.

20:09

Right after he says, take

20:11

an eat, this is my body,

20:14

take a drink, this is my blood,

20:16

and I am about to, well,

20:18

some people ask, was

20:22

Mary there at the last supper? She

20:25

was at the crucifixion. She

20:28

was the only eyewitness that

20:31

on good Friday, the rest were

20:33

in a way. And that little

20:37

young teenager, John,

20:39

stayed with her and

20:41

they saw, they saw

20:43

the blood flow from him.

20:47

And it came upon those who

20:49

were there. They

20:51

saw his body on

20:54

the cross. That's the body

20:57

that he gave us for

20:59

eat. In

21:03

the sixth chapter

21:05

of John, he

21:08

instructs us as to what

21:10

he was going to do at

21:13

that time on

21:16

Calvary. And so make

21:18

no mistake about it, what

21:20

does he mean by take

21:22

and eat, this is my

21:25

body? What is this? Is

21:27

it symbolic? No, take

21:29

and eat, this is my

21:31

flesh. Take and drink,

21:33

this is my blood. Sister will

21:35

now read to you. This is

21:38

after he multiplied the loads in

21:41

the sixth chapter of John and

21:43

he gives to an instruction on

21:46

the body and blood that

21:49

he is going to give them. At

21:54

that time, after the multiplication,

21:57

a great crowd followed him. because

22:00

of what he did. He fed them. And

22:02

so in the sixth

22:05

chapter, verses 22 to 31, he explains,

22:11

really he corrects them in a way. When

22:15

the crowd saw that

22:17

neither Jesus nor his disciples were

22:19

there, they themselves got into boats

22:21

and came to Caparnaum looking for

22:23

Jesus. And when they found

22:25

him across the sea, they said to him, Rabbi,

22:28

when did you get here? Jesus

22:30

answered them and said, Amen, Amen.

22:32

I say to you, you're looking

22:34

for me not because you saw

22:36

signs, but because you ate the

22:38

loaves and were filled. Do

22:41

not work for food that perishes,

22:44

but for the food that endures for

22:46

eternal life, which the Son

22:48

of Man will give you. For

22:50

on him, the Father God has

22:52

set his seal. So

22:55

they said to him, what can we

22:57

do to accomplish the works of God? Jesus

23:00

answered and said to them, this

23:02

is the work of God that you

23:04

believe in the one he sent. So

23:07

they said to him, what sign can you

23:09

do that we may see and believe in

23:11

you? What can you do?

23:14

Our ancestors ate manna in the desert,

23:16

as it was written. He gave them

23:18

bread from heaven to eat. So

23:21

Jesus said to them, Amen, Amen. I say

23:23

to you, it was not Moses

23:25

who gave the bread from heaven. My

23:28

father gives you the true bread from heaven

23:31

for the bread of God is that

23:33

which comes down from heaven and gives life

23:35

to the world. So

23:37

they said to him, Sir, give us

23:39

this bread always. Jesus

23:41

said to them, I am

23:43

the bread of life. Whoever

23:46

comes to me will never hunger and

23:49

whoever believes in me will never

23:51

thirst. But I told

23:53

you that although you have seen me, you do

23:55

not believe everything that the

23:57

Father gives me will come to me. and

24:00

I will not reject anyone who comes to

24:02

me, because I came

24:04

down from heaven not to do my

24:06

own will, but the will of the

24:08

one who sent me. And

24:11

this is the will of the one who sent me, that

24:14

I should not lose anything of what he

24:16

gave me, but that I

24:18

should rise it on the last day. For

24:21

this is the will of my father, that

24:23

everyone who sees the Son and

24:26

believes in him may have

24:28

eternal life, and I

24:30

shall raise him on the last day.

