Re-Praying Holy Week

The Church begins Holy Week with the Procession of Palms and the first proclamation of the Passion within the assembly. Palm Sunday, now called Passion Sunday, calls us to attention with its Blessing of the Palms, the Reading of the Gospel of the Palms, and the joyful Procession at the beginning of the Mass. The music and the red vestments proclaim a certain ambiguity of excitement and the foreboding of blood to be shed.

The mood changes immediately with the opening prayer of the Mass, the readings about the Suffering Servant and then the Proclamation of Passion according to Mark. The joy of the opening rites is laid aside as quickly as the palms which waved during the procession.

Obviously, this is a special week, which Christian people call “holy.” We call it “holy,” for God acts powerfully once again with and for the life of God’s People. The faithful are invited to prayerful remembrance. Holy Thursday’s Eucharist reminds us with Paul: “Whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim [the Lord’s] death until [he] comes again.”

Holy Nostalgia?
Would we dare call this liturgical remembrance an exercise in “holy nostalgia”? On a certain level, for example, I have wonderful memories of my childhood of this Holy Week. With affection, I remember the visiting of various parish churches for “visits” to the Eucharist. How solemn and wonderful those moments with family and with various faith communities! Holy Week in our Atonement friaries always provided wonderful prayer with the various Offices, table prayers, and even the food which was served. Such was wonderful, but such things are of a different era. Nostalgia is an insufficient basis for this spiritual journey.

Like my parishioners, I am challenged in my on-the-go life and at the same time enamored of the liturgies of Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday. Neither I nor they live in a monastery. How then is a believer to enter the mysteries of this Holy Week?

The first vehicle of entering the mystery is the Word of God itself. Take time to read the scriptures for each day. Passion Sunday and Good Friday offer the Passion Narratives of Mark and John respectively. Read prayerfully and carefully to note the important differences and nuances of each of the gospels. On Holy Saturday read the end of the stories, the Resurrection and Jesus alive with his friends.

Read on Holy Thursday about the first celebration of the Eucharist in Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians. Take some time about what the breaking of the bread and the pouring out of the cup

actually mean. Compare that with John’s telling of the story and the washing of the feet. How does one move from breaking bread and pouring out the cup to serving and laying down one’s life for friends?

On Good Friday, take up the Passion of the evangelist John. Read the gospel from John’s perspective. This gospel is a very different gospel with a unique presenting of Jesus as freely choosing his death and passing as a victorious king.

Holy Saturday is a day of waiting. Some would describe the day as standing at the empty tomb and with faith waiting the glorious day of Resurrection.

Liturgical Moments
The liturgy of the Church provides the words, action, and ambiance of faith during Holy Week. Plan on joining the faith community each day of the Triduum: Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday. The music, the rituals, the faith of the community provide the place for encountering God among us in Christ. The liturgical moment is the authentic revelation and encounter with the Father. It is not nostalgic remembrance or emotional comfort or expression of either sadness or joy. It is, rather, Christ with us in which the mysteries of salvation or made available to us.

In house or in some quiet place, silence is the fullest moment of encounter with God. Such moments can punctuate our normally busy lives. We need time to encounter God. We need moments where he speaks and shows himself to us. The Scriptures, the liturgy, and our personal experiences all come together in silence. Take time in the morning, during the day, or at night to remember the saving deeds of Christ for us and for the community.

The Church will be open for prayer and reflection all week, especially during the Triduum. Before or after the liturgies, stop by and spend time alone with the Lord. Holy Thursday night is a special time of prayer with the Eucharist in the Guadalupe Chapel. The community will be here until 11:00 PM that night. Good Friday, until the celebrations, is a great time to be alone in the Church. All of Holy Saturday is prayer time until the Great Vigil at 8:00 PM.

ALLELUIA!
The Great Vigil of the Resurrection on the night of Holy Saturday transitions us to Easter Sunday. Be sure to celebrate with the community on Easter. Come with friends and family. Come and join other believers to do what the scripture describes. On that day believers everywhere gather to eat and drink with the Lord, now glorious and risen from the dead. Nothing is more wonderful than to sing and be an alleluia People once again.

CDH