A Reflection for Holy Week

 

Words from Pope Francis during his first general audience today....  it is well worth the time to read and reflect on it...

With Palm Sunday we began this week - the center of the whole liturgical year - in which we accompany Jesus in His Passion, Death and Resurrection.

But what does it mean for us to live Holy Week? What does it means to follow Jesus on His way to the Cross on Calvary and the Resurrection? In His earthly mission, Jesus walked the streets of the Holy Land; He called twelve simple people to remain with Him, to share His journey and continue His mission; He chose them among the people full of faith in the promises of God. He spoke to everyone, without distinction, to the great and the lowly; to the rich young man and the poor widow, the powerful and the weak; He brought the mercy and forgiveness of God to all; He healed, comforted, understood, gave hope, He led all to the presence of God, who is interested in every man and woman, like a good father and a good mother is interested in each child. 

God did not wait for us to go to Him, but He moved towards us, without calculation, without measures. This is how God is: He is always the first, He moves towards us. Jesus lived the daily realities of most ordinary people: He was moved by the crowd that seemed like a flock without a shepherd, and He cried in front of the suffering of Martha and Mary on the death of their brother Lazarus; He called a tax collector to be His disciple and also suffered the betrayal of a friend. In Christ, God has given us the assurance that He is with us, in our midst. "Foxes", Jesus said, "have dens and birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest His head" (Mt 8:20). Jesus did not have a home because His house is the people -- that is, us; His mission is to open all God’s doors, to be the loving presence of God. 

In Holy Week we live the highest point of this journey, this loving plan that runs throughout the entire history of the relationship between God and humanity. Jesus enters Jerusalem to take the final step, in which His whole existence is summarized: He gives Himself totally, He keeps nothing for Himself, not even His life. At the Last Supper, with His friends, He shares the bread and distributes the chalice "for us." The Son of God is offered to us, He consigns His Body and his Blood into our hands to be with us always, to dwell among us. And on the Mount of Olives, as in the trial before Pilate, He puts up no resistance, He gifts Himself: He is the Suffering Servant foretold by Isaiah, who stripped himself unto death (cf. Is 53:12). 

Jesus does not live this love that leads to sacrifice passively or as a fatal destiny; certainly He does not hide His deep human commotion in the face of a violent death, but He entrusts Himself with full confidence to the Father. Jesus voluntarily consigned Himself to death to respond to the love of God the Father, in perfect union with His will, to demonstrate His love for us. On the Cross, Jesus "loved me and gave Himself for me" (Gal 2:20). Each of us can say, "He loved me and gave Himself for me." Everyone can say that "for me"!

What does this mean for us? It means that this is my, your, our path. Living Holy Week following Jesus not only with the emotions of the heart; living Holy Week following Jesus means learning how to go beyond ourselves - as I said on Sunday - to reach out to others, to go to the outskirts of existence, to be the first to move towards our brothers and sisters, especially those who are most distant, those who are forgotten, those who are most in need of understanding, consolation and help. There is so much need to bring the living presence of Jesus, merciful and full of love!

Living Holy Week means increasingly entering into God's logic, the logic of the Cross, which is not first of all that of pain and death, but of love and of self-giving that brings life. It means entering into the logic of the Gospel. Following, accompanying Christ, remaining with Him requires a "stepping outside," a stepping beyond. Stepping outside of ourselves, of a tired and routine way of living the faith, of the temptation to withdraw into pre-established patterns that end up closing our horizon to the creative action of God. God stepped outside of Himself to come among us, He pitched His tent among us to bring the mercy of God that saves and gives hope. Even if we want to follow Him and stay with Him, we must not be content to remain in the enclosure of the ninety-nine sheep, we have to "step outside", to search for the lost sheep together with Him, the one furthest away. Remember well: stepping outside of ourselves, like Jesus, like God has stepped outside of Himself in Jesus and Jesus stepped outside of Himself for all of us. 

Some might say to me, "But, Father, I have no time", "I have so many things to do", "it is difficult", "what can I do with my little strength?", with my sin, with so many things? Often we settle for a few prayers, a distracted and inconsistent presence at Sunday Mass, a random act of charity, but we lack this courage to "step outside" to bring Christ. We are a bit like St. Peter. As soon as Jesus speaks of the Passion, Death and Resurrection, of self-giving, of love for all, the Apostle takes him aside and rebukes him. What Jesus says upsets his plans, seems unacceptable, undermines the sense of security that he had built up, his idea of ​​the Messiah. And Jesus looks at the disciples and addresses Peter with perhaps one of the strongest words of the Gospel: "Get behind me, Satan. You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do"(Mk 8:33).

