My Dear Friends,

Today begins Holy Week. It begins with Palm Sunday and the reading of the Lord’s Passion, this year from the Gospel of Luke. In the traditional Mass, Palm Sunday and Passion Sunday are two different days, but since the reform we have combined Passion and Palm Sunday to the same day. After Palm Sunday the next big celebration is the Chrism Mass, which we celebrate on Tuesday at the cathedral.

The Chrism Mass is supposed to be celebrated on Thursday morning, but many bishops and archbishops move it to Tuesday so that more priests can attend. It is important for priests to attend the Chrism Mass because it shows the unity of the bishop and his presbyterate and a renewal of the priests’ promises of obedience to the bishop during the Mass. The bishop or the archbishop will then bless the oils for the sacraments of Anointing of the Sick, Baptism, Confirmation and Holy Orders, as well as the oil for catechumens which is used in baptism as well. The oils are called Oil of the Infirm (used for Anointing of the Sick), Oil of Catechumens (used for Baptism) and Oil of Sacred Chrism (used for Baptism, Confirmation, Holy Orders).

After the Chrism Mass begins the Sacred Triduum, the liturgies of Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Vigil. These liturgies really are one liturgy and are supposed to be celebrated in one church building. They are not meant to be split up. After the Gloria of Holy Thursday, the instruments and the bells in the church go silent. Holy Thursday also has the ritual of washing the feet of parishioners. This began after Vatican I and the reform of the liturgy. Before the reform, the washing of the feet was done by the bishop with his priests. In the convents, it was done by Mother Superior with her sisters. At the end of Holy Thursday, we process with the Blessed Sacrament to the altar of repose for a period of silent adoration. It was on the first Holy Thursday that our Lord asked his apostles if they could remain awake for even one hour with him as he suffered in the Garden of Gethsemane.

Good Friday begins with a continued silence and more importantly an emptiness in the Church as the Blessed Sacrament is taken out of the Church. At Holy Thursday the priest is to consecrate enough hosts for the celebration of Good Friday. Good Friday is the only day of the year that there is not a Mass. Again, before the reforms, the Good Friday liturgy did not offer communion but since the reforms we offer Holy Communion at the liturgy. We are also to enter and leave the church on that day in complete silence.

Saturday comes and the Vigil, the highest liturgy of the Catholic Church, begins. If done correctly, we have seven Old Testament readings, one reading from St. Paul, and the Gospel. There are options to cut one to four readings from the Old Testament for pastoral reasons. At the Vigil, we begin in darkness, light our candles and listen to the Old Testament with darkness surrounding us. We listen to the singing of the great Exultet and prepare for the Sacraments of Initiation for those who are being baptized. It is a majestic liturgy where we celebrate the Resurrection of Our Lord and defeat of Satan. We listen to the Passion twice this week, Palm Sunday (from Matthew, Mark or Luke) and Good Friday (always from St. John).

As we enter into Holy week, please try and find time for silence and for meditation on the Lord’s passion.

God bless.

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