The 4 Gospel Accounts of the Resurrection

The Resurrection of Jesus Christ:  The Four Gospels

“And in the end of the sabbath, when it began to dawn towards the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalen and the other Mary, to see the sepulchre. And behold there was a great earthquake. For an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and coming, rolled back the stone, and sat upon it. And his countenance was as lightning, and his raiment as snow. And for fear of him, the guards were struck with terror, and became as dead men. And the angel answering, said to the women: Fear not you, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he is risen, as he said. Come, and see the place where the Lord was laid. And going quickly, tell ye his disciples that he is risen: and behold he will go before you into Galilee, there you shall see him. Lo, I have foretold it to you. And they went out quickly from the sepulchre with fear and great joy, running to tell his disciples. And behold Jesus met them, saying: All hail. But they came up and took hold of his feet, and adored him. Then Jesus said to them: Fear not. Go, tell my brethren that they go into Galilee, there they shall see me.”

Matthew 28:1-10

“And when the sabbath was past, Mary Magdalen, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, bought sweet spices, that coming, they might anoint Jesus. And very early in the morning, the first day of the week, they come to the sepulchre, the sun being now risen. And they said one to another: Who shall roll us back the stone from the door of the sepulchre? And looking, they saw the stone rolled back. For it was very great. And entering into the sepulchre, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed with a white robe: and they were astonished. Who saith to them: Be not affrighted, you seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified: he is risen, he is not here, behold the place where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he goeth before you into Galilee, there you shall see him, as he told you. But they going out, fled from the sepulchre. For a trembling and fear had seized them: and they said nothing to any man, for they were afraid. But he rising early the first day of the week, appeared first to Mary Magdalen, out of whom he had cast seven devils. She went and told them that had been with him, who were mourning and weeping. And they hearing that he was alive, and had been seen by her, did not believe. And after that he appeared in another shape to two of them walking, as they were going into the country. And they going told it to the rest: neither did they believe them. At length he appeared to the eleven as they were at table: and he upbraided them with their incredulity and hardness of heart, because they did not believe them who had seen him after he was risen again. And he said to them: Go ye into the whole world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized, shall be saved: but he that believeth not shall be condemned.” 

Mark 16:1-16 

“And on the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came to the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared. And they found the stone rolled back from the sepulchre. And going in, they found not the body of the Lord Jesus. And it came to pass, as they were astonished in their mind at this, behold, two men stood by them, in shining apparel. And as they were afraid, and bowed down their countenance towards the ground, they said unto them: Why seek you the living with the dead? He is not here, but is risen. Remember how he spoke unto you, when he was in Galilee, saying: The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again. And they remembered his words. And going back from the sepulchre, they told all these things to the eleven, and to all the rest. And it was Mary Magdalen, and Joanna, and Mary of James, and the other women that were with them, who told these things to the apostles. And these words seemed to them as idle tales, and they did not believe them. But Peter rising up, ran to the sepulchre, and stooping down, he saw the linen cloths laid by themselves, and went away wondering in himself at that which was come to pass.”

Luke 24:1-12

“And on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalen cometh early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, and she saw the stone taken away from the sepulchre. She ran, therefore, and cometh to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and saith to them: They have taken away the Lord out of the sepulchre, and we know not where they have laid him. Peter therefore went out, and that other disciple, and they came to the sepulchre. And they both ran together, and that other disciple did outrun Peter, and came first to the sepulchre. And when he stooped down, he saw the linen cloths lying, but yet he went not in. Then cometh Simon Peter, following him, and went into the sepulchre, and saw the linen cloths lying, and the napkin that had been about his head, not lying with the linen cloths, but apart, wrapped up into one place. Then that other disciple also went in, who came first to the sepulchre: and he saw, and believed. For as yet they knew not the scripture, that he must rise again from the dead. The disciples therefore departed again to their home. But Mary stood at the sepulchre without, weeping. Now as she was weeping, she stooped down, and looked into the sepulchre, and she saw two angels in white, sitting, one at the head, and one at the feet, where the body of Jesus had been laid. They say to her: Woman, why weepest thou? She saith to them: Because they have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him. When she had thus said, she turned herself back, and saw Jesus standing, and she knew not that it was Jesus. Jesus saith to her: Woman, why weepest thou? Whom seekest thou? She, thinking it was the gardener, saith to him: Sir, if thou hast taken him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away. Jesus saith to her: Mary. She turning, saith to him: Rabboni (which is to say, Master).”

