​Beloved in Christ,
 
On this Sunday of Divine Mercy, I invite you to pray for the repose of the soul of our Holy Father, Pope Francis. He was called to the Father's Home on Easter Monday, 21st of April, at about 7:35 am (Italy time). There are so many things we can say about the life and legacy of Pope Francis, and so many beautiful memories of him and his pontificate are available in the news and on social media. However, I would like to share his last testament with you because it gives another view of the humble servant of God, the vicar of Christ.
 
Pope Francis' last will, among other things, focuses on the place of his burial. As we think of the burial place of Christ during the Sacred Triduum and Easter, we can also consider the simplicity of the Holy Father's last earthly home. He instructs that his tomb must be in the ground, simple and without a particular inscription other than "Franciscus." He chose to be buried in the basilica of St. Mary Major, close to the chapel of the Salus Populi Romani, an indication of his devotion to the Blessed Mother Mary, to whom he entrusted his life and ministry, "as his body awaits the day of resurrection." He reminds us of our common belief in the resurrection of the dead. What a beautiful witness to the end!
 
Another significant message from his last testament concerns what he requested of us on the day he was elected pope: "Pray for me." He also promised to pray for us as we pray for him: "May God reward those who loved me and will continue to pray for me" (the bold letters are mine). We love ( I love) Pope Francis and will pray for him as he requested.
 
In response to Bishop Senior's request and Pope Francis' wish, we will dedicate Thursday evening to praying for the repose of the departed pontiff's soul. As a parish, we will gather for this purpose on Thursday, May 1, at 6 p.m. for Holy Mass and Eucharistic Adoration. Please make it a priority to attend. Thanks.
 
Eternal Father, for the sake of your Son's sorrowful passion, have mercy on the soul of Pope Francis. Amen.
 
In the Risen Christ,       Fr. Bernard Alayode, OP
 
The following is Pope Francis' testament:Miserando atque Eligendo
 
In the name of the Most Holy Trinity. Amen.
 
As I sense the approaching twilight of my earthly life, and with firm hope in eternal life, I wish to set out my final wishes solely regarding the place of my burial.
 
Throughout my life, and during my ministry as a priest and bishop, I have always entrusted myself to the Mother of Our Lord, the Blessed Virgin Mary. For this reason, I ask that my mortal remains rest - awaiting the day of the Resurrection - in the Papal Basilica of Saint Mary Major.
 
I wish my final earthly journey to end precisely in this ancient Marian sanctuary, where I would always stop to pray at the beginning and end of every Apostolic Journey, confidently entrusting my intentions to the Immaculate Mother, and giving thanks for her gentle and maternal care.
 
I ask that my tomb be prepared in the burial niche in the side aisle between the Pauline Chapel (Chapel of the Salus Populi Romani) and the Sforza Chapel of the Basilica, as shown in the attached plan.
 
The tomb should be in the ground; simple, without particular ornamentation, bearing only the inscription: Franciscus.
 
The cost of preparing the burial will be covered by a sum provided by a benefactor, which I have arranged to be transferred to the Papal Basilica of Saint Mary Major. I have given the necessary instructions regarding this to Cardinal Rolandas Makrickas, Extraordinary Commissioner of the Liberian Basilica.
 
May the Lord grant a fitting reward to all those who have loved me and who continue to pray for me. The suffering that has marked the final part of my life, I offer to the Lord, for peace in the world and for fraternity among peoples.
 
Santa Marta, 29 June 2022          FRANCIS
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

​Beloved In Christ,
 
"This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad" (Ps. 118: 24).
 
We rejoice and are filled with gladness today because our Lord Jesus, who suffered, died, and was buried, is now risen and alive! Alleluia!! The good news of Jesus's resurrection from the dead fills our hearts with joy, and hope is restored because Jesus has conquered sin and death. There are at least two reasons why we should rejoice and celebrate Jesus's resurrection.
 
Firstly, if it helps, we may ask ourselves again, what is the cause of our joy at the yearly celebration of Easter? The answer is that we see the possibility of what happened to Jesus happening to us. As Jesus was raised bodily from the tomb, so shall we be raised into glory on the second coming of Jesus. The glorified body of Jesus indicates what will happen to us who believe in him. So, we know for sure that the resurrection of Christ has implications for our life after death. As believers, we shall be raised bodily to be with Christ forever. This calls for joyful celebration and the raising of Alleluia to God.
 
Secondly, Jesus's resurrection demands living faith from us. We must be caught up in heavenly things even as our feet are rooted on earth. We must strive to live in the power of the resurrection. As we renew our baptismal vows, the Spirit of Christ renews us. We are stirred up to new life in the Spirit of the Risen Christ and empowered to leave the past life behind and start a new one. Since Christ has offered his life for us in his death and resurrection, "let us celebrate the feast, not with the old yeast, the yeast of malice and wickedness" as St. Paul encourages us, "but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth" (1 Cor 5: 7-8).
 
Pope St.  John Paul II reminded us years ago of our identity as Easter people when he said, "We are an Easter people, and Alleluia is our song." In the spirit of joy and gladness, let us sing and echo Alleluia with our voices and bodies throughout this season of Easter and beyond. Sing Alleluia to the Lord!
 
Happy Easter!
 
