From the Deacon's Desk

I will be preaching a brief homily at the Palm Sunday Masses today. Here are the notes for that homily:

As part of the Palm Sunday celebration, we heard two gospels – one read prior to the procession and one just now as part of the Liturgy of the Word.

The two gospels open up Holy Week and serve as bookends for the week: Beginning with the triumphant entry of Jesus into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday and ending with His passion, death, and Resurrection.

For me, and perhaps for you as well, that raises two questions:

First, we know what happens on Palm Sunday, during the Triduum on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, and of course on Easter Sunday. However, what happens on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday?

And second, given all that occurs during Holy Week, what makes it HOLY? 

So, what happens on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday of Holy Week?

Monday Jesus cleansed the temple, driving out the merchants and moneychangers. Keep in mind he had been in Jerusalem one day.

Tuesday was a busy day. Jesus spent the day preaching on the Mount of Olives. He spoke of the destruction of the temple, the second coming, and judgment day.

That night he attended a dinner party where a woman named Mary washed Jesus’ feet with her tears and hair and anoints them with an expensive perfumed oil. Again, controversy.

And on Wednesday, Judas goes to the chief priests to orchestrate the betrayal of Jesus. You may hear Wednesday of Holy Week referred to as ‘Spy Wednesday’ as Judas promised to keep an eye on Jesus and let the chief priests know the best time to arrest him.

So much happens in these three days. After Palm Sunday, it is literally the beginning of the end for Jesus on earth.

With this new information, we direct our attention to the second question: What makes Holy Week holy?

THIS is what makes it holy: We experience the fullness of Christ during this week. The beginning of the week, we experience the human nature of Jesus. We see Jesus getting angry, teaching, going to dinner with friends, challenging others, and finally seeing him agonizing in the Garden of Gethsemane. We see a full range of human emotions; Jesus fully human.

Then of course we the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus and witness the divine nature of Christ.

We honor Christ – we make this week holy – by embracing the fullness of Christ and reflecting on all he did for us – all he did to save us.