John 20:1-16

(from the Douay-Rheims, which is what we typically use)

PDF Printable

The Resurrection of Jesus Christ:

The Four Gospels

The "2-Minute Rule" for Homemakers

I want to share something with you wonderful ladies (and men!) out there that has really improved my life. The “2-Minute Rule.” About a year ago, I was watching someone on YouTube (sorry, I don’t remember who it was) who proposed this idea:

If you see something that can be done in 2 minutes, do it now.

This is a variation on Marla Cilley’s “Do it Now Principle,” which I previously wrote about (see below). For some reason, this 2-minute phrasing of the same idea, resonated better with me and I started really doing it. It’s not to be taken literally that the thing will take 2 minutes, but many things can be done quite quickly. I can’t tell you how helpful this has been for me. Things are now getting done that in the past I would have procrastinated with. It is a different way of looking at the field of your responsibility, when you realize, “I don’t have to feel overwhelmed, I can actually do this very quickly.” This might mean letting go of your perfectionism. At my age, I am increasingly getting used to the idea of:

Good enough is good enough

This might seem like a strange Holy Week meditation, but if you suffer from feeling overwhelmed or being perfectionistic, this could be a real lifesaver for you and your family. Below are some homemaker-related posts I have done, have a look! I hope this is helpful:)

The "Do it Now Principle"

10 Reasons to Purge Your Home

15 Simple Homemaker Hacks!

Thought for the Day

“A phenomenon takes on meaning out of expectation.”

Michael Wann

Correspondence with FSSP on April 25th

I have changed my trad Catholic calendar this year to the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter’s. I noticed on April 25th, there was no typical feast of Saint Mark, yet the Major Rogation Day remained. I thought this was a mistake, so I contacted them. Here was the gracious response of Claudio Salvucci, Communications Director for FSSP:

“In the specific case of April 25th this year, the omission of St. Mark was not an oversight. The days of Holy Week and Easter Week are privileged to the extent that they cannot be displaced by another feast, so St. Mark is simply suppressed in favor of Easter Friday this year. Though I believe in some cases the feast can be postponed until the Monday following Low Sunday if, for example, it is a patronal feast for a diocese or parish. The same principle is why the Annunciation was postponed to April 8th last year…

[Regarding the Major Rogation Day] Part of the reason is that the 1962 Missal says explicitly that when the feast of St. Mark is transferred, the Rogation procession is not transferred. Unless Apr. 25th falls on Easter Monday, in which case the procession is moved one day to Easter Tuesday.”

Mr. Salvucci also sent me some FSSP Liturgical Ordo notes (how cool is that):

“April 25, 2025: Greater Litanies...The ferial Mass of the Octave of Easter is celebrated with a commemoration of the Major Litanies, even at sung Masses. There is no commemoration of St. Mark...The Rogation Mass can be celebrated on April 25th only if the Mass be preceded by the Litany and Procession or other appointed supplications.”

 I hope that clears up any confusion any other liturgical calendar nerd out there might have had:)

Anniversary of the "X Eclipse"...and the Story I Never Told

Today is the one year anniversary of the “X Eclipse” across the United States.  The X was formed actually, by 2 total eclipses of the sun, 7 years apart.  It crossed over a 9,000 square mile area, with the epicenter being near Carbondale, Illinois.  For our purposes, I will call the combination of the eclipses the “X Eclipse.”  Together they form a symbol, a marriage spanning time and space.

Nomen Christi Apostolate pioneered the “Eclipse Pilgrimage of Mercy,” which was promoted largely to traditional parishes, in all 50 states.  Bill Kassel, with an EWTN affiliated radio station in Michigan, asked me to speak about the pilgrimage on his show.  It was a very exciting opportunity and certainly was instrumental in getting the word out further.  The eclipse was the day after Divine Mercy Sunday, which I saw as a sign, and designed the pilgrimage around this feast and for the intention of mercy.  The pilgrimage aspect encouraged people to visit a holy site and pray the Rosary, in addition to the Divine Mercy Chaplet the week prior.

My family and I went to San Antonio, Texas, to do our pilgrimage along the San Antonio River, where the old Franciscan Missions (including the Alamo) are located.  We went to each of the 5 missions, on 5 separate days, to pray the Rosary and walk to the river, throwing a white rose into it and praying more prayers.  Why did we do this ritual with the river?  All I can say is, at the time, I was strongly motivated to connect with the river and make it a part of our pilgrimage.  It is not an accident that the missions were built along a river, as rivers were the lifeblood of communities in the past.  I wanted to connect in a tangible way with God’s beautiful San Antonio River, so the roses were a way to do this.  There was a sense of “letting go,” not knowing where the roses would land, an intimation of something not yet fulfilled and not able to be controlled.  White represents purity, which tied in well with the appeal to mercy, the conversion of our country and the nature of the Blessed Mother, who was with us the entire way, as we prayed the Rosary and encountered many images of Our Lady of Guadalupe. 

