Dear friends,

We stand this Sunday at the gateway of Holy Week, Palm Sunday, officially Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion.  In this coming week, the Church will formally remember Jesus’ love for His disciples (including us) at the Last Supper, His betrayal (even by us in our lack of conviction in the face of the ridicule of modern society), His suffering and death (by us in our sins) and His rising from the dead (and us, with Him).  As the old TV show recalls, That Was The Week That Was. 

But before we get to that, let’s remember where we’ve come from.  As Lent began, we heard the Gospel of the temptation of the Lord in the desert.  It was a reminder to us that there is a devil, the Evil One, who tempted the Lord and who tempts us as well.  These temptations come in many forms, greed, power, our own self-centered ways, the good and easy life, at whatever cost.  Jesus resisted, we often do not.  On the 2nd Sunday of Lent, the Church encourages us to believe that it need not be that way.  We can resist, in the power of the Transfigured Christ (“This is my beloved Son, listen to Him).  With His power in us, we can be better than we are.  But why should we want to, why should we even try to be better?  The Church offered us answers on the next three Sundays.  On the 3rd Sunday of Lent we heard the story of the woman at the well.  Our search for all the things offered by the devil on that first Sunday will never satisfy.  There will always be a restlessness, an unfulfilled striving, in us, a thirst that can only be quenched by Jesus, Himself.  For those who come to Him, that restlessness will find its calm and peace in Him.  But we can be blind to that, a blindness which Jesus can remove (the 4th Sunday, in the story of the man born blind).  With new sight, we can see the road where Jesus would lead us.  And where does that road go, we discovered that last Sunday (in the story of the raising of Lazarus); that road goes into eternity, life forever with the Lord.  But not just that life, rather the road leads to a fuller life even in the present world.  After Jesus raises Lazarus, His words are very telling, “Untie him, and let him go free.”  With the hope for eternal life, we can live freer in the present; free from the fears that drive us to get what we can, take what we want, regardless of whom it hurts, regardless of the injustices it creates, regardless of the pains it may cause to others, and even to ourselves.  We are freed to say no to all those temptations that devil threw at us in that first week, and allows us to be transfigured ourselves into the image of Jesus, both in this world and the next.

So this has been our Lenten journey, a journey of renewal and refreshment, as our faith is refreshed and our determination renewed. 

Now it’s time to put the stamp on it, the stamp of approval, as it were, as we say yes to this conviction.  And how do we do it?  By our participation in the events of Holy Week, because it is through them that Jesus accomplishes this in us and for us.  When we make holy each of these days, we say yes to all that Jesus did for us.  Isn’t that worth your time and effort?  Begin on Tuesday, at our Lenten Penance Service, or on Wednesday, at evening confessions.  Then let the Lord know your commitment to Him by your participation in the events of Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter. 

So, you see, this could be a life-changing week for you – a truly HOLY WEEK.

God Bless,
Fr. Ron