Fr. Alayode Bernard, OP
 

​Beloved in Christ,

Today, we recall the Messianic entrance of Jesus into Jerusalem to fulfill his paschal mystery. As Jesus approaches the slope of the Mount of Olives on a colt, a crowd of his disciples welcomes him in jubilation, praising God aloud in joy as they spread their cloaks and palms on the ground: "Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord" (Lk 19: 38). There were other responses, not welcoming, to Jesus's entrance. We must decide our response as Jesus walks into our lives in the solemn liturgy of the Holy Week.

How will you and I welcome Jesus? Will we receive and welcome the innocent, obedient and humble Lord in the spirit of joy? Or are we going to be indifferent? Or worse still, are we going to ignore and reject his coming? The choice is ours. We indicate that choice in how we attend to the mysteries of Christ's passion that unfolds in the days of Holy Week. Between the days of Palm Sunday of the Lord's passion and the Sacred Triduum, we have moments to meditate on Christ's passion. Opening ourselves to the grace of this sacred time will prepare us to experience the profound joy of his resurrection.

Meditating on Christ's suffering can strengthen and give us hope in our daily struggles and sufferings. Christ is our model; he is the one we need and must welcome in joyful praise: "Gloria, laus, et honor, tibi sit Rex Christe Redemptor" (All glory, laud and honor, to thee, Redeemer King). To aid our meditation, I'll draw our attention to the paragraphs of the Catechism of the Catholic Church on the entrance of Jesus into Jerusalem, paragraphs 559-560:

"How will Jerusalem welcome her Messiah? Although Jesus has always refused popular attempts to make him king, he chooses the time and prepares the details for his messianic entry into the city of 'his father David.' Acclaimed as son of David, as the one who brings salvation (Hosanna means 'save!' or 'Give salvation!'), the 'King of glory' enters his City 'riding on an ass.' Jesus conquers the Daughter of Zion, a figure of his Church, neither by ruse nor by violence, but by the humility that bears witness to the truth... Jesus' entry into Jerusalem manifested the coming of the kingdom that the King-Messiah was going to accomplish by the Passover of his Death and Resurrection. It is with the celebration of that entry on Palm Sunday that the Church's liturgy solemnly opens Holy Week."

I want to draw our attention to the importance of attending the Sacred Paschal Triduum with special devotions: Holy Thursday of the Lord's Supper (stay for a while to adore the Blessed Sacrament), Good Friday (remember to observe the paschal fast today and, if possible, on Holy Saturday, and participate in Divine Mercy Devotion and Novena and the Living Stations of the Cross), and Holy Saturday (the blessing of Easter meal before Easter vigil). We will also pray the Divine Office in the historic church each day of the Sacred Triduum. Please check the bulletin for details.

In His Passion,
 
Fr. Bernard Alayode, OP
 

​Beloved in Christ,

The scribes and the Pharisees put Jesus to the test again. They brought before him a woman caught in the very act of adultery and invited his judgment. This scenario brings to mind the theme of crime, judgment, and punishment addressed in Fyodor Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment (1866), which explores the psychological travails of Rodion Raskolnikov after he commits a murder. Without any recourse to his humanity and the circumstances of his life, he is condemned to death for his crime. Jesus took a different approach in his treatment of the woman who committed the sin of adultery. Instead of passing the cruel capital punishment by stoning to death, Jesus extended mercy and freedom to her, restoring her to the original dignity of the daughter of God. He absolved and set her on a path of new life. He says to her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you? Neither do I condemn you."
 
Jesus came to set free, not to condemn. Judgment and punishment, instead of rescue and freedom, are the paths often taken. Repentance and reconciliation are themes addressed in previous weeks. "Go, and from now on do not sin any more" (John 8:11). Jesus condemns her sin, so he admonishes her to sin no more. He does not admit or condone her sin of adultery but does not condemn her to death or hell because his approach is that of mercy and compassion. "God sent his son into the world not to judge the world but so that the world might be saved through him" (John 3:17). The instinct to judge and punish must give way to the grace of rescue and freedom. Christ calls us to imitate him, who came to set us free from bondage to sin, and "so if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed" (John 8: 36).

God made us for freedom. He freed us from bondage and death associated with sin through the passion, death and resurrection of his Son, our Savior Jesus Christ. Once we receive and experience God's deliverance and freedom, he orders us not to return to the slavery of sin: "Remember not the event of the past, the things of long ago consider not; see I am doing something new!" (Isaiah 43: 19). We must strive not to return to the past but a daily step forward in pursuit of everlasting freedom and life. As St. Paul says, "I continue my pursuit in hope that I may possess it, since I have indeed been taken possession of by Christ Jesus" (Phil 3:12). Like Paul and like the woman freed from the condemnation for the sin of adultery, we must put our sordid past of sin behind us: "forgetting what lies behind us but straining forward to what lies ahead" (Phil 3: 13). We must never yield to the pressure of returning to the Egypt of sin but strive to continue living under God's grace and pursue our ultimate goal, Jesus Christ (Phil 3:14) and announce his praise (Isaiah 43:21).

We must now prepare to walk closer with Christ as we begin Holy Week with Palm Sunday of the Lord's Passion next Sunday.
 
In Christ,

Fr. Bernard Alayode, OP