They greeted him as he entered the holy city. They welcomed him as he arrived in the city of the great King. Jesus of Nazareth, prophet and wonder-worker, came to celebrate Passover at the heart of the land, in holy Jerusalem. And this city of David rejoiced at seeing the arrival of another young prophet, another prophet that might be the One, might be the anointed of God. Did he prove himself worthy? Did the leaders of Israel recognize him as the chosen of God?
How quickly "the crowd" can be gathered. How quickly, the frenzy of zeal unites strangers into a body. Yet how quickly that same crowd can abandon one another and their "cause". How quickly, when fear is in the air.
Today, we enter the heart of our liturgical year. Holy week begins today, with the remembrance of Palm Sunday of the Lord's Passion. On Thursday evening, the season of Lent ends with the beginning of the great liturgy of the Lord, the sacred Triduum. These three days define the faith-life we live.
They greeted him as he entered the holy city. They welcomed him as he arrived in the city of the great King. Jesus of Nazareth, prophet and wonder-worker, came to celebrate Passover at the heart of the land, in holy Jerusalem. And this city of David rejoiced at seeing the arrival of another young prophet, another prophet that might be the One, might be the anointed of God. Did he prove himself worthy? Did the leaders of Israel recognize him as the chosen of God?How quickly "the crowd" can be gathered. How quickly, the frenzy of zeal unites strangers into a body. Yet how quickly that same crowd can abandon one another and their "cause". How quickly, when fear is in the air.
Today, we enter the heart of our liturgical year. Holy week begins today, with the remembrance of Palm Sunday of the Lord's Passion. On Thursday evening, the season of Lent ends with the beginning of the great liturgy of the Lord, the sacred Triduum. These three days define the faith-life we live.
On Holy Thursday, we will remember our Passover, when the Lord Jesus connected the liberation of the people from Egypt with our liberation from sin and death. At the liturgy of Holy Thursday, we celebrate the two blessings of that last Passover of Jesus: the breaking of the bread and the washing of the disciple's feet. In the Passover of the new covenant, the Lord Jesus asks us to remember his passion and accept his self-gift, to the glory of the Father and as the font of our redemption; and in the washing of the disciple's feet, Jesus is teaching the twelve and all leadership how they are to lead... in service and in humility.
At the conclusion of the liturgy, the altar will be stripped, and the tabernacle emptied; and after hours of Adoration in Lind Hall, the parish of SJN will experience life without the Eucharist, without the Presence of the Lord. For Good Friday is the day of his death... a remembrance of absence, silence.
On Good Friday, there will be a meditation of the seven last words of the Lord on his Cross. Then both the English and Spanish speaking portions of the parish will pray the Stations of the Cross. In the evening, the whole parish will come together and adore the Cross of Christ, and remember the depth of his passion, and the strength of his love.
On Saturday evening, the Vigil of the Lord begins at dusk. We will bless the new fire, remembering that he is the Light of the world. Then we will keep Vigil together, waiting for the blessing of the first day of the week, and the song of liberation... He is risen!
During the holiest of weeks, how will you greet the King? Let us greet him together, as a parish family, united in prayer.
AMDG 
Msgr. David Talley
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
The mission of SJN Career Ministry is to provide a support group, networking opportunities, job search resources, and job leads for members and non-members of the church community who are unemployed, under-employed or returning to the work place. It is comprised of dedicated, focused and results oriented volunteers with a common goal of providing a positive environment, spiritual enrichment, motivation and inspiration to the job search process.