Holy Week

03-24-2024Letter from the PastorFr. Don Kline, V.F.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Welcome to Palm Sunday and the beginning of Holy Week! Today we begin the holiest week of the year for the Catholic Church. This week the Church commemorates Christ’s death and burial which begins with Palm Sunday. The palms symbolize peace and victory. It was custom during Jesus’ time for people to pay homage by laying palm branches–or even clothes–in front of people who were owed a great amount of respect.

The Gospel of John tells of how Jesus was welcomed into the city mere days before his death: “When the great crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, they took palm branches and went out to meet him, and cried out: ‘Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, (even) the king of Israel’” (John 12: 12-13) On Palm Sunday, the faithful receive palm branches at the beginning of Mass followed by a procession. Doing so invites us to reenact Jesus’ arrival in Jerusalem. Also, the blessed palms at Mass on Sunday, should not be thrown away. According to Canon Law (1171), blessed items are to be treated with reverence. If there is a need to dispose of such items, they must be buried or burned.

Ancient writers called this the Great or Holy Week of Our Lord’s Passion. The custom of keeping the Holy Week goes all the way back to the time of the Apostles. When the early Christians spoke about Jesus to others, they started with the Passion of Our Lord. Scholars believe that the Passion of Our Lord spread before the other parts of the Gospel were even written down. The Passion of Our Lord is really the starting point for building our relationship with Jesus.

On Passion or Palm Sunday, the more solemn part of the penitential season begins. The images in our church are veiled in purple wrappings marking this week in a unique way. On Holy Thursday - when we celebrate the Mass of the Lord’s Supper at 7:00pm – the Church commemorates the institution of the Holy Eucharist and the Priesthood. It is followed by a solemn procession to an altar Ramada for adoration until midnight. On Good Friday the Church commemorates the death of Our Blessed Savior on Mount Calvary for the sins of humanity. On this day we will have the “Veneration of the Cross” at 3:00pm in which we venerate a relic of the True Cross as a sign of our love for Jesus followed by the Stations of the Cross at 7:00pm. On Holy Saturday, we celebrate the Triumph of Our Lord’s resurrection from the dead and the Church welcome catechumens into the Church. This will begin with the Easter Fire in the courtyard at 8:00 pm. Easter Sunday morning is the feast of Our Lord’s Resurrection and the victory of life over death and the moment of our salvation. Masses will be at 6:00am, 8:00am, 8:15am (in the gym) 10:00am, 10:15am (in the gym).

Why do we focus on Jesus’ suffering? Our Lord’s Passion acknowledges the suffering of humanity and gives meaning to suffering. However great or small our suffering is, we are united to Christ’s suffering. God draws especially close to those who are suffering. We all undergo trials, but the question is not whether you or I will suffer. The real question is what will you do with your trials? Will you join them to His - or give in to bitterness?

Let us remember the Passion of Our Lord… not because suffering has the last word. It does not! We recall Our Lord’s Passion because our faith points to something beyond our suffering. Christians throughout history knew that everything did not end at the tomb. If that was the end, then it would be tragic and heartbreaking. As a people of faith, we see beyond Christ’s final agony and so we can see beyond all agony.

As God’s beloved children we know there is much more to life than death. Because of Christ’s suffering and death, our suffering now has great value. Join us this Holy Week as we relive the great events of our faith in Christ’s suffering, death and resurrection.

God Bless,

Fr. Don Kline, V.F.
Pastor