Tragically, a dear friend and her aunt passed away four months earlier, in a car accident in Mexico.  Her name was Virginia and her aunt’s name was Rosa, representing innocence and roses.  I had it in mind to honor their memory as well, with the white roses perhaps making their way to the shores of Mexico.  So you see, this all came together in some mystical synchronistic way, as many things do in the lives of those who have eyes to see how God works in His Divine Providence.

The white roses could also have represented the trafficked, abused children in the area of San Antonio. Terribly, it’s a well-known problem there, 150 miles from the Mexican border. The Mother of God cries for them. Now, one year later, we are thankfully seeing improvement on these issues.

We viewed the eclipse in the rural hills of Texas, along the western side of the eclipse path.  There amazingly, was a huge cross on a hill behind us (they do that in Texas, apparently).  I looked up and saw a crescent Sun in a dusky sky.  The very next day, at Mission Concepcion, there above the altar, was Our Blessed Lord standing atop a crescent Sun, mostly obscured by the Moon, in fact, an eclipse!  It was exactly what I saw the day before in full, shining reality.  I couldn’t see anything through the special glasses, so in one stupid moment, I looked up with my naked eyes.  Then I looked back down, hoping I didn’t just blind myself.  I was stunned when I saw the painting in the chapel and fell to my knees in disbelief, before praying the Rosary. 

The missions revealed something to me as we went along…something I was not expecting, but perhaps should have…a real-life example of the very thing I wish to do with this ministry.  They were the scattered remains of once-thriving, self-sufficient Catholic communities.  Each mission had a water well, farmland, living quarters and a chapel.  It was a learning experience for me and one mission was constructed very similarly to my own vision of such a community.  I had traveled 2,000 miles to see the future in my mind, as an actual physical place from the past…the past meeting the future, coming full circle.  Humanity will be brought back to its origins and the technocracy will fail and will fall.

We were blessed to be able to attend the Tridentine Mass right in San Antonio, at Saint Timothy Church.  It was quite well-attended and had the most beautiful artwork of Our Lady of Guadalupe.  She is ever-present in that area! Cardinal Burke’s famous Guadalupe prayer was a part of our prayers at the river.

What does the whole thing mean?  Well, that is up for interpretation and prayer.  The more I look at it, the more I see the “X” as a symbol of the division in our nation, which ultimately is spiritual warfare.  Where is this all going?  A warning is meant to help mitigate what is coming (and to alleviate what is already here).  So let us use the wonderful Catholic treasures at our disposal to accomplish that.

You can find some commentary on the X Eclipse on our Home page and all references to the eclipse and the pilgrimage on “Eclipse POM,” in the topics to the right>>>  Included is my writing on the original eclipse of 2017, which itself was quite interesting, along with my phone interview with Bill Kassel.

Somehow, just before this anniversary, the X Eclipse came back into my view, which is what got me thinking about it again.  I am now doing “X Eclipse 2.0” research and will do a write-up when I am ready.  It is still relevant and there is a lot there.  I am exploring questions such as….

Is there any significance to the area of the X?  What is this area’s strange esoteric history?

Why were the eclipses 7 years apart?

What about the “Devil Comet” and Chiron (considered a minor planet), which both occurred with the X Eclipse?

What is the truth about this “Nineva” thing? 

What about the fault lines which strangely mirror the eclipse paths?

Does the separate “X Eclipse” which took place in Texas have any meaning?

…And the whole thing started when I called my cousin in Texas and asked him, “So what do we so in San Antonio, as long as we’re there to see the Eclipse?”  He said, “Well, there are some missions.”  As he described the missions along the river, I began to think, “This sounds like a pilgrimage.”  I came up the idea to combine the pilgrimage with the eclipse and said to myself, “As long as I’m doing this, why don’t I spread the word?” 

