Friday, March 28, 2008

so what about holy week?

Sorry this information is a little late.....

The week that changed the world:
Holy Thursday- This day begins the sacred Triduum. These are three beautiful days during which the Church journeys with Christ as He fulfils His Heavenly Father's will by suffering; dying; and rising from the dead, for the salvation of our souls! On Holy Thursday, we remember the Last Supper. Above you will see a pic of Papa B16 washing some feet. At the Last Supper, Jesus washed his Apostle's feet. Why do you think He who is God would do the work of a slave? It's all about love. He said to His Apostles and to us, "You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and you are right, because it is true. And since I, the Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet." Jesus, you have shown us the path to life!
At the Last Supper Jesus instituted the Eucharist for us. He knew that He ws about to die and so He left us the precious gift of His body and blood in this holy Sacrament. He promised never to leave us alone. Thank you Jesus for such a great and wonderous gift!!
This night, Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament is placed on a special altar of repose until midnight. The faithful are invited to come and spend quiet time adoring our Lord. This is also to remind us of the time that Jesus spent in agony after the Last Supper in the garden. There He knew the suffering that He would endure for the sake of our sins and he willingly accepted it because of His great love for us. During the night of Holy Thursday, we are gifted the grace to spend an hour with our Lord in prayer and contemplation. Check out more about Jesus' agony in the garden in Luke 22:39-46
Good Friday- Where you there, when they crucified my Lord? On Good Friday, we remember the suffering and death of our Lord. At St. Martin's, our youth group reenacts the steps that Jesus took to His death and leads the parish community in prayer and meditation. In the evening, we gather to venerate the holy cross...the cross on which hung our salvation.
Holy Saturday- "This is the night." Perhaps this day begins busily with preparations for Easter celebrations and family get- togethers. It is also a day of preparation and excitement for all who will be entering the Church and receiving sacraments. The celebration begins at night, in a darkened, tomb-like, empty church. The priests have gathered to bless and ignite the Easter flame. This is the beginning of the light. Christ is risen!!! He is the Source of our light. He has conquered the darkness of sin. Alleluia!!
Easter- Beginning with our celebration on the night of Holy Saturday and continuing for fifty dayswe now focus on God's call to each one of us to pass from death in to new life. The Easter season is broken in to two parts. The first forty days of the season, we will be hearing about the new life Christ brings to those who believe in Him. The last ten days, between the feast of the Ascension of our Lord into Heaven and Pentecost we will move our attention to the coming of the Holy Spirit.
So what does all of this mean for me now?
Our Lord Jesus has conquered sin and death and has brought us new life. Take some time during this Easter season to look at your life. What areas of your life are good and holy? What is keeping you from God? What sins do you need to die to in order to allow God to renew your life?

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