24:35

Jesus says of this food,

24:38

he who eats this flesh and

24:41

drinks this blood will have

24:43

life in him, so

24:46

that the flesh that he gives us is

24:49

the flesh for the life of the

24:51

whole world. When

24:53

we eat his body and

24:56

when we drink his blood, we

24:58

are united to him. So

25:00

when is the first time we

25:02

have been united with him? It's

25:05

each one of us on our

25:07

baptism. When

25:11

Jesus suffered on

25:13

the cross, on

25:16

Calvary, when he

25:18

took up the cross and

25:21

died on that hill, on

25:25

the day that he was

25:28

before he left the

25:31

Last Supper and went

25:33

out and they

25:36

tried him in

25:38

front of Caiaphas

25:42

and Annas. You

25:45

are the Son of God. And

25:48

Jesus said, I am. And

25:54

Caiaphas rent his garment. We

25:56

have no more need. You

25:58

have blasphemed. Jesus

26:01

says, I am the

26:04

son of God. God

26:07

is my father. And

26:09

you will know it when

26:12

I'm rising from the dead. And

26:16

he then sends him to

26:19

Pilate. And Pilate

26:21

condemns him to death. They

26:25

send him to Pilate

26:28

and Pilate under

26:30

false accusations because they

26:32

said he was challenging

26:36

Caesar. And he never

26:39

said, give to Caesar the things

26:41

that are Caesar and to

26:43

God the things that are God's. And

26:45

he said, I have come to preach the

26:48

truth. And

26:50

Pilate said, what is truth? He

26:53

was just trying to not

26:56

let Jesus die. He

26:58

wanted him so much that he was

27:02

constantly badgered by

27:04

those who were there. And

27:09

these are the same crowd that

27:11

hailed him on Sunday. But

27:14

now they want him condemned.

27:17

And it is better for

27:19

one man to die than for

27:21

a nation to be destroyed. And

27:24

they thought he would die just for the

27:26

nation. But the high priest

27:28

that year was in us. And

27:30

he said, let him die for the

27:32

nation. And it is better

27:35

that one man die than that

27:37

a nation die. Jesus

27:39

died not only for the Jews,

27:42

but Jesus died for

27:45

all mankind. Seven

27:48

billion people on

27:50

earth today owe their

27:53

salvation to Jesus Christ.

27:56

And this is what happened. Jesus

27:59

died for all mankind. went to

28:01

the hill of Calvary, condemned

28:04

by Pilate, and

28:07

he was crucified. They

28:09

put nails in his hands

28:12

and feet. Now most

28:14

people, if they're

28:16

united with Jesus, and they

28:18

are and we are, do

28:21

not have holes in their hands and

28:23

feet like Padre Pio.

28:27

But all of us in

28:29

one way or another have

28:32

slivers of that cross

28:35

in each of our bodies, every

28:39

single human being, on

28:42

the face of the earth, has

28:45

a cross to bear. No

28:48

one gets out of this life

28:51

without some suffering.

28:54

Every one of you who are

28:57

hearing me today and

28:59

who are coming to mass,

29:02

whoever you may be, wherever

29:04

in the world that you are,

29:08

Jesus took

29:11

that suffering that

29:13

we have and

29:15

he nailed it to

29:17

that tree. Jesus

29:20

suffered. As

29:22

you look at the cross,

29:25

Jesus died on that cross

29:29

for every human being

29:31

in the world. He

29:34

laid down, take and eat, he

29:36

says, this is my body.

29:40

At mass, when you eat

29:42

his flesh and when you drink his

29:45

blood, you are

29:47

united with him. Did that

29:50

transform you into him,

29:52

the Holy Communion? You

29:55

know what transformed you into

29:57

him? See, Jesus suffered and

29:59

died. on the cross. There was no

30:01

one else that could do that. Jesus

30:05

suffering in death was

30:08

because he was the

30:11

Son of God and they

30:13

killed him. He

30:15

actually died. When

30:20

he was buried, they

30:22

buried him. You see,

30:25

Christ died and

30:28

there was the death that he

30:30

went through. And

30:32

he rose from the dead. No

30:37

one else ever conquered

30:41

death except Jesus. Jesus

30:45

is the only man because

30:49

he was God. No

30:52

one else from the beginning

30:55

of when Jesus was

30:57

on that cross, he

31:00

looked down from the cross and

31:03

who did he see? Only those

31:05

on Mount Calvary. Jesus,

31:08

because he was God, saw

31:11

Adam. He

31:14

saw the sins

31:16

of all mankind. He

31:19

saw the sin of Adam and Eve. He

31:23

saw Cain kill his brother. He

31:25

saw Sodom and Gomorrah from

31:29

Calvary. He

31:31

saw every sin of

31:34

every sinner down

31:36

through the ages. And

31:39

he looks at you now and

31:42

he looks at me and

31:45

he knows our

31:47

sinfulness. And

31:50

what can we do today

31:53

to help us? And

31:57

when he suffered

32:00

and died and was

32:04

buried. He rose

32:07

from the dead. He's

32:09

the only one that conquered

32:12

sin, that

32:14

conquered Satan, and

32:17

that conquered death. He

32:20

actually rose from the dead.

