My Dear Friends,

Today we have the first reading of the Lord’s Passion as we enter into Holy week. However, we begin the celebration with a different tone as we hear of the Lord’s entry into Jerusalem and the triumphant welcome he receives, “Hosannah to the Son of David!”

If we are honest, we too can have the same duplicity in our own hearts. There are many times in our lives that we too sing with the crowd, “Hosannah to the Son of David!” We do so every time serve Christ in the world, when we act with kindness and love toward the other, when we care for the poor and the sick, just to name a few examples.

On the flip side, we cry out with the crowd, “Crucify Him!” We do this every time we sin, when we tear down the other, when we prioritize other things over our relationship with God. Yet, even when we shout “Crucify Him” Christ stands ready to forgive our transgression, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” From the Cross, mercy pours forth like an overflowing torrent.

As we enter into this Holy Week, I invite you to join us for the celebration of the Holy Triduum and enter more fully into the mysteries we celebrate. On Holy Thursday we enter the upper room and recall the last supper and the gift of the priesthood. On Good Friday we remember our Lord’s Passion at the Good Friday Liturgy, the one day when we do not have Mass in the life of the Church. E=We venerate the Cross of Christ and enter the sepulcher with him. We erupt with joy at the Easter Vigil as light and life return to the sanctuary and we rejoice at the coming dawn of Christ. We baptize and confirm those who have been journeying this past year preparing for this very special night as the become a new creation in Christ.

The forty days of Lent will give way to the fifty days of Easter as a testament that Christ triumphs overwhelmingly! May this Holy Week be a fruitful time of contemplation for us all as we journey with our Lord through his passion and death to the joy of the resurrection!

Love,

Fr. Jason