Holy Week - Palm Sunday: "Let us run to accompany him as he hastens toward his passion!"

Jesus Triumphant Entry - He Qi

Palm Sunday commemorates the triumphal entrance of Christ into Jerusalem (Matthew 21:1-9), when palm branches were placed in His path, before His arrest on Holy Thursday and His Crucifixion on Good Friday. It thus marks the beginning of Holy Week, the final week of Lent, and the week in which Christians celebrate the mystery of their salvation through Christ's Death and His Resurrection on Easter Sunday.

The faithful have traditionally decorated their houses with the palms from Palm Sunday, and, in many countries, a custom developed of weaving the palms into crosses that were placed on home altars or other places of prayer. Since the palms have been blessed, they should not simply be discarded; rather, the faithful return them to their local parish in the weeks before Lent, to be burned and used as the ashes for Ash Wednesday. - Scott P. Richert "Catholicism Guide"


An excerpt from a Palm Sunday sermon (Oratio 9 in ramos palmarum: PG 97, 990-994) by Andrew of Crete, a bishop and Early Church Father who died in 740 AD.

Let us go together to meet Christ on the Mount of Olives. Today he returns from Bethany and proceeds of his own free will toward his holy and blessed passion, to consummate the mystery of our salvation. He who came down from heaven to raise us from the depths of sin, to raise us with himself, we are told in Scripture, above every sovereignty, authority and power, and every other name that can be named, now comes of his own free will to make his journey to Jerusalem. He comes without pomp or ostentation. As the psalmist says: He will not dispute or raise his voice to make it heard in the streets. He will be meek and humble, and he will make his entry in simplicity.

Let us run to accompany him as he hastens toward his passion, and imitate those who met him then, not by covering his path with garments, olive branches or palms, but by doing all we can to prostrate ourselves before him by being humble and by trying to live as he would wish. Then we shall be able to receive the Word at his coming, and God, whom no limits can contain, will be within us.

In his humility Christ entered the dark regions of our fallen world and he is glad that he became so humble for our sake, glad that he came and lived among us and shared in our nature in order to raise us up again to himself. And even though we are told that he has now ascended above the highest heavens - the proof, surely, of his power and godhead - his love for man will never rest until he has raised our earthbound nature from glory to glory, and made it one with his own in heaven.

So let us spread before his feet, not garments or soulless olive branches, which delight the eye for a few hours and then wither, but ourselves, clothed in his grace, or rather, clothed completely in him. We who have been baptized into Christ must ourselves be the garments that we spread before him. Now that the crimson stains of our sins have been washed away in the saving waters of baptism and we have become white as pure wool, let us present the conqueror of death, not with mere branches of palms but with the real rewards of his victory. Let our souls take the place of the welcoming branches as we join today in the children’s holy song: Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Blessed is the king of Israel.

Father of light,

in you is found no shadow of change

but only the fullness of life and limitless truth.

Open our hearts to the voice of your Word

and free us from the original darkness

that shadows our vision.

Restore our sight that we may look upon your Son

who calls us to repentance and a change of heart,

for he lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,

one God, for ever and ever.  Amen.

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The Liturgies of Holy Week

For the whole of the Church, The liturgies of Holy Week draw us into the central drama of our faith. They are celebrations of and immersions into the singular action of our Lord's passion, death and resurrection. As our Jewish brothers and sisters, when they celebrate their yearly Passover, no longer say, "my ancestors were freed from slavery" but, rather "Now I have been freed from slavery", so too with us. In our full, conscious and active participation in the liturgies of Holy week we can no longer say, "those people who knew Jesus were freed by his death and resurrection" but "Now I have been freed...because I have been there. I have walked the way of the Cross with my Lord, I have felt his pain, played a role in his betrayal, and been graced with His forgiveness and love."

This year we invite you to walk with us, from Jesus' Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem to the table of the Last Supper. From his desperate plea in the Garden, to his mockery of a trial. From the despair and loss of His crucifixion and death, to the victory and glory that he shares with us all. Let us together make this Holy week, a week we will never forget; 


PASSION SUNDAY [PALM SUNDAY]: (Emphasized quotes taken from Catholic Online unless otherwise indicated)

"On Palm Sunday, we celebrate the first joy of the season, as we celebrate Our Lord's triumphant entrance into Jerusalem where he was welcomed by crowds worshiping him and laying down palm leaves before him. It also marks the beginning of Holy Week, with the greatest tragedy and sorrow of the year."