Turns out, there IS an official pilgrimage at the missions:  El Camino de San Antonio Missions

PS  I would love to share pictures with you, but the blog has stopped letting me put up images.  I have to update one of these days and hopefully that will fix it.  However, I can put pics in my monthly newsletter, so let’s make a deal, you sign up (see Email List above) and I’ll put some pilgrimage pics in the May email!  Speaking of images, here is what I saw at Mission Concepcion, which also happens to be the above-mentioned Pilgrimage Center…

PAINTING OF OUR LORD UPON AN ECLIPSE

"The Winners of the Future"

“The winners of the future are going to be those who can still concentrate, and have the patience to learn and absorb actual context in depth.  The losers are going to be the people blindly reacting, lacking any and all context…the powers that be want us to have no context. That's why when there are revolutions, the first thing the communists, the authoritarians, the socialists do, is they tear down the statues. They don't want you grounded in your past. They ruin the libraries. They get rid of the Christians. They basically upend and tear out all the history books and rewrite them because a people without context are people that are easily manipulated ”

Chris Martenson

And one of our new taglines here at Nomen Christi is…

the future is catholic!

be on the cutting edge

…and it appears we are in the “quickening,” the phase of exponential acceleration, so don’t think the future is that far away.

April is the Month of the Most Holy Eucharist

[Please note corrections relating to April 25th and notes on the Octave of Easter. And we somehow forgot the 7 Sorrows feast.]

In the traditional Liturgical Year, we begin April in Lent, move through Passiontide and the Easter Triduum, and end in Paschal Time (also known as Eastertide).  This is all a snippet of the “Cycle of Easter:  The Mystery of the Redemption,” which extends until Advent.  We will see our collective meditation upon the Redemption pass from penance and Our Lord’s Passion, to the glory of the Resurrection, foretelling our own Resurrection of soul and body after death.  After the sorrowful Holy Week, we enter into what the New Marian Missal calls “a time of uninterrupted joy and feasts.”  Eastertide includes the Octave of Easter (originally consecrated to the newly baptized), the Ascension of Our Lord and Pentecost.  The Paschal Candle, lit on the evening of Holy Saturday, shines until Ascension Thursday, representing the Resurrected Lord upon earth.

Take note of the Seven Sorrows of Our Lady on the 11th. There are a number of devotions for this feast.

The 25th is the feast of Saint Mark [correction: not celebrated this year because this is Easter Friday, which takes precedence] and also what we traditionally call the Major Rogation Day [this still applies].  Rogation Days are very similar to the seasonal Ember Days, but of different origin.  It is, it seems, inappropriate to have a day of penance during the Octave of Easter, so keeping the Rogation Day in a spirit of joy would be advisable (pray the Litany of the Saints, see below).  To tie it in with April’s Eucharistic devotion, we might attend Mass or read Saint Mark’s account of the Last Supper, Mark 14:12-26 [Saint Mark would probably appreciate a nod to him].  Here is the definition of “Rogation Days” from Father John Hardon’s book, Modern Catholic Dictionary:

“Prescribed days of prayer and penance in spring. Two sets of rogation days were kept since early Christian times: the Major Rogation on April 25, the Feast of St. Mark; and the Minor Rogations on the last three days before Ascension Thursday. They were instituted to appease divine justice, ask for protection, and invoke God's blessing on the harvest. The Litany of the Saints was [prayed] in procession and the Rogation Mass followed. The feast of St. Mark, as the more ancient, was also called the Greater Litanies; it Christianized a pagan spring festival in honor of the god Robigus. The three other rogation days were adapted in Rome under Pope Leo III (reigned 795-816). (Etym. Latin rogatio, inquiry, request.)”

Divine Mercy Sunday is always one week after Easter and Our Lord Himself asked Saint Faustina to institute a novena, beginning on Good Friday.  You can find the Chaplet and Novena prayers on our Home page or you can print this PDF which includes the lesser-known Litany to the Divine Mercy.  Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska of the Blessed Sacrament, devoted herself profoundly to the Holy Eucharist and her Chaplet features these words:

“Eternal Father, I offer Thee the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Thy dearly beloved Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world.”

During this Information Age, it is ironic that so few know and believe the teachings of Holy Church on the Body of Christ.  Holiness starts at home, so instructing those who need help with this is our primary responsibility.  Making reparation for the outrages against the Eucharist is also a wonderful thing.  There are various litanies and prayers-here is one: 

Litany of Reparation to the Blessed Sacrament

Some places have special Eucharistic devotions during Lent.  For instance, the Diocese of Rockville Centre, NY, is honoring the 40 days of Lent with Adoration at 40 different parishes.  The USCCB’s 3-year National Eucharistic Revival continues until June 22nd.  There may be other activities associated with the Jubilee Year of 2025 (more on this holy year in the coming month on the blog).

Wishing you and your families many blessings as we celebrate Easter, the “Solemnity of Solemnities,” and honor the Most Holy Eucharist, that body both broken and resurrected.

