Holy Week Does Not Disappoint
We have come to the most solemn week of the Church’s liturgical year, which is Holy Week, and during this Jubilee Year of Hope. The Jubilee reminds us that we are on a journey together as pilgrims, heading towards the fullness of life and eternity, which is our ultimate hope. The theme for this year, Hope Does Not Disappoint (Roman 5:5), is well summed up during Holy Week as we commemorate together the sacrifice of Christ, which gives us eternal life. Indeed, we can say that Holy Week does not disappoint.
Holy Week begins on Palm Sunday, commemorating the Lord’s triumphant entry into Jerusalem, and moves towards the commemoration of His rejection and suffering on Good Friday. During Holy Week, we will celebrate the Easter Triduum, which represents the culmination of the entire liturgical year. The Easter Triduum of the Passion and Resurrection of Christ begins with the evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper, reaches its high point in the Easter Vigil, and closes with evening prayer on Easter Sunday. During Holy Week, we celebrate that in dying Christ destroyed our death and rising He restored our life.
Holy Week is also the occasion of the celebration of the Chrism Mass at the cathedral church, at which the bishop consecrates the Holy Chrism and blesses the other oils used in liturgical celebrations. This Mass is concelebrated with the priests of the Diocese, and in a particular way manifests the communion of the priests with the bishop. I am very much looking forward to this celebration at St. Ignatius Loyola Cathedral, which will take place Tuesday, April 15, at 11 a.m. All of the faithful of our Diocese are invited to it.
The Chrism Mass is a wonderful occasion which celebrates the unity and mission of the Church in a particular way. The Mass is an expression of the unity of the priesthood and the sacrifice of Christ. However, the consecration and blessing of the chrism and oils by the bishop remind all within the Church of that which has been obtained for us by the sacrifice of Christ. Holy Chrism is used to anoint the newly baptized, to seal the candidates for Confirmation, and to anoint the hands of newly ordained priests and the heads of newly ordained bishops. This year, the newly consecrated chrism will be used to anoint the hands of Deacon Jude Okeke, who will be ordained a priest on Saturday, May 3. Chrism is also a reminder of the sanctity of the entire Church as it is used in the rites of the dedication of churches and altars. The oil of the catechumens is used in the preparation of those to be baptized, and the oil of the sick is used to bring comfort and health to the sick in their illness. The Chrism Mass during Holy Week reminds us of the call to holiness we have all received.
As we move through Holy Week and the Sacred Triduum, we are almost overwhelmed by the deep meaning and beauty of the liturgical celebrations. The wealth of what we celebrate gives us much to reflect on, not only during Holy Week but during the entire season of Easter. As we began the season of Lent, the second reading of the Ash Wednesday Mass reminded us that “For our sakes, God made Him who did not know sin to be sin, so that in Him we might become the very holiness of God” (2 Cor 5:20). Pope Benedict XVI once referred to these words as “baffling.” He said, “What do these words mean? They seem, and in effect are, a paradox. How could God, who is holiness itself, ‘make’ his only begotten Son, sent into the world, ‘to be sin’? Yet, this is exactly what we read in the passage from St. Paul’s Second Letter to the Corinthians. We are in the presence of a mystery: a mystery which at first sight is baffling but is clearly written in divine revelation. … Although Christ, the holy one, was absolutely sinless, he agreed to take our sins upon himself. He agreed in order to redeem us; he agreed to bear our sins to fulfill the mission he had received from the Father.”
Holy Week, from the celebration of Palm Sunday through Holy Saturday, keeps before us the depth of God’s love for each and every one of us as expressed in St. Paul’s words. It is a love which freely assumes our sins, the Cross and even death, so we might share the life, holiness and joy of God. It is a love which reminds us of the dignity and holiness we possess through the sacrifice of Christ. It is a love that gives us the Real Presence of Christ in the Holy Eucharist on Holy Thursday. It is a love which identifies with our deepest sorrows through Christ’s suffering on the Cross on Good Friday and His descent among the dead on Holy Saturday. It is a love that gives us the holiness of God. Indeed, Holy Week does not disappoint. It is filled with hope.
During Holy Week, as we prepare to celebrate the life which Christ gives us at Easter, may we all come to know better the love of God which has been revealed on the Cross. Holy Week reminds us that we are called to holiness through the humbling of Christ. May we know better Him who did not know sin and became one of us that we might become the holiness of God. I wish all of you a Blessed Holy Week leading to a most joyous Easter season.
Most Reverend Gerald M. Barbarito
