March 24, 2023
IT’S HOLY WEEK!
Fr. Isaiah Schick
It is Holy Week! The most-action packed week of the whole Church year. With the suffering, death, and Resurrection of Jesus being at the heart of our faith, it is no wonder that the week that we celebrate all of these things would be at the heart of our calendar. With that in mind, my encouragement this week is to take full advantage of the beauty of the Church’s prayer at the various liturgies, especially during the Triduum – which is the name for the triad of Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday (which ends with the Easter Vigil in the late evening). The times for these liturgies can be found elsewhere in this bulletin. Yes, some of the liturgies will be longer. Yes, some of them are late in the evening. However, they are well worth the time and sacrifice to attend because of the mysteries they communicate and the beauty of the ritual that only happens once a year! Many people stay up until at least midnight to celebrate something like the New Year – so I know that many are able to stay up to celebrate the New Life we have in Jesus! With beautiful ceremonies like the washing of the feet on Holy Thursday, the veneration of the cross on Good Friday, and the Sacraments of Initiation at the Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday, don’t rob yourselves of the opportunity to drink deeply from the well of the rich tradition of the liturgy that has sustained the Church and all her saints for centuries. It can also be a great expression of the support and prayer of the whole community of faith for those who are newly baptized and newly confirmed if we have a large attendance at the Easter Vigil. I hope to see most of you there. On Holy Saturday, when we celebrate the harrowing of hell when Jesus went to rescue Adam, Eve, and all the holy souls from the Old Testament – may the places of darkness be empty and may the nave of the Church be full!