32:22

You know, Father, you were saying so

32:25

beautifully that every

32:27

single person who

32:29

has been baptized is

32:31

baptized into the suffering

32:35

and the death of Jesus and

32:37

eventually the rising

32:40

from the dead. And

32:42

all of us have our

32:45

sufferings. I'm thinking

32:47

right now of so many people

32:50

who have suffered terrible losses

32:52

in this pandemic, of

32:55

the many, many people

32:58

who have died from COVID and

33:00

the pain that their families are going

33:02

through and the

33:05

trauma of children losing

33:07

fathers and mothers. I'm

33:10

thinking of the ones, the massacres

33:13

that have taken place and

33:16

people who have survived

33:19

and still the trauma

33:21

that they're suffering. That's

33:23

real suffering, the

33:26

suffering that even a little child can

33:28

go through by

33:30

having physical or

33:33

sexual abuse or

33:35

being made fun of or bullied at school.

33:39

They too are joining

33:41

in their suffering. The

33:44

teenager who is rejected or

33:46

who is

33:48

pained because of the divorce of parents.

33:54

The suffering that children

33:56

go through in teenagers

33:59

and throughout our own lives. lives when

34:01

someone close to us dies, when

34:07

a mother looks at a child and sees that

34:10

the child is suffering pain, whether

34:13

it's physical or emotional or spiritual,

34:16

when there's so much pain, not only

34:18

in this

34:22

country, but if we really say that God came,

34:24

Jesus came to save every single man,

34:29

everyone. So the pain of the people

34:31

in Bangladesh, the pain of the people

34:34

in Russia, the pain of the people in China,

34:37

the pain of the Chinese today, who

34:39

are here in the United States, who

34:42

are being really bullied and

34:44

hurt in so many ways. All

34:46

of that is pain

34:49

that is being endured.

34:52

And I really

34:54

believe that when we realize that

34:56

we are baptized into the suffering

35:01

and death of Jesus, it's

35:03

not the suffering and death that took place

35:05

2000 years ago,

35:07

it's the suffering that's

35:10

taking place today throughout

35:12

this country, throughout our

35:14

towns, our cities, our states,

35:17

our country, and the entire

35:19

world. And so all of

35:21

that, as we go through

35:23

those things, they

35:26

seem so little in comparison to the tremendous

35:29

suffering of Jesus. But

35:31

no matter how small they seem to be,

35:33

if we can just offer that

35:36

in union with the sufferings

35:38

of Jesus, it

35:41

won't be wasted. That is our path.

35:44

And so when we say, why

35:46

me? It's an invitation,

35:51

an invitation to accept

35:53

whatever comes our way

35:55

that is painful or that

35:58

makes us suffer. it's

36:00

uniting our pain with

36:03

the pain of the whole world and every person

36:05

in the world with the pain of

36:07

Jesus on the cross. When

36:11

Jesus went through his suffering

36:14

and death, there

36:17

was our Blessed Mother there beneath

36:20

the cross. You see,

36:23

if you are Jesus

36:25

and you are, each

36:27

one of us who

36:30

is baptized, who

36:33

is confirmed, who

36:35

is united

36:37

with Christ, each one of

36:39

us that

36:41

you have been united with him,

36:45

not only in his suffering but

36:48

also in his death. As

36:51

I have experienced almost

36:53

all of mankind and

36:55

especially children. Suffering

37:01

and death and resurrection

37:04

is a mystery. It's

37:07

a Paschal mystery into

37:09

which we are initiated. Even

37:12

when I baptize the baby, I

37:16

baptize the baby into the

37:18

suffering of Jesus, into

37:21

the death of

37:23

Jesus, and into

37:25

the resurrection of Christ. How

37:29

many times before

37:31

a person dies, does

37:34

a person die? They

37:36

actually suffer, they

37:38

die, and they rise.

37:42

This cycle, in

37:45

your preschool, you

37:47

suffered so much and

37:49

many things. You know,

37:52

maybe some of you

37:54

may have been sexually or

37:57

physically beaten by an

37:59

algorithm. parent as

38:02

a child. Maybe

38:04

you have been abandoned and

38:08

suffered as a teenager.

38:12

Maybe every one

38:14

of us in some way or other

38:17

have died and

38:19

have gone through the experience.

