SONGS FOR HOLY WEEK AND EASTER
We are fast approaching Holy Week! I want to concentrate on the six Songs that are appropriate for that week. The first one is: THE HOUR HAS COME, which reminds us of the Palm Sunday, when the Lord Jesus entered Jerusalem amidst the joyful Shouts of Hosanna. The second song is: LORD OF THE LAST SUPPER, which recounts the event during which Jesus ate the Passover Meal with his disciples and Instituted the Eucharist, i.e offering his Flesh and Blood to be our Food and Drink. To accompany this Act of Ultimate Giving, he also washed the feet of his disciples to show that Love and Service go hand in hand. He did so because: "He loved his own in the world and he loved them to the end," John13:1b. What faithfulness! What compassion! He wants us to follow his example and wants us to "do it in memory" of him. Both of these songs are from the HE IS RISEN SONG ALBUM.
LORD REMEMBER ME from the HE IS RISEN SONG ALBUM. The Lyrics of this song are based on Luke 23:42. It is the petition/ prayer of one of the men who was crucified with Jesus. The "prayer" was answered when Jesus told him: "Amen, I say to you, today, you will be with me in Paradise." We pray to Jesus for Light and Love when we stumble on our Way of the Cross - as he did on Good Friday- throughout our life. We pray for these "gifts," not just for ourselves , but so that we, in turn, can give them to others. As God's children and Christ's followers, we fall and rise with members of the human family.
LAST WORDS OF THE LORD from the HE IS RISEN SONG ALBUM. We are invited to "Listen to the Last Words of the Lord" and "feel His Love in our heart," as we follow his Way of the Cross and arrive at the site of the crucifixion. Jesus prayed to the Father to forgive those who crucified him. This forgiveness saves us from our sins and opens heaven for us. In his agony, Jesus promised paradise to the repentant thief . He entrusted his mother Mary to the beloved disciple John. After all these gestures of forgiveness, compassion, and love were done; Jesus knew that his mission on earth is now accomplished. He "called on the Father to commend his spirit before breathing his last breath." Yes, "He loves us and loves us till the end," John 13:1b.
HOLY SATURDAY and EASTER VIGIL: The Song LOVE THE LORD from the Album HE IS RISEN exhorts us to "Love the Lord" with our Heart and Soul in return for All that Jesus did for LOVE OF US through his Passion, Death, and Resurrection. We are called to be reborn through the Waters of Baptism, to follow Him out of the Darkness of sins and death into the Light of a New Life. The song LORD OF HEAVEN AND EARTH from the Album SONGS OF ENDLESS LOVE, again speaks of us DYING and RISING with Christ, so that we will bring this Good NEWS of the Kingdom to others.
HE IS RISEN! ALLELUIA! If Christ had not risen, our hope would have been in vain and our lives would have little meaning! But He suffered, died, and ROSE, so that we too, will rise with him, when we follow his call - to Love and to Serve. All of our songs center on Christ and his message, but I want to highlight some of the songs that are included in these two Song Albums: 1st - HE IS RISEN: Love The Lord, The Hour Has Come, He is Risen, and First Born. 2nd - GOD IS WITH YOU: My Lord, My God Are You, The Lord's Day, I am With You, The Greatest Truth Ever Told, All For The Glory Of God, and Rise On Wings Of The Dawn. My daily prayer has been and will continue to be - asking our Risen Lord to bless all of YOU, who visit our website with PEACE, JOY, and the FULFILLMENT of the DESIRE of your HEART ! ALLELUIA! ALLELUIA!
THE EASTER MESSAGE. Yes, Jesus is risen! Alleluia! If He were not to rise, our Faith, our Hope, and especially our Love would be in vain! Jesus is the First Born of creation - He is the Prince of Life. By rising from the dead, he reigns forever. The lyrics of this song recount what happened on that first Easter Morning when the women went to anoint the Body of Jesus and found the empty tomb. They informed the apostles Peter and John, who also found the tomb empty. In spite of being told repeatedly by Jesus - while he was with them - that he would suffer, die, and rise; they could not grasp the true meaning of what had happened.
Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene, while she was at the tomb weeping, and told her to tell the apostles to go to Galilee to meet him there. The "reactions" of the women, as well as Peter and John, reflect our own "difficulty" when it comes to matters of faith.
The following Hymns also convey the Easter Message of LOVE in action: To defeat injustice, hate, indifference, as the Lyrics of "Rising To the Call" indicate or "to breathe with the Breath of God, see with His Eyes, reach out with His Hands and LOVE with His Love" say the Lyrics of "Living Your Life For God." These two songs are from the "I Call To You Song Album; moreover, all of us are being asked the same question that The Risen Lord Jesus asked Peter "Do You Love Me?" Our answer to this question will shape our Life of Love. This song (Do You Love Me?) is from the Song Album "Pray For Deliverance."