Notable feasts of April:

5th-First Saturday

6th to 19th-Passion Sunday and Passiontide (trad)

11th-SEVEN SORROWS OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

13th-Palm Sunday

17th-Holy/Maundy Thursday

18th to 20th-EASTER TRIDUUM (traditionally, no meat is eaten on Holy Saturday)

20th to 27th-Octave of Easter, Privileged Octave of the First Order (Easter is of such great importance, that it is given an entire 8 days of celebration)

25th-Greater or Major Rogation Day

27th-Divine Mercy Sunday/Low Sunday (trad)

28th-Saint Louis de Montfort

29th-Saint Catherine of Siena

30th-Saint Catherine of Siena (trad)

HOMESCHOOLING ACTIVITIES FOR APRIL

1)       Create artwork or make a craft celebrating the joy of Easter.

2)      Write a short essay on the Paschal Candle, explaining its symbols and symbolism.

3)      Compose your own prayer to thank Jesus for the gift of Holy Communion. 

"The Breastplate of Saint Patrick"

Before March is over, I’d like to present this beautiful prayer by Saint Patrick. It is also known as “The Deer’s Cry.” This is a literal translation from the Old Irish text. Saint Patrick, pray for us!

I bind to myself today

The strong virtue of the invocation of the Trinity

I believe the Trinity in the Unity

The Creator of the Universe 

I bind to myself today

The virtue of the Incarnation of Christ with His Baptism

The virtue of His Crucifixion with His Burial

The virtue of His Resurrection with His Ascension

The virtue of His Coming on the Judgement Day 

I bind to myself today

The virtue of the love of seraphim

In the obedience of angels

In the hope of resurrection unto reward

In prayers of Patriarchs

In predictions of Prophets

In preaching of Apostles

In faith of Confessors

In purity of holy Virgins

In deeds of righteous men 

I bind to myself today

The power of Heaven

The light of the sun

The brightness of the moon

The splendour of fire

The flashing of lightning

The swiftness of wind

The depth of sea

The stability of earth

The compactness of rocks 

I bind to myself today

God's Power to guide me

God's Might to uphold me

God's Wisdom to teach me

God's Eye to watch over me

God's Ear to hear me

God's Word to give me speech

God's Hand to guide me

God's Way to lie before me

God's Shield to shelter me

God's Host to secure me

Against the snares of demons

Against the seductions of vices

Against the lusts of nature

Against everyone who meditates injury to me

Whether far or near

Whether few or with many 

I invoke today all these virtues

Against every hostile merciless power

Which may assail my body and my soul

Against the incantations of false prophets

Against the black laws of heathenism

Against the false laws of heresy

Against the deceits of idolatry

Against the spells of smiths and wizards

Against every knowledge that binds the soul of man 

Christ, protect me today

Against every poison, against burning

Against drowning, against death-wound

That I may receive abundant reward 

Christ with me, Christ before me

Christ behind me, Christ within me

Christ beneath me, Christ above me

Christ at my right, Christ at my left

Christ in the fort

Christ in the chariot seat

Christ in the boat

Christ in the heart of everyone who thinks of me

Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks to me

Christ in every eye that sees me

Christ in every ear that hears me 

I bind to myself today

The strong virtue of an invocation of the Trinity

I believe the Trinity in the Unity

The Creator of the Universe 

Amen

*** THE BREASTPLATE OF SAINT PATRICK PDF Printable ***

This prayer was taken from Emerald Isle, which also tells part of Saint Patrick’s story.

Great Ayn Rand Quote

“[Man] is free to make the wrong choice, but not free to succeed with it. He is free to evade reality, he is free to unfocus his mind and stumble blindly down any road he pleases, but not free to avoid the abyss he refuses to see. Knowledge, for any conscious organism, is the means of survival. To a living consciousness, every is implies an ought. Man is free to choose not to be conscious, but not free to escape the penalty of unconsciousness: destruction.”

Ayn Rand

New & Improved "15 Points Preparedness Worksheet!"

15 Points Preparedness Worksheet

I’m getting ready to give a preparedness talk at a church and just freshened up our family worksheet. It can be accessed above, and also on the Home Page. It is 4 pages and helps you design your own prepper program, tailored to your needs. This worksheet makes it easy for you to get started in the preparedness lifestyle. It is an holistic approach, unique and from a Catholic perspective. I think it will surprise you. Print it out today and work on it as a family!

Feel free to email us (button above) with any feedback (which may be shared on this blog). Let us know if you found the worksheet helpful.