Podcast (talkin-faith-with-catholic-sis): Play in new window | Download | Embed

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Email | RSS

On “Talkin Faith with Catholic Sis” Episode 5: Easter talking about what the why I love Easter Vigil so much, what those things you saw at the Easter Vigil really mean. I’ll also be talking a bit about what God says about making and keeping friends, as well as a special Q&A segment!

Opening Segment:

Hello! How’s it going? How was your Easter? We were talking about coloring Easter eggs last week – so did you and the kids decorate any?
Transition: Did you go to Easter Vigil Mass? I did. Aside from Good Friday, Easter Vigil is my favorite Mass of the year. Why, you ask? Well let me tell you!

First Segment: Why I Love Easter Vigil:
There are so many exciting and special things about Easter Vigil Mass that only happen once a year. Tonight, I’m going to be telling you about my four most favorite things about the Vigil.
Incense: One of my favorite things about the Catholic world is incense. Have you ever gotten to smell incense Kent – it’s one of the best smells in the world! We use incense in special Mass celebrations because it symbolizes our prayers rising to heaven. However, we also use incense in Mass because it shows our adoration towards God. As an altar server, I learned that there are a lot of different rules of incensing things, and that there actually is a rhyme and reason to it all – not just swing however you feel like it.  For example we incense three different things; God, people, and things. I actually wrote a whole post on this that you can check out on my website https://catholicsis.com/one-of-the-best-things-in-the-catholic-world/
Fire: The Pascal fire symbolizes new life. The Pascal fire is lit at the beginning of the Vigil Mass, and the Pascal Candle that is lit from it is relit every time there is a Baptism.  During the Easter Vigil, we each get to hold an individual candle, which is a reminder of our own day of baptism. I love that we get to renew our own baptismal promises together as a community – it’s such a wonderful and holy moment. I think that it is such a uniting moment, wouldn’t you agree?
Holy Water: It is one of my favorite moments in the Mass when the priest walks around the church sprinkling the people with Holy Water. The Holy Water is a reminder of our baptism. I also love seeing the catechumens, the new Catholics, and getting to welcome them into our always growing family. When I was a kid, it used to be a contest to see who got the most Holy Water on them, and who Father hit in the eye.
Bells: One other special thing that happened during the Easter Vigil Mass is the ringing of the bells during the Gloria. Bells signify our joy at the Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.

Second Segment: FAQ’s About Easter and Bible Verses about Friendship:

Earlier, we were just talking about Easter Vigil Mass, but I still have a few unanswered questions. So let’s jump right in:
First of all, is Easter really over? Nobody seems to be talking about it anymore – but as Catholics, is there a chance that Easter is still going?  The answer is yes! The Easter season officially lasts for 50 whole days, and ends on Pentecost, which this year is May 23rd. (And yes, the 50 days does include Sundays.)
Secondly, why is Easter so long anyway? It seems like an awfully long time to celebrate one holiday. Well, during the 50 days after Jesus was raised from the dead, He actually visited over 500 different people! These people included Mary Magdalene on Easter morning, the Twelve Apostles, St. Thomas, as well as the two disciples on the road to Emmaus. Finally, Jesus ascends into heaven, and the Easter concludes a week later with Pentecost, the descent of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus visited many of His friends after His resurrection; some of these friends help to care for His body after His death earlier in the Easter Triduum, and we saw Him give the responsibility of taking care of His Mother to His most beloved disciple, St. John. Therefore, He is an example to us of the value of making and maintaining good friendships. Tonight, Kent and I are bringing you godly wisdom about creating and keeping good friendships – straight from the Bible!
Luke 6:31  – “And as you would that men should do to you, do you also to them in like manner.” (I think that we are all familiar with the verse – but what does it mean to you personally Kent?)
John 15:13  – “Greater love than this no man hath, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” (What do you think are some ways that we can lay down our life for others, per se – especially for our friends?)
Proverbs 17:17  – “He that is a friend loveth at all times: and a brother is proved in distress.” (I think that to have a friend that is with you through thick and thin is a blessing, and sometimes you can become as close as family. What do you think are some other qualities of a good friend?)
Romans 1:12  – “That is to say, that I may be comforted together in you, by that which is common to us both, your faith and mine.”

Third Segment: Questions to #askcatholicsis

Q & A’s from the Chat Room, FaceBook, and Twitter – @MandarinSays
“What do you want on your tombstone?” – I’ve never given it much thought, but I’d have to say either “Catholic was her way of life” or “servant to the next generation.” I want to hear what you would have written on yours! Check out this post on Catholic Sis https://catholicsis.com/what-would-you-choose/ or go to the website and search “tombstone” and then leave me a comment. (The link will also be up on Face Book and Twitter after the show.)
What are your favourite Easter/Lent songs? – They are, and I quote:
“When You Prayed Beneath the Trees”
“Lenten Love Song”
“New Life”
“Jesus Christ is Risen Today”
“Christ the Lord is Risen Today”
What is your current jam? – That’s a good question. Here we go!
#6 – “My Lighthouse” by Rend Collective
#5 – “Made New” by Lincoln Brewster
#4 – “More of You” by Colton Dixon
#3 – “ Drops in the Ocean” by Hawk Nelson
#2 – “Broken Beautiful” by Ellie Holcomb
#1 – “Start a Fire” by Unspoken
Just like the previous question, check out this post on Catholic Sis https://catholicsis.com/my-jams-for-april-2015/ or go to the website and search “music” and then leave me a comment. (The link will also be up on Face Book and Twitter after the show.)

Closing Segment:

Thank you to everyone who watched and who submitted questions!
Make sure you join us next week when we continue to Talk Faith with Catholic Sis
If you have questions through out the week, make sure you send them to me either via email or Twitter using the hash tag #askcatholicsis, and who knows, they might be on next week’s show?