God always thinks with mercy: do not forget this. God always thinks with mercy: our merciful Father. God thinks like a father who awaits the return of his child and goes to meet him, sees him coming when he is still far away ... What does this mean? That each and every day he went out to see if his son was coming home. This is our merciful Father. It is the sign that he was waiting for him from the terrace of his house; God thinks like the Samaritan that does not approach the victim to commiserate with him, or look the other way, but to rescue him without asking for anything in return, without asking if he was Jew, if he was pagan, a Samaritan, rich or poor: he does not ask anything – he does not ask these things, he asks for nothing. He goes to his aid: This is how God thinks. God thinks like the shepherd who gives his life to defend and save his sheep. 

Holy Week is a time of grace which the Lord gifts us to open the doors of our hearts, our lives, our parishes - what a pity, so many parishes are closed! - in our parishes, movements, associations, and to "step outside" towards others, to draw close to them so we can bring the light and joy of our faith. Always step outside yourself! And with the love and tenderness of God, with respect and patience, knowing that we put our hands, our feet, our hearts, but then it is God who guides them and makes all our actions fruitful. 

May you all live these days well, following the Lord with courage, and carrying within ourselves a ray of His love for all those whom we meet.

The Easter Triduum: part three

Rejoice, heavenly powers! Sing, choirs of angels! 

Exalt all creation around God's throne! Jesus Christ our king is risen!

...This is the night when Christians everywhere,
washed clean of sin and freed from all defilement,
are restored to grace and grow together in holiness.

... What good would life have been to us,
had Christ not come as our Redeemer?

...Night truly blessed when heaven is wedded to earth,
and we are reconciled with God!

...Accept this Easter candle, a flame divided but undimmed,
a pillar of fire that glows to the honor of God.
Let it mingle with the lights of heaven and continue bravely burning
to dispel the darkness of this night!

(excerpts from the Exsultet, the Easter Proclamation)

The Easter Triduum: part two

Just as we departed last night in silence, we gather today silently, continuing our three-day prayer. On the only day of the year when Catholic Mass is not celebrated, at 3:00 PM we begin our Commemoration of the Lord's Passion.
There is a stark simplicity to all we do today: the altar is bare, music is minimal, and our fasting reminds us of the significance of this Friday we call "Good". Two elements of our worship stand out as well.
General Intercessions: There are 10 today, encompassing an ever-widening circle of humanity, and emphasizing by this inclusivity the universal nature and intention of Jesus Christ's saving sacrifice on the cross. The structure of each intention is the same: an introduction of the subject of our prayer, a pause for silent prayer, and then a prayer that collects and summarizes all of our silent prayers into one.
Veneration of the Cross: "This is the wood of the cross, on which hung the Savior of the world."
Awed by the depth of Jesus' love for us, we come forward to show reverence for the symbol of our salvation. As one Body we process with humility and gratitude, offering a touch, bow, kiss or genuflection. By venerating (showing reverence for) the cross, we acknowledge its importance in the story of our salvation; the worship of which we sing is reserved truly for God by whom and in whom our salvation was accomplished.

In the readings today, the Letter to the Hebrews reminds us that Jesus is not "unable to sympathize with our weaknesses" and are encouraged to "approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and to find grace for timely help".

• As you prepare to approach the font and the altar, for what graces and timely help might God be thanked?
• Where is God's grace still needed?

Chrism Mass

In our Diocese, Tuesday of Holy Week sees the celebration of the annual Chrism Mass, at which the priests renew their promises to serve faithfully, and at which the oils used sacramentally throughout the year in our parishes are blessed by our Bishop.
Olive Oil is blessed for a particular use, and becomes the Oil of the Sick, the Oil of Catechumens, and (with the addition of fragrant balsam (left), and breathed into by the Bishop (representing presence of the Holy Spirit)) the Sacred Chrism. The oils are then distributed to parish representatives, and will be brought forward during our Holy Thursday service and placed in our ambry.
The Sacred Chrism will be used this weekend during the confirmations celebrated at our Easter Vigil and 11:30am Easter Sunday mass.
(photo of Bishop Burbidge from the Diocese of Raleigh website)

Inspiration for Holy Week

Twenty years ago yesterday, Sister Thea Bowman died of cancer in Mississippi. She was an influential and inspirational woman of faith who spoke clearly of the importance of the gift of multi-cultural expressions of our Catholic faith. 
Taken from the Catholic News Service website, here is the full text of her meditation, dictated during her last days, titled "Let us love one another during Holy Week":
 

Let us resolve to make this week holy by claiming Christ's redemptive grace and by living holy lives. The Word became flesh and redeemed us by his holy life and holy death. This week especially, let us accept redemption by living grateful, faithful, prayerful, generous, just and holy lives.

