HOLY WEEK: THE GREAT WEEK  

                                                             

PALM SUNDAY:

 

  Palm Sunday is the beginning of the Great Week - Holy Week.  The Gospel for Palm Sunday recounts the day on which Our Lord entered into Jerusalem on a donkey, when the people hailed Him as King while waving Palm branches and crying out:  “Hosanna to the Son of David; blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest.”  Those shouts of “Hosanna,” however, would soon turn into shouts of “Away with Him, Crucify Him!” Jesus entered the Holy City of Jerusalem hailed as a King, but His Kingdom is not of this world.

      

The solemn reading of the full account of the Lord’s Passion is at the center of the Palm Sunday Liturgy as we become a part of the story, not just recalling an event from the past, but experiencing it and making it present right here and now.  In the Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ we see all the darkness and sin that lurks in the human heart come to the 

 

surface and do its worst on Jesus.  Jesus freely submitted Himself for a brief time to the power of evil in order to swallow it up in the Power of Divine Love. 

 

MONDAY, TUESDAY, AND WEDNESDAY OF HOLY WEEK:

 

The Gospels we hear at Mass on these days draw our attention to Judas Iscariot, one of the Twelve Apostles, who betrayed Jesus and handed Him over to those who wanted to kill him.  Reflect on the fact that Judas was personally called by Jesus, lived with Him, saw His miracles with his own eyes, and heard His preaching with his own ears.  Judas’ story teaches us that, if one who is that close to Jesus can still betray him, then so can I. And I do every time I sin. That is why the Sacrament of Reconciliation is so essential to our ability to remain faithful and close to the Heart of Jesus. 

                                                     

Another beautiful feature of Holy Week, which occurs just before the Sacred Easter Triduum begins, is the Mass of Chrism at St. Patrick’s Cathedral celebrated by Cardinal Dolan with all the Auxiliary Bishops and the Priests of the Archdiocese.  The Chrism Mass manifests in a powerful way the unity of the Priests with their Bishop as the Priests renew the promises they made to their Bishop on the day of their Ordination.  

 

Also during this special Mass Cardinal Dolan blesses the three Sacred Oils: The Oil of the Sick (used in the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick), the Oil of Catechumen (used in the Baptisms of adults and infants), and the Holy Chrism (used in Baptisms, Confirmations, and to anoint the hands of a new priest in the Sacrament of Holy Orders).  These oils are then distributed to all the Parishes of the Archdiocese to be used in the celebration of the Sacraments throughout the year, another visible sign of our unity with the Bishop.  

 

THE SACRED EASTER TRIDUUM (The Holy Three Days):

 

Holy Thursday:  The Sacred Easter Triduum begins with the Solemn Liturgy of the Lord’s Supper in the evening, recalling when Jesus gathered with His Apostles in the upper room for the Passover Meal (The Last Supper) on the night before He died. In this Mass we re-enact what Jesus did at the Last Supper when He washed the feet of His disciples, giving them an example and a command of Christian charity and humility.  

 

Most importantly, The Solemn Liturgy of the Lord’s Supper recalls that moment when Jesus, on the night before died, instituted the Sacraments of the Holy Eucharist and Holy Orders, which He left as the most precious gift to His Church, the gift of Himself.  At the Last Supper Jesus changed bread into His Body and wine into His Blood – His same Body given up for us and His same Blood poured out for us on the Cross the next day – and He commanded His Apostles to “Do this in memory of Me.”  At that moment Jesus ordained His Apostles the first Priests of the New Covenant.  That was the first Mass, and at every Mass since then up to today, Jesus, through is Priests, continues to offer up His Body and pour out His Blood for us in the Eucharist as His Sacrifice on the Cross is renewed and made present for us to participate in, and His Body and Blood is given to us to eat and drink as food for our souls until He comes again. 

   

The Solemn Liturgy of the Lord’s Supper concludes with a Procession with the Eucharist (The Blessed Sacrament) from the Church to the Altar of Repose in the Nativity 

Center, as we re-enact how our Lord left the upper room at the conclusion of the Last Supper, crossed the Kidron Valley, and went to the Garden on the Mount of Olives with His Apostles to pray, asking them to stay awake and keep watch with Him.  That is what we do on this night as the Blessed Sacrament remains at the Altar of Repose for Adoration until midnight. 

 

  Good Friday: The day on which Our Lord suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried.  It is the only day of the year that the Mass is not celebrated.  The altar is stripped bare, there are no flowers, no holy water, and the Tabernacle is empty to indicate that the Lord has been taken from us.  At the Solemn Liturgy of the Lord’s Passion, the full account of the Passion of the Lord is read from Saint John’s Gospel.  

 

Next is the adoration of the Cross as we come up one by one to kiss the Wood of the Cross upon which hung our Salvation.  In this beautiful and solemn Liturgy we accompany our Lord at His trial, stay near to Him as He carries His Cross, and stand with Him along with Mary, His Mother, at the foot of the Cross as He breathes His last and is placed in the tomb.  It is a day of silence, of prayer, and of fasting and abstinence from eating meat.

 

Holy Saturday:  We wait for the Resurrection continuing our prayerful silence as we recall that our Lord Jesus lay dead in the tomb. The great Easter Vigil begins after dark with the church in complete darkness, as a large fire is lit and blessed at the entrance of the church.  The Priest blesses the fire and lights the Paschal Candle (the Easter Candle) which represents the Risen Lord.  The newly blessed and lit Easter Candle is then carried by the Deacon into the darkened church followed by the priests and other ministers.  As the Easter Candle slowly moves up the center aisle to the Sanctuary, the ministers and servers light from the Easter Candle the small candles they are carrying and pass the flame on to the small candles held by the people in the pews.  In what is truly a beautiful sight, the light of the Risen Christ spreads throughout the darkened church like the Gospel has spread throughout the World.  Then the “Exultet” is chanted, the ancient Easter Proclamation, which dates back to the seventh century. 

 

Next comes the Liturgy of the Word with up to seven readings from the Old Testament tracing Salvation History, beginning with the account of the Creation of the World. Then comes the singing of the Gloria as the lights in the church are turned on.  The Liturgy of the Word culminates with the singing of the Alleluia and the proclamation of the Gospel of the Resurrection. 

 

Then from the Resurrection flows the Sacraments of the Church, as adults from our RCIA program are Baptized, Confirmed, and given their First Holy Communion, and all of us who are already baptized renew our Baptismal Promises and are sprinkled with the newly blessed Easter Water recalling the day of our own Baptism.   

 

Easter Sunday:  The Day of the Resurrection.  It is the greatest Feast in the Church’s calendar.  It is the day when our salvation was accomplished, when Jesus freed us from the bonds of sin and death, and made all things new.  This begins the Easter Season which continues for the next fifty days, culminating with the Solemnity of Pentecost, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. This was the beginning of the public ministry of the Church which will continue until the Lord comes again in Glory.    

     

Let us give our Lord our time during this Great Week. May this Holy Week be a moment of grace for all of us and may the Joy of Easter be yours in abundance.

 

Sincerely in Christ,                                                        

Rev. Matthew J. Furey                             Pastor