Holy Week: Good Friday

Good Friday ... "my Lord, my Lord ... WHY have you forsaken me?"

Today we had altar server practice at 0900 (after being at Church last night with said Altar Server until 10:00pm) then up to dh's school to pick 'em up, down Rte 1 to pick up a Marian statue for our soon-to-be Mary Garden (more on this to come -- it's our Easter Break project) and then Bam-Bam and I went to Tre Ore -- Jesus' Seven Last Words while the others and dh went home to eat and change.  They got back to Church at 2:30, than we had the Divine Mercy Novena - Day 1 and our Good Friday communion service!

What a grace-filled day!

And I got up early to bake the traditional hot-cross buns (that I prepped last night) -- and suitably slathered in "royal icing" this morning after baking ...

Here's our slightly edited version from Catholic Culture's website ...

The Friday before Easter receives its name ironically, as being the opposite of good. One of the most ancient customs associated with this solemn holiday is that of eating hot cross buns. In my experience these buns never fail to please - everyone loves a hot cross bun!

Hot Cross Buns -- buns are baked as one in a pan and pulled apart when done.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 3/4-3 1/2 cups flour

• 1/4 cup sugar

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 1 tablespoon active dry yeast

• 1/2 cup milk

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

• 1 egg

• 3 tbls ground flaxseed

• 1/3 cup currants

• 1/2 cup chopped mixed candied fruit

• Royal icing (milk & powdered sugar, vanilla extract)

DIRECTIONS

1. Combine 1 cup flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon, flaxseed, and yeast in mixing bowl. Mix thoroughly.

2. Heat milk and butter to hot (120-130° degrees). Add to dry ingredients and mix thoroughly.

3. Add egg, currants, candied fruit, and enough remaining flour to form a soft dough.

4. Knead on lightly floured surface until smooth — about 10 minutes. Place in greased bowl, turning to coat top.

5. Cover; let rise in warm place until double — about 1 hour.

6. Punch down dough. Shape into 9 balls. Place in buttered 9 x 9-inch pan. Leave out (or refrigerate if too warm in kitchen) on counter (covered) till morning.

7. Next morning: Bake in a preheated 350° F oven about 25 minutes or until done. Cool on wire rack.

9. Make Royal Icing (mix 1 tbls milk with 1/2 cup or more of powdered sugar until “drizzling” consistency. Add one tsp vanilla, mixing well. Put in a ziploc baggie; close securely; cut off bottom corner and drizzle icing over each bun (lengthwise and crosswise), forming crosses. If the buns aren’t completely cooled, the icing will run – but my kids LOVE that!

Recipe Source: Festive Bread Book, The by Kathy Cutler, Barron's Educational Series, Inc., 1982 – via Catholic Culture … adapted to suit MY family!

Prayers for a blessed Easter for one and all!

Holy Week: Holy Thursday

Today is Holy Thursday ... at this evening's Mass, the priest will recreate the institution of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass when Jesus, at the Last Supper, gives the apostles bread and wine.  This is a wonderful Mass and celebration of that first feast -- remembered down through the ages at each and every Catholic Mass celebrated throughout the world. 

How cool is that?

This is Giotto's version of the Last Supper.  I like it better than DaVinci's because Jesus is at the top of the table ... like a father sitting with his family ... and it's a little harder to pick Judas out from the other 11 apostles.  I think it would have been hard for the others to know which was the one who would betray their Lord because it's first, hard to imagine that anyone would (!) but then we all do crazy things when we're fearful or discouraged or dispairing ... even to selling out an innocent man for the price of slave.

Someone commented on yesterday's post about Spy Wednesday.  The comment was basically wasn't Judas just helping to fulfill God's plan by betraying Jesus and thus Judas is more to be pitied as a pawn rather than as a thief and betrayer. 

I'm not a theologian but I've thought about this for many years and here's my uneducated but faith-filled belief:  God gave us ALL a free will so Judas didn't HAVE to betray Jesus; he could have denied the devil, returned the money (or not gone after it at all), and talked to Jesus.  But, and this is the important part ... he DIDN'T and ends, tradition tells us, by commiting suicide rather than face the consequences of his actions. 

As Matthew relates in his gospel:

Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, “What are you willing to give me if I hand him over to you?”  They paid him thirty pieces of silver, and from that time on he looked for an opportunity to hand him over.

So Judas purposely went and found the chief priests, broached the subject of his betrayal to them, and then "looked for an opportunity" to betray Jesus.  Just before each of those steps, Judas could have stopped himself and didn't; he COULD have "snapped out of it" and didn't.  Later in that same retelling, Peter denies Jesus three times ... but Jesus forgives Peter because Peter is contrite and weeps bitterly, a sign of truly repentant spirit.  Judas seals his betrayal with a kiss and later, in dispair, kills himself!

Prayers for a healthy and holy Triduum ...

Holy Week: Spy Wednesday

Traditionally, this day of Holy Week is known as Spy Wednesday ... the day Judas Iscariot betrays Jesus by selling Him for 30 pieces of silver (the "going" price at the time for a slave). 

How often do I betray Jesus ... how often to I sell Him for an extra hour of sleep ... or by being too busy for the sacraments ... or by not living the life I know He wants me to live....

How often am I a Judas, betraying Jesus while seeming to love Him?