38:22

If you look back on your life in

38:25

your rearview mirror as

38:28

we go through this Good

38:30

Friday, when did

38:33

I find that

38:35

I was betrayed by

38:37

a Judas? When

38:40

did I have the wound? You

38:42

see, the ailments,

38:45

I believe, are not only

38:47

in his hands and feet, but

38:50

the wounds in his heart. He

38:53

had been abandoned by

38:56

his apostles, falsely

38:59

accused by Pilate,

39:02

falsely condemned by

39:04

the high priest. How many

39:06

of us have had the

39:08

same wounds? When

39:12

we unite our

39:14

hearts with Jesus'

39:16

heart, He

39:18

is the only one who

39:22

has forgiven.

39:24

Through His sacred

39:26

heart, He unites

39:29

our heart with His. Unless

39:33

we unite our suffering

39:35

with His, it's

39:38

going to fester. Did

39:40

you ever get a sliver underneath your

39:42

skin? And how

39:44

many of us are carrying wounds from

39:48

childhood, from

39:51

teenagers, as

39:54

married people, rejection,

39:57

as priests that you've been

40:00

falsely accused or

40:03

rejected by others and

40:05

you carry those wounds and

40:08

their festering because you

40:11

haven't taken the time to

40:14

unite those

40:16

wounds with the heart

40:18

of Jesus. The

40:20

heart of Jesus is the only one and

40:23

where is he? He is in you. He

40:27

wants his burning loving

40:30

heart to

40:32

purify and

40:34

cleanse the entire

40:36

world. He is

40:39

in every one of us and

40:42

through the Holy Spirit can

40:45

go throughout all

40:48

of mankind. When

40:51

is coming Holy

40:53

Week? This coming

40:57

Easter. He can

40:59

transform the world by

41:02

his suffering, by

41:05

his dying and

41:07

by his overcoming death as

41:10

a resurrection. You ask the question

41:12

when were you lied about? When

41:14

were you falsely accused? When you were

41:16

rejected or scorned or I think

41:20

we can remember those times but

41:23

I also think that it's

41:25

very good to ask ourselves

41:28

you know like who was our Peter, who

41:30

was our Judas, who was the friend who

41:32

deserted you but also who was

41:35

your Simon, who

41:38

helped you carry the cross, who

41:40

was your Veronica that wiped your face

41:44

or took you in her arms and

41:46

comforted you. Who was

41:48

Mary who protected you and

41:52

wiped your tears away? Who was John?

41:54

You know I

41:57

really believe that there was someone

42:00

one that was given to you

42:02

by God to help heal

42:06

the wounds of your heart. And

42:11

because suffering and death

42:13

aren't the final answer because there's

42:15

the resurrection. And I do

42:17

feel that sometimes

42:19

we look very

42:22

much at our pain and

42:25

maybe forget to thank

42:28

God for those who helped

42:30

to lessen the pain or

42:32

helped us to get through a very difficult

42:34

time. And so I

42:37

do believe that as we go through

42:39

these days of pain and suffering and

42:42

knowing that Jesus has done it

42:44

all for us, before

42:47

us and for us, I

42:50

also think that we

42:52

have been sent by God some

42:55

Veronica's and Simon's and

42:58

some people to heal those

43:00

wounds. And

43:02

that's a gift, I think. But

43:05

we all are going to suffer, whether it's

43:07

a splinter from the cross or a

43:09

very heavy cross. Every

43:12

one of us, every one of us

43:15

has merry in our lives. When

43:18

Jesus died on the cross, it's

43:22

when he was let down from the

43:24

cross. I don't

43:26

know how many of you

43:28

have seen a statue of

43:30

the pieta, but they

43:33

let him down from the

43:35

cross into her lap.

43:39

And that very famous statue

43:42

by Michelangelo, where

43:46

there he lay in Mary's lap,

43:49

the dead body of Jesus. He

43:53

was pierced in his heart,

43:57

and then he was held.

44:00

by his mother. She

44:02

cleansed his body and

44:05

she placed him along

44:07

with Joseph of Arimathea

44:10

and Nicodemus in the

44:13

tomb. And when

44:16

she left the tomb, Mary

44:18

in her heart had

44:22

the death of Jesus on

44:24

Holy Saturday. And

44:27

as she was pondering

44:29

his death, she

44:31

was the only person in

44:33

all of the world that

44:35

knew exactly

44:38

his words. I will

44:40

suffer. He said

44:43

that. I will die.

44:46

He predicted that. And

44:49

I will rise on the third

44:51

day. Mary believed

44:54

that. And

44:56

for Mary, she

44:58

was looking for the resurrection of

45:01

the dead. Mary

45:04

was there. The first

45:06

one to see Jesus on

45:09

Easter was Mary. And

45:13

she sat with

45:15

his bloody rags in

45:18

the home of John waiting.