Let us resolve to make this week holy by reading and meditating (on) holy Scripture. So often, we get caught up in the hurry of daily living. As individuals and as families, reserve prime time to be with Jesus, to hear the cries of the children waving palm branches, to see the Son of Man riding on an ass' colt, to feel the press of the crowd, to be caught up in the "Hosannas" and to realize how the cries of acclamation will yield to the garden of suffering, to be there and watch as Jesus is sentenced by Pilate to Calvary, to see him rejected, mocked, spat upon, beaten and forced to carry a heavy cross, to hear the echo of the hammer, to feel the agony of the torn flesh and strained muscles, to know Mary's anguish as he hung three hours before he died.

We recoil before the atrocities of war, gang crime, domestic violence and catastrophic illness. Unless we personally and immediately are touched by suffering, it is easy to read Scripture and to walk away without contacting the redemptive suffering that makes us holy. The reality of the Word falls on deaf ears.

Let us take time this week to be present to someone who suffers. Sharing the pain of a fellow human will enliven Scripture and help us enter into the holy mystery of the redemptive suffering of Christ.

Let us resolve to make this week holy by participating in the Holy Week services of the church, not just by attending, but also by preparing, by studying the readings, entering into the spirit, offering our services as ministers of the Word or Eucharist, decorating the church or preparing the environment for worship.

Let us sing, "Lord, have mercy," and "Hosanna." Let us praise the Lord with our whole heart and soul and mind and strength, uniting with the suffering church throughout the world -- in Rome and Northern Ireland, in Syria and Lebanon, in South Africa and Angola, India and China, Nicaragua and El Salvador, in Washington and Jackson.

Let us break bread together; let us relive the holy and redemptive mystery. Let us do it in memory of him, acknowledging in faith his real presence upon our altars.

Let us resolve to make this week holy by sharing holy peace and joy within our families, sharing family prayer on a regular basis, making every meal a holy meal where loving conversations bond family members in unity, sharing family work without grumbling, making love not war, asking forgiveness for past hurts and forgiving one another from the heart, seeking to go all the way for love as Jesus went all the way for love.

Let us resolve to make this week holy by sharing holy peace and joy with the needy, the alienated, the lonely, the sick and afflicted, the untouchable.

Let us unite our sufferings, inconveniences and annoyances with the suffering of Jesus. Let us stretch ourselves, going beyond our comfort zones to unite ourselves with Christ's redemptive work.

We unite ourselves with Christ's redemptive work when we reconcile, when we make peace, when we share the good news that God is in our lives, when we reflect to our brothers and sisters God's healing, God's forgiveness, God's unconditional love.

Let us be practical, reaching out across the boundaries of race and class and status to help somebody, to encourage and affirm somebody, offering to the young an incentive to learn and grow, offering to the downtrodden resources to help themselves.

May our fasting be the kind that saves and shares with the poor, that actually contacts the needy, that gives heart to heart, that touches and nourishes and heals.

During this Holy Week when Jesus gave his life for love, let us truly love one another.

Thea Bowman, pray for us!

Palm/Passion Sunday Questions

Where did the practice of using palms come from (why were they used when Jesus entered Jersusalem?)
An entry in the on-line Catholic Encyclopedia says that many nations have used palm leaves as "an emblem of joy and victory over enemies". And the Jewish people of the time, well-versed in Hebrew Scripture would have been thinking of Psalm 118 when proclaiming Jesus as the one come to save them from their enemies.
The last few verses of Psalm 118 read: (emphasis added)

This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice in it and be glad. LORD, grant salvation! LORD, grant good fortune!
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD. We bless you from the LORD'S house.
The LORD is God and has given us light. Join in procession with leafy branches up to the horns of the altar.
You are my God, I give you thanks; my God, I offer you praise.
Give thanks to the LORD, who is good, whose love endures forever.

The custom of commemorating this day with a procession of palms apparently did not develop until about the 9th century, and in countries where palms are not native, pussy willow, yew, boxwood branches or even flowers are used.

Why are the statues and crucifix covered?

Think of it as a 'fast for the eyes', yet one more way to enter into the solemnity of this Holy Week, and remind ourselves that something extraordinary is going on. Whether it is a way to focus on the sorrowful aspects that lead us to the joy of the resurrection, or a more literal interpretation of Jesus being out of the public eye during his last days leading up to his arrest and crucifixion, it certainly gets your attention, doesn't it?