The celebrations of Holy Week begin with Passion Sunday.  On this day the church celebrates Christ’s entrance into Jerusalem to accomplish his paschal Mystery, the suffering, the death and resurrection of Christ.
A) The procession and Solemn Entrance.
B) The passion Readings: for the passion readings today and Good Friday no candles will be used. The greeting and the signs of the cross are omitted.
C) The celebration of the Eucharist.

EASTER TRIDUUM:

The celebration of the EASTER TRIDUUM opens with the evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday, and reaches its climax in the EASTER VIGIL on Saturday night.

A)  HOLY THURSDAY:

"The Holy Thursday liturgy, celebrated in the evening because Passover began at sundown, also shows both the worth God ascribes to the humility of service, and the need for cleansing with water (a symbol of baptism) in the Mandatum, or washing in Jesus' washing the feet of His disciples, and in the priest's stripping and washing of the altar. Cleansing, in fact, gave this day of Holy Week the name Maundy Thursday."

This day’s celebration consists of three principal Mysteries:
1. Washing of the feet: Christ’s Love and Service
2.  The Institution of the Priesthood; and
3. The Institution of the Eucharist.
[Your presence for adoring the Blessed Sacrament will be appreciated even after the celebration of the Eucharist].

B) 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 reading of the Passion...we unite ourselves to our Savior, and we contemplate our own death to sin in the Death of our Lord."




This day is considered a very important day of observing Christ’s Paschal Mysteries for the World. The faithful are very specially invited to participate in this day’s Paschal Masteries. Also the Church strongly recommends the day of “Paschal Fasting” to honour the suffering and death of the Lord Jesus, and to prepare to share more deeply in the joy of his Resurrection. Good Friday is a universal day of Fasting and Abstinence from meat.
The Liturgy today consists of Two Services:
1) Liturgy of the Word of God which includes Scriptural readings, passion narrative and Prayers of Intercessions.
2) Veneration of the Cross.
Please Note: the special focus of this day is found both in our liturgy and our fasting. The service begins in a silence; no entrance hymn is sung, and there is no welcoming and greeting at the beginning, during or end of the Service. No sign of the cross is made or candles are used for readings. The Faithful leave the church in a silent manner without greeting; continue meditating on the suffering and death of the Lord, keeping vigil for the joy of Resurrection.

C) EASTER VIGIL:

"This is the night
when Christians everywhere,
washed clean of sin and freed from all defilement,
are restored to grace and grow together in holiness.

This is the night
when Jesus Christ broke the chains of death
and rose triumphant from the grave.

What good would life have been to us,
had Christ not come as our Redeemer?
Father, how wonderful your care for us!
How boundless your merciful love!
To ransom a slave you gave away your Son.

O happy fault,
O necessary sin of Adam,
which gained for us so great a Redeemer! " - From the Exsultet sung on Easter Vigil






On Holy Saturday, the people of God remain in recollection at the tomb of the Lord, meditating on his suffering and death, refraining from celebrations until the night. During the Solemn Vigil Service, a night of prayer which looks forward to the celebration of the Lord’s RESURRECTION, mourning gives way to the joys of Eastertide, which we will celebrate for the next fifty days.

The Easter vigil celebration consists of four parts:
1) Service of light and lighting of Easter candles.
2) The Liturgy of the Word, the Faithful meditates on all the wonderful things God has done for his people from the beginning.
3) The Liturgy of Blessing water, Baptism (when there is), and Renewal of Baptism; and
4) The Liturgy of the Eucharist.
The Universal Church invites you to participate in this Salvation Mystery and share the Joy of Resurrection with others. The church and the community join you to celebrate the joy from Easter Sunday to the next Fifty days when we celebrate the Solemnity of Pentecost.

In the name of Jesus Christ and His church, I invite and welcome each and every one to observe, celebrate and participate in the Paschal Mysteries the Lord has for us. Try to observe the traditions of the church that will help us to be holy to reborn with the Resurrection of the Lord Jesus. Prayer and mediation will help us to strengthen the spirit of God in us.
PS: Look for the Bulletin to get Holy Week Schedules, and changes if there are any. No announcements will be made or permitted during the liturgies on these days, unless it has some urgent information.

Wishing You A Very Spirit filled Holy Week 2011

Fr. S. Antony, Pastor. Christ the King Parish, Regina
April 09, 2011

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