45:22

And she didn't say if

45:24

he was going to rise. She

45:27

said, when and

45:30

how. And she waited with

45:32

great hope and total

45:35

confidence for

45:37

Easter. And

45:39

as he lay there in the tomb, pass

45:43

that time with her. This

45:47

suffering, this

45:49

dying, and this

45:51

rising is truly

45:55

our time. All

45:58

of us, as sisters said, from

46:00

our webcast and

46:02

confirmed. We are

46:05

united, especially through Holy

46:07

Communion. We are one with Him,

46:10

and we can celebrate this

46:13

particular Holy Week, especially

46:17

through these holy days of

46:20

Holy Thursday, of

46:23

Good Friday, and

46:25

of Holy Saturday. And

46:27

hopefully, we will be with you

46:29

on Easter Sunday,

46:33

when He is risen from

46:35

the truth. Throughout this talk,

46:39

we have really invited you

46:41

to look into your own life,

46:45

and in a way, to

46:48

be Jesus during these days

46:50

of rejection, abandonment, condemnation, torture,

46:53

and death, by looking

46:55

into your own life and saying, when

46:58

was I lied about, falsely accused, and

47:01

then who was my Peter

47:03

and Judas. And so

47:06

if you would take some of those questions

47:10

that are in the outline and

47:12

just reflect on them, we

47:15

have heart wounds, betrayal,

47:18

and denial,

47:20

and abandonment. And

47:23

just take our time there,

47:26

when we make the stations

47:28

of the cross, to

47:31

walk and

47:33

be Jesus in our lives

47:36

today, walking that

47:38

path with Him and

47:41

suffering with Him. I think

47:43

it would be beautiful if you would spend Holy

47:46

Saturday just with Mary, just

47:48

being with her, talking

47:51

with her, listening to her.

47:55

She's such a beautiful, gentle

47:57

mother. She knew. especially

48:02

from the time of the A

48:08

sword would pierce her heart and

48:11

she knew that when she

48:13

said fiat and when

48:15

she said yes to God Because

48:18

she knew the Old Testament and all

48:20

the predictions about the Savior and

48:22

how he would suffer on that She

48:25

even though She

48:27

was not experiencing at that time. She

48:29

had said yes to

48:32

whatever it was that was to come and

48:35

And so I think maybe being with

48:37

her on Holy

48:39

Saturday take some time just

48:42

to be still and

48:44

to to think with

48:47

her and to speak with her

48:50

and to wait with her for

48:53

the resurrection for

48:56

the joy of Easter

48:58

Sunday Perhaps

49:01

you also might want to think Of

49:06

a litany that you might make up

49:08

yourself Of people

49:10

that maybe you have to forgive You

49:13

might have said well, I have forgiven them but

49:16

there is going to be where there is Litany

49:21

of forgiveness that you will see

49:24

on the screen and maybe

49:27

for you to Go

49:30

over it and and all these

49:32

people that perhaps have hurt you In

49:35

your heart and with real

49:37

sincerity Just as Jesus

49:40

prayed from the cross father forgive them

49:42

for they know not what they do

49:45

Maybe you can ask that you

49:47

will have that heart of Jesus To

49:50

be able to say I forgive my mother

49:52

for this I forgive my

49:54

father for this I forgive

49:56

my friend for this And

49:58

and make your own life litany, write it

50:00

down and pray it. Pray

50:03

it before the crucifix

50:06

so that your heart may be

50:09

the heart of Jesus, which

50:11

is such a loving, forgiving heart. And

50:14

so those are two or

50:16

three of the little suggestions that

50:19

you might find time to or make

50:21

time to do during

50:25

these very solemn and very,

50:28

very beautiful days. You've

50:36

been listening to That All

50:38

May Be One, a holy

50:40

week retreat with Monsignor John

50:42

Essif and Sister Cora Maculatum

50:44

Heffernan. To hear and or

50:46

to download the podcast for

50:48

this particular conference, visit discerninghearts.com.

50:51

This particular conference can be

50:53

viewed on discerninghearts.com as

50:56

well as on the discerninghearts YouTube channel.

50:58

This has been a production of Discerning

51:00

Hearts. We hope that this has been

51:02

helpful for you, that you will first

51:04

pray for a mission. And if

51:06

you feel it's worthy, consider a charitable donation,

51:09

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51:11

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51:13

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51:16

will tell a friend about discerninghearts.com. God

51:18

bless.