From the Pastor's Desk: April 5, 2020

From the Pastor’s Desk:                                                                                                          
April 5, 2020
 
     Today we celebrate Palm Sunday– the triumphant entrance of Jesus into Jerusalem. Branches of palm, olive or sometimes even budding willow are ancient symbols of victory and hope as well as new life. The procession celebrating Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem overflowed with praise and excitement as the onlookers waved these triumphant branches and proclaimed their blessings. Yet, in a few days they will cry out, “Away with Him!” or “Crucify Him!”
 
     With Palm Sunday we enter an important time of transition– an ending of the five weeks of Lent and the beginning of Holy Week.
 

• On Thursday, the Easter Triduum begins, which is the summit of the whole liturgical year. Celebrated by the Sacred Rites of Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and the solemn Easter Vigil, we will relive the passion, death and resurrection of the Lord. These events are encouraging opportunities to reawaken in us a more intense desire to be united to Christ and follow Him generously, conscious that He has loved us to the point of giving His life for us.

 

• We begin with Thursday Morning Prayer – the richest single prayer resource of the Catholic Church. It provides prayers, psalms, and meditation that have existed in the church from the earliest times, to fulfill the Lord's command to “pray without ceasing.” It is the perfect way for the parish community to prayerfully enter into the Holy Triduum.

 

• The evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper celebrates the three gifts of Jesus Christ to His Church– the Priesthood, the Eucharist, and the life of service. The one main theme that unites the gifts together as Sacred Scripture recalls, is the "new commandment"… "mandatum novum" – to love one another. The Liturgy does not simply tell us about Christ’ love, but through word, ritual action, and sacrament, we can truly experience it in a very personal way.

 

• Good Friday centers on the Passion, and is a day of fast and abstinence, oriented to the contemplation of the cross.  Our participation in the celebrations of this day are not just expressions of our emotions of grief and mourning or simply being present. For us Catholic Christians, we share the gift of faith in the Redeemer that gives us hope and confidence. Today’s celebration allows us to deeper our reflection upon the mystery of the Trinity– the God who is Love is revealed in the ordinary language of a fallen world through rejection, pain, and suffering. At the heart of the Passion we also reflect upon the divine paradox: “Death itself is put to death on this day which we call ‘good’.”  

 

• Holy Saturday is traditionally a day of fasting, silence, and contemplation. It is also the night of the Easter Vigil. This “holy night” is the “mother of all holy vigils.” It celebrates the Lord’s rising from the dead and reminds us that- “This is the Night.” We celebrate the Lord who took our human flesh and now rises to new life of the Resurrection in His glorified and immortal body. In our happiness, we sing joyful “Gloria and Alleluias” as the incarnation reaches its fulfillment and brings us gifts of love, faith, hope, peace, and promise of eternal life.

 
     This Holy Week will be so different for all of us. The church will be empty, but our homes– the “domestic church” will be full of people. Let’s make great use of this opportune time during this sacred week in the life of the Church. Let us prayerfully participate via livestream and let us share generously with one another the gifts of your love, kindness, faith, and prayer. May this time lead us to rediscover our faith and deepen our relationship with the Lord!
 
With prayers,
Fr. Andy