March 16, 2007

Dear friends in life and in ministry . . .

The liturgies of Palm Sunday at St. Mary's, Bath were preceded on Saturday by a mini-retreat on DVD with our Bishop Matthew Clark and a Lenten Reconciliation Service. Following today's Palm Sunday liturgy, I've met with two couples that are preparing for summer marriages and in a short time will join in an ecumenical Seder Supper which we will hold in the New Fire Hall here in Bath.

As we approach Holy Week, our parish is grieving the news of an impending loss. Our beloved Fr. Peter Anglaaere has been asked by Bishop Clark to assume the pastorate of Our Lady of the Valley Parish in Hornell, NY - about 25 miles for Bath. The change will occur in late June, but Father will actually be leaving us in late May to spend time with his family in Ghana.

With fewer and fewer priests available for parish leadership we are all finding ourselves and parishes confronted by the reality of change. We really thought that Fr. Peter would be able to remain with us for at least a few more years.

In next week's column (which I have already written due to early bulletin deadlines) I'll share my thoughts on Fr. Peter and the challenge of change. In doing so, I'll also reaffirm my belief in God's promise that his children will not be abandoned. But for this week, a profound sense of loss and uncertainty will have its day. How appropriate for Holy Week.

God's blessings to you and those you love!

This week's Column: March 16, 2008 - Holy Week and the Sacred Triduum

This weekend we celebrate Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion - the beginning of Holy Week. Today we hear two passages from Matthew's Gospel and they stand in stark contrast to each other. We begin with a procession with palms, hearing the story of Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem. Waving palms of our own, we bring to life the adulation of an admiring crowd
shouting "Hosanna."

As if on a roller coaster of emotion, we again take the part of that crowd in Jerusalem as the story of Christ's passion and death is read. Now we must shout, "Crucify him!" We find the fickleness of that crowd to be stunning - how could they change so much in less than a week?

We have to admit such changes in emotion and devotion are very real responses that we ourselves have made to Christ as we meet him in the people around us. We have praised Jesus with great fervor and shown great faith and dedication. We also have contributed to his suffering, have added to his pain. As we watch each step he took to save us, we can see that like the characters in the stories today, we don't deserve what he did for us. We can only stay watching with him in silent awe and gratitude.

Holy Week

With Palm Sunday, we begin the holiest week of the year. It is also liturgically my favorite week of the year. I hope that you will join us for prayer frequently this week, especially for the celebration of the Sacred Triduum, literally the “three days”. The liturgy that begins with the celebration of the Lord’s Supper Holy Thursday evening simply continues on Friday as we observe the Lord’s Passion, and culminates in the celebration of the Easter Vigil after dark on Holy Saturday night. The Church looks at the Triduum as one liturgy in three separate movements. If you have never celebrated the Triduum in its entirety, you have cheated yourself of an awesome experience of the Paschal Mystery: Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again! This is the basis of our faith.

The symbols of Holy Week are large and lush:

Palm Sunday . . .

• a procession with palms
• a ritual Seder Meal with matzo, haroset, salt water, parsley, a hard boiled egg and roasted lamb shank

The Chrism Mass

• fragrant oils consecrated at the Chrism Mass at Sacred Heart Cathedral Tuesday night and presented on Holy Thursday to ours and church communities throughout the diocese.

Holy Thursday

• a bowl, a towel, and a pitcher brought forth for washing feet
• bread and wine transformed in a ritual meal recalling the very first such Eucharist.
• a solemn procession with the Eucharist and clouds of incense
• adoration before the Blessed Sacrament well into the night

Good Friday . . .

• ministers lying prostrate on the sanctuary floor
• a large wooden cross carried into the church so we may each venerate it, recalling Jesus’ ultimate sacrifice on our behalf

Holy Saturday . . .

• mdeafening silences, empty tabernacles, dry holy water fonts and extinguished sanctuary lamps

Easter Vigil . . .

• utter darkness…a bonfire…the a new paschal candle initiating a sea of vigil lights
• The singing of the Exaultat glorias and alleluias resurrected…new water blessed…baptismal promises renewed.

These times of prayer are longer than our usual Sunday liturgy – which is why I guess so many stay away from church on these days. But they are also so rich as these ritual actions are generally only done once a year. In that sense, they are both beautifully new and comfortingly familiar. It is the telling of our story as we recall all that our God has done for and with us.

Moving prayerfully through this holy week is a gift we give our souls. The invitation of the passion story is always to be there. When we enter fully into the story we begin to see every choice, chance and circumstance of our lives as God wooing us, seducing us, alluring us, calling us to return to him with all our hearts. When we do, our hearts are filled with peace and joy, and who among us cannot use an extra dose of peace and joy?

Why is Easter so Early this Year?

Ever wondered how the date of Easter is set? It occurs on the first Sunday following the first full moon following the first full day of the vernal equinox. This year the vernal equinox occurs on March 20th. Easter falling on March 23rd, as it does this year, falls on one of the earliest dates it can occur. It will not reoccur on March 23 until 2228.

Have a truly Holy Week. Serve one another well!

Deacon Ray

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Bulletin: March 16th, 2008