The Beauty and Graces Of Holy Week

BISHOP
KEVIN J.
SWEENEY

“Take the time to enjoy and appreciate Holy Week.” I celebrated Confirmation at St. Matthew’s parish in Randolph on Saturday, March 16. In his remarks after Communion, the pastor, Father Brian Quinn, encouraged the newly confirmed, their sponsors, parents, and all those gathered, as we look forward to Holy Week, to “take the time to enjoy and appreciate Holy Week.” I hope that many readers have heard or shared this advice before, but I believe that it is worth repeating.

One of the blessings, but also one of the “dangers,” of our Catholic Faith and, perhaps, especially our “liturgy,” our common, communal prayer, is that there is much that we “repeat.” Whether it be the Our Fathers and Hail Marys of the Rosary or otherwise, or the parts and structure of the Mass and Sacraments, or our yearly celebrations of the Liturgical Calendar, we can certainly form “good habits” by the repetition, but the danger is in the feeling or temptation to think that we have “been there and done that.” There is also danger in repeating and hearing the same words or “stories,” we can do so without “thinking” or pausing to reflect on the meaning of those words and stories. So, as our Lenten journey leads us closer to Holy Week, as it does each year, it is good to “stop and think” or to pause and reflect to give ourselves, our families, and our parish communities the opportunity to enter our most “holy week” with open eyes and ears, minds, and hearts.

St. Augustine spoke of God’s Love as “Beauty, ever ancient, ever new.” The Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church states that:

“The Paschal Mystery of Jesus, which comprises his passion, death, resurrection, and glorification, stands at the center of the Christian faith because God’s saving plan was accomplished once for all by the redemptive death of his Son Jesus Christ.”

Many readers and (hopefully) many Catholics are aware that we celebrate the Paschal (Easter) Mystery each time we celebrate Mass. Each Mass is a re-enactment or participation in the “one sacrifice” of Jesus, when he offered His life for us on the Cross and conquered sin and death by His resurrection from the dead. (And, yet, some still say that “Mass is boring” — I guess that’s an example of the danger of routine or repetition?)

Although we celebrate the Paschal Mystery at every Mass, we recall and “re-live” that mystery, the passion, suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus, each year during Holy Week, in a particular way during the “Sacred Triduum” of Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Sunday. Many books have been written over the centuries on the meaning of Holy Week and the Sacred Triduum. As we prepare to enter Holy Week, I would like to simply share Father Quinn’s advice, encouraging all to consider how we will “take the time to enjoy and appreciate Holy Week.” I would also like to offer a few thoughts and reflections on some of the days or moments and opportunities for Grace that are part of our most Holy Week.

Similar to Ash Wednesday, Palm Sunday is one of the days when it seems that everyone wants to be in Church. We would hope that one day, the desire to attend Mass every Sunday and to receive Jesus in Holy Communion, would be as great as the desire of some to “get” ashes or palms. Until that time, I believe it is very important that we welcome all who come to Church on Palm Sunday. As we recall Jesus’ triumphant entrance into Jerusalem, we should each examine our consciences to realize that any of us can go from loving Jesus and chanting “Hosanna” one day and then possibly denying Him and chanting “Crucify Him” the next day, or a few days later. The beauty of hearing two Gospel Readings on Palm Sunday: the Entrance into Jerusalem at the beginning of Mass and the “Passion” (this year from Mark), is a wonderful opportunity to reflect on how the coming week needs to be a “holy week.” The Introductory words of the priest before the Palm Sunday procession draw us into the mystery of Holy Week of which we are all a part. The priest encourages us, “With all faith and devotion, let us commemorate the Lord’s entry into the city for our salvation, following in his footsteps, so that, being made by his grace partakers of the Cross, we may have a share also in his resurrection.” We are not bystanders in the liturgies of the Triduum, we are walking with the Lord himself, who shows us the way to fullness of life through his self-giving.

As part of our diocesan Welcome Home to Healing initiative, we have been offering Confessions, the Sacrament of Reconciliation, at all the parishes in our diocese on each Monday of Lent from 7 to 8:30 p.m. In recent years, we have celebrated the Chrism Mass on Monday of Holy Week. This year, we have moved the Chrism Mass to Tuesday so that Welcome Home to Healing can continue into Holy Week. So, if you have not yet had a chance to celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation (go to Confession) during Lent, you can do so on Monday of Holy Week. Receiving God’s Healing Love and Mercy as we receive the forgiveness of our sins in the Sacrament of Reconciliation is another way of “participating” in the Paschal Mystery. As Jesus suffered, died, and rose for the forgiveness of our sins, we receive the “Sacramental Grace” of that forgiveness and “share in His Victory” in the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

The Chrism Mass, which [the Bishop] concelebrates with Priests from various regions of the diocese and during which he consecrates the sacred Chrism and blesses the other oils, is among the principal manifestations of the fullness of the Bishop’s Priesthood and is considered to be a sign of the close bond of the Priests with him. For it is with the sacred Chrism consecrated by the Bishop that the newly baptized are anointed and those to be confirmed are signed. It is with the Oil of Catechumens that catechumens are prepared and disposed for Baptism. Finally, it is with the Oil of the Sick that those who are ill are comforted in their infirmity.

— The Order of Blessing the Oil of Catechumens and of the Sick and of Consecrating the Chrism (OBO), no. 1

As mentioned above, this year, our Diocesan Chrism Mass will be celebrated on Tuesday of Holy Week, March 26, at 7 p.m. in our Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Paterson. For those who may not be able to attend in person, it will be livestreamed, and I invite you to join us in prayer for this beautiful Mass. As bishop, it is a great privilege and a true “highlight” of each year to have the opportunity to gather with our priests and renew the promises of our ordination. Many of our deacons, men and women religious, diocesan, and other leaders and ministers join together in prayer for this Mass in which the Sacred Oils of Chrism, Catechumens, and the Sick are blessed. The blessing of these Oils reminds us of the gift of the sacraments and the “sacramental life” that we lived as baptized disciples, members of the One Body of Christ, the Church.

To be continued… Next week, I will offer some thoughts and reflections on the beauty and opportunities for grace of the Sacred Triduum. In these final days of Lent, we not only look forward to Holy Week, but we can be grateful for a reminder to make sure that we “take the time” to enjoy and appreciate Holy Week.