EASTER SUNDAY

IN THE biblical descriptions of the Easter event, the story moves straight from Good Friday to Easter Sunday. An entire day of grief, devastation and fear lies unspoken between the end of one paragraph, where Jesus is buried, and the beginning of the next, his resurrection two days later. Perhaps it was simply that there were no words to do justice to the empty day in the middle. We can only imagine that, for the followers of Jesus, it must have been the emptiest, most shattering experience they could ever encounter — a metaphorical hell. Tradition tells us that Jesus was in the real one.

BLACK SATURDAY

In the primitive Church Holy Saturday was known as Great, or Grand, Saturday, Holy Saturday, the Angelic Night, the Vigil of Easter, etc. It is no longer, like Maundy Thursday, a day of joy, but one of joy and sadness intermingled; it is the close of the season of Lent and penance, and the beginning of paschal time, which is one of rejoicing.
By a noteworthy exception, in the early Church this was the only Saturday on which fasting was permitted (Constit. Apost., VII, 23), and the fast was one of special severity. Dating from the time of St. Irenaeus, an absolute fast from every kind of food was observed for the forty hours preceding the feast of Easter, and although the moment assigned for breaking the fast at dawn on Sunday varied according to time and country, the abstinence from food on Holy Saturday was general

HOLY THURSDAY

HOLY THURSDAY is the most complex and profound of all religious observances, saving only the Easter Vigil. It celebrates both the institution by Christ Himself of the Eucharist and of the institution of the sacerdotal priesthood (as distinct from the "priesthood of all believers") for in this, His last supper with the disciples, a celebration of Passover, He is the self-offered Passover Victim, and every ordained priest to this day presents this same sacrifice, by Christ's authority and command, in exactly the same way. The Last Supper was also Christ's farewell to His assembled disciples, some of whom would betray, desert or deny Him before the sun rose again.

GOOD FRIDAY

On Good Friday, the entire Church fixes her gaze on the Cross at Calvary. Each member of the Church tries to understand at what cost Christ has won our redemption. In the solemn ceremonies of Good Friday, in the Adoration of the Cross, in the chanting of the 'Reproaches', in the reading of the Passion, and in receiving the pre-consecrated Host, we unite ourselves to our Savior, and we contemplate our own death to sin in the Death of our Lord.

PALM SUNDAY

The week we now call Holy Week, started with Palm Sunday. Why was thisweek so important that three of the gospel writers (Matthew, Mark, andLuke) devote a full third of their contents to reporting this week, andThe Fourth (John) dedicates its entire last half? Jerusalem, which hada normal population of about 50,000 at this time, had at least tripledin size because of the influx of pilgrims celebrating the Jewishholiday Passover. Early Sunday morning Jesus made his baldly publicentry into the city. This was the end of all privacy and safety, andthe beginning of what would be an inevitable collision course with thereligious and political authorities. Crowds began to gather to see therabbi from Galilee. The procession began accompanied by shouting andsinging from the throngs as they threw down their garments on thepathway to cushion his ride - an Oriental custom still observed onoccasions - as well as palm fronds, the symbol of triumph. The OldTestament prophet Zechariah had foretold the arrival of the Messianicking in Jerusalem via the humble conveyance of a colt. Here the crowdhailed Jesus as "the son of David", a loaded name used at a loadedtime. The priestly establishment was understandably disturbed, as thepalm was the national emblem of an independent Palestine. These wereJewish flags. What if Jesus should claim to be the heir of King David?(Recent archiological excavations have turned up Roman coins, which havethe head of Tiberias (idolatrous to the Jewish subjects) but overstampedwith a palm.)

KUWARESMA 2008 [Part 2]

As we journey with Christ in His Passion and Death the last half of the Sacred Season of Lent, we reflect on God's love and compassion, that in every suffering and cross, we know that He walks with us and that in the end, God's love will always triumph!

By: Kirk B.

John 10:16

There are other sheep which belong to me that are not in this sheep pen, i must bring to me them too my voice, and they will become one flock with one shepherd.