Holy Week

03-20-2016Weekly ReflectionFr. Chad King

Today is Palm Sunday, the day we celebrate Jesus the Messiah's entrance into Jerusalem to fulfill his Mission—to make salvation possible for every person. We have begun Holy Week—the week in which we celebrate Christ's suffering, death, and resurrection through which we receive our salvation.

Therefore, my brothers and sisters, let us not let this week be just an ordinary week. Throughout Lent, many have given up something, sacrificed some pleasure, given of themselves in some way to others, and/or spent more time in prayer. Now that Easter is drawing near, some have the tendency to slack off a little in their Lenten resolution and practices. Similarly, there are some people who do not come to any of the Holy Week festivities, except maybe Mass on Easter Sunday. But we cannot not fully experience the joy of the resurrection for ourselves if we do not first journey with our Lord through His suffering and death. So instead of slacking a little on our Lenten practices, let us enter even more so for one more week. Let us pray even more ardently. Let us offer sacrifices and fast even more. Let us purposely unite all of our sufferings and pains with Christ's. Let us be willing to die to ourselves a little more this week so that we can more fully experience the true life in Christ through the Resurrection. It is important that we enter into this holiest of weeks with a lively faith in our hearts.

First, I invite all of you to join me in what is one of my favorite celebrations of the year— Holy Thursday at 7pm. On this evening, Jesus celebrated the Passover with his disciples, although this final Passover was a little different then all the others. Before the meal, Jesus washed the feet of his disciples, telling them that they must become servants of others. Then during the Passover meal, instead of a lamb being killed and eaten with unleavened bread, Jesus takes bread, says a blessing, and gives it to his disciples saying: "Take this, all of you, and eat of it, this is MY Body which will be given up for you." Jesus did similarly with the wine—declaring it be His Blood (not the blood of the lamb) that is shed for the forgiveness of sins. Then Jesus told his disciples, "do this in remembrance of me."In this Last Supper, Jesus instituted the Eucharist—His Body and Blood—and also institutedthe Ministerial Priesthood. The disciples became the first bishops and priests to continuethis new Passover sacrifice for the salvation of all God's people. Following Mass, there will be Adoration of Jesus in the Eucharist inthe Parish Center until Midnight.

Holy Week continues since immediately after the Last Passover Supper, Jesus goes to the Garden of Gethsemane where He is betrayed by Judas and arrested. Then He is put on trial, scourged, carries the Cross, and is crucified on Good Friday. Indeed, what Jesus did for us does make this Friday so very GOOD! I invite you to walk with Jesus through the Stations of the Cross at noon. You also have the opportunity to enter more fully into the crucifixion of Christ and His love made present for you at either 3pm or 7pm with Veneration of the Cross, the reading of the Passion, and reception of the Holy Eucharist that was consecrated on Holy Thursday.

Finally, you are welcome to receive the new life and share in the Resurrection. This mystery of new life is made even more real at the Easter Vigil on Saturday at 7pm, in which several people will be baptized, and over 30 people will become fully initiated into Christ's Holy Church and share fully in the Life of God and His Church. We will also celebrate five Masses on Easter Sunday: 7am, two at 8:30am, and two at 10:30am.

I ask you also to pray for all those people who will come back to Mass on Easter after not being active in their faith, maybe since Christmas. Will you join me in praying that they may experience God's love for them in a deeper way and have a stronger desire for Him? Thank you.