My Dear Family,

10,000 Maniacs have a classic hit - These are the Days. It is a happy tune about being “blessed and lucky” and part of the great miracle of life, something that will “grow and bloom in you,” and so these are the days to remember, to gather, to try to absorb most deeply, because these are precious days. That is how I feel about Holy Week. “To see the signs and know they are speaking to you.” So many signs and symbols fill this most holy week of the year. Truly these are the days to remember, and we do so by entering in and cherishing the beautiful and wondrous flow of the week, from Passiontide to Eastertide.

Now, we recognize that Natalie Merchant did not have Holy Week in mind, when composing that song, however the invitation rings true. Lauren Daigle echoes that invitation with a more obvious Christian take on the same theme - These are the Days. These are the days when we cherish the work that God has done for us in the great work of salvation, “this is what He came for,” Lauren sings, so let us “open our eyes and ears.” And Christ Jesus offers us the gift of sanctifying grace so that through us the church’s mission may spread. So, she encourages us to have “jubilation” at the great and beautiful days that are unfolding before us, days of salvation - when the great paschal mystery unfolds before us, and we are invited into it. 

Palm Sunday is a unique liturgy. We begin with Palms, and we end with the Passion. A whole week compacted into one liturgy. If we look ahead, we will focus on just the Passion on Good Friday - when from noon until 3pm darkness covered the earth - but somehow, we call it good. For those unable to attend the Good Friday liturgy (at 3pm), today is the only Sunday to spend with the Passion of Our Lord. Next Sunday, we find ourselves marveling outside the empty tomb.

So do not let these days go by unheeded. Please, seek to live them with deep passion and commitment, to walk in the footsteps of Jesus and to live these days with unique intensity. You might challenge yourself to live out the S. T. E. P. S. with greater eagerness. I do hope you will invite someone to join us for Easter Mass. One wonderful way to journey with our Lord, step-by-step to Calvary, is to meditate on the Gospels that pertain to the Passion (Mk 14, Mt 26, Lk 22, and Jn 13 are the places to begin as you see fit). And if possible, please come to Holy Thursday Mass of the Lord’s Supper (7pm). It is one of my favorite liturgies of the year.

These are the days that as Christians we live for because from them our true life in Christ is born. So, we seek to journey with Jesus all along the way and cherish all that He has to teach us along the journey. 

Enjoy Holy Week